On April 7, the movement #MakeClimateAClass, created by Eban Goodstein at Bard College, will launch at over 100 universities, including Iowa State. The primary goal of the movement this year is to encourage faculty from universities and high schools worldwide to hold a one-hour discussion about the climate crisis and environmental sustainability in their courses.

Mia Riddley, a junior in environmental engineering, is a member of the Climate Reality Campus Corps. She said the club promotes environmental sustainability and using renewable resources to run the Iowa State campus.

Riddley is currently a member of the curriculum board for the Climate Reality Campus Corps, a group that proposes resolutions to Iowa State’s curriculum on climate issues. This group is spearheading the #MakeClimateAClass movement at Iowa State by advocating for the implementation of a requirement for students of every major to take a course in environmental sustainability and climate issues. Riddley said she believes everyone should have an equal opportunity to learn about the climate crisis and how it relates to their topic of study.

“[The climate crisis] is an issue that’s bigger than us [and] getting exponentially worse,” Riddley said. “Because we’re going to be the next generation to be the workers in society, it’s best that we go ahead and start learning how we can do our work in ways that are sustainable.” 

Riddley said one of the reasons not enough has been done to confront climate change is the lack of awareness of the issue in the modern workforce.

“It’s mainly to get students starting to think about [the climate crisis] rather than realizing 10 years later that we still have the same problem,” Riddley said.

Riddley encourages students who want to help the movement to take the currently available courses on environmental issues, even though it isn’t a requirement yet. She also invites students to join the Climate Reality Campus Corps. The club meets every Tuesday from 7:10 to 8:00 p.m at this Webex link.

More information about the #MakeClimateAClass movement can be found here.