I found Robin Wall Kimmer’s “Maple Nation” to by very relatable. Coming from a small community I am quite familiar with the arguments of community members against environmental issues. I cant say I blame them, generally the community members have more on there mind than things like recycling and fossil fuel consumption. The uneducated mind will only see what is right in front of them i.e. They are running late and the gas fills their car so they can commute to work in order to submit their reports before month-end. When fossil fuels come into their mind, they will be wondering more about the price they pay/litre than the price they charge to the environment. If you mention carbon emissions to a farmer, be prepared to get an ear full on “hippies” and “tree huggers” and how hard it is to make a living when your consumers think you’re trying to kill them.
The problem here is that people don’t understand the reasoning behind the concern that is arising around climate change. Its hard to be concerned about something you don’t understand. This is why I believe education is the key to awareness around climate change. It is hard to change the opinion of an adult, they are too ignorant (meaning they overlook things that are uncomfortable). The answer is in our students. As a teacher I am going to leap into action by teaching my students WHY we should be concerned about climate change and what we can do to protect our planet from the past and present dangers that it is facing. I would love to start a composting project within my school that collects compostable waste from my students. One of my chosen articles mentioned how much waste is collected from schools when students have bagged lunches. I could get my students involved by encouraging them to bring their lunch in plastic containers instead of single use plastics and collect their food wast
e as compost. This will help them feel empowered and show them that they can make a difference by making small choices when they chose their snacks/lunch.
I could even have my students participate in another form of my visual representation. I made slime (to represent the ocean) and collected small single use plastics that would be harmful to ocean wildlife. It was hard to do because the slime was so pretty and would have been fun to play with, had I not filled it with garbage.
I enjoyed this blog post. You did not shy away from voicing your critique on adult mentalities towards climate change. It is definitely something that has to be done. Like you said adults minds are hard to change because they are stuck in their ways. If we can teach the students they can adapt their views and grow upon things. It becomes a little harder to create habits with older children, but it is worth a try. This is not an issue that we can all be passive about, anymore.
The slime is really pretty and serves a good message. It is hard to think about the ocean being that we are in a landlocked place. But it makes up a large portion of the Earth helping to regulate so much that it is a major concern.