In Winter 2022 the Climate Justice Institute welcomed eight UW faculty members to discuss and build lesson plans through a climate justice lens.  This was the second year of offering this program, with co-sponsorship from the Program on the Environment, the Program on Climate Change and the College of the Environment.

As the desire for connecting science and community grows among students, the incorporation of climate, environmental justice, and civic engagement into courses is becoming more prominent. By weaving these concepts into courses at al levels and disciplines we ensure these topics are a defining aspect of education.

This Climate Justice Institute was originally designed by Dr. Sonya Remington-Doucette and offered at Bellevue College.  The institute was expanded upon by Dr. Heather Price at North Seattle College and the program is now implemented in multiple university settings.

The group met four times to participate in readings and discussions, and to design a course module for the partiipants respective courses. Dr. Heather Price and Dr. Alex Turner led the institute, facilitating discussion and the design of new course modules. Faculty from Oceanography, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Aquatic and Fisheries Science, ​​Environmental and Forest Sciences, Atmospheric Science, and Environmental Studies participated this year and we look forward to broadening the reach next year.

During the final meeting of the institute participants presented their materials to the group, including a civic or community engagement piece to have students incorporate their own communities and take action to perpetuate climate justice in their lives.

Faculty participating in the institute submit their new teaching materials to the Climate and Environmental Justice & Civic Engagement in Canvas Commons. The completed lessons will also soon be published as an Open Educational Resource through Pressbook and UW libraries.