Climate Emergency Month

This semester our class will become leaders in taking climate action by leading, supporting, and developing the Climate Emergency Month initiative led by the WMU Climate Change Working Group. More information about the month is found at ClimateEmergencyMonth.org. This effort will be the focus of this semester's Community Action Project.

Working in groups students will develop activities and actions to engage WMU students in topics related to the climate crisis. Your activity needs to have a clear and direct relationship to the climate crisis. (Participating in a neighborhood cleanup or volunteering at a food bank are wonderful things to do - but they do not meet the assignment.)

Activities you organize should  be listed on the ClimateEmergencyMonth.org calendar.

Your support for Climate Emergency Month can take many forms, some examples:

Attending, organizing, or leading events on campus or in the community, related speakers, presentations, films, pubic conversations, book groups, etc. Previous students in my classes have organized "teach-ins," shown climate related films, set up informational tables, held poetry or literature reading events, led public book discussion groups, participated in marches, protested on campus and downtown, spoken at climate rallies, helped organize Earth Day, etc.

Attending, participating with, or helping to organize and promote Climate Emergency Month events.

Become engaegd with other students working on the Climate Emergency Month. The WMU Sustainability Office (funded by student fees) is creating student-led activities. There is a long time RSO (registered student organization) called Students for a Sustainable Earth also involved.

Address the political dimension - for Climate Emergency Month bring to campus a political candidate with a good climate platform, educate about the Green New Deal, or set up community discussion and debates.

Connect students to climate action groups such as Sunrise, Fridays for the Future, Michigan Climate Action Network, Citizen's Climate Lobby, Sierra Club, etc. Invite groups to speak, create local chapters, host events... Learn about how to take climate action, educate others, find ways to address the emergency.

To complete this assignment, you are expected to be involved for 8-10 hours or more. When the month is over write a summary report on your experience and what you learned, propose a grade, and email your summary to the professor. Last date to send report: April 5.

Created by: allen.webb@wmich.edu
Revised Date: 9/21