CARBON LITERACY CERTIFICATE
Carbon Literacy is "an awareness of the carbon dioxide costs and impacts of everyday activities and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions on an individual, community and organizational basis."
Through a curriculum that is both tailored to San Diego communities and aligned with the Carbon Literacy Standard, Carbon Literate San Diegans join a global movement to educate ourselves on our climate impacts and influences and, more importantly, to act on this knowledge.
A certificate in Carbon Literacy will equip you with the foundational knowledge to:
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Turn climate anxiety into climate action,
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Land a job advancing climate solutions or take on climate initiatives at your current employer,
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Jumpstart your ability to advance climate justice solutions in your community, and
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Contribute to a community of San Diegans advancing climate justice locally.
WHY CARBON LITERACY
The aim of IGC's Carbon Literacy training is to inspire ambitious action toward climate justice in San Diego by creating a low-carbon culture through widespread literacy of the causes and disproportionate consequences of the climate crisis.
HOW TO EARN THE CERTIFICATE
Graduates who complete the 8-hour training and provide sufficient evidence of their participation, understanding, and action will be awarded a certificate in Carbon Literacy from the Carbon Literacy Project and IGC.
WHO AWARDS THE CERTIFICATE
Based in Manchester, United Kingdom, the Carbon Literacy Project is an award-winning, globally-recognized program that was designated a Transformative Action Program by the United Nations at COP 21 in Paris in 2015. Accreditation by the Carbon Literacy Project provides credibility and quality assurance.
GLOBAL IMPACT
IGC offers the only Carbon Literacy training in California and is one of only three organizations offering Carbon Literacy in the U.S. We are delighted to bring Carbon Literacy to San Diego and to coordinate with other organizations nationally to advance widespread Carbon Literacy throughout the U.S.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Becoming certified Carbon Literate is an accomplishment in itself. However, we do not see earning a certificate as the end goal. Instead, the knowledge and contacts you gain through the training are meant to catalyze action across every sector through your, and your fellow graduates, action within your diverse and far-reaching spheres of influence. That's why the Carbon Literacy Standard optimizes learning for action through the following training components. - One Day's Worth of Learning: Approximately 8 hours of remote training plus videos and discussions between sessions. - Local Learning: The training will emphasize the relevance of the content to your local environment. - Delivery by Peers: The training is delivered by your neighbors, colleagues, and friends who are equally committed to urgent climate action. - Group Inquiry: Together with your cohort, you find your own answers and devise your own solutions. You can expect a cycle of learning that moves from the group to the individual and back again. - Positivity: While addressing the need for urgent action, the training will emphasize what can be done as opposed to what cannot be done. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of the training, you will be able to: 1) clearly explain the most important changes we need to make as a society to reach zero carbon, 2) create at least one significant, new action within your individual control to reduce carbon emissions, and 3) create at least one significant, new action involving other people to reduce collective carbon emissions via your workplace, community or place of education. VIDEOS & DISCUSSIONS Short (~ 15-20 min) videos, structured reflections, and discussion topics will be assigned between training sessions. Cohort discussions take place on Slack. THE CERTIFICATE Carbon literate San Diegans will earn a certificate from the Carbon Literacy Project. Certificates are uniquely numbered with participant details and held in a secure database by IGC for verification by employers or other external bodies. Certificates do not expire, they belong to the individual certified, and they travel with them as evidence of their Carbon Literacy. NETWORKING EVENTS After completing the Carbon Literacy training, graduates gain access to IGC's Slack workspace where they join members of previous cohorts to network, share resources and advice, and contribute to the growing Carbon Literacy community. The Slack workspace will also be used for sharing IGC social events, volunteer opportunities, information on becoming a Carbon Literacy Facilitator or Trainer, and more.
REQUIREMENTS
To gain the most out of the training, you will be required to:
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Agree to IGC's community conduct guidelines.
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Attend every session. If you experience an emergency and must miss a session, contact your Facilitator directly.
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Watch the videos and participate in the discussions on Slack.
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Complete and turn in the Carbon Literacy Project Participant Details and Evidence Form before the end of the course.
SCHEDULE & FEES
SCHEDULE
To accommodate busy schedules, the training format includes live remote meetings of approximately 2.5 hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings (5-7:30 pm). This ensures you can complete the certificate requirements in one week.
FEE
The fee is $295 and includes the Carbon Literacy Project evaluation and certification fee. If your evidence of training engagement, understanding, and action is determined to be insufficient, we will work with you to provide the Carbon Literacy Project additional evidence through a structured answer paper. Please note that reassessment entails an additional processing fee and becoming certified Carbon Literate is not guaranteed.
We have made every effort to keep the fee as low as possible while covering administrative expenses. If the fee is a barrier to your participation, we particularly want you to be part of our Carbon Literacy community and encourage you to contact us at carbonliteracy@igc.earth for a code to waive the fee. Thanks to generous donors, we have a limited number of discount codes.
To advance our goal of increasing access to climate justice activities and education, we are pleased to offer Carbon Literacy training to community members at the price listed. If you'd like to bring a dedicated Carbon Literacy training to your organization, please contact us at carbonliteracy@igc.earth to discuss pricing.
SPONSOR A PARTICIPANT
Generous donors ensure that price is not a barrier to becoming certified Carbon Literate. Through the Carbon Literacy Scholarship Fund, you may sponsor one or more participant for $295 each. Sponsors who support cohorts of 10 or 15 are invited to spend 30 minutes with the group to share their climate story and get to know their sponsored climate justice change makers. Click here to donate to the scholarship fund.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
HOW OLD DO I NEED TO BE TO PARTICIPATE? The Carbon Literacy training is designed for adult learners. However, we welcome participants who are younger than 18 years old with a parent/guardian and the training Facilitator's approval. CAN I PARTICIPATE IF I DON'T LIVE IN SAN DIEGO? Absolutely! The content of the Carbon Literacy training is designed to be local so it highlights local climate work, resources, and goals. However, since Carbon Literacy training is not yet widespread across the U.S., you are welcome to join any of our scheduled trainings. You will be asked to research climate initiatives and resources in your local area. WHERE DOES THE CONTENT COME FROM? The content comes from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other credible sources. References to original data sources are provided throughout the training, which participants are encouraged to explore independently. IS THERE A TEXTBOOK? No, there is not a text book. All required material will be available online or provided at no additional fee by the Facilitator. ARE THE VIDEOS AND DISCUSSION REQUIREMENTS INCLUDED IN THE OVERALL TIME COMMITMENT? The Carbon Literacy Project requires a day's worth of learning (i.e. 8 hours). The pre/post session videos and discussion assignments are in addition to this required minimum. You can expect to spend approximately 25-30 minutes between each session for a total time commitment of approximately 9 hours. WHAT ARE THE PAYMENT AND REFUND POLICIES? Payment is required at time of registration. Full refunds will be granted up to 24 hours prior to the first cohort meeting. In the unlikely event that a training must be cancelled, full refunds will be issued. WHAT OTHER CLIMATE ACTION 101, OR CLIMATE CHANGE COURSES DO YOU RECOMMEND? Our favorite free climate action education programs are: Climate Solutions 101 by Project Drawdown and The Climate Reality Leadership Corps by the Climate Reality Project Here is a great list of other Climate Literacy Training for Every Budget I'D LIKE TO OFFER CARBON LITERACY TRAINING FOR MY ORGANIZATION OR EMBED IT IN AN EXISTING COURSE We're happy to help! We'd be delighted to work with you to get as many people as possible certified Carbon Literate. Please see Request a CL Training or contact us at carbonliteracy@igc.earth I'D LIKE TO HELP WITH THIS INITIATIVE BUT I'M NOT ABLE OR INTERESTED IN ATTENDING A TRAINING Understood! Please consider helping us create a low-carbon culture by sponsoring one or more participants. Learn more here. I'D LIKE TO BECOME A CARBON LITERACY FACILITATOR (CLF) OR TRAINER (CLT), CAN YOU HELP? Yes! Your first step is to become certified Carbon Literate by attending a training and earning a certificate. After that, we can support you as you work with the Carbon Literacy Project to become a Facilitator, Trainer, or Consultant. You must develop your own content for approval. You may not use the content developed by IGC. MY QUESTION ISN'T ADDRESSED HERE, WHO DO I CONTACT? If your question was not addressed here, please contact us at carbonliteracy@igc.earth or text or call us at (619) 717-2821.