The Climate Innovation Lab
Design the Climate-Friendly Product of the Future. Start with a Sneaker.
Where students move from learning about climate change to reimagining the systems that shape it.​
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The Climate Innovation Lab is a student-led, hands-on program where students explore how everyday products—like sneakers, backpacks, or water bottles—are made, used, and discarded. With support from high school volunteers, they unpack the systems behind these items and redesign them with sustainability in mind—through creativity, systems thinking, and collaboration. Once they’ve imagined a better future, it’s time to build it—step by step.
How It Works: 5 Steps to Innovation
Every Climate Innovation Lab begins with a question: How could this be better—for people and the planet?
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Step 1: Travel Through the “Green Time Machine”
Start by mapping the life of a product—from how it’s made to where it ends up. You’ll explore materials, energy use, waste, and impact.
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Step 2: Pick Your System to Hack
Want to change what it’s made of? How it’s packaged? Where it goes when you’re done? Each students or team picks one part of the life cycle to improve.
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Step 3: Dream Big, Sketch Wild
This is the brainstorm phase. Students collaborate to come up with real solutions—and maybe a few wild ideas, too.
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Step 4: Build a Prototype
Use recycled or everyday materials to make a model of your solution. It doesn’t have to be perfect—it just has to show your thinking.
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Step 5: Share & Reflect
Present your innovation, get peer feedback, and talk about how your design could change the way things are made.
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Every idea sparks a ripple—what starts as one redesign can inspire a whole new way of thinking.
Why This Project Matters to You
What You’ll Get Out of It
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What it is: A project-based workshop that turns students into sustainability innovators.
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Who it's for: Grades 4–8, led by trained high school volunteers
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Where: Schools, libraries, makerspaces, or community events
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Skills Built: Design thinking, collaboration, systems thinking, climate literacy
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Blend Science with Creativity — Learn how science and design can work together to solve big problems.
Builds Useful Skills — Practice teamwork, creative thinking, and leadership while doing something that matters.
Inspires Real Impact — Your ideas can help people and the planet—and inspire others too.
Student Volunteers Lead the Way
"I thought I had to be a scientist to make a difference. Then I led a Lab and watched fifth graders light up. It changed everything." — Jerome, 11th Grade, CA
Whether you’re a student ready to lead or an educator bringing the Lab to your school, we’ve got your back—with clear guides, hands-on support, and everything you need to get started.
​Student Volunteers Get:
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Training, materials, and mentorship from Samsø Labs
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Leadership experience and service hours
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Confidence to guide younger students through hands-on design challenges
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A plug-and-play guide to run the Lab in schools or libraries
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Ongoing support and tips to make the experience impactful
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