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Overview
“There is hope – I’ve seen it – but it does not come from the governments or corporations, it comes from the people. The people who have been unaware are now starting to wake up, and once we become aware we change. We can change and people are ready for change.” Greta Thunberg
Today is the third day of April. Even with all that is happening in the world, spring is in full bloom in the northern hemisphere with bird songs, fragrant flowers, and array of pinks, purples, whites and yellows. Fall takes the southern hemisphere, as crisp, cold days emerge while leaves begin to fall off trees. However, some defining characteristics of our seasons are changing; winters are now becoming milder and summers drier. Climate change is impacting our lives everywhere every single day.
To understand climate change, let’s start with some important definitions. Weather refers to short term changes like rainfall, clouds and wind. Weather can vary greatly even in a day, a morning can be chilly and afternoon hot. Climate refers to long term changes and weather patterns over time. Unlike weather, the climate doesn’t change quickly, rather over thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years. Until recently, earth’s climate had been changing slowly. We’ve increased the global temperature by about 1.76ºF in the past 100 years. While that may seem a small number, think about your body temperature. With a 1-2 degree difference when are running a fever, effects are immediately felt by your body and can prove incredibly dangerous. Climate change is like the earth suffering from an increasing fever, one that endangers everything and everyone!
Since the mid 1900s, the global temperature has increased much more rapidly than normal. Scientists agree that this change is not natural; it is caused by human actions. We’ve been burning masses of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, releasing greenhouse gases (GHGs) into our atmosphere. GHGs, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), accumulate in the atmosphere and enter global waters, trapping heat close to earth and acidifying oceans.
There are many solutions to address the negative effects of climate change: clean renewable energy, regenerative organic farming, even slow fashion (which you’ll learn more about next week). As the United Nations has stated, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. All of us must be part of the solution. Together, we can turn the tide.
THINK
Climate change impacts all of our communities — and youth around the globe have come together in a massive, powerful way to demand leaders #ActOnClimate. Climate ction now! Still, too many citizens and government officials fail to understand, act on or even recognize the threat of climate change as the defining issue of our time. To raise the level of urgency, 17-year-old Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg, started Fridays For Future in August 2018, as the first school climate strike. Since then, millions of youth and adults have taken part in her weekly climate strikes all over the world. Last week, she took her protests online with a quarantine-compliant initiative aptly titled “Talks for Future,” weekly webinars with featured guests including scientists, journalists, activists and climate experts.
Today is Friday and even though you can’t sit outside your local government buildings, rally together or mass march in city centers, we can make our voices heard and elevate the goals of the climate strikes by going digital!
ACTIVITY
Are you ready to take a stand for our planet this Friday? Take a look at this resource to see how climate change impacted the world in 2019. Next, read this NatGeo article about climate.
- Think about an aspect of climate change that is important to you and create an eye-catching sign with a call to action, slogan and image. Check out some examples here.
- Encourage your family members to each create their own call to action on a sign.
- Share them, even put one up in your window.
- Snap a photo of you and your family with your signs.
- Share your sign and a caption about why you demand climate action on social media.
- Be sure to use the hashtag #FridaysForFuture, tag @GretaThunberg and @TurningGreenOrg — and use any other relevant hashtags and tags to amplify your message!
DELIVERABLES
Upload your sign as a PDF document using the upload button. Post on a social media platform (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). #FridaysForFuture, tag @GretaThunberg and @TurningGreenOrg.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
THINK
The impacts of climate change are devastating our communities, cities, oceans and lands. We are experiencing food scarcity, floods, droughts, fires, mudslides, pollution, extreme and unpredictable weather, natural habitat destruction, melting glaciers, species extinction, widespread population displacement and more. The next generation must advocate for change… but how?
ACTIVITY
Think about a recent event in or near your community that was likely caused or worsened by climate change. Write your own news story or opinion piece (check out an online paper to learn about formatting) with the knowledge you have learned from Turning Green Classroom and beyond. Consider the actions that resulted in this and what steps could or can be taken to change future outcomes.
DELIVERABLES
Upload your news story in a PDF document using the upload button.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
THINK
Environmental challenges are serious and pressing, but there is hope yet! We can engage in climate action to enact solutions, demand smart policy, and collectively, with our friends and families, design commitments that are achievable and impactful to help heal the planet. Many great thinkers have already shared substantive solutions to reverse climate degradation, like Paul Hawken in his comprehensive book-turned-web platform, Project Drawdown.
ACTIVITY
Check out Project Drawdown, The Years Project and Earth Guardians, all of which propose actions that individuals and communities can take to tackle climate change. Read about the solutions these groups put forward and how you might apply them to your life?
- Browse at least one of these resources to discover actionable climate solutions.
- Based on what you know and have learned, create a list of five actions you and your family can take today to combat climate change, starting at home.
- Lead a discussion around the dinner table (or when your family is together) and include ideas they may have.
- Create a specific plan for what you can implement as a family. Write it down. Commit!
- Post your commitments on social media and challenge others to do the same. Encourage your family to share as well. Tag @TurningGreenOrg so we can see and amplify!
DELIVERABLES
Upload your written commitments (document, page, doodle, sign, anything) as a PDF document using the upload button. Post on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Tag @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.