2020 – 2021
New Jersey Student Climate Challenge
Summit Recordings February – March 2021
In the 2020-2021 school year, middle and high school schools served by Atlantic City Electric in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, and Salem counties were invited to participate in the New Jersey Student Climate Challenge pilot project. As part of the project a virtual Climate Summit was held that included opening and closing plenary sessions, 9 topic focused student sessions and 5 teacher professional development sessions. The session recordings serve as a great resource for teachers and students participating in the Climate Challenge in the current school year.
Opening Plenary
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
New Jersey’s First Lady Tammy Snyder Murphy
Dave Velazquez, President and CEO, Atlantic City Electric/Pepco Holdings
Natasha Iqbal, Student, Egg Harbor Township High School
Randall Solomon, Executive Director, Sustainable Jersey
Keynote Address: Caroline Lewis, Founder and Senior Climate Advisor, CLEO Institute
Closing Plenary
Monday, March 22, 2021
Robyn Brenner, Executive Director, The Drumthwacket Foundation
Andrea Drewes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Graduate Education, Rider University
Natasha Iqbal, Student, Egg Harbor Township High School
Randall Solomon, Executive Director, Sustainable Jersey
Keynote Address: Caroline Lewis, Founder and Senior Climate Advisor, CLEO Institute
Student Sessions
Climate & Sustainability Goals for NJ
Friday, February 26, 2021
Helaine Barr, Research Scientist Climate Change Program, NJDEP
Rhyan Grech, Policy Advocate, Pinelands Preservation Alliance
Joel Mott, Principal Public Programs Specialist, New Jersey Pinelands Commission
Randall Solomon, Executive Director, Sustainable Jersey
This session will focus on the impacts of climate change in New Jersey with a special focus on the South Jersey region. Presenters will share strategies aimed at reducing the flow of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and addressing our vulnerability to the harmful effects of climate change, such as sea-level rise, extreme weather events, and food insecurity. The role students can plan in implementing the strategies will be highlighted.
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Climate Justice, Social Justice
Monday, March 1, 2021
Meishka L. Mitchell, AICP, PP, Vice President, Cooper’s Ferry Partnership
Crystal Pruitt, Deputy Director, Office of Clean Energy Equity, Division of Clean Energy, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
Randall Solomon, Executive Director, Sustainable Jersey
Climate change is not just an environmental problem. It is an inherently social issue because the impacts of climate change often have disproportionate effects on low-income communities, persons of color, indigenous people, individuals with disabilities, young children, and seniors. This session will explore the inequities that exist in New Jersey and statewide and local initiatives aimed at addressing them.
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Virtual Home Energy Check-Up
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Edward Musz, Manager, Energy Efficient Programs, Atlantic City Electric/Pepco Holdings
Jess Liddick, Manager, Energy Efficient Programs, Atlantic City Electric/Pepco Holdings
Atlantic City Electric will offer students a Virtual Home Energy Check-up experience. An Energy Analyst will take them through an educational virtual walkthrough of their home looking at lighting, thermostat settings, and more to find where they can save energy. A checklist will be available prior to session to prepare students for the virtual assessment. Throughout the check-up, the Energy Analyst will explain why saving energy is important for them now and in the future.
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The Electric Vehicle (EV) Revolution
Friday, March 5, 2021
Hogan Dwyer, Research and Project Specialist, Sustainable Jersey
Jennifer Grisham, Program Manager, Smart Grid & Technology, Atlantic City Electric/Pepco Holdings
From electric buses to scooters, there are many new ways to get around and move goods that are better for our health and the planet. To address social justice, health, and environmental issues, the time has come to transition our transportation options to clean vehicles. This session will review the basics of electric vehicle technologies and EV performance and explore ways to encourage residents, businesses, schools, and local governments to ‘go electric’.
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Renewable Energy Options
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Stephen Sunderhauf, Regulatory Group, Atlantic City Electric/Pepco Holdings
Nancy Quirk, Energy Program Manager, Sustainable Jersey
The utility grid of the future is here! New sources of energy from wind and solar are increasingly important in delivering electricity to our homes, schools, and offices. And our homes, schools, and offices can deliver energy and other services to the grid, including energy storage to offset energy demand. This session will review renewable energy technologies currently used in New Jersey including opportunities to ‘go solar’ via community solar programs, which enable residents to take advantage of cost savings on their energy bills while helping to build a clean energy economy.
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Knowing Your Food, Knowing Your Environment
Friday, March 12, 2021
Sara Elnakib Ph.D., MPH, RD, Family & Community Health Sciences Educator III, Rutgers University
Food production, distribution, and consumption can all play a critical role in the climate change story. This session will highlight how these roles can be changed from antagonists to protagonists by taking action at the local level to implement environmentally friendly agricultural practices, promote locally grown food, and reduce the amount of wasted and uneaten food that winds up in landfills.
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Local Climate Action at Work
Monday, March 15, 2021
Doug Abbott, Program Manager, Education, Alliance to Save Energy
Isabella Castiglioni, Outreach Manager, Pinelands Preservation Alliance & Association of NJ Environmental Commissions
JoAnna Contarino, College Co-Chair, NJ Student Sustainability Coalition
Sean Mohen, Executive Director, Tri-County Sustainability
Bill Shadel, Coastal Projects Manager, NJ Chapter, The Nature Conservancy
Janaya Sharpe, Sophomore, Winslow Township High School
Local non-profits and Sustainable Jersey green teams in South Jersey are actively involved in fighting climate change. This session will feature examples of current initiatives and provide tips on how students can get involved in ongoing efforts or start a project of their own.
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Communicating Climate Stories
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Andrea Drewes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Graduate Education, Rider University
Jared Flesher, Documentary Filmmaker, Hundred Year Films
Danielle Lawson, Assistant Professor, Penn State University
Students’ role as trusted messengers can be expanded as they share stories of personal connections to climate impacts and action through effective climate communication. In this session, experts will highlight the power of youth to positively influence the environmental beliefs and climate change understandings of their family members and other adults in their lives. Strategies will be discussed in this interactive session featuring a climate education expert and a local environmental documentary filmmaker.
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Careers in Energy
Friday, March 19, 2021
Atlantic City Electric/Pepco Holdings Presenters:
Alisha Adams, Manager, Regulatory Affairs
Shrina Reavey, Senior Engineer, Environmental Management
Ranjit Sackey, Manager, Capacity Planning
TJ Thornton, Senior Workforce Development, Talent Acquisition
Aaron Weng, Engineer, Energy Efficiency,
Thomasina Ware, Senior Recruiter, Talent Acquisition
Innovation in the energy sector is essential to addressing climate change. Join Atlantic City Electric to learn about Careers in Energy. This session will feature a panel of employees sharing how they work to create a brighter and more sustainable tomorrow. A wide range of opportunities exist for students studying the vocational trades to those headed for college in areas including Environmental Management, Field Engineering, Innovative Technologies, and Electric Transportation. The session will close with a discussion on internship opportunities and tips on how to build towards a successful career.
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Teacher Professional Development Sessions
Climate Science Primer for Educators
Thursday, February 25, 2021
Kathleen Biggins, President, C-Change Conversations
Andrea Drewes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Graduate Education, Rider University
Dallas Hetherington, C-Change Conversations
This session will showcase a climate science presentation that is aimed at building background content knowledge around climate change, its impacts, and ways to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change with a special focus on New Jersey. An interactive presentation and Q&A session will allow teachers to feel more comfortable and confident in their ability to bring high quality and accurate climate change information to their students.
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Exploring the NEW NJSLS for Climate Change in Middle School
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Andrea Drewes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Graduate Education, Rider University
Michael Heinz, Science Coordinator, Office of Academics, New Jersey Department of Education
This session will explore the 2020 NJ Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) to learn how climate change can live in the middle school science curriculum. Middle school teachers will examine the implications of the new standards for curriculum and instruction and will discuss how to update relevant student learning outcomes to reflect the changes. Currently available climate science instructional materials for middle school classrooms will also be shared and evaluated.
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Exploring the NEW NJSLS for Climate Change in High School
Monday, March 8, 2021
Andrea Drewes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Graduate Education, Rider University
Michael Heinz, Science Coordinator, Office of Academics, New Jersey Department of Education
Participants will explore the 2020 NJ Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) to learn how climate change can live in the high school science curriculum across science disciplines. High school teachers will examine the implications of the new standards for curriculum and instruction and will discuss how to update relevant student learning outcomes to reflect the changes. Currently available climate science instructional materials for high school classrooms will also be shared and evaluated.
Integrating Climate Across Classrooms
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Andrea Drewes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Graduate Education, Rider University
Missy Holzer Ph.D., Science Standards Review Specialist, Great Minds
Lauren Madden Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Education, The College of New Jersey
Laney Siegner Ph.D., Climate Change Educator, University of California, Berkeley
Expert teacher educators will guide teachers from across content areas on ways to identify the big ideas of climate change that are relevant to various content areas and how to infuse climate change related standards across all K-12 subjects. Emphasis will be on exploring and evaluating instructional resources available to teachers that highlight interdisciplinary links to climate change.
Being an Ally for Youth-Drive Climate Action
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Andrea Drewes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Graduate Education, Rider University
John Henry, STEAM & Sustainability School Specialist, New Jersey School Boards Association
Allison Mulch, Project Director, School Sustainability, NJ Audubon
Strategies for supporting student-centered action projects will be shared that work to encourage and raise up student voices and priorities for climate action. Skilled facilitators will share approaches for what works in other popular studentled environmental projects and how to take these tips into the virtual learning environment as well to ensure that students are the ones leading the way to design and implement climate action projects in their local communities.