Connecting climate scientists and design educators together

The mission of the Climify podcast is to connect climate scientists and design educators together so that we can bring climate-related projects into our classrooms

The discussions on this program are geared to help educators “climify their syllabi” to assign projects that not only teach design fundamentals but also can have a positive impact on our climate.

“If you're transforming something, then you are a climate designer because that is the work that we're in right now.”

– Chandra Christmas Rouse (Season 2, Episode 5)

Our Story

How it started

Climify began during the peak of the pandemic in early 2021. Design educators Marc O’Brien and Eric Benson were both already teaching sustainability and climate action in their classrooms but wondered how to do it all better. They asked climate experts for advice. A so obvious a solution to their design problem, they wondered why it had not happened before in design education at a larger scale. A few Twitter conversations and Zoom meetings helped launch both Climate Designers and Climify later in 2021.

Where it's at

Currently, Climify works towards:

2. START THE JOURNEY / 4. MEASURE WHAT WE MAKE / 6. EDUCATE, ACCELERATE

The 4 Acts of Emergency that Climify focuses on are consistent works in progress. We feel strongly that we have started the journey for many design educators and their students and accelerated their awareness of the climate crisis. At the end of each Climify episode, host Eric Benson asks every climate expert to create a project using their knowledge and skills for a design classroom. Measuring the success of these projects (https://www.climatedesigners.org/edu/projects) is based on other design educators trying them out with their college students. This Act of Emergency is the weakest of our impacts as not enough educators have tested the projects. As we have funding from a new sponsor, we hope to use some of that funding to further promote the show and the design projects (https://www.climatedesigners.org/edu/projects) from the climate experts.

“When you're talking about climate challenges and the climate crisis and solutions, you really have to highlight those bright spots that make people stoked.”

- Carissa Cabrera (Season 2, Episode 14)

“…1.5 is better than two degrees. Two degrees is better than 2.5 than three than four, right? My God, every fraction of a degree is worth fighting for.”

– Dr. Jacquelyn Gill (Season 2, Episode 1)

Onward

Going forward into our third season of Climify, we will feature an all-female guest list – each is a climate leader focusing on one of the Drawdown Climate Solution Sectors. Every interview will inspire and provide practical steps we all can take in our lives and design classrooms to be mighty in the climate fight. We hope that this will increase another Act of Emergency: 8.AMPLIFY VOICES FOR CHANGE