The Lake Superior Living Labs Network’s (LSLLN) Climate Action Field School will bring together a diverse group of young people poised to become regional climate leaders this summer. 

Using a hybrid model of virtual and in-person learning, participants will engage in an experiential training program that includes virtual workshops, community site visits, and interactive events in coastal communities across the Lake Superior Watershed. 

The Climate Action Field School will take place between August 21 and 27 in four locations: Thunder Bay and Sault Ste Marie, ON; Houghton, Michigan; and Duluth, Minnesota.

“Our goal is to connect with and inspire emerging leaders and their communities to catalyze climate action across the Lake Superior Watershed,” said Dr. Lindsay Galway, Canada Research Chair in Social-Ecological Health at Lakehead University. 

In Sault Ste. Marie, highlights of the Climate Action Field School include learning from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, visiting Whitefish Island, paddling a voyageur canoe, GIS mapping and geocaching, and learning about soils and environmental monitoring. Dr. Nairne Cameron and Jennifer Bridge from the Department of Geography, Geology, and Land Stewardship are facilitating the activities.

Climate Justice Across the Lake Superior Watershed is one of the virtual events that will be open to the public on Wednesday, Aug. 25, from 6 pm to 8 pm EST. This webinar will involve a dynamic panel that will showcase stories and perspectives from folks engaged in climate justice across the Lake Superior Watershed and beyond. Speakers include Chúk Odenigbo from Future Ancestors who will kick off the conversation with a short keynote address, followed by Shadiya Aidid from Fossil Free Lakehead; Shelby Gagnon from the Indigenous Food Circle; and Candace Day Neveau from Baawaating Water Protectors. Registration for this free event is at www.livinglabsnetwork.org

“We hope to inspire those attending this event to think about the importance of climate justice. All our speakers are under 30 years of age and are involved in really important work. We’re excited to bring them together for this event to explore these important topics,” said Brigitte Champaigne-Klassen, the coordinator of the Climate Action Field School.

Following the Climate Action Field School, organizers and participants will share their learnings through the LSLLN website to enhance long-term impact and develop, build, and support future climate action across the Lake Superior Watershed. A series of public events and webinars are also scheduled between September and March 2022 to raise awareness and inspire action about climate change solutions and climate justice. 

The Climate Action Field School is funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada. 

More information about the Climate Action Field School and registration for the public Climate Justice Across the Lake Superior Watershed event can be found at www.livinglabsnetwork.org.

For more information, contact Charles Levkoe ([email protected]), Canada Research Chair in Equitable and Sustainable Food Systems at Lakehead University. 

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The Lake Superior Living Labs Network (LSLLN) aims to work with a range of partners to increase the impact of sustainability-related teaching, research, and action with a focus on issues at the nexus of water, land and food, climate and energy and individual and community well-being. The LSLLN is building the necessary infrastructure to enhance collaboration by exploring existing efforts, sharing successes and challenges and developing new joint initiatives. At the local level, hub leads mobilize regional members to support and strengthen existing projects and establish new sustainability-related initiatives. At the regional level, the LSLLN serves as a platform to connect the hubs to develop new partnerships and collaborative initiatives across the Lake Superior watershed. Ultimately, our goal is to find ways for the LSLLN to have a stronger impact on issues of social and ecological justice and sustainability regionally, nationally and internationally. For more information see www.livinglabsnetwork.org.

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