Climate Ambassador Training Modules

Below you will find links to information about climate science, how to effectively communicate with others about climate change, and resources that can deepen your knowledge about actions contained in the Iowa City Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.

Each week of the training, you will be asked to review the "Required" material for the assigned learning module. (A copy of the syllabus can be found here.) This will include short articles to read, videos to watch, recordings to listen to, and/or interactive quizzes and web features. It is designed to be informative but also, hopefully, fun too. You may cover this material at your own pace, reviewing one or two items a day or going through them all at once. It is an important part of your training. This material gives us all a shared base of information to use as a starting point for our weekly conversations.

Each module also contains a list of "Supplemental" material. Although none of this material is required, it is provided so that you can explore the topics that interest you more deeply. Use the supplemental material to personalize your training experience. The links and resources were carefully chosen for being thought-provoking as well as useful, and reflect current conversations happening in the Climate Action community. We are always refining these lists. If you come across material that you think should be included, please feel free to share it with your Climate Ambassador trainer.

Welcome to the Climate Action conversation!

Use these links to jump to any module:

  • Module 1: Climate change impacts and equity
  • Module 2: Building the climate conversation
  • Module 3: Rethinking waste and promoting better use of resources
  • Module 4: Plugging in to buildings and energy
  • Module 5: Advancing cleaner and healthier forms of transportation
  • Module 6: Promoting a sustainable lifestyle for every resident
  • Module 7: Building a more resilient community

Module 1: Climate change impacts and equity

Required material
  1. Watch Iowa and Changing Climate (7 minutes)
  2. Watch Patricia Espinosa on Cities and Climate Leadership (15 minutes)
  3. Interact Climate Change Health Impacts Quiz (10 Questions)
  4. Watch What is Environmental Justice? (3 minutes)
  5. Read Iowa City Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (pages 6-20)
Supplemental material

Module 2: Building the climate conversation

Required
  1. Read Communicating on Climate: 13 Steps and Guidelines (8 pages)
  2. Watch Heal the Planet (3 minutes)
  3. Listen Humanity’s Temporal Range (23 minutes)
Supplemental

Module 3: Rethinking waste and promoting better use of resources

Required
  1. Watch Plastic Wars (53 minutes, especially last 15 minutes)
  2. Read Iowa City Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, “Taking Action: Waste” (pages 43-48)
Supplemental

 

City Government