Passive design for heat domes

What you'll need

• "Western Canada heat dome" article, one per groups of 2-3
• Laptop and projector screen
• "Passive design" slideshow

1. Before starting this activity, complete “Moving to Mars”. Discuss how humans are researching the possibility of human colonies on Mars, which is an extreme environment with many challenges. 
2. Share that many people experience, adapt, and survive in extreme environments here on Earth. Ask students if they can think of examples of places on Earth where it's difficult to survive. Some examples may include deserts, like the Sahara, or extremely cold and dry places, like Antarctica. They can also include extreme weather events, like living through hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, blizzards, ice storms, and heat domes.
3. Ask students if they've experienced extreme weather events like the B.C. heat dome in June, 2021, or an extreme cold weather event? 
4. Place students in small groups of two or three. Provide each group a copy of the “Western Canada heat dome” article and have them read it.
5.  Discuss with students their learnings and let them consider who might be more affected by extreme weather, like people who are homeless, elderly, living alone, or have health issues. Can we prepare for these types of events, increase resiliency and protect the more vulnerable. 
6. Explain that as the climate changes, we're likely to see more extreme weather events around the world, so we need to prepare for them and be ready to help our communities when they happen. 
7. On the board write these questions:
   • Who are more vulnerable people in our community?
   • How can we support the vulnerable in an extreme weather event?
8. Ask them to brainstorm answers to these questions with their group and let them record their answers on the board or a sheet of paper.
9. Now that they reflected on actions they can take to help  communities, tell students that they'll now explore passive design solutions. Share that passive design means 'to optimize the use of natural light, nature and air movement to maintain a comfortable environment'. This reduces the need for energy to light, heat, or cool the space.
10. Open the “Passive design” slideshow to play a game focusing on simple and inexpensive ways that we can stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Most are passive solutions but a couple of slides include tips on efficiently using energy for heating and cooling.
    • On slide 2, there's a scale, showing one side as too hot, one side as too cold, and the middle as just right. Assign a place in the classroom for each rating. 
    • Tell students that you'll present a scenario and they must move to the place in the room they think it matches. For example, if it says to turn up the heat in the summer, they will move to the side that matches ‘too hot'. 
    • Each slide is followed by the answer and a short explanation. 
11. Discuss some of the solutions that came up in the slideshow. Are there any that students could do right away at home, without any new equipment or technology?
12. Wrap up the activity by challenging students to use one of the simple passive solutions immediately, and to have them discuss it with others.