Climate Connection Communications Brief

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THE WILD CENTER AT COP26

TABLE OF CONTENTS 03 History of the

Youth Climate Program

04 An Introduction to COP26 05-06 Meet Our Delegation 07-08 Topics

09 Media Contact & Social Media Links The Wild Center — COP26 Communications Brief

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HISTORY OF THE WILD CENTER'S YOUTH CLIMATE PROGRAM The Wild Center's Youth Climate Program (YCP) is a global initiative that works to convene, inspire, and network young people through youth climate summits, empowering them to lead and act on climate change solutions in their schools and communities. Youth Climate Program priorities are to: Increase climate literacy and preparedness planning in high school students through place-based Youth Climate Summits across the United States.

Enhance young people’s capacity to lead and act on climate issues through Youth Climate Leadership Retreats.

Increase teacher comprehension and understanding of climate change through Teacher Climate Institutes.

Communicate climate change impacts and resilience through student-driven Community Climate Outreach activities including working with local governments on mitigation and adaptation.

Continue to share our work at a national and global level as a proven model for success in engaging young people on climate change.

Highlight youth voices and concrete actions to fight climate change in a major new exhibition Solutions: Voices from the Frontline of Climate Change opening in 2022 at The Wild Center.

The heart of the program is the annual Adirondack Youth Climate Summit, a two-day event that brings together over 200 high school and college students to learn about climate change in a student-led, hopeful atmosphere. Youth Climate Summits include youth at all levels of planning, implementation, and leadership. The summit consists of more than 20 plenary sessions and workshops on topics such as: working with government & municipalities on climate resilience, farm-to-school, youth leadership, resilience, civic engagement, communication through art, energy efficiency, and waste management. The sessions are chosen by a student-led planning committee, who work closely with Wild Center Climate staff. The high school students on the planning committee coordinate and implement youth climate summits through 12-14 weeks of pre-summit volunteer work - meeting every week to decide workshops, sessions, write social media, update website, create presentations and showcase their school projects. School teams (consisting of a high-school or college GreenTeam or Environmental Club, club advisor, administrators and sometimes facilities staff) use information presented at the sessions to create their own Climate Action Plan, which they draft during the summit, report out during the final session and then bring back to their school for refinement and implementation.

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AN INTRO TO COP26: UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE The United Nations 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) is set to take place in Glasgow, Scotland in November 2021.

The Wild Center was accredited by the United Nations and was awarded four badges for each week of COP. The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program will send a delegation to represent youth climate leaders that support the work of Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) in order to shine a light on climate change education and action through the lens of youth climate leaders.

Delegates are attending in order to educate, inspire, and galvanize individual and collective commitment to climate action through an immersive experience that highlights our global interconnectedness.

What does it look like for our delegation to have a seat at the table?

Delegates will participate in the Conference of Youth (COY). COY is the biggest and most substantial youth conference related to the UN climate processes. It is the official gathering of YOUNGO* members and all interested youth and it happens prior to the annual Conference of the Parties (COP). Not only does COY prepare young people for their participation at COP, but it also brings together all collected inputs, which will feed directly into the climate negotiations via the official youth policy paper.

During COP, our delegation will be a part of the Blue Zone and will be listening in on negotiations and observing the process so that they may gain skills and experiences to take with them back to their own communities.

We will rely on our delegation to absorb information, interpret their experiences, and make it relevant for audiences back home.

Links: Website: ukcop26.org Conference of Youth: unfccc.int/topics/education-and-youth/youngo/coy Twitter: @unfccc | @COP26 Instagram: @unclimatechange | @cop26uk *Children and Youth constituency to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

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MEET OUR DELEGATION Andrew Fagerheim (he/him), a sophomore at Columbia University, is a youth climate leader from Homer, New York. In Homer, he led multiple youth-driven climate action projects: He co-founded the annual Central New York Youth Climate Summit, helped install a solar charging station for electronics at his high school, and presented at Summits around the state. Since 2019, Andrew has served as the Village of Homer’s Climate Smart Communities (CSC) Assistant Coordinator. This fall, the Village became New York State’s first and only municipality whose CSC task force was entirely led by young people. Andrew, who is studying at Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, plans to major in earth and environmental engineering.

Gina Fiorile (she/her) is a program and communication coordinator for the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at UC Boulder. She has also held climate-related positions with the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Climate Adaptation Science Center and George Mason University, where she earned a master’s degree in science communication. Gina has won recognition from the EPA and from The White House, where she has spoken numerous times as a “Champion of Change” for Climate Education and Literacy. She was a delegate at COP21 in Paris and is recognized as a “Global 30 Under 30” leader by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). She was recently awarded the Joe Witte Special Recognition in Science Communication Leadership Award, and currently serves on the Youth Advisory Board for The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program.

Elodie Linck (she/her) is The Wild Center’s climate communications fellow. In her position, she works with the Youth Climate Program to engage with and support youth as they take climate actions in their schools and communities. Elodie, who grew up in Saranac Lake, N.Y., played an active role in The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program as a high school student and has served as chair of the Youth Advisory Board since 2017. She graduated from Skidmore College in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and dance performance/choreography. In college, Elodie worked as a sustainability intern at Skidmore College with a focus on education and outreach and a concentration on environmental justice, and ran an outdoor education program for children in the Adirondacks.

Elise Pierson (she/her) is an alumna of Lake Placid High School and currently a sophomore at St. Lawrence University. She is communications coordinator for the Lake Placid Climate Smart Communities Committee, and has also been a ski instructor at Whiteface Mountain. In high school, Elise was co-president of the LPHS Environmental Club, where she coordinated a small farmers market and crafts fair called The Green Market for three years; successfully petitioned the Town of North Elba to become a Climate Smart Community; and attended several Youth Climate Summits across the state. Elise was salutatorian of her high school class.

Silas Swanson (he/him) is studying earth and environmental engineering and philosophy at Columbia University, where he is a senior. He is the founder and head coordinator for the Columbia Youth Climate Summit, and a member of the Youth Climate Program’s Advisory Board. Silas has also worked as a research assistant at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Columbia Electrochemical Energy Center. He also served as president of the Columbia International Relations Council and Association, and is a former student mentor for the Green Schools Alliance.

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MEET OUR DELEGATION Continued Witter Swanson (he/him) grew up in the Adirondacks and is a graduate of Saranac Lake High School, where he first got involved with The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program. Witter attended and helped organize multiple Youth Climate Summits and has served on the Youth Climate Program’s Advisory Board since 2017.

Witter graduated Amherst College in 2021 with a degree in Political Science and Environmental Studies. While in college, Witter worked for two years as the Roosevelt Network’s Energy and Environment Policy Coordinator, where he helped advise college students on local environmental policy writing and implementation across the country. Witter currently lives in Boston and tracks New England renewable energy policy developments for Sustainable Energy Advantage, a renewable energy consulting company.

Emma Venarde (she/her) is a student at Brown University concentrating in environmental science on the environment and inequality track. She joined the Youth Climate Program’s Youth Advisory Board after creating the Bronx Youth Climate Summit, the first ever virtual Youth Climate Summit which was focused on environmental justice issues in the Bronx, N.Y. In addition, she has worked for the Environment, Peace, and Sustainability Program at the Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity at Columbia University and interned at the Women’s Earth Alliance.

Jen Kretser (she/her) is The Wild Center's Director of Climate Initiatives. In her role, Jen leads the Center's climate change engagement programs including the Youth Climate Program, which was highlighted by the former White House Office of Science and Technology; interpretive programs for visitors; green building education and design; and the farmers market and other climate related initiatives and partnerships. In 2015, she represented The Wild Center and the Association of Science Technology Centers (ASTC) at the UN COP 21 climate talks in Paris and is working to help seed youth climate summits around the world.

Stephanie Ratcliffe (she/her) has been the Executive Director of The Wild Center since June 2007. Ratcliffe played a leading role in the creation of the Center's current exhibits and programs, including all of the interior live exhibits and the multimedia presentations. She was responsible for a number of the major initiatives for future exhibits, including the development of the Wild Walk and creation of the Adirondack Climate Action Plan (ADKCAP). She also serves on the Board of the Association of Science Technology Centers based in Washington, DC serving science center internationally.

Karen K. Thomas (she/her), a lifelong nature advocate and enthusiast, is chair of The Wild Center’s Board of Trustees. An avid personal and community gardener, Karen focuses on native plants and ecological design; lectures and gives workshops on pollination and bird-friendly gardens. She is a board member and former chair of Audubon New York. Her non-profit work is inspired by the vital connection between healthy habitats, healthy wildlife and healthy communities and the need for climate education to empower youth. Karen earned a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College, where she also served on the Board of Trustees and Board of Fellows. She also received a certificate in sustainable garden design from the New York Botanical Garden. She live in Rye, N.Y., and the Adirondacks.

The Wild Center's Climate Program is proud to a be a member of the U.S. Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) Coalition Delegation to COP26

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TOPICS

01 — The Wild Center is sending youth to Glasgow because we are committed to elevating youth voices at the UN Climate Change Conference negotiations When we say "elevate," we mean providing a platform (social media bandwidth, website content, etc.) to share information, thoughts, feelings on TEDx and COP26.

This is important because we feel as though we need more voices interpreting information coming out of climate change negotiations like the ones happening in Glasgow. Most important of these voices being youth. They will have the ability to absorb, interpret and explain what is happening and how it may affect them and their communities.

02 — COP26 fits in with The Wild Center's larger efforts to facilitate youth leadership in climate work.

Investing resources to send a delegation of youth climate leaders to participate in the Conference of Youth (COY) and listen and observe during negotiations at COP26 reinforces the mission of elevating.

03 — Overall goals of COP26 are multifaceted.

Goals include: Secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach. To deliver on this, countries will need to accelerate the phase-out of coal, reduce deforestation, speed up the switch to electric vehicles and encourage investment in renewables.

Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats by protecting and resorting ecosystems and building defenses, warning systems and resilient infrastructure and agriculture to avoid loss of homes and livelihoods.

Mobilize at least $100bn in climate finance per year.

Work together to deliver finalization of Paris Rulebook and accelerate action to tackle climate crisis through collaboration between governments, businesses and civil society.

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TOPICS Continued 04 — Sharing personal perspectives from delegation

We want to distill information coming out of TEDx and COP26 through the our delegation. As Youth Climate Summit alums, and in many cases, creators of their own Summits, our delegation is uniquely positioned to talk about their experiences in climate resiliency.

We also feel that it is vital for youth to provide their perspective and drive conversation around climate resilience. As impacts of climate change intensify over time, it is clear that today's young people will be leading discussion, solutions and climate policies in years to come. Young people’s unprecedented mobilization around the world shows the massive power they possess to hold decision-makers accountable.

05 — How did we get involved?

The Wild Center applied and was awarded COP26 Blue Zone accreditation through relationships made with partner organization dating back since the beginning of The Wild Center. Those partners we're integral to our successful application.

06 — The Wild Center is one of two museums in the world accredited as observers at COP26

The other institution is the Science Museum of Minnesota. This speaks to the impact of the work that the Youth Climate Program and youth climate leaders have done over the past 12 years.

07 — Lay the groundwork for Solutions exhibit In anticipation of the installation of the Solutions exhibit in summer 2022, we will begin weaving climate storytelling into on and off-site channels. These include, but are not limited to live social media video, Creatures Features, website content, etc.

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GO DIGITAL Our delegates will be bringing the COP26 experience back home through daily digital content. Keep an eye out across the following platforms for live check-ins, video diaries, blogs and interviews from COP26 participants.

WEBSITE

TWC's Climate Connection - wildcenter.org/cop26 Running Diary (blog, photos, video) Teacher Resources Info on Youth Climate Program

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook (Lunchtime Live) Instagram (IG Live & Stories) Twitter YouTube

The Wild Center

@WildCenter

@WildCenter

Youth Climate Program

@YouthClimate

@TWCYouthClimate

EMAIL NEWSLETTERS WildWire

YCP Newsflash

/wildcenter

ith the w g n o l Follow a witter T n o n alitio ACE Co alition o c e c a @usa ow #ACEN

Check out our Daily Dispatches from Glasgow at wildcenter.org/cop26 The Wild Center - COP26 Communications Brief

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MEDIA CONTACT Members of our delegation will be available for in person or remote interviews via phone or video chat. For media requests, please contact:

NICK GUNN ngunn@wildcenter.org Cell: +1-315-286-4045 | Office: +1-518-359-7800 x121 The Wild Center 45 Museum Drive Tupper Lake, NY 12986 United States of America

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