University of New Hampshire
IN-48: Innovation B

The Climate ActionClinic was launched in the spring of 2022 by the UNH Sustainability Institute in a partnership with the Paul College of Business & Economics and the Carsey School of Public Policy. It was based on the successful model of the BImpact Clinic, launched two years previously at UNH, and also builds upon the foundation of more than twenty years of leadership at UNH in regards to greenhouse gas tracking and management, embodied in the work we do with our carbon and nitrogen accounting tool, SIMAP.

The Clinic gathers teams of undergraduate students from many majors and disciplines to serve as consultants for regional companies that are working to complete their annual greenhouse gas inventories (GHG) and set GHG reduction goals. Students work in teams of three, each supported by a peer mentor (a student who has completed the clinic at least once before) and a faculty mentor and/or business community mentor. Students help company leaders who want to address their social and environmental impact.

Since spring 2022, the B Impact Clinic has worked with 19 clients, including larger national companies like Wymans blueberries, Orvis and Allagash Brewing, a host of smaller regional companies, and a group of nonprofits and educational institutions. As a result of the Clinic there are now more than 200,000 Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (MTCDE) being managed and reduced; these clients have taken active steps to cut their carbon emissions using a data-driven, informed approach.

The program has engaged more than 70 students, who are retunring to the Clinic semester after semester to hone their skills and expand their professional networks, and going on to work in the field of carbon management after graduation. students since the program began. Each student spends over 70 hours engaged in experiential learning each semester in carbon management practices. The Clinic is a real-world learning opportunity for students to step out of the traditional classroom .
As an immersive learning project and an excellent educational platform, the Clinic is centered around the SIMAP, the carbon and nitrogen accounting tool that UNHH developed ot support other colleges and universities in managing their footprint, but which can be used with a wide variety of other organizations as well. 
Participants meet weekly to collaborate on their project and participate in lectures and activities, processing their client's data, and turning it into a carbon footprint that client's can use for internal planning or pubic reporting. 
Students gain:

• Expertise in a growing, hihgly in-demand and marketable entry-level job skill
• Experience working with businesses in a professional environment on a project that will contribute to the company’s overall success
• Experience working with peers from all years and different majors
• Invaluable project management skills
• Resume building
• Expanded professional network to local NH and ME businesses
• Academic credit: This program is approved curriculum as part of the Paul College of Business’ Business in Practice (BiP) program. Students from any college/major can participate in the program and receive 2 academic credits.
• Students who return for multiple seesters can also serve as (paid) peer mentors

Students are responsible for doing the following:

• Meet weekly with clients/team
• Spend approximately 1 hour outside of weekly meetings to prepare and complete follow-up work
• Attend and prepare for the four major events of the semester 
  -  Student Orientation (first week of classes)
  - Client Kick-off (Second week of classes. Clients present their businesses and goals for the semester and students are able to rank who they would most like to work with)
  - Final Presentation Showcase (each team shares the work they completed and the lessons they learned from the Clinic in a 10 minute presentation to clients, UNH faculty and staff, family and friends)

Company partners (clients) identify a single point person within their company to serve as a primary contact with the student team and commit at least 1 hour per week to the B Impact Clinic. This person must commit to weekly video calls with their student consultants. They reeive training and guidance in data collection from the UNH Sustainability Instittue staff who teach the class before the semester starts, and gather the data  for the students to process. This allows the students to dive into helping with the intricacies of the assessment as well as documentation and suggested improvements as soon as possible.

In order to participate fully, company participants are expected to have a representative participate in person or virtually to each of the semester’s three key events:

• Company Kick-off (in which clients present their businesses and goals for the semester to the student consultants)
• Mid-semester meeting (a chance to meet in person with your student consultants to reflect on the progress you’ve made and plan for the final few weeks)
• Final Presentation Showcase (each team shares the work they completed and the lessons they learned from the Clinic in a 10 minute presentation to clients, UNH faculty and staff, family and friends)

In this way, we are building on our longstanding approach of cultivating networls an dcommunities of practice to support creative, ambitoius climate action. The