I am super excited! I have been offered an opportunity to attend and participate (credentialled NGO Observer) in the 2021 United Nations COP26 meeting. This international climate change meeting is THE place where climate policy and climate action happen. I will be supporting the U.S. ACE Coalition (Action for Climate Enhancement) while participating in events in Glasgow, Scotland during the first two weeks of November. 

I believe that in order to solve the climate crisis we must activate PEOPLE through education, training, and public participation. I will join a delegation of individuals and organizations working on community driven climate solutions including climate change education, training, public awareness, public access to information, public engagement, and international coordination at COP26.

The U.S. ACE Coalition Delegation to COP26 will build on the U.S. ACE Framework and other previous U.S. ACE community work to advocate for stronger, more just, and more intersectional ACE work at the national and international level. The Delegation will host side events, press conferences, and networking events at COP26 to feature ACE work in the U.S. and promote ACE as critical to climate solutions. 

This huge learning opportunity will allow me to meet inspiring international leaders from around the world who are fighting for systems change in climate change education and a for a future we all want to be part of.
I will also get to share my unique perspective, expertise, leadership, and passion for climate change education. It's plausible that this experience will turbocharge my passion for environmental work and career in environmental education. 

While in Glasgow, I will also meet up and engage with the World Association for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts Climate Change Programme leaders and hopefully the Laudato Sí Movement too. ​

This is all a very last minute opportunity that has come my way and yet it does not include funding to cover my travel, expenses, and carbon offsets for two weeks ($3,000 budget). I thank you for considering sponsoring me and this important work. You may send along a sponsorship of any size through PayPal.Me  or Venmo @sarahrosejohnson. 
Thank you in advance for your continued support of climate change education leadership!

Throughout the COP26 Meeting I will be posting updates and reflections on these social media channels; so please follow/like these pages: 

• on Instagram @wild_rose_education
• on facebook @WildRoseEducation
• on Twitter @​​WildRoseEducate

Perhaps you too are traveling to Glasgow for the COP26? If so, let's see about trying to connect. Find me on WhatsApp with my phone number. Send me an email and I'll share my number. 

Thursday, February 4, 2021
3:30pm-4:30pm MST
All formal and non-formal educators welcome
​Waitlist Registration here

This month's Climate Change Educator Meetup will include a presenters Frank Niepold, Jen Krester, and Kristen Poppleton (see below) who will provide an overview of the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) strategic framework for the United States, some concrete examples of ACE in action and how participants get involved. 

• Frank Niepold, Senior Climate Education Program Manager and Coordinator, NOAA Climate Program Office
• Jen Kretser, Director of Climate Initiatives - The Wild Center
• Kristen Poppleton, Senior Director of Programs - Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy​

This is a regular monthly virtual meet up of climate change educators from across Colorado and beyond. We're excited to invite many others (you) to our February meeting. If you're interested in being part of this informal professional group, after the February meet-up you'll be invited to join our Mighty Network online platform. 

Wild Rose Education’s Youth Water Leadership Program™ mission is to create authentic student-centered learning experiences that increase watershed literacy through civic action. During 2018, the program reached 646 student contacts ages sixth grade-college in three program areas during 94 hours of experiential learning.

• 5 Lens on Climate Change Filmmaker Teams
• 4 films: Our Lives Our River, Out of Balance, Streamflow on the Crystal, and Grass Skis selected for 2019 Colorado Environmental Film Festival
• 16 Field Trips and Classroom Visits
• 1 Youth Water Summit

Exciting growth occurred during 2018, the second year of this signature YWLP program. Hosting the CIRES Lens on Climate Change film making program, creating branding, convening the Summit Leader Team, mentoring senior capstone students, hosting a day long youth water summit, and employing a program intern significantly increased the program’s capacity and impact. In addition to the founding sponsor, Pitkin County Healthy Rivers, 10 additional generous financial sponsors made this expanded programming possible. Finally, utilizing the collaborative support of 20 partner organizations made this year’s YWLP more effective, meaningful, and fun.

Read the new Youth River Voices blog where water, river, and climate change youth leaders give voice to the most important issues of today

Watch the student presentations below

The Third Street Center 501(c)3 is the fiscal agent for the Youth Water Leadership Program.

The student made films from the Lens on Climate Change Program are now available to be viewed and shared. 

Thanks again to CIRES, University of Colorado Office of Outreach and Engagement, and the Colorado Film School for bringing their program on the road to Carbondale reaching 20 local middle and high school students during the 6 day free workshop at the Third Street Center. 

The films will be screened during the 2018 Healthy Rivers Youth Water Summit and also submitted to the Colorado Environmental Film Festival. 

Special thanks to all who made the Lens on Climate Change program possible in Carbondale, Colorado including: Community Office for Resource Efficiency, Third Street Center, CLEER, Solar Rollers, and Two Rivers Unitarian Universalists.

Career Panel 

• Ellie Barber, Aspen Global Change Institute
• Morgan Hill, Garfield County Public Health
• Ali O’Neil, Evergreen Zero Waste
• Haley Thompson, filmmaker
• Sarah Uhl, artist, joy evangelist

Community Experts

• Jake DeWolf, Colorado Division of Water Resources
• Matt Hamilton, Aspen Skiing Company
• Kevin Horch, Sunlight Ski and Bike Shop
• Dave Kanzer, Colorado River District
• Brook Levan, Sustainable Settings
• Liz Mauro, Pitkin County Landfill
• Heather Tattersall-Lewin, Roaring Fork Conservancy
• Aaron Taylor, Way of Compassion Bike Project

A moderated thoughtful public process where citizens will learn from one another, weighing various approaches, and find courses of action consistent with what the community and individuals hold valuable.  During a deliberative forum, people:

• Look at different ways of thinking about a problem
• Exchange views with others
• Weigh benefit and trade-offs of different options
• Listen and reconsider in a safe environment

Wild Rose Education coordinated this 2nd annual bioblitz in collaboration with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program and the landowner John Powers.

Environmental Issues Forums (EIF) are a North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) initiative designed to promote meaningful, productive deliberation about difficult issues that affect the environment and communities.
Environmental Issues Forums in the Classroom - In April 2016, the White House announced the inclusion of NAAEE and Kettering Foundation's Environmental Issues Forums (EIF) in the President's Climate Education and Literacy Initiative. NAAEE is committed to supporting teachers’ use of the Climate Choices issue guide in their classrooms. During the summer of 2016, Sarah Johnson was part of a team who created and drafted the new middle school level teacher's guide. The guide provides an introduction to the EIF issue guide Climate Choices: How should we meet the challenges of a warming planet? Using Climate Choices offers an opportunity for teachers and students to use a deliberative process to consider climate change choices. This resource provides background information on deliberation, how to use Climate Choices in the classroom, and material to help teachers moderate a forum with students. Ito also includes resources on teaching about climate change. Read more about EIF and NAAEE.