Experiential Learning for a Thriving Planet: Education, Action, and Impact

As climate challenges intensify, higher education must evolve to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and global perspectives needed to drive real-world solutions. Experiential learning—when embedded within sustainability, ecological restoration, and cross-cultural collaboration—becomes a powerful catalyst for impact, connecting students with community-based action, climate data, and international partnerships that address urgent global challenges.

This session will explore how global experiential learning can be reimagined as a force for climate action and problem-solving, bringing together diverse approaches, including:

• Sustainability and SDG-aligned projects with community partners (Dr. Mara Huber)
• Integrating climate data and ecological restoration into experiential learning (Dr. Mike Jabot)
• Leveraging SUNY COIL to foster global cultural competency in climate education (Hope Windle)

Experiential learning is often framed as a high-impact practice, but its effectiveness depends on meaningful engagement with communities, data, and diverse perspectives. What are the biggest risks of performative or surface-level experiential learning in the context of climate action, and how can we ensure that students are truly contributing to solutions rather than just learning about them?

Global experiential learning presents opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, but also challenges in balancing local knowledge, scientific data, and cultural contexts. How can we design experiential learning models that integrate climate science, ecological restoration, and global partnerships in ways that are both scientifically rigorous and culturally responsive?

Many institutions are still struggling to connect experiential learning with measurable impact on climate and sustainability efforts. How can universities move beyond individual projects to embed experiential learning as a core strategy for institutional climate leadership, workforce development, and long-term problem-solving?