Written by:
Walker Stewart, Science Communications Specialist at GreenLearning
Over the course of many years, GreenLearning has utilized its challenges to help learners in classrooms across the country become active and engaged stewards of the environment. This environmental stewardship introduces learners to not only the responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices but also gives them a glimpse of how climate justice action can lead them into future careers.
So what’s the deal with Greenlearning’s six unique Challenges? Well for starters they expose learners to real-world challenges that individuals across the globe are constantly trying to solve and improve upon. As educators and their learners gain knowledge through GreenLearning’s educational programs and the associated lessons within them, we invite these classrooms to utilize their new knowledge and take action on these various topics to make a real impact solving problems arising due to climate change.
Each challenge is designed as a culminating project that is completed at the end of a program or unit that learners work on collaboratively with their educators as the facilitator. What’s even more exciting is the exposure learners have through these challenges to the world of work and potential careers as they apply their critical thinking skills into action.
Let’s take a closer look at how these challenges allow learners to explore and develop into their own career paths.
Our newest program, Eco 360: Transitioning to a Circular Economy and its associated challenge allow learners to become Sustainable Entrepreneurs that need to develop and pitch a feasible innovation plan for a circular economic model that eliminates plastic waste from our environment. These plans are sustainable in nature, but also offer learners the opportunity to be their own entrepreneurs such that their ideas could be a new business, product, or service.
The Re-Energy program and its associated challenge allow learners to become Renewable Energy Engineers that design and build from a selection of various working models. These models incorporate renewable energy which teaches learners the potential of a much more sustainable future that they can be a part of.
The Flood:ED program and its associated challenge allow learners to become Flood Prevention Officers that learn first-hand proper flood prevention tactics for their schools or households all while designing their very own flood prevention plans. This challenge teaches learners the importance of being resilient by preparing for extreme weather conditions such as flooding.
The Decoding Carbon: A Climate Policy Quest program and its associated challenge allow learners to become Climate Action Policymakers that become immersed into everything that is climate policy. As learners build this new foundational knowledge, they are invited to develop their own climate policy for Canada using simulators and other exciting resources.
The Energy Revealed program and its associated challenge allow learners to become Energy Managers that discover just how much energy their school or household are actually using as a baseline. As learners record and manage their school or household’s energy usage, they are encouraged to make an energy savings plan all while promoting and completing their very own school earth hour.
These challenges give learners multiple opportunities to take the lead and become an important role in their classrooms which can help them grow into an environmental career that they feel inspired and passionate about. Further, our challenges can help foster decisions on what fields of study learners should major in post-secondary schools. The customization of degrees with the various majors to choose from provides learners with the chance to make their undergraduate journey unique and catered to their interests. Some interesting programs we found are the brand new Climate and Environmental Change program at the University of Waterloo, and the Environmental Economics & Policy program at the University of Alberta.
And to top it off, each challenge that an educator and their classroom registers for and completes may be eligible for a cash prize. Be sure to check out GreenLearning’s Challenge Page to learn more!