Prairie Eco Services
Kelly Knight, Houston Community College System
As densely populated urban areas continue to expand, human activity is removing much-needed greenspaces from our communities; in turn, we are also removing critical buffers that are needed to combat air and water ...

Mock United Nations Climate Negotiations Exercise
Shangrila Wynn, The Evergreen State College
This is a version of the UN climate mock negotiations exercise developed by Shangrila Joshi Wynn.

Rethinking Sustainability Through the Humanities: Multi-Sensory Experience and Environmental Encounter Beyond the Classroom
Jennifer Atkinson, University of Washington-Bothell Campus
This assignment pairs studies in environmental humanities with outdoor activity. Students complete a "field excursion" (gardening, hiking, environmental restoration) and reflect on sensory experiences involved in that activity to critique rationalist traditions/Cartesian legacies in their education more broadly.

Justice, Power, and Activism: What the Goldman Environmental Prize Winners Teach Us About Resilience and Democracy
Jason Lambacher, University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
This activity is a set of student-centered exercises that enable students to learn about the individual stories of Goldman environmental prize winners, the activism and organizing that grounds their work, and the underlying political and social contexts from which their struggles emerge. The lesson inspires critical reflection about justice, power, and democracy in green politics, and encourages ways to make personal connections to activism and environmental work.

Afghan Poppies, Climate Change and War: Thinking Systemically About Us and Them
Karen Litfin, University of Washington-Seattle Campus
This contemplative practice inquires into the complex web of interdependencies linking global climate change, the War on Terror, Afghan poppy production, opiate addiction, and food security through the lens of systems theory. The exercise challenges students to consider these linkages not only conceptually but also somatically and emotionally.

Contemplative Inquiry on Climate Change: Playing with Perspectives
Abigail Lynam, Fielding Graduate University
Hour long contemplative exercise to explore the psychological, emotional and spiritual dimensions of learning about climate change. Guided perspective-taking exercise in small groups of 3-4 students, with discussion and reflective writing.

Group Dialogue – Promise and Peril of the Past and the Future
Abigail Lynam, Fielding Graduate University
This 1 to 1.5 hour group dialogue offers an exploration of the different ways we respond to learning about climate change. It guides reflection on students' thoughts and feelings (hope and despair), how they view the current moment, the past and the future with regard to human/nature relationships and how to create positive lasting change.

Engaging Contentious Political Issues
Parakh Hoon
Faculty and students of politics inevitably engage with contentious debates about global inequality and development, conflict, and environmental sustainability. Teaching and learning outcomes in politics tend to ...

Interdisciplinary Problem-Solving Project for the Science Classroom
Liliana Caughman
Students are assigned unique roles and work independently to solve a complex problem from the perspective of their role (i.e. sociologist, educator, historian, etc.) Students then work collaboratively to present their findings and action plan to the "tribal council".

The Benefit of Acknowledging and Addressing Students' Uncomfortable Emotions when Learning about Environmental Issues: Fostering Growth and Change in Action-Oriented Exercises
Ellen Moore
Research reveals that if students are presented with negative information about environmental issues and they are not also provided with a plan for action, they often manifest denial on many levels. This exercise is designed to get students to directly address the emotions they face when learning about environmental issues and to make an action plan to address them in their individual lives.