1. Have students investigate two community climate action plans (Some possible links are listed below). Compare adaptation and mitigation actions that each community thinks are important and decide if any would work in their own community. Choose an action and decide how that action would affect the student’s family.

Ann Arbor: https://www.a2gov.org/a2energy/be-informed/Pages/climate-partners.aspx

Grand Rapids: https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/Government/Departments/Sustainability?BestBetMatch=climate|d13b95b2-5146-4b00-9e3e-a80c73739a64|4f05f368-ecaa-4a93-b749-7ad6c4867c1f|en-US

East Lansing: https://www.cityofeastlansing.com/220/Climate-Sustainability-Plan

2. Have students assemble the Global Warming Wheel Card to calculate emissions found at http://www.globalchange.gov/resources/educators/toolkit.

3. Students can use EPA’s Emissions Calculator on the MEECS Climate Change Resource DVD or online greenhouse gas or carbon calculators to understand the make-up of their own carbon emission contributions.) Internet searches using the keyword “carbon calculator” or “greenhouse gas” calculator will reveal many options from which to select. Students can also compare the results of online carbon and greenhouse gas emissions calculators – not all calculators will give the same results.

4. Celebrate success in DOTS and appoint a classroom representative to register your class project(s) on the national DOT website. Hold a final class reflection on what went well in general, what groups would do differently in the future and assess what needs still remain for educating peers on climate change.

5. After individual DOT effort, have class work on planning a school-wide DOT. Engage entire school in the collection of ideas for reducing the school’s GHG emissions and hold a school-wide vote. Have students take on the winning idea with education and the student council.

6. After students have evaluated their school campaign, have them decide how they could take their campaign into their community. Discuss how the community might change as a result of climate change.

7. As a class project, survey the school yard and design a way to include more trees in the landscape.

8. Using an outline map of Michigan, have students delineate coastal regions, forested regions, cities and suburbs, or agricultural regions. Indicate what changing conditions will especially be critical to address in adaptation and mitigation strategies.

9. Play the Stabilization Wedge Game. The game has students create a strategy for stabilizing carbon emissions using by picking eight carbon cutting strategies (wedges). See http://cmi.princeton.edu/wedges/game.php

10. Create educational posters about each of the Climate Literacy Principles to be shared with others (on MEECS Climate Change Resource DVD).

11. Determine how schoolyard trees can reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide by using the Tree Benefit Calculator at http://www.treebenefits.com/calculator/