Decarbonize Your Life
Provided by: Stanford Understand Energy|Published on: February 16, 2025
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12, AP
Type: Scientific Reports
Subjects: Social Studies, Biology
Authors: Stanford Understand Energy
Region: United States
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This interactive report from Stanford Understand Energy provides infographics, charts, and detailed information about actions individuals can take to reduce their personal carbon emissions.
- The content is broken into sections: home, transportation, food, clothes, work, and kids, with additional sections for taking bigger steps.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students with climate anxiety may benefit from this list of actionable steps, using it to feel more empowered to affect change.
- The Take Action section can inspire students to participate in larger projects to reduce emissions.
Prerequisites
- Students should understand the impacts of climate change and how human-induced carbon emissions are the main cause of it.
- Some of the links within the article are broken.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Before reading this article, students can use a Footprint Calculator to determine the areas they or their families need to decarbonize the most.
- Teachers can pair this resource with one that talks about solutions to systemic issues, such as activism or government policies.
- After reading this list, students can discuss how it can be adapted for school use. Students can then create posters to inform other students about ways they can decarbonize in school.
- Students can choose one strategy from the list to implement for a week or a month and journal regularly about their experience. At the end of the time period, students can create presentations to share their big takeaways with the class.
- After reading the section about decarbonizing in the workplace, students can research green careers of their choice. Alternatively, teachers can use this section to segue into a lesson about a specific green career, like this Chief Heat Officer lesson.
This comprehensive resource provides tangible and realistic ways to decarbonize your life. The resource is well-cited and all of the external links have been checked for accuracy. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
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Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
Stanford Understand Energy
Stanford University’s Understand Energy Learning Hub provides free access to Stanford course content on energy resources from fossil fuels like oil and coal to renewable resources like the wind, the sun, and efficiency; energy currencies like electricity and hydrogen; and energy services such as transportation and buildings. Explore the Hub and build your energy literacy to address climate change and sustainability issues, engage on equity and human development challenges, participate in energy industry markets and technology innovations, and make informed energy decisions.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
