CALP’s goals are to develop & implement better ways of collaborative learning, planning & social mobilization on climate change, community energy, urban forestry & other aspects of sustainable landscapes; & we do so by collaborating with communities, NGOs , schools, industries & other researchers using various tools and processes to investigate the impact of how citizens, stakeholders, practitioners and decision-makers engage with sustainability challenges in their communities. In doing so, we strive to establish CALP as an international centre for climate action and education for the broader public and our partner communities.

CALP Director, Dr. Stephen Sheppard, also leads UBC’s Social Mobilization on Climate Change using Digital Tools (Cool Tools) Research Cluster, which brings educators, psychologists, digital media experts, climate scientists & planners together to advise youth, communities & governments on building awareness & capacity, supporting policy change & mobilizing collective action to reduce carbon footprints & strengthen community resilience.

Examples of past and ongoing work include: studies on local climate change visioning, district energy, energy retrofit modelling & thermal imaging; renewable energy mapping; energy bundling programs; educational videogames on climate solutions; & development and testing of the Citizens Coolkit to engage local residents, neighbourhoods and schools on climate change mitigation & adaptation. We have consistently conducted high level of extension & knowledge mobilization through workshops, webinars, public & professional presentations across BC. CALP & Cool Tools cluster members have over a decade of experience in visual tool design, community engagement, education & climate change/energy solutions, and developing tools & participatory processes through applied community-based research. These efforts have taught us about the power of evidence-based visual learning tools to engage, inform & motivate practitioners, decision-makers & lay people. Cluster members such as Jaiying Zhao (behavioral psychology), Stephen Petrina (educational digital media) & Dave Fracchia (game design & digital media) will act as expert advsors to the core team. Our core project partner, Community Energy Association, will serve as a technical advisor on local government energy policies and capacity-building on energy issues, and help coordinate workshops and outreach to BC communities on this and their allied projects. Other partners including , Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), Metro Vancouver, Vancouver School Board & Science World can provide support in terms of staff experience and/or funding support support in advancing use & uptake of the CEE online platform by existing and new users.

For more information on CALP Tools, click here.