Dear Umbra,
In my city, environmental awareness might as well be some late-night, budget infomercial that nobody thinks about except to laugh at. I’m trying to organize a series of interactive presentations in area schools to educate and engage kids in a more progressive approach to greening up our lives and our city. Many of these kids have heard all the normal shticks: don’t run water when you’re brushing your teeth, turn off the light when you leave a room. These mantras are a boring echo to them. Could you give me 10 Things a kid can immediately do in his or her life to make an impact, that perhaps are a little more creative and thought-provoking than light bulbs and littering (not that those aren’t important too).
Thanks!
Amy Y.
Philadelphia, Penn.
Dearest Amy,
From your letter I’ve decided that you are great with the children and might be able to transform the following suggestion into actual good teaching. Years ago I worked briefly in a program that brought theater to schools, and I had an, um, acerbic boss. Many things she said have stuck with me, unfortunately, but one of them was interesting. She believed that theater should not be designed for children; rather, that children were capable of absorbing adult theater and should not be given something dumbed-down in the assumption that they couldn’t handle “real” theater.
They’ve got the whole world in their hands ...
In that vein, I suggest that you use the Top 10 lists for adults, and build an interactive presentation that asks kids to think how they fit in to the environmental picture. (I compiled those Top 10 lists a few years back, and the only update I would make is to place more emphasis on eating lower on the food chain.)
Turning off toothbrushing water, to use your example, is about water conservation. There are many other important ways to conserve water in the home. Could you make a presentation that outlines the problem with wasted water, the various household water uses, and then asks kids to think of and choose one water conservation goal for themselves? Perhaps peeing in the shower would light up some of those jaded eyes.
Kids who can’t drive are often left out of the “reduce your mileage” equation. Is it possible to discuss auto emissions with middle-school children, and guide them in a discussion about how kids might help with this most-significant problem? They might talk with their parents, arrange their own carpool, decide to ride a bike, or write moving letters to the editor in support of new bus lines.
We think of food choices as similar to cars for children, because they aren’t the shoppers or cooks, but I’ve seen a successful Farm-to-Cafeteria program that was dependent on the participation of energetic rural teens. Kids can do the work to educate their family about the best fish to buy, or make a personal pledge to avoid meat on Wednesdays, or even lobby their school to add local or organic items to the menu.
Reduce-Reuse-Recycle is one for all ages, but I wonder if one particular angle will work well with kids: small electronics. The environmental problems with small consumer electronics include the devastation wrought by mining and the end-of-life disposal. The issues are compelling, and for kids of the cell-phone age there is a lot of room for feeling good about recycling their electronics, collecting their friends’ electronics, donating electronics, etc. Electronics are way more interesting and immediate than paper and cans.
These, as they say, are just a few ideas. Kids will come up with much better ideas about the role they can play in the regular old Top 10. Hopefully engaging them in the decisions will make their activism more than a boring echo.
Wishfully,
Umbra
Tweet for the bees
Seventh Generation launches anti-toxics campaign with wee gimmick
Comments
View as Flat
Beccane Posted 3:41 am
29 Dec 2008
" People will only conserve what they love; that they will only love what they understand; and that they will only understand what they are taught."
Why should anyone--adult or child--feel any urgency toward an abstract notion of the environment that means nothing to them personally or in their daily lives?
WE NEED TO GIVE KIDS DIRECT EXPERIENCE OF THE NATURAL WORLD. They need to understand that nature isn't something you see behind glass in a museum or zoo. That it exists all around us, even in cities. That their own lives depend heavily on natural systems and that nature is a joy and pleasure for all of us. Every human being--and every product, service and dollar of the economy--relies on a healthy environment. They need to understand that they are part of an incredible system with complex and marvelous interconnecting parts, most of which are alive. How cool is that?
Kids need to feel the same connection to the environment as they would to their home. If their house were burning down, you bet they'd be engaged, motivated and completely committed to learning how to put out the fire. It stops being an abstract, "do-good" luxury and something of vital personal importance.
But only if they experience it first hand. Unless kids feel that they are IN nature already, and not just studying it from outside, top 10 lists will be worthless.
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esc Posted 10:49 am
29 Dec 2008
Here is her blog
http://www.6footsix.com/
and a bit on her project
http://www.6footsix.com/my_weblog/donate.html
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rglatz Posted 11:47 am
29 Dec 2008
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rockypandora Posted 9:49 pm
29 Dec 2008
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2wheeler Posted 5:18 am
30 Dec 2008
We pick up trash in sensitive areas near the river, do stream walk education sessions in warm weather, and plant native tree and shrub seedlings to enhance the corridors along the streams (as well as the habitat in our own backyards). Doing these things makes a tangible difference that people of all ages can feel and appreciate, and gives a sense of ownership and stewardship necessary if the problems of our globe are to be solved, one step at a time, by a series of very local actions that add up to sustainability.
People appreciate water because our bodies are made up mostly of it, and the tap water we depend on to drink comes often from surface water supplies (rivers and streams). Kids appreciate swimming and fish, the other concepts of protection that the Clean Water Act pursues. EVERYONE lives in a watershed.
The US EPA's website allows you to "surf your watershed". Find a local watershed group and get involved! Bring your kids and bring the message to families and folks of all ages. Special educational events can be planned to learn about green roofs, rain gardens, backyard habitat, rain barrels, and other cool concepts. Yes, you might expect to get your feet wet sometimes, but it's worth it.
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loraxseed Posted 6:52 am
30 Dec 2008
You'll find specific ideas geared for kids on their website: http://www.humaneeducation.org/
Good luck and thanks for caring to make an impact on the young. They're our best hope for a better future!
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2349 Posted 8:12 am
30 Dec 2008
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bailsout Posted 11:24 am
30 Dec 2008
How many carbon credits should one be given for not having a child? I don't know but it's more than bringing one's own bag to the grocery store, or riding a bicycle or drinking tap water.
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stevenj Posted 1:11 am
31 Dec 2008
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jaiagreen Posted 2:36 am
31 Dec 2008
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rholyoke Posted 11:23 am
03 Jan 2009
suggest that the kids compile all of their old stubs that they don't use anymore and donate them to this woman who melts them down into new, fun-shaped crayons.
http://www.crazycrayons.com
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AlishaF Posted 3:13 am
05 Jan 2009
Your question to Umbra is such an important question, and the 'normal shtick' is so tired.
Its pertinence and relevance struck me also because I work with a new nonprofit that is working to do precisely what you describe!
Alliance for Climate Education is a new nonprofit based in Oakland, CA - that will be national by 2010 - that presents dynamic, engaging and entertaining assembly and classroom presentations to high school students.
We are breaking out of the old shtick and realize that "turn off your faucet" doesn't really do it for kids, nevermind help them get meaningfully involved in the climate movement. Our assembly and classroom presentations will be cutting edge and we hope to break through that jaded barrier as we hit them with current science and powerful, on-the-ground solutions on many levels.
We would love to connect with folks who are involved in similar work in states around the country, to share ideas and explore potential synergies. If you are working in this arena in any capacity (full time, part time, some of the time, whenever you can find the time!) please email me:
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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