{"id":13045,"date":"2015-01-21t11:23:48","date_gmt":"2015-01-21t11:23:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/sustainability-can-start-in-the-classroom\/"},"modified":"2015-01-21t11:23:48","modified_gmt":"2015-01-21t11:23:48","slug":"sustainability-can-start-in-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/sustainability-can-start-in-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"sustainability can start in the classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

in the near future, climate realities will affect the livelihoods, health and happiness of our nation\u2019s students. as they grow up in the <\/span>anthropocene<\/a>, their choices will either exacerbate our current environmental problems or help to relieve them. in the next <\/span>30-40 years<\/a>, their lives will be directly affected by our changing climate system in many ways, from the foods that they are able to enjoy, to the types of disasters they have to prepare for, to new public health risks that could affect them.<\/span><\/p>\n

from 2012-2014, i taught 7th grade english language arts at a charter school in new orleans. as an educator, i started to see the reality that climate change actively threatened the success and welfare of my children. it was a startling wake-up call, one that led me to transition out of the classroom to work on this very issue.<\/p>\n

currently, i am an apprentice at the international research institute for climate and society<\/a>, and a graduate student in the climate and society program at columbia university. my driving hope in this work is the promise of bridging climate and educational justice. i recognize that there is no hope in the fight against climate change without an equal fight for educational equity. through both my research in my master\u2019s program and experience in the classroom, i have come to believe that our teachers must prepare students to adapt to inevitable climate changes, and, more importantly, to step forward as leaders in this world if there is any prospect for a better future.<\/p>\n

with this in mind, here are five concrete ways teachers can bring climate activism into their classrooms in order to show students the agency they have in securing their futures and to prepare them to be change makers in our society.<\/p>\n

1. take small steps to create a more sustainable classroom.<\/strong><\/p>\n

there are many low-hanging fruits teachers and students can go after to easily reduce their classrooms\u2019 carbon footprints. here are some examples:<\/p>\n