Carbon Neutral: Messages of Hope

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Originally published in TEACH Magazine, May/June 2020 Issue

By Adam Stone

At Berkwood Hedge School in Berkeley, CA, Grade 1 teacher Natalie Crowley recently led her kids through a three-day “teach in” on the topic of climate change. There was an all-school assembly. Speakers talked about recycling. Then the kids did projects: Calculate your carbon footprint. Learn how to make a solar lantern.

“They learn best through activity and experience,” Crowley says. “There is so much fear and anxiety around climate change; [a] sense of disaster. It’s really important to empower kids with tools, to remind them that all is not lost and that they can do things that make a difference.”

That’s K–12 climate change in a nutshell. At a time when it would be easy to scare them silly, educators need to empower kids instead. They need to foster in young learners not just an understanding of the science behind climate change, but also a feeling that they themselves can make a difference. Kids need to know that change is possible.

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Adam Stone is a seasoned journalist with 20+ years’ experience. He covers education, technology, government, and the military, along with diverse other topics.

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Adam Stone
Adam Stone
Adam Stone is a seasoned journalist with 20+ years’ experience. He covers education, technology, government, and the military, along with diverse other topics.

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