Activity 01
Mapping Activity: Renewable Site Selection
Provide maps of Canada and data on solar irradiance, wind speeds, and hydrology. Students in pairs identify optimal sites for each renewable type, justify choices based on geography, and note environmental risks. Conclude with a class gallery walk to compare selections.
Compare and contrast the geographical requirements and environmental impacts of different renewable energy technologies.
Facilitation TipDuring the Mapping Activity, provide satellite imagery alongside topographic and land-use maps to help students visualize how physical geography influences energy potential.
What to look forPose the question: 'Imagine you are advising the Premier of Ontario. What are the top three policy recommendations you would make to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, and why?' Students should be prepared to justify their choices based on geographical, economic, and political factors.
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Activity 02
Debate Format: Barriers to Transition
Divide class into teams representing governments, industries, and environmental groups. Each prepares arguments on economic or political hurdles to renewables, using evidence from global cases. Hold a structured debate with rebuttals and audience voting.
Analyze the economic and political barriers to a rapid global transition to renewable energy.
Facilitation TipIn the Debate Format, assign roles to ensure students research stakeholder positions thoroughly, not just arguing from personal beliefs.
What to look forProvide students with a map of Canada showing different renewable energy resources (e.g., high solar insolation areas, windy coastlines, major river systems). Ask them to identify one province or territory best suited for each type of renewable energy and briefly explain the geographical reasons.
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Activity 03
Policy Design Workshop: National Strategy
In small groups, students draft a renewable energy policy for Canada, prioritizing technologies, addressing barriers, and projecting impacts. They present proposals to the class 'parliament' for feedback and revisions.
Design a national energy policy that prioritizes renewable energy development.
Facilitation TipFor the Policy Design Workshop, give students a checklist of criteria (cost, feasibility, public support) to guide their strategy development.
What to look forOn an index card, students should write one significant economic barrier to renewable energy transition and one significant political barrier. They should also suggest one specific strategy to overcome each barrier.
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Activity 04
Case Study Rotation: Global Examples
Set up stations for solar in Germany, wind in Denmark, and hydro in Brazil. Groups rotate, analyzing geographical fit, challenges, and outcomes via readings and videos, then share key insights.
Compare and contrast the geographical requirements and environmental impacts of different renewable energy technologies.
Facilitation TipIn the Case Study Rotation, assign each group a different case study region to analyze, then have them present their findings to the class.
What to look forPose the question: 'Imagine you are advising the Premier of Ontario. What are the top three policy recommendations you would make to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, and why?' Students should be prepared to justify their choices based on geographical, economic, and political factors.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Start with a local example to ground the concept, like showing students a nearby solar farm or wind turbine and asking them to map its context. Avoid getting stuck on technical details of energy production, as the focus should be on the social and environmental trade-offs. Research shows students grasp sustainability best when they engage with competing values and constraints, not just facts.
Students will be able to evaluate the suitability of different renewable energy sources for specific locations, analyze trade-offs between environmental and human needs, and propose solutions that balance these factors. Success looks like students using geographical data to justify their choices and defending them in debates or policy discussions.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During the Mapping Activity, watch for students who assume all renewable energy sources can be placed anywhere without considering local ecosystems.
Have students overlay their proposed energy sites on habitat maps and biodiversity hotspots, then discuss which areas should be avoided entirely and why.
During the Debate Format, watch for students who reduce the transition to purely economic costs.
Use the debate structure to require each student to present at least one non-economic barrier (e.g., public resistance, regulatory hurdles) and one solution to address it.
During the Case Study Rotation, watch for students who generalize that hydroelectricity is viable everywhere in Canada.
Provide each group with a map showing Canada’s river systems and precipitation patterns, then have them identify regions where hydro is feasible and where it is not.
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