Words by Emily Luan edit Tom Newland, illustrations by Erin McGarry. Student researchers Kayla Afonseca, Tanishka Dalavi, Richard Osei, and Angelo Rassias.
The Adoption of Carbon Literacy
The pressing need to address increased greenhouse gas emissions from human activities has led to significant global climate change. The UK’s ambitious goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 underscores the urgency. The Carbon Literacy Program, which educates individuals to reduce their carbon footprint through training and engagement, is a critical initiative in this effort. The program covers greenhouse gases’ impact, encourages actions to reduce carbon footprint, and provides a certificate for carbon literacy. It also incorporates the concept of adaptation to respond to anticipated climate shifts.
The Carbon Literacy Project certification requires 8 hours of study. Previous research undertaken in Worcestershire libraries indicated this level of commitment was a barrier to uptake in this population. These projects played a pivotal role in developing abbreviated carbon literacy workshops in Worcestershire libraries. This new research assessed audience interest and concentrated on retaining attention during the workshops, demonstrating the practical application of their research.
Designing Carbon Literacy Workshops With You in Mind
The project was designed with four key objectives in mind. These objectives were crucial in developing an abbreviated Carbon Literacy workshop adapted to audiences attending Worcestershire libraries.
- Developing an abbreviated carbon literacy workshop tailored for audiences at libraries in Worcestershire.
- Becoming carbon literate and gathering important information.
- Marketing the carbon literacy workshop by creating fliers, posting events on social media, and delivering and assessing the workshop.
- Developing a teacher guide that libraries can use to guide and conduct future workshops. This entailed creating a detailed lesson plan.
The developed carbon literacy workshop was created through several methods: taking the full carbon literacy training to become familiar with the program, leveraging sponsor insights and training materials to identify the key messages and goals of the Carbon Literacy Program, and developing a concise and engaging version of the program. Activities were discussion-based for adults and hands-on for families and younger audiences. This ensured the workshop would be informative and engaging for all ages.
Watch the students present their research.
What We Have Taken Away
Workshops for adults were well attended when held outside regular work and school hours. Families with children in the target age group attended every family workshop. Feedback indicated interest in continuing training on carbon literacy. Higher engagement was observed during activities, with discussions arising from using the carbon footprint calculator, participating in story time, and planting herbs. Families approached the table independently, while adults needed to be approached with fliers to start a conversation.
During the family sessions, we organised several activities, including colouring, storytelling, and planting. While some children seemed disengaged during the colouring activity, they eagerly participated in the storytelling session, especially when we read a book about Greta Thunberg, as they were already familiar with her. The planting activity, however, was a hit with both the adults and children, who were involved and enthusiastic about planting their herbs. This level of engagement among the children underscores the impact of our workshops on the younger generation.
What Improvement We Can All Expect From The Future
The library staff should work towards completing ‘The Carbon Literacy Project’ training to become knowledgeable resources for visitors.