Dear Cool the Earth Community,
As we continue to commit ourselves to the mission of educating children and families around the country about climate change, we are informed this month that there is a another well-organized coalition dedicated to muddying the waters and slowing progress.
The New York Times featured a story this month about the political movement in several conservative states in which critics of teaching evolution in the classroom are now linking this criticism to the teaching to climate change. They want teachers to teach “advantages and disadvantages of scientific theories” and to present multiple scenarios as possibilities. To read the article in the NY Times, see: www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/science/earth/04climate.html
While there are so many problems inherent with these arguments and positions, the first that comes to mind is the utter disregard for the scientific process. It is as if to say because theories are not facts, they have little value. That is simply not the way of science and not the way we run our lives, our communities or our country.
I have heard this argument “climate change is just a theory” before. And we could spend considerable effort disputing this position with accurate scientific data.
However, I believe the most powerful argument we can make is to take action in our communities and build this grassroots effort. By doing what we all are doing, we are not allowing fear to seep in. We are not letting those with an agenda throw science—and our kids’ futures—to the wind.
We applaud the efforts of our coordinators, partners and supporters. We have a long way to go, but we will continue to take action and make a difference.
Thanks for being a part of our community by volunteering your time and supporting our grassroots program.
Sincerely,
CARLEEN CULLEN,
Founder and Executive Director
Cool the Earth
FEATURED SCHOOL COORDINATOR
Tanya Burdick, Coleman Elementary School, San Rafael, CA
When Tanya Burdick heard about Cool the Earth from a friend at a nearby school, she immediately felt it was something she could get behind. “I really loved the idea of doing something that kids would get excited about and understand,” says Tanya, a coordinator at Coleman Elementary in San Rafael, CA. It helped that her principal was on board. “Everyone was very supportive,” she says.
Now in its second successful year at Coleman, Tanya remembers feeling apprehensive at first. “I was so nervous about the teachers' casual approach prior to the assembly,” says Tanya, mother to 7-year-old Walker and Cooper, 5. “But when the show started, they totally rocked! I was really impressed at how the teachers really hammed it up.” Tanya’s launch tip: “We had the students get involved by holding up cue cards for them to cheer or boo the various characters.”
A part-time physical therapist, Tanya finds the kids' comments on campus most rewarding. “When kids see me they often tell me something they recently did like changing their lightbulbs.” Recently Tanya got kudos from a little neighbor: “Our neighbor who is in kindergarten told me that she likes to carpool because the music is better,” says Tanya, and adds, “That's good to hear since she is riding in my car!”
 TIP OF THE MONTHEarth Day is coming up in a few weeks, and its many events and festivities will bring people together and inspire them to do good for the planet. Those events are a perfect place to help connect potential Cool the Earth coordinators with the program. If your school or organization is planning on taking part in an Earth Day event, please consider making Cool the Earth brochures available for visitors, and telling them about the Cool the Earth program. At that point we’ll be signing up schools for the Fall. We’ll be happy to mail you some of our tri-fold color brochures. Just send your request with a mailing address to Sarah at sstarbird@cooltheearth.org. Thanks!
We're thankful to our many partners and supporters who have enabled Cool the Earth to grow from just 25 schools to almost 100 currently.
|
