Climate Crisis Teach-In Archives | School of Science

Climate Crisis Teach-in 2025: Exploring the “How” of Sustainability Transformations

December 19, 2024

Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, 6:30 p.m. | Pollak Theatre

Addressing the climate crisis and related challenges provides many opportunities for promoting sustainability transformations. Yet significant questions remain about what such transformations might entail, how to support them, and how to sustain and scale these efforts. This talk explores the practical, political, and personal dimensions of transformation, drawing upon the model of the “Three Spheres of Transformation”. The talk also considers recent efforts to promote sustainability transformations, based upon the speaker’s work with university students and her on-going research on bicycling and non-motorized transportation infrastructure. The talk discusses implications and lessons learned from these case examples for fostering and supporting transformative change.

Leichenko is a distinguished professor of geography as well as dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Rutgers University. Her research explores the economic and equity dimensions of climate change impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation. Leichenko has led or served on climate change assessments for the City of New York, New Jersey, New York State, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The second edition of her book, “Climate and Society: Transforming the Future” (Polity Press, with Karen O’Brien), was released in summer 2024.

As You Sow: Invest Your Values: Part of the Climate Crisis Teach-in

October 24, 2023

Weds. Feb. 21, 6:30 p.m. | Hybrid, In-person (Edison 201) and Zoom, School of Science and Climate Crisis Teach-in Event

As You Sow (AYS) is the nation’s non-profit leader in shareholder advocacy. Founded in 1992, AYS harnesses shareholder power to create lasting change by protecting human rights, reducing toxic waste, and aligning investments with values. The As You Sow mission is to promote environmental and social corporate responsibility through shareholder advocacy, coalition building, and innovative legal strategies. The As You Sow vision is a safe, just, and sustainable world in which protecting the environment and human rights is central to corporate decision making. Corporations are responsible for most of the pressing social and environmental problems we face today—As You Sow believes corporations must be a willing part of the solutions. We make that happen. As shareholder advocates, AWS directly engages corporate CEOs, senior management, and institutional investors to change corporations from the inside out. Kiplinger rated As You Sow number one of the nine most useful tools for ESG Investors.

As You Sow has created a series of easy to use web tools for investors to invest their values including Fossil Free Funds, and As You Vote. Fossil Free Funds analyzes the fossil fuel exposure and carbon footprint of thousands of U.S. mutual funds and ETFs. We make it easy to know what you own, so you can align your investments with your values. As You Vote is a tool that you can empower to vote every ballot item: director nominations, auditors, CEO-pay, and shareholder resolutions according to your values. Both of these web tools will be showcased in this presentation by Diana Myers and Grant Bradski. Diana Myers is a research assistant with As You Sow’s Say On Climate Initiative, which focuses on cutting corporate green house gas emissions and evaluating companies’ environmental progress through a climate scorecard. Grant Bradski coordinates As You Sow’s 401(k) Sustainability Scorecard, which rates corporate retirement plans based on their exposure to environmental and social issues. He works to empower employees with the tools and resources to invest in a climate-safe retirement.