what is climate action?

a note on climate action

the theme for the yoca is climate action as broadly understood and approached. climate action traditionally encompasses action aimed at reducing ghgs (mitigation), adaptation, resilience building, and activism.

but, climate action is a relatively new term, and all of us are still expanding on what it encompasses. there is no one specific definition of climate action as its meaning differs from person to person. 

the yoca's themes inspire us to think of climate action as rising up, transitioning, regenerating, and sustaining together to create the conditions for all life, and the land, to flourish.

climate action is building relationships. it's recognizing the causes and consequences of climate change. it's systemic change, it's restorative justice, and it's right relations. climate action is also reducing greenhouse gases by transitioning away from fossil fuels to more sustainable sources of energy. it is stormwater management and low impact development. it's holding our leaders accountable to their commitments. climate action is all of these, and more.

imagining a year of climate action through the sustainability plan

specific activities through the yoca are oriented towards and connected with goals in lakehead’s sustainability plan. 

an effort is being made to ensure activities range across the interconnected sectors illustrated in the plan:

1. academics (research and curriculum);
2. operations (grounds, energy, waste, water, transportation, dining services);
3. engagement (public, campus) and;
4. planning and administration (coordination, two-eyed seeing, investment).

by linking to the sustainability plan, the yoca contributes to accomplishing our sustainability goals, while placing a specific emphasis on climate action. 

since climate action is connected to most aspects of society, it is woven throughout the various goals of the plan rather than separated as an isolated goal. while this can make it appear less explicit in planning efforts, it is a more effective approach that ensures climate action is connected within and throughout all areas of the institution.

concrete climate actions

a year of climate action requires just that, action.

identifying the top 5 most feasible climate actions with high impact

on june 30, 2020, the sustainability coordinator invited members of the 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 sustainability stewardship council to respond to the following question: what more might lakehead be doing to respond to the climate crisis? 

the lussc climate action working group collected over 50 suggestions and prioritized them based on the highest/lowest impact of making climate change salient at lakehead, and how feasible the action is to implement based on resources and time needed. the working group members then ranked the top five most feasible actions with the highest impact. all of the actions either directly or indirectly connect to goals in the 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 sustainability plan.

top 5 most feasible climate actions with high impact

1. declare a year of climate action * (engagement-campus)
2. train faculty and staff in climate change pedagogy * (academics-curriculum)
3. implement preferred parking and charging for electric vehicles ** (operations--energy)
4. increase the visibility of the thunder bay solar panels via a display ** (operations--energy)
5. offer internal research grants for climate change ** (academics--research)

**explicit action in sustainability plan

*implicit action in sustainability plan

over the year of climate action, the climate action working group will work toward these specific climate actions. 

please stay tuned to this page, or our news section, for updates on progress.

train faculty and staff in climate change pedagogy

the climate action working group is working toward strategies to train faculty staff in climate change pedagogy. the teaching commons contributed to yoca with a fall newsletter focused on climate action. additionally, this year's teaching and learning week included a full roster of workshops, panels, and presentations for professional development on integrating climate change into the classroom. you can access those recordings here. additionally, a climate pedagogy toolkit is available here.

implement preferred parking and charging for electric vehicles 

阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 secured funds to install ev charging stations on the thunder bay campus through the cedc plug-in thunder bay program. eight dual level ii charging stations are projected to be installed this spring or summer. stay tuned!

increase the visibility of the thunder bay solar panels via a display

did you know we have solar panels on the uc cafeteria in thunder bay? in the month of may 2021, they offset 2.51 tons of carbon, the equivalent of 64 trees. more to come!

offer internal research grants for climate change

through the office of research and innovation, a special call for projects was aimed at research connected to climate action--the yoca research awards. seven awards of $5,000 were given to faculty and 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 through a competitive process. please see the following news release for information on the awardees.