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Students will explore energy burdens and its overlap with environmental justice and identify solutions taking place at a local level. Students will write a persuasive proposal outlining their plan for reducing energy burdens and build resilience based on research.

Imagine buildings and communities that regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life. Green building can do this. Learn how you can become a champion for it. This interactive, self-guided course provides foundational knowledge of green building concepts and strategies, and suggests actions to take to advocate for and support green buildings in your community. While not developed as curriculum for middle and high school students, the content is appropriate for secondary-level learners and ideal for self-guided instruction. The course is available for free here on Learning Lab: https://www.usgbc.org/scorm/green-building-101

To earn a certificate of completion, view the course at https://www.usgbc.org/education/sessions/green-building-101-12847871 - the course is still free, but a USGBC account is required.

Through this lesson, students will learn about the heat island effect and the role of native trees in mitigating the heat island effect and other effects of climate change to ultimately develop a conservation plan for their area.

Students will identify the process for proposals for transportation improvements in Miami Dade County, focusing on the County’s SMART plan. They will write a proposal in support or opposition to the plan keeping in mind how transportation is linked to environmental justice issues.

Students will use the knowledge they have gained from the Solar Design unit and Solar Certificate to create a final deliverable. Using SketchUp, handouts, and the financial analysis calculator, students will be able to produce a model of a solar installation and justify the economic, environmental, and equity impacts of installation to an audience.

A site assessment is a critical step in understanding a rooftop’s potential to generate electricity from the sun. In this lesson, students will learn the fundamental steps for conducting a solar site assessment and designing a rooftop system. Students will continue their solar assessment and design project from Lesson 4.1 and either design the system for a sample California school’s rooftop or their own school.

This lesson introduces students to the components of a solar electric system and prepares students to size a solar electric system to meet 80% of their school’s (or a sample school’s) energy use.

Students will watch a film, Barrio de Paz, about peace worker Nelsa Libertad Curbelo from Guayaquil, Ecuador and the city’s gang youth, who have left behind a life of crime to come together and provide services to their struggling community and explore themes of conflict resolution, youth empowerment, and the power of love versus violence.

Students will watch a film, Mr. Happy Man, about 88-year-old Bermudian Johnny Barnes, who devotes six hours each day to an endearing traffic ritual, and will identify what things in life aid in creating a positive attitude.