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THE LIVERMORE LAB FOUNDATION CARBON CLEANUP INITIATIVE
Future environmentalists can get a jumpstart on saving the planet through this collaborative effort between SJCOE STEM coordinators and Livermore Lab Scientists. Instead of being offered as a separate program, the initiative (now in its second piloted year) is part of developing curriculum in high school science classrooms. The goals of the materials, based on the LLNL-released research report, “Getting to Neutral” about carbon neutrality, were developed into an educational toolkit with interactive and hands-on lessons. The process started in 2020 with the first pilot program beginning in January 2022. The toolkit has since been revised and utilized by several high schools and Bakersfield Junior College.
The five initiatives are as follows: 1. Understanding the carbon crisis; 2. The impact of excess carbon dioxide on the environment including biodiversity and human populations; 3. Explore the importance of getting to carbon neutrality through multiple solutions including ways to reduce carbon emissions and ways to remove and store the excess carbon dioxide already present in our atmosphere; 4. To explore green career opportunities; and 5. To communicate the importance of getting to carbon neutrality with their peers and local community members.
Students exposed to the curriculum (there are 60 teachers piloting the program across Kern and San Joaquin County schools) will explore real world data, solutions, and technologies. Mostly, they are asked to deploy critical thinking skills to address carbon emissions issues. The goal is to come up with solutions that support a carbonneutral California by 2045. While the lessons begin in the classroom, they don’t typically stay there. One goal of the program is to encourage students to take their discussions to family members and peers, to come up with additional answers and perspectives to the problem and solutions.
Outside of school, this type of education can lead to a career. “There are many projects, jobs, resources being created throughout the state in response to the carbon crisis and California seeking to be a part of the solution,” Tamara says. “The climate crisis is very real in our state and the hope is that as students engage in these activities, they will develop the content and skills needed to think critically about solutions proposed for their own communities and make informed decisions based on the information that they learn.”