Climate Literacy at UMass

Born from a student-led vision, our program is designed to foster a carbon-literate undergraduate student body. We move beyond traditional learning with a student-centered, place-based approach that turns education into a solutions-based living lab.

Students engage directly with the University's resources, expertise, and its carbon-zero transition.  The core curriculum features a dedicated Day of Learning, hands-on activities, and resources for deeper exploration into the vast scales of climate impact and action, drawing on university expertise.

Our program is a UMass-designed model that is transdisciplinary and student-centered, moving beyond traditional learning to foster a carbon-literate undergraduate student body.

• From Hopelessness to Action: We are built on a powerful educational model that addresses climate anxiety by moving students from hopelessness to hope to action. The program provides students with the agency and connection needed to translate knowledge into meaningful impact, emphasizing what they can do.
• Student-Led & Collaborative: Born from a student-led vision , the program is shepherded by a dynamic faculty-student team that incorporates the vast array of expertise necessary to address complex issues.
• Place-Based & Living Lab: We utilize a place-based approach that links directly to UMass resources and expertise. Students engage directly with the University's carbon-zero transition, using our campus as a real-world "living lab" opportunity.
• Curriculum for Impact: The core experience includes a dedicated Day of Learning and an asynchronous activity, offering curriculum, resources, and tools to go deeper in learning.  Together, student cohorts explore climate change across scales of impact and action, drawing on spheres of influence.

To expand its reach and engage a diverse cohort of students, the program is offered in flexible formats:

• Workshop Series: A standalone, immersive 10-hour experience delivered as a series of modules. This format hosts cross-campus cohorts of students with a graduate student facilitator.   
• Plug-and-Play Learning Module: The curriculum is available as flexible, shorter training designed to be incorporated into existing courses or other campus experiences. The plug-and-play modules will be offered in Spring 2026.  SES will partner with programs and instructors to deliver one or more modules, including: climate literacy primer, social justice, and science and solutions.

The strength of the program lies in its collaborative foundation. We actively work with thought leaders, students, and academic and operations partners across campus to ensure the curriculum is cutting-edge.

Growing Expertise: The faculty-student team receives critical engagement and feedback from students, thought leaders, and our academic and operations partners.

Key Partners: Active curriculum development involves critical engagement from entities like the Assessment, Survey, and Effectiveness Research (ASER), the Clean Energy Extension, Auxiliary Enterprises, Facilities Management Sustainability, and SGA Sustainability. Foundational support came from UMass Carbon Zero, UMass Libraries, the Sustainability Science Graduate Program, and the iCons Program.

Social Justice Lens: For AY25-26, we are thrilled to announce a growing collaboration with the College of Education's Social Justice Education Program. This partnership ensures the program incorporates crucial educational pedagogy and practices as we adapt the curriculum and develop new literacy experiences.

This collaborative approach guarantees the curriculum remains responsive and relevant for diverse audiences with training adaptations tailored for specialized audiences and future use beyond campus to meet the needs of regional partners.

Fall 2025 Highlights

This fall, we successfully hosted our October Climate Literacy Workshop Series in honor of Sustainability Month. The series engaged a diverse, cross-campus cohort of students, including undergraduates and graduate students from:

• College of Education
• College of Humanities and Fine Arts
• College of Natural Sciences
• College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Daniel J. Riccio Jr. College of Engineering
• Isenberg School of Management

The School of Earth & Sustainability (SES) partnered with the Office of Assessment, Survey, and Effectiveness Research (ASER) on the program's assessment and the Social Justice Education Program on curriculum design through a social justice lens.

Spring 2026 Opportunities

Next spring, we will expand the program's reach by offering "Plug-and-Play" options to instructors. These flexible, short-format climate literacy modules are designed to be easily incorporated into existing courses, programs, or student experiences.

Available modules will include:

• Climate Literacy Primer
• Social Justice
• Science and Solutions

SES is seeking collaborators for the climate literacy plug-and-play modules.