Earth Day Focus: Climate Change

"Make your habits reflect your values," Founder and Executive Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Mike Tidwell said to Middle School students during Gathering this week. Representing his organization, Mike helps to raise awareness around the issues of climate change, global warming, and sustainable practices. His message to students was clear: do what you can, when you can, and align your actions with what you believe in order to become a responsible citizen in the fight against global warming. 

 

Mike began by asking the students to give their observations on the recent weather patterns. Many students raised their hands: "after a year of two blizzards, we have a winter without much snow," and "thunderstorms with hail" in April. Mike nodded, agreeing with the students and peppering his presentation with more evidence of the effects of global warming students can see locally. Mike then explained his work educating lawmakers, promoting alternatives to fossil fuels, and organizing other citizens to help make a difference. 

 

Leaving the planet in better shape for his son and the next generation is one of the things that motivates Mike to do this work. His experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Congo also influenced his career trajectory. When he saw the effects of global warming in the Congo and realized that the greenhouse gases produced by the US were having an impact around the world, he knew he had to do something. 

 

As a young person, joining the world of advocacy can be daunting. Mike's advice: "Pick one group and get on their email list." He encourages students to volunteer with the organization. Middle school students can write letters to congress, make signs for events, or make phone calls to encourage others to get involved. Mike also offered small changes students can make like eating less meat, switching to energy-saving light bulbs, and being sure to turn off lights when not in use. When speaking about making changes in how corporations conduct business, "We have to get beyond voluntary changes," he said passionately, and get new laws passed.

 

 

Mike Tidwell's visit came on the eve of the Middle School’s second Climate Change Summit, held to design the 6^thgrade humanities curriculum, which will focus on the issue of climate change. Since the first summit in the fall, administrators, faculty, and staff, along with leadership from the Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy, have been hard at work developing the curriculum, which will include aspects of geography, religion, art and architecture, politics and government, economics, and social structures. On April 27-28, they will pour through the climate change science and data with the help of Frank Niepold, education coordinator from NOAA, and solidify their plans.

 

This new curriculum builds on the strengths of the current 6th grade class, which is grounded in global perspectives and centers on the cultures of India, China, and South Sudan. "I wanted to grow this by picking a common topic the world is tackling today," Middle School Division Director Kavan Yee says. Humanities Curriculum Coordinator Natalie Stapert was thinking along the same lines and had already done research into the topic of climate change.

 

Next year, 6th graders will dive deep into the subject of climate change and study how individuals, communities, and governments can address the problems caused by changes in our climate. They will stretch their writing skills in reflection and advocacy, and they will learn how to be responsible citizens, able to distinguish fact from fiction, see what lies behind the data, and take meaningful action. 

 

Kavan is excited: "We are the first school to do this from a humanities perspective. Most just teach the science."