Skip to main content Skip to local navigation
Home » How to Organize a Climate Change Research/Teaching Month with No Meetings

How to Organize a Climate Change Research/Teaching Month with No Meetings

A quick and easy guide prepared by Dr. Elaine Coburn

Step 1

Pick a month. 

Step 2

Invite departments, programmes and research units in the arts, sciences, humanities and social sciences to participate by sending out an email inviting them to participate with ONE event, and asking them to confirm their participation about 6 months out from your chosen month. 

Step 3

Assign EACH participating department, programme, and research unit 2-3 days in the month (or, if many participants, 2-3 mornings/afternoon) when they can invite a speaker, organize a panel, show a musical event, artistic work, film etc. 

Why assign dates? This spreads out events over the month and makes sure that they do not conflict. 

Step 4

The participating department, programme and research unit organizes their own event independently, including selecting speaker(s), topic, funding, venue, etc.

Step 5

Once programmed, individual units communicate the: 

* date
* time
* Zoom link or venue
* title of event 
* speaker names, photos & bios 
* event description 

to the coordinating committee/office/person.

Step 6

The coordinating committee compiles confirmed events into a calendar and communicating available dates to other participants as events are confirmed.

Step 7

The calendar is communicated to the university community. 

Step 8

The climate change research month is held. 

Step 9

Ideally, accounts of the events are written up by participants, journalism students, or others, and made into a shareable PDF or blog. 

For an example, see York University’s Climate Change Research Month: