education on the environment is a huge factor in promoting young people’s wellbeing in society. youth gain confidence in themselves and their ability to make a difference in the world due to involvement in environmental activites. this podcast elaborates on how young people can start getting involved earlier in their lives, specifically through their education, and how education systems should be altered in order to allow for and promote that.

it discusses how finding meaningful volunteer and work opportunities, especially when they pertain to environmental preservation and rehabilitation, is not only beneficial to the planet and its health, but also to the youth’s mental health, and how young people are the catalyst for impacting the rest of their communities through their actions.

this podcast includes the professional opinion of ap environmental science teacher mark yoder, who works at plano senior high school in plano, texas, and a youth’s perspective on the topic, given by suny-esf freshman and ecorep, everett tucker.

my earliest environmental memory doesn’t involve the environment for long. one mother’s day, my family visited salisbury beach in new hampshire. surprised with the destination, i reluctantly left the car and slowly approached the water with our bag of supplies. while i unloaded, my brother inched his way into the water, but seconds later, a wave swept him up. i was in such shock that i just stood in the sand, taking a mental photograph of my mom saving my brother from almost drowning. i didn’t understand why people would visit a place that could hurt them. the 15-minute visit was my family’s first and last trip to the beach.

it was not until a seventh-grade field trip that i interacted with the ocean again. at a marine science center in new hampshire, a naturalist guided the class to the coastline and introduced us to the species of the intertidal zone. she carefully picked up and presented a sea star, mollusk, and seaweed. i was enamored with the sight of these creatures. after the display, the naturalist encouraged the class to explore the rocky shore. i stayed back and watched other classmates mount the rocks as the endeavor seemed risky, but their fun was contagious and i descended the coastline onto the rocks. during my travels, i slipped, fell onto the rocks, and ripped my leggings. the incident taught me that marine rocks are slimy, so the marine inhabitants must be adept at moving in these conditions. by the end of the day, i couldn’t wait to tell my family about the marine environment and the bruise i brought back as a souvenir.

zoe getman-pickering, an entomologist and postdoctoral researcher at george washington university, uses environmental education to energize students. for getman-pickering, who studies how insects interact with the world, environmental education was a matter of timing. this past spring, the brood x cicadas emerged in washington, d.c. for the first time in 17 years. getman-pickering and her colleagues knew that students would interact with cicadas in an unusual way during the emergence. this generation of students had likely never seen cicadas before, especially in the sheer volume expected. the team wanted to combat the negative, alarming language shared by the media and parents about the event. getman-pickering, with other biologists and an educator, created friend to cicadas, an online set of materials for elementary students about cicadas. the materials included a workbook, talk, illustrations, and haiku competition that intended to educate the students and empower them to share the information with their communities, explained getman-pickering. 

the team centered the materials around the details of the cicada emergence that captured public attention. as getman-pickering explains, student comprehension and enjoyment were key. the team completed iterations of the workbook, editing drafts based on teacher and parent feedback. once finalized, the team released the materials online, as in-person education wasn’t feasible because of the pandemic. though adapting lessons to a digital platform was challenging, it meant that more students could access the materials. in fact, the materials reached approximately 10,000 students, said getman-pickering. even though the team couldn’t work with students directly, they gauged the students’ understanding of cicadas through haiku poems written by the students.

haiku poems represented the educational effectiveness of the project overall. the materials transformed environmental fear into fascination as the poems conveyed a variety of feelings about cicadas, ranging from mesmerization to curiosity, explained getman-pickering. with a portrayal of cicadas as interesting and friendly, it alleviates “a lot of fear (that) comes from lack of understanding or lack of knowledge, lack of familiarity,” said getman-pickering. even when she thought she finished the project, the students proved her wrong. they continued to send questions about cicadas to the team as their fascination extended beyond the workbook. friend to cicadas combats fear with fact and empowers students to help others become a friend to cicadas, too.

researchers across the country and around the world find that young students are communicating with others about environmental issues and developing a personal connection to nature thanks to environmental education. research on flood education materials for british elementary students suggests that children can learn about flooding and preparedness and share this information with parents at home. students also learn about nature by spending time in it. at a residential outdoor environmental education program in pennsylvania, researchers found that student participants strengthened their relationship with nature during their experience. when provided with the information, students can make progress in their journey from avoiding to appreciating the environment.

i’ve made a friend in the environment, too. i no longer resist the outdoors. i have immersed myself in understanding it, especially so i can help others do the same. during my college experience, i interned at dumbarton oaks park conservancy to educate elementary schoolers about the park and its history. as the teacher of the information, i realized that students are willing to understand that people relate to nature. they just need a guiding hand to show them how and their curiosity will lead the rest of the way.

though environmental education may be taught in school, its effects extend beyond the classroom. equipping students with this type of knowledge allows them to strengthen their connection to nature and become a messenger and steward of environmental issues. it was this information that changed my perspective from a child that avoided nature to a young adult who understands its value and wants to continue sharing it with others. researchers like getman-pickering discern this significance and want to help young students develop an appreciation for nature and even a sense of environmental advocacy. because today’s young people will inherit a plethora of environmental crises, they must be prepared to handle them. as getman-pickering said, “it sounds cliché, but the children are our future,” and environmental education prepares them for that future.

arlington, va. — students usually worry about schoolwork and tests, but the looming threat of climate change adds additional stress to children’s futures.

“we need to educate, we need to step up and we need to really ensure that our planet is protected and we’re able to function in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly society,” student leader thomas brulay said.

with education being one of the largest public sectors in the united states, coalitions like aspen institute’s k-12 climate action plan and generation180 partner with schools to help them reach sustainability goals and net-zero energy.

“it’s really thinking about the school districts developing these local climate action plans and then how state and the federal government can really help support that implementation,” laura schifter, a k-12 climate action plan senior fellow, said.

schools in the u.s. occupy about 2 million acres of land and teach around 50 million students, according to schifter. generation180 program director tish tablan also said that schools emit carbon dioxide levels similar to that of 18 coal power plants and that switching to solar would reduce schools’ carbon footprint.

“in 29 states plus dc, you can go solar with no upfront costs, so the barrier of upfront costs can be removed for many schools around the country, and that really levels the playing field, so that solar is not a technology just for wealthy districts,” tablan said.

stockton unified school district in california championed green advocacy work by its quick production of electric school buses. energy education specialist gilbert rosas said their bus fleet acts as a model for other school districts and opens the students’ eyes to environmentally-friendly careers.

“not only do i understand the demographic of stockton unified, but i look like the demographic,” rosas said. “i think it’s important for kids to realize that we have cool green career path choices, and they have the ability to be anything they want to be.”

discovery elementary school in arlington, virginia is one of the many schools that are being catalysts for educating environmental activists. as soon as students enter primary school, they work on year-long mastery projects to help their school become greener.

“all of the projects that the students come up with are amazing. the way they get excited about growing lettuce, that i swear they won’t eat until they’re a part of the process, and how proud they are to have taken part in that is just really inspiring,” principal erin russo said.

from primary school to high school, students like holly thorpe and thomas brulay, join and form organizations to put what they learn into action. thorpe and brulay lead environmental efforts in green champions, a student-run club in florida’s miami-dade county school district. these groups help kids realize their impact on the planet.

“we’re running out of time, and the climate crisis keeps getting worse and worse, and if we don’t step up and do something about it, then it’s going to be irreversible effects to the environment,” brulay said.

a small organic garden supported rows of leafy vegetables. children came from a classroom nearby and began to water the plants, a routine chore for them. across from the garden was a large chicken coop and greenhouse. sprinkled in between these structures were small trails and vegetation. the classrooms surrounded a miniature environment which felt foreign in a tucson neighborhood. this school is moving the planet forward in a way i had never seen before and i knew i needed to share it. their sustainability practices are fostering a love of nature with young children and passes on an appreciation for the environment to younger generations.

with all of my camping and hiking gear packed into a duffel bag and backpacking pack, i felt like i would be prepared for anything, though i actually had no idea what my summer would entail.

i also had four months of food in tow, since there are no grocery stores in port alsworth, and i couldn’t afford to fly back to anchorage for grocery shopping. i quickly learned to love powdered eggs, powdered milk, powdered cheese, and even powdered butter. as different as it was living in a bush village, there is no doubt that i mentally adjusted to my surroundings much faster than my intestinal tract did.

port alsworth is a tiny community located on an inlet of the 40-mile long lake clark, completely surrounded by mountains. centered around two gravel airplane runways, there are about 150 people who live in port alsworth year-round, growing to well over 200 in the summer. the town is located smack-dab in the middle of the united states’ 5th largest national park – lake clark national park and preserve – which is composed of more than 4 million acres of pristine alaskan wilderness.

as i settled into my new position, i learned that tuesday mornings were dedicated to the local children. just before 10 a.m., kids stormed lake clark’s tiny visitor center, eagerly anticipating the week’s junior ranger program. rachel hellwig (my internship had two positions, so rachel was my other half for the summer) and i planned and ran the 12-week junior ranger program. unlike most national parks where junior ranger programs are designed for visiting youth, the programs at lake clark are aimed more toward local residents because lake clark national park draws a vastly different visiting audience than a park like yellowstone, since it is so remote and rugged.

a morning with the junior rangers

usually it took the kids a few minutes to settle down before they could focus on the day’s activities; most of these kids have known one another their entire lives and are often related. sometimes the junior ranger program felt like an entire community play date.

each week’s program had a unique theme. one week we focused on salmon, which coincided with the beginning of the salmon run. “can anyone tell me what type of fish this is?” i asked, pointing to a huge hand-drawn picture of what i hoped they’d be able to recognize as the iconic alaskan fish. the kids were quickly able to identify my poorly drawn salmon, and soon they were coloring their own salmon shaped hats and playing the “pin the tail on the salmon” game, which rachel and i had created to introduce the junior rangers to the day’s “salmon spawning” lesson. as usual, i was surprised by the vast amount of information the kids already knew about the natural world around them. sometimes they even knew more than i did; many of them had lived in port alsworth their entire lives and were intimately connected with nature and wildlife surrounding the area. while i had been studying ecosystems and environmental policies for longer than some of them had been alive, i had just moved to the area at the beginning of the summer. i was constantly reminded of how many intricacies there are to learn about our amazing planet and the impact we have on the environment.

using experiences to guide environmental ethics 

as a double major in environmental studies and international studies, i have great interest in international climate change negotiations. to my dismay, as the paris agreement took shape in 2015, i noticed little has been done that is actually working toward the agreement’s goal of keeping the planet’s temperature rise well below 2-degrees celsius. while large-scale actions are important to understand, local communities like port alsworth have the ability to implement policies and practices that can more quickly contribute to the goals of global climate policies.

additionally, environmental ethics plays a role global climate policies, specifically in getting individuals to do their part in caring for the planet. experiences in nature are the key to cultivating a sense of environmental stewardship. if those experiences can happen at a young age, it will likely lead to lifelong stewardship actions that help take care of the environment. however, this theory employs a tricky balance – while experiences are essential, those experiences must not harm the environment, as that would contradict the process. it is essential to balance the relationship between humans and the environment in a healthy way, so we can have enriching experiences in nature without damaging the nature we are so keen on protecting from misuse.

this is the perplexing dichotomy of environmental ethics. in order for someone to value nature to the extent of wanting to protect it, a personal experience within the environment is necessary. however, a personal experience within nature (and the increase of many people experiencing natural surroundings) can degrade nature in potentially irreversible ways.

my own interest in the environment had been shaped by my time outdoors when i was younger. from overnight camps and hikes with my girl scout troop, to family trips to yellowstone and the earning of my own junior ranger badges, my understanding and perspective on the environment was heavily influenced by experiential learning at a young age. i decided it was necessary to take a step back from the large-scale policy spectrum and understand what was happening in the environment at a local level.

when i arrived in port alsworth, i was the outsider. i thought i was coming to impart my “vast” environmental knowledge to a community. yet, it turns out that port alsworth residents actually knew more about the surrounding environment than i did. the residents knew the land like the back of their hand and are connected to it, and in some cases, have been for generations. as i became a member of the port alsworth community through my work with the national park service, i soon discovered that the community is integral to lake clark national park’s complex history and conservation.

a long history of subsistence 

lake clark became a national park and preserve in 1980 through the passage of alaska national interest lands conservation act (anilca). however, the land had been inhabited by the dena’ina athabascan people since the end of the last ice age. this meant that people had been relying on this land for thousands of years. traditional subsistence practices such as hunting, fishing, and harvesting had been passed down through generations. today, many port alsworth residents continue these practices within the national park, many honoring their native heritage by doing so.

while these practices may seem quite contradictory to traditional environmental preservationist beliefs, especially within a national park, subsistence use has been in place for hundreds of years, carefully taught and passed on to younger generations by the generations before them. these conflicting perspectives could cause a rift between the national park service (nps) and port alsworth residents. however, the nps staff, native residents, and community members have working relationships that express, understand, and work through differences between cultural practices and conservation measures in a pragmatic way. today’s politics make it seem impossible, but environmental policies can be implemented to benefit both the land and the community.

this complex relationship exists within and around each u.s. national park, since each park has a unique heritage of local peoples. the grand canyon has 11 traditionally associated tribes who consider the grand canyon as their homeland; parks in the dakotas caused tension between the u.s. government and native tribes; and yosemite and kings canyon are in close proximity to large, developed cities, just as so many cities are expanding closer to natural areas. these communities are just one part of the essential factors that can greatly contribute to national parks’ conservation if treated respectfully and if a working relationship between the park service and community is maintained. 

national park system under attack

now, the nps has been in the news a fair bit over the past couple of years. from obama signing to establish two new national monuments protecting 1.65 million acres during his last few months in office and the celebration of the nps centennial in 2016, there have been some high notes for to the park service. however, nps has also experienced significant lows such as the end of the six-year plastic water bottle ban, headlines announcing the possibility of increasing entrance fee, and the current administration’s reduction of protected land within the newest national monuments.

the nps is in dire need of support and improved infrastructure, specifically needing support from the american public and financial resources from the government. to increase public awareness, the 2016 nps campaign, “find your park” was aimed at getting more americans into national parks and to become aware of the land’s natural resources and cultural heritage. but the parks also face dwindling financial assistance — the 2018 budget for nps is just about $300 million short of the 2017 budget. to mitigate such financial cuts, nps has proposed significant admission increases to 17 of the nation’s most popular parks, including the grand canyon, glacier, yellowstone, yosemite, zion, and arches.

while the nps does need to find funding from somewhere other than the government since the proposed budget changes make it more difficult for americans (especially those with lower income) to experience the solace of nature, this proposal goes full circle, and brings us back to the ethical dilemma of environmentalism, and the fine line nps struggles to walk. while the park service wants more people to enter and experience parks, an increase in visitors can degrade land and natural resources quickly, going against the park service’s original goal to preserve and protect our national lands.

preserving local environmental stewardship

if we are able to teach values of protecting and respecting the environment to kids through personal experiences outdoors, we can create future generations of environmental stewards, that can have a positive impact on not only our public lands but our entire planet.

by the end my summer in alaska, rachel and i created and ran more than 12 junior ranger programs for the kids of port alsworth. our junior rangers explored everything from alaska’s forest ecology to the leafrollers found hanging from countless birch trees. i was lucky to help port alsworth’s youth delve deeper into understanding their surrounding environment and introducing them to environmental concepts through the silliest of games. this fosters a greater sense of intrinsic value through positive experiences in the great outdoors they are so lucky to call their backyard. these positive outdoor experiences taking place during the formative years of children’s lives now have the ability to shape the way they interact with nature for the rest of their lives.

while my summer internship was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in the alaskan wilderness, work with phenomenal park rangers, and hone my environmental education knowledge, i eventually had to face reality and return to the concrete jungle. it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle of never-ending to-do lists and the fast pace of life, but taking a minute to not only recognize the importance of outdoor experiences, but honoring them will do great things for your health and mood (even in crazy cold january temps — just dress warmly enough). take a quick walk outside on your lunch break. challenge yourself to identify that tree you always pass on your way into work. actually listen to bird calls and songs. spend a family vacation exploring a national park. take the youngsters in your life to environmental learning centers. our environment is struggling to thrive in today’s economic and political climate, and it is up to us to do our part to develop a sense of environmental stewardship within ourselves and future generations.

the teach-in will be moderated by dr. paul hirsch, assistant professor of environmental studies at esf. dr. robin kimmerer, director of the esf center for native peoples and the environment, will join sesno on the panel. kimmerer was a featured speaker at the planet forward summit, where she delivered a presentation on native storytelling. neil patterson jr., assistant director of the esf center for native peoples and the environment, also will join the panel. 

the event will be streamed live on both the esf and planet forward facebook pages.

for more information and to pre-register for the teach-in, see: http://www.esf.edu/communications/view.asp?newsid=5795.

the center’s programs range from “classroom in the wild,” a one-week offering over spring break in which 14 students travel to the  chesapeake bay to gain environmental filmmaking experience to various scholarships and prizes that the center provides to students through the support of center donors. when deciding to create the center and become its director, palmer said he felt there was a need for students to be inspired to produce powerful environmental films, and said that the center at au remains one of very few similar institutions found at universities worldwide.

“i started the center because i think there is a strong need to inspire the next generation to produce films that help people be good stewards of the world,” palmer said.

one of the programs of the center is the annual eco-comedy video competition, with this spring’s theme being “conservation and environmental protection.” palmer said that the idea of the competition stems from his passion for environmental activism along with comedy, having been a stand-up comedian in the d.c. area for five years.

“i had been interested in comedy for a long time, and i had been an environmental activist for a long time, so those two things, comedy and environmental activism, come together in the eco-comedy video competition,” palmer said. “the whole point of it is to try and show how humor, comedy, laughter, can be used to advance an environmental agenda.”

the winner of last year’s competition, julia schaefer gomez, is currently a research fellow at the environmental protection agency, in the office of water. she said that working on her submission to the contest last year exposed her to filmmaking and the field of environmental communication and played a major role in her realizing her career aspirations.

she thinks the competition should be adopted by more universities, as it gives people a chance to use creativity and humor to reach broad audiences on serious environmental issues and can be a life-changing experience.

“participating in this competition actually made a difference in my life,” she said. “obviously, winning the grand prize was great, but more than that, the opportunity and the process of getting to do this – it was validation for me that this is the area i want to be working in.”

elizabeth herzfeldt-kamprath, a graduate student in the school of communication’s film and electronic media program with a focus on environmental and wildlife filmmaking, is a center scholar and a graduate teaching assistant for palmer, and said that palmer’s mentoring along with the center’s regular events that bring in speakers has been of tremendous help to her.

herzfeldt-kamprath, currently working on a film being partially funded by the center, said her project is about a bird rehabilitator who has established a bird sanctuary on the island of st. croix in the virgin islands. the film attempts to show how rehab decisions lead injured birds to recovery and release back into the wild, or kept in captivity and care.

“there are so many critical environmental issues happening right now that are going to dramatically impact the future of our planet, and i think film hasn’t quite figured out as a medium how to best present these ideas, so that is part of the challenge for young environmental filmmakers – we need to figure it out now,” herzfeldt-kamprath said.

center scholar kent wagner is another graduate student pursuing the environmental and wildlife filmmaking concentration. wagner said that the center was what brought him to au, and he sees the role of the center increasing in years to come.

“i think that the role that the center for environmental filmmaking will play in the next five years, or may be ten years, is going to be significant, or has a chance to be significant,” wagner said. “we need good films being made, now more than ever.”

wagner is currently working on a film about deforestation on the island of borneo and its impact on the dayak people, borneo’s indigenous population. he traveled to borneo last summer to work on the project and hopes to return this summer to shoot additional footage. wagner said that 90 percent of the funding for the film is coming from the center.

“this project i’m working on would not exist at all if the center for environmental filmmaking did not exist,” wagner said. “they came to me with this idea and i looked into it and said, ‘yes, this is it’.”

palmer said that he is proud of the work students are doing through the center, and people must act now and realize the urgency to protect the environment.

“they (students) are out there doing good work, at a time when there is desperate need for people like them to combat the anti-environmentalism of the new administration,” palmer said.

palmer said that what he enjoys most about his work is the opportunity to help students launch their careers and ultimately do meaningful work that creates an impact.

“it is immensely rewarding to help young people who are just starting out, who are eager to get going, who want to grow professionally, who want to make films — who want to make films that make a difference,” palmer said. “it is so satisfying to help them, to work with them, to give them resources, to help them find jobs, to introduce them to all my contacts, and to give them opportunities.”