Climate Action Team – Projects Page
Getting entrepreneurial
If you have an idea for a climate related project, this is the place to share!
We meet monthly to evaluate those ideas and for those with the most merit, we ask volunteers to join together to shape these ideas into Programs that can eventually be applied statewide.
For an idea to gain traction on the path to becoming a program, it requires someone to lead. Once a leader is established, then the group works together to help speed the process of moving from idea to program.
Active Projects:
Speakers Central
Lead: Mike Peronto (Pierce).
EMGs from across the state are updating existing ones and creating new presentations with a climate related theme.
Once “WSU EMG APPROVED” these presentations are made available for download, statewide. To become “APPROVED” Professors with a climate science background check to ensure our science is sound. We also carefully vet the presentations to ensure that we have properly credited copyrighted material and obey plagiarism guidelines.
Climate Change Library
Climate Change Library is where we house presentations that have passed the WSU EMG APPROVED process. This catalog of presentations and presenters’ notes is available to every EMG.
More on the way…
We are also working on additional presentations to add to the catalog. If you want an overview of additional presentations in the pipeline, expand the + sign below.
Veggie Gardening with EASE
Author: Laura Matson, Pierce County (Western WA version)
Synopsis: Vegetable gardening can help in the battle against climate change by easing pressure on supply chains stressed by the climate; reducing the miles food has to be shipped; and reducing food waste. In addition, proper home gardening practices are less taxing on the climate than current commercial practices. Learn how easy it can be!
PDF
More Trees, Please
Author: Gail Hecmanczuk, Pierce County (Western WA version)
Synopsis: Presentation for more than just homeowners: anyone who has access to planting a plot of land. Discusses the importance of forests and highlights the Miyawaki Method, a proven technique for creating micro-forests that grow quickly.
PDF
Native Plants in the Suburban Landscape
Author: Marilyn Denney, Pierce County.
Synopsis: Presentation can be given stand-alone or as a follow-on to “The Resilient Yard”. Taking the next step beyond the ‘beds’ section of TRY and applying the concepts to establishing native plantings in your yard.
PDF
Tree Canopies in Cities
Author: Tim Kohlhauff, EMG Coordinator, Spokane County (Eastern WA Version)
Synopsis: Presentation focuses on the importance of cities maintaining and increasing their Tree Canopies. Cities increasingly become heat islands and the way to battle that and protect people, plants and animals is to improve the amount and health of their tree canopies.
Waterwise Gardening
Author: Nancy Goodin, Pierce County
Synopsis: Will include both water wise gardening and rain gardens.
Lawn Alternatives
Author: Anna Lieck, Pierce County
Synopsis: Presentation that can stand alone or be used as a follow-on to the TRY presentation. While TRY was focused on reducing your carbon footprint in the maintenance of your lawn, Lawn Alternatives focuses on the steps to take to reduce or remove your lawn. Western Washington edition.
PNW Gardening & Climate Change
Author: Jim Little, King County
Synopsis: A scientific view of the causes and implications of climate change on PNW gardening.
Composting
Author: Jim Little, King County
2024 AEC
Lead: Rick Edwards (Chelan-Douglas).
Rick is part of the group of volunteers shaping the agenda for the coming Advanced Education Conference. He and other active CATs are on the prowl (get it?) for quality speakers and speakers’ topics to help make this year’s AEC a climate centered success.
Where possible, we will also preserve recordings and presentations to factor into our ongoing Speakers Bureau and EMG Education efforts.
EMG Education
Lead: Jim Little (King).
Jim is leading the effort to create education to increase the knowledge level of veteran Master Gardeners in the area of climate change.
He is in development of a three-part series broken down into:
Climate Challenges;
Climate Solutions &
effectively Communicating about Climate Change.
Project Ideas:
Youth Gardening.
Idea: We have numerous Childrens/Youth Gardening programs across the state. Would be good to develop Climate Change content for this group… as they are going to be dealing with Climate Change throughout their lives.
Could also consider Grand/parent to child content and content ideas to hand out at clinics.
Clinic Kits
Idea: We host Clinics throughout the state. It is one of our primary contact points with the public. This group would look for ways to provide relevant information on climate change to the public through Clinic deliverables. There is an opportunity to re-package key information from our Speakers Bureau presentations and other sources into ‘One Sheets’ with a link back to a website. One example is this Tip Sheet created by King County.
Merchandising Plant Sales
Idea: In Pierce County, enough members of the public have asked for planting alternatives to a lawn, that we have started stocking appropriate ground covers; in Kitsap County, a MG has tried to formulate a peat free potting soil; and everywhere we emphasize Native Plants; HomeGrown National Parks has identified “Keystone” native plants – 6 plants that are a strategic food source for native insects and birds. Perhaps we could put together these ideas and more specifically label an area of our Plant Sales as “Plantings for Climate Change”.
What Else?
Let’s fill out this section with multiple ideas. Ideas that span all our programs from Demonstration Gardens to Clinics; from Intern Education to Continuing Education. Look for projects to enhance everything we do.
Throughout this site there are links to documents of various file types. Please contact our Statewide Program Leader if you require this information in a different format.