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Despite a growing effort to integrate students’ civic action projects into science and engineering curricula that address climate change and environmental justice, there are few frameworks that guide teachers and students to make well-informed decisions and actions towards a more just and sustainable future. This article presents a tool, Civic Action Matrix, that characterizes different types of students’ civic action projects. The tool attends to two dimensions of activities that capture important aspects of learning–the development of student agency and understanding the complexity of climate and environmental issues. Using two illustrative cases, we demonstrate how students, teachers, and teacher educators utilize this tool to expand the range of possibilities for civic action projects, moving beyond one-time, unidirectional activity aimed at individual-level changes toward collective action aimed at system-level changes. This article concludes with key takeaways for educators and curriculum developers.
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This content will become publicly available on November 11, 2026
Action for Climate Empowerment through Art−Science, Community-Based Learning and Sustainability Outreach
Education plays a critical role in the fight against climate change, offering educators an opportunity to inspire and empower students to take meaningful climate action. This Perspective explores how Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) can be integrated into chemistry and environmental science education through a combination of art−science projects, community-based learning (CBL), and sustainability outreach. By implementing equitable and empowering pedagogies, such as CBL and creative expression through art, we can inspire empathy and care for planet Earth. This article provides practical examples of using visual exploration tools and sustainability-focused STEM outreach, which includes projects on bioplastics, algae biodiesel, and DNA nanotechnology. These projects help students understand how chemistry can contribute to solutions for climate change and environmental justice. By fostering creativity, empathy, and collaboration, educators can create impactful learning experiences that equip students with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to take climate action. Through authentic scientific research projects centered on sustainability, education becomes a means of empowerment and liberation, inspiring students to advocate for the environment as they imagine and build a sustainable future.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2134772
- PAR ID:
- 10650360
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Chemical Education
- Volume:
- 102
- Issue:
- 11
- ISSN:
- 0021-9584
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 4747 to 4759
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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