How We Do It
Empower youth voice. ACEE brings together high school students from across Alberta to take the next steps toward environmental and energy leadership in their schools and communities. These students bring their well-informed youth voice to present to government, education and industry leaders. In 2016, these kids’ recommendations led to the government announcement to install solar panels on 36 new schools!
Influence a new curriculum for more than 700,000 students. We are working with Alberta Education’s staff: our Curriculum for a Sustainable Future proposes new curriculum that will dramatically increase students’ environment, energy, and climate literacy.
Give teachers the resources and support they are asking for. Teachers want to teach about the environment, climate and energy, but they need support – we provide it through workshops, convention presentations and regional networks, highlighting quality teaching resources from over a hundred reputable sources.
Connect Classrooms to Professionals. Education is changing, and more and more teachers are engaging their students in inquiry-based and project-based learning. Through this program, we inviteenergy, environment and other sustainability professionals into the classroom, providing enriching experiences for students and teachers.
Develop and deliver energy efficiency education. This new hands-on program connects students with technology that ‘makes energy visible.’ Students increase their energy and environmental literacy, learn experientially, take action to reduce greenhouse gases and help schools reduce their utility bill and other costs!
Help Alberta school boards ‘take the next step’ towards energy and climate leadership. We work in partnership with school boards across the province to support trustees and superintendent teams, helping them connect student learning to the greening of school infrastructure.
Engage youth around how ‘Alberta Schools can show Climate Leadership (Year Two).’ In 2016 we worked with over 3000 Alberta high school students on this topic. They presented their findings to the Education and Environment and Parks Ministers in June. This year the youth will speak to Alberta’s educational leadership at provincial and regional meetings, and work with them to help identify and take the next step towards climate leadership.
Develop and deliver Energy Efficiency Education. Through a joint venture with Greenlearning.ca, we’re developing a new hands-on energy efficiency education program for junior and senior high school students, using new circuit meter technology that ‘makes energy visible.’ This program epitomizes excellent education: students increase their energy and environmental literacy, learn experientially through their project work and reporting to school decision-makers, take action, reduce greenhouse gases, and help schools reduce their utility bill and carbon levy payments!
Help Alberta’s educational leaders ‘Take the Next Step’ towards climate leadership. We’ll help board trustees and superintendents from Alberta’s seventy-plus school boards ‘take the next step’ when it comes to advancing both student learning and school infrastructure. In partnership with Alberta Education, the Alberta School Boards Association, and the College of Alberta School Superintendents, we’ll build a workshop series and a Climate Leadership Clearinghouse and Knowledge Centre to engage these education leaders and support their work, culminating in a 2018 Summit.