WHILDE School Students Explore Coastal Climate Impacts Through Systems Thinking and Solution-Building

Project Summary

Thirty students at WHILDE School engaged in a multi-faceted climate action project using six TCI Learning Labs to investigate how global climate systems connect to local coastal impacts in Maine, with a focus on systems thinking, equity, and hope-based action. Students explored sea level rise projections, renewable energy pathways, composting, and waste reduction, using interactive modeling tools to evaluate climate solutions and consider tradeoffs related to environment, equity, and community well-being.

Detailed Story

Students at WHILDE School participated in an in-depth climate action project centered on local climate impacts, systems thinking, and solution-building, drawing on TCI Learning Labs including Climate Impacts and Solutions with En-ROADS, Sea Level Rise, Renewable Energy, Climate Justice and Equity, Agriculture and Climate Change, and Civics Climate Action. Working in a coastal Maine context, students investigated how global climate systems connect directly to the local impacts they can see and experience in their own community. Activities included exploring sea level rise projections, examining renewable energy pathways, and understanding the role of composting and waste reduction in lowering emissions. Students used interactive modeling tools and guided discussions to evaluate different climate solutions, weighing tradeoffs related to equity, environment, and community well-being. The project emphasized real-world decision-making and hope-based action, helping students understand how policy, community choices, and individual behavior intersect. Through reflection and dialogue, students developed a deeper sense of agency and systems awareness, recognizing that climate solutions are strongest when they are locally grounded, inclusive, and rooted in care for both people and place.

Impact Statement

Thirty students in coastal Maine developed a sophisticated understanding of how global climate systems connect to their local environment, gaining the tools to evaluate real-world climate solutions across multiple dimensions including equity, environment, and community impact. By working across six Learning Labs, students built systems-level thinking skills and a strong sense of personal and civic agency, leaving the project with both the knowledge and the motivation to engage meaningfully in climate action in their own community.