A COMMUNITY IMPERATIVE: CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVISM BEYOND THE CLASSROOM AT HIGHLINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, DES MOINES, WA

The faculty, staff and students of Highline Community College's Climate Change Group educated and activated our community by providing screenings of An Inconvenient Truth, developing partnerships with local environmental organizations, organizing a free roundtable teach-in with invited panelists, and encouraging climate change activism at on-campus Earth Week activities. The nearby Federal Way School Board decision in January 2007 to temporarily limit student access to climate change education was a rallying call to the individuals that formed Highline's Climate Change Group. Our first action was to respond to community need by providing free day and evening screenings of the controversial documentary. The February screenings were well-attended and post-movie discussions between faculty, invited representatives of environmental organizations, and viewers focused on climate impact reduction. Our next course of action was to create an event that allowed community members to participate in climate change education while learning about potential impacts specific to the Central Puget Sound area. In March, roundtable participants had time in between speaker presentations to discuss climate change issues followed by plenary questions. During Earth Week activities in April, Climate Change Group members photographed students giving environmental exclamations. Photos were emailed back to students and posted on the Climate Change Group website: http://flightline.highline.edu/climatechange Collaborating with Highline's Sustainability Task Force and creating activities for the nationally organized Focus the Nation helps the Climate Change Group reach its goal of developing into a long-term on-campus environmental presence. At Highline Community College a local event galvanized passionate and energetic individuals into a dynamic and cohesive group committed to climate change education and activism.