2023 - 2024
Annual Impact Report
Leading the Inland Northwest’s efforts to understand and respond to the climate crisis.
A picture of downtown Spokane with and without wildfire smoke.
Credit: Young Kwak 2017
Director’s Foreword
The 2023-2024 academic year was a momentous one. Gonzaga’s Board of Trustees voted to approve an updated university Strategic Plan that “elevated” us from a “center” to an “institute.” What was the Center for Climate, Society, and the Environment is now the Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment. To be sure, our work always encompassed “water” and will always be concerned with “society.”
As it states in the new Strategic Plan: “Pope Francis has given us all a clear mandate through Laudato Sí. At this pivotal moment, all fields of human inquiry are called upon to collaborate to transition from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period of integral Earth-human relations. ... We will continue to recruit faculty leaders, climate scientists, legal scholars, and economists who will lead conversations about water management, ecological restoration, responsible development, social justice, and public policy. We will pursue competitive and compelling scholarship. We will foster meaningful student learning outcomes, experiential learning, and service learning opportunities that enable our students to be leaders of purpose and agents of change.”
--Dr. Brian G. Henning, Founding Director
Our Mission
Informed by an abiding commitment to a just society and care for the planet, the Gonzaga Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment engages in regional capacity building, scholarship, and teaching to promote the flourishing of inland northwest communities, waters, and lands in the face of a changing climate.
Our Year in Numbers
Lecture series registrants
2,347
Grant funding
$1.38 million
Publicity value generated
$15.5
million
K-12 teacher climate workshop participants
176
National & regional presentations
11
K-8 students reached
1,797
Media Reach
1.6 Billion
$15.5 million in media coverage across 560 news stories reaching more than 1.6 billion people.
Wildfire Smoke Will Worsen, New Study Shows, and Protections Are Few
Director Henning was interviewed by the New York Times about how climate change is amplifying wildfires. Read the story.
Smoke from last year’s Canadian wildfires blanketed the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. Credit Dave Sanders for The New York Times
Our Work
Lecture Series
Helping understand the scientific, cultural, spiritual, ethical and historical dimensions of the climate crisis and what individually and collectively we might do to address it.
research
Community-engaged research to guide policymaking and climate action planning.
Climate literacy Project
Providing climate education resources, workshops, and learning experiences with a focus on place-based and hope-filled experiential learning
Climate Resilience Project
Supporting communities in the Inland Northwest in understanding, preparing for, and responding to climate-driven events.
Lecture Series
US Attorney for Eastern Washington, Vanessa Waldref, Deputy Assistant Administrator for the EPA, Cliff Villa, and Gonzaga Prof. Dr. Greg Gordon, participate in “Expo ‘74: 50 years of Env. Justice in the Inland Northwest“
Framing meaningful conversations
The Climate Lecture Series continues to host artists, political leaders, scholars, and scientists to inform our understanding of the complexity of the challenges facing our climate, water, and the environment.
This year, more than 2,300 people from 44 states and 11 countries registered for our 12 events and over 8,100 people viewed our growing online library of recorded events.
Research
Climate Literacy Project
In the 2023-2024 school year, the Gonzaga Climate Literacy Fellows visited 49 elementary and middle school classes at 18 different Spokane Public Schools. Spokane Public School teachers hosted the Fellows for 104 classroom visits.
“I'm already comfortable with teaching climate change science in my courses, but this workshop greatly improved my awareness and understanding of issues surrounding climate justice and equity. In addition, the workshop increased my mindfulness on the importance of providing my students with a positive and hopeful message about our ability to mitigate climate change in the future.” - Anonymous teacher feedback
Climate Action Planning
In collaboration with the Center for Lifelong Learning, the Climate Institute
launched a new Professional Certificate in Climate Action Planning. This certificate is a non-degree program designed for professionals who wish to develop knowledge, skills and best practices related to climate action planning. A climate action plan is a road map that guides a local community (municipality, business, or faith group) to achieving its emission-reduction goals, while making it more resilient to climate change.
The 18 week synchronous online program was designed and offered by Director Henning and instructor Kara Odegard, Founder and Owner of Measure Meant. The inaugural cohort included 19 students from 7 different states. Learn more.
Climate Resilience Project
Our environmental initiatives
Beat the Heat
Helping the Inland Northwest understand and respond to the threat of extreme heat
Smoke Ready Spokane
Helping the Inland Northwest understand and respond to the threat of wildfire smoke
Learn More
Earth Day 2024 report card
On Earth Day, Director Henning appeared on national ABC News to discuss America's recent climate change action.
