Social Emotional Learning Activity

Reducing Our Carbon Footprint: SMART Goals

Overview

In this activity, students will take a carbon footprint quiz to determine the size of their carbon footprint. After determining the size of their footprint, students will participate in a discussion about what emotions arise when they think about the size of their carbon footprint. Then, based on the size of their carbon footprint, they will develop a SMART goal in order to take measurable action to reduce the impact the have on the world around them.

Materials

Activity Duration:

  • 30-45 minutes

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Briefly reiterate what a carbon footprint is (the carbon emissions an individual is responsible for in a given year).

  2. Each student will then receive a copy of the carbon footprint quiz. Give students 5-10 minutes to complete this survey and discover what size carbon footprint they have.

  3. Invite students to form a circle for a discussion. Use the following questions to guide the conversation. This should last for around 10-15 minutes.

    • Were you surprised by the size of your carbon footprint? Why or why not?

    • How does knowing the size of your carbon footprint make you feel?

    • What can you do as an individual to decrease the size of your carbon footprint?

    • What can we do as a group to decrease the size of our carbon footprints?

  4. After the discussion has ended, lead students through the SMART goal template.

  5. Give students 10-15 minutes to develop a SMART goal independently.

  6. Collect SMART goals from students and check in on their progress weekly for the next month. It is recommended to encourage students to continue having conversation about how the size of their climate footprint makes them feel.