All formats – showcases, workshops and design labs – will provide opportunities for registrants to actively engage with the subject and project team.

Showcases: These presentations will feature projects that have been piloted or implemented. The project team will present their work and then be looking for feedback, ideas for adapting the pilot to other sites, or wanting to debrief challenges and opportunities for strengthening the project.

Workshops: These presentations will overview projects that are at the 80% stage and soon to be piloted or implemented. The project team will present their work and then be looking for participants to give feedback, help refine ideas, brainstorm road-blocks, etc.

Design Labs: These presentations will overview projects that are between 50%-75% complete. The project teams are seeking help with design, road-block work-arounds, gap-filling, and ideas from those with experience in the topic area.

Following a land recognition, we will be welcomed by Bud Patel, Head of School, Brentwood College.

Program leads Tom Harding (West Point Grey Academy) and Sue Roppel (Kimberley Foundation) will follow the opening welcome by setting the context for innovation and framing the day ahead.

Dr. Robin Cox advances leadership in climate and disaster resilience. Drawing on design thinking and open learning approaches, Cox is cultivating climate action leadership through education, research, and advocacy. Her work includes the design and implementation of an innovative open-learning Graduate program – the M.A. in Climate Action Leadership (Royal Roads University- RRU) included modular components (e.g., Graduate Certificates, Micro credentials) and customized learning pathways in the second year of the degree program. As the Director of the Resilience By Design Lab at RRU, Robin works with an interdisciplinary and multi-sectorial team of faculty, students and external partners (government, business, academic) to conduct regional, national and international climate adaptation research and capacity-building projects. Climate action workforce development is central to this mission and includes developing a Climate Action Competency Framework; a range of climate adaptation focused, not-for-credit professional development courses and micro-credentials; Upskilling for Canada’s Climate Transition, a research collaboration with the Academy For Sustainable Innovation and the Future Skills Center project focused on identifying skills and competencies to support Canada’s climate transition plans, and a recently awarded contract with Environment and Climate Change Canada to design a Climate Adaptation Fundamentals course for federal public sector workers.

2023 Project: Climate Action Student Profiles [Workshop]

• Description: The goal for this project is to create a curriculum framework for a grade 12 student and a grade 7 student for climate action. Our student profiles attempt to answer the question “What does an informed, engaged and active climate change minded citizen look like? We hope that our final iteration will include a profile as well as a climate change mapping tool for schools to use (by grade level and subject) to ensure students are developed to become active climate action citizens.

2023 Project: Designing an Action Plan for the Reduction of Food Waste [Design Lab]

• Description: The goal of this project is to develop a proposal for a food reduction action plan to be approved by the School’s Board of Directors and integrated as a fundamental pillar in the School’s strategic plan. This design lab seeks others to share experience or help design metrics for measuring food waste and developing strategies for food waste reduction, measurement and curricular integration.

2022 Project: Grade 10 Science – How energy choices affect Earth’s energy and climate systems? [Showcase]

• Description: The goal for this project is to showcase a redesign of grade 10 science with climate change as a central organizing idea. This project demonstrates how to embed curricular competencies and integrate innovative assessment ideas into meaningful content about climate change and climate action.

2023 Project: Land Use, Food Production and Climate Change [Workshop]

• Description: The goal for this project is to develop an interactive resource to support understanding about the connection between choices that are made around food and land and the impacts they have. The comprehensive resource looks at connection from five lenses – physical, emotional, social, environmental and economic – and provides activities, projects, investigations, and actions that can be taken to mitigate the impact or strengthen the change.

Registrants will also have the opportunity of an optional short walking tour of the Brentwood campus during the latter part of the lunch hour.

Aquaculture & Food Security – Jennifer Clark (Chief Scientist) – Cascadia Seaweed

• Dr. Jennifer Clark is a phycologist by trade. In her current role as Chief Scientist at Cascadia Seaweed, Jennifer manages the cultivation and production of kelp seed used to grow nutritious, regenerative kelp for use in agricultural products and restoration efforts. She also leads research and development in improving kelp biomass, alternative methods of seeding, biobank development and monitoring kelp and environmental health. Since seaweed aquaculture is an emerging sector in BC, Jennifer is focused on producing regenerative food sources while conserving natural coastal ecosystems and understanding the ecosystem services seaweed aquaculture may provide.

Waste Management – Rhiannon Moore (Outreach Coordinator) – City of Victoria, Zero Waste Strategy

• Rhiannon Moore is a passionate environmental professional who has received multiple awards for her work including being named one of Canada’s ‘Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders’ in 2018. She was also the recipient of the 2018 Garfield Weston Award for Northern Research. As the City of Victoria’s Zero Waste Outreach Coordinator, she is working to help develop “Zero Waste Victoria”—an action plan to guide the city towards bold waste reduction. Rhiannon is also a member of the Expert Advisory Panel for the Plastics Action Centre (Recycling Council of Ontario) and a Science Advisor for Ocean Ambassadors Canada.

Fashion & Design – Sue Fairburn (Faculty) – Wilson School of Design, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

• Fast Fashion is a heading that fills social media but what does it really mean for today’s youth, what are some of the key local industry initiatives and how are design educators at the Wilson School of Design talking students through sustainability to make informed choices? Fast consumption goes beyond Fashion and the plastic-based materials many of us have in home furnishings have direct links to how wildfires burn as they threaten homes and communities.  This session will address local issues for designers of the futures meeting changing climate challenges hands-on.  Sue Fairburn has over 15 years as a Design Educator in Canada and UK and her education bridges Sciences and Design – she researches and teaches Design for Extreme Environments. Alongside her boots-on-the-ground approach, as a member of KPU”s Climate+ Challenge Team she is involved in pan-institutional discussions about Climate Change Education, Credentials and literacy through the Federation of Provincial Secondary Educators – Standing Action Committee on Climate.

2023 Project: School Climate Strategy & GHG Inventory Scorecard [Workshop]

• Description: This project has three goals: (i) create a template for a climate action strategic plan based on GHG emission evidence for schools to adapt; (ii) create a scorecard template to report GHG reductions; and (iii) develop a communication/promotion strategy to encourage schools to adopt.

2022 Project: Interdisciplinary Approach to Climate Change Education & Indigenous Knowledge [Showcase]

• Description: This project showcases the learning journey of one of the Collaborative educators and the ways in which climate change education and Indigenous participation can transform learner outcomes and active engaged learning.

2023 Project: Climate Co-curricular Action Toolbox [Workshop]

• Description: The goal of this project is to create a “toolbox” for educators and students passionate about, and wanting to act, to change climate change. Following a process of “assess, plan, act, evaluate and sustain”, the toolbox is a student-led resource that follows a behaviour change approach while developing important skills along the way.