Lesson Length: 1-2 hoursGrade Level: 6-8Students will explore the carbon emission impacts of different lifestyle choices. The activity is grounded in engineering design thinking as it relates to a family's carbon footprint and options to shift that footprint to make change (trade offs). Students will understand carbon impacts, work in teams (families) to negotiate lifestyle adjustments, and brainstorm opportunities for engineered improvements to decrease carbon emissions.This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1657263. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

This lesson is designed to allow students to explore local issues to the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.Potential topics that may arise include pollution, stormwater runoff, overharvesting of fisheries, sea levelrise, habitat destruction, or development/construction. The associated video will highlight issues relatedto sediment, storms and flooding, and sea level rise, but students can investigate any environmentalissue that is relevant to them. While issues may not all be caused specifically by climate change, theissues are exacerbated by climate change, therefore climate change is a thread throughout thewatershed investigation.