Beth Mouser

Once again, my almost 11 YO ds has told me how much global warming
bothers him. He saw a segment, quite a while back I believe, on
20/20, about "An Inconvenient Truth". He and my 13-YO ds have both
asked what they can do about global warming and seem very motivated
to want to do something. Not only that, but they want to know what
people in power are doing about it!

I was thinking and I wonder just how much the schools discuss it and
educate students about energy use, etc., and how involved the
students get. It seems they could stay fairly busy studying for
tests, looking at college, etc., to try to save the planet. As
unschoolers, our kids may have more time to devote to this if they
were so inclined.

It seems to me that many adults don't really want to make sacrifices
or change their way of living to address what may be on the horizon
(hey, I'm guilty too!). I wonder if youth really understood what may
be at stake, and if so, if they would be more angry about how much
pollution, carbon, and waste is being generated. I know when my boys
get to thinking about it, they get angry. They keep asking
me "what's being done about global warming?". I honestly really
don't know what steps are being taken. Does anybody have info on
what new laws have been passed recently that will really make a
change? Specifically, is there anything new out there to help save
our rain forests? I understand that there are many more coal-burning
factories slated to be built within the next few years.

What if the kids and teens formed some sort of "Youth Movement" that
makes it clear they want to see some significant changes taking
place. Are there environmental youth clubs in existence now? I know
we have a Sierra Club in our area, but don't know if they have a
youth group associated with them. If there are already environmental
youth clubs out there that are striving for changes, I think it would
be more productive to look into joining them rather than reinventing
the wheel. I know little on this subject, but my kids are so upset
about future predictions, I am trying to learn more about not only
what we can do as a family, but what steps government and countries
are taking as well.

I apologize if this thread has already been discussed repeatedly.
I try not to go overboard on this topic with my boys and actually
rarely bring up the subject. But they hear things and they are the
ones bringing it up and wanting to hear some good news about what is
being done.

Thanks,
Beth

chandelle'

this group might help: john robbins' son ocean began this group called youth
for environmental sanity (YES):

www.yesworld.com

also, i know this isn't very unschool-y, but i heard somewhere that there
are teaching materials for schools to use to go along with "an inconvenient
truth," to encourage kids to participate in creating social change. i think
they are even free. it might just be a good resource for other
organizations to contact and ideas of things to do.

here are lots of books for kids or about kids helping and/or honoring the
environment. "celebrating the great mother" is a great one. "earth book
for kids," "save our planet," "low-carbon diet," "1001 little ways to save
our planet" ...those are the ones that come to mind immediately, if you like
books. :)

and almost every environmental organization has a youth sub-group. check
out the websites.

as for changing laws, uh, yeah, it's happening, but not like your sons are
probably hoping. as the bumper sticker says, "to plant a tree, remove a
bush." :(

chandelle'

On 4/3/07, Beth Mouser <mouser4@...> wrote:
>
> Once again, my almost 11 YO ds has told me how much global warming
> bothers him. He saw a segment, quite a while back I believe, on
> 20/20, about "An Inconvenient Truth". He and my 13-YO ds have both
> asked what they can do about global warming and seem very motivated
> to want to do something. Not only that, but they want to know what
> people in power are doing about it!
>
> I was thinking and I wonder just how much the schools discuss it and
> educate students about energy use, etc., and how involved the
> students get. It seems they could stay fairly busy studying for
> tests, looking at college, etc., to try to save the planet. As
> unschoolers, our kids may have more time to devote to this if they
> were so inclined.
>
> It seems to me that many adults don't really want to make sacrifices
> or change their way of living to address what may be on the horizon
> (hey, I'm guilty too!). I wonder if youth really understood what may
> be at stake, and if so, if they would be more angry about how much
> pollution, carbon, and waste is being generated. I know when my boys
> get to thinking about it, they get angry. They keep asking
> me "what's being done about global warming?". I honestly really
> don't know what steps are being taken. Does anybody have info on
> what new laws have been passed recently that will really make a
> change? Specifically, is there anything new out there to help save
> our rain forests? I understand that there are many more coal-burning
> factories slated to be built within the next few years.
>
> What if the kids and teens formed some sort of "Youth Movement" that
> makes it clear they want to see some significant changes taking
> place. Are there environmental youth clubs in existence now? I know
> we have a Sierra Club in our area, but don't know if they have a
> youth group associated with them. If there are already environmental
> youth clubs out there that are striving for changes, I think it would
> be more productive to look into joining them rather than reinventing
> the wheel. I know little on this subject, but my kids are so upset
> about future predictions, I am trying to learn more about not only
> what we can do as a family, but what steps government and countries
> are taking as well.
>
> I apologize if this thread has already been discussed repeatedly.
> I try not to go overboard on this topic with my boys and actually
> rarely bring up the subject. But they hear things and they are the
> ones bringing it up and wanting to hear some good news about what is
> being done.
>
> Thanks,
> Beth
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

karbo1

To truely understand global warming takes studying the earth and how the climate waxes and wanes. Temps have been heating up and cooling off as long as the earth is old. As far back the 1500s man has documented periods of increased heat and increased cooling. Back in the 1970's when we began being able to monitor the earth by satellite, they called for another ice age. It wasn't the first 20th century predicted ice age either. The vast majority of CO2 that's in the atmosphere comes from water vapor. Some of it comes from our exhaling. Manmade CO2 - even with all the SUVs, even with all the smoke stacks -- accounts for 4% of the CO2 in the atmosphere. Food for thought at the very least.

Maybe your sons could study the climate patterns. They could go back as far as the 1500s and watch the patterns / cycles of temperatures. They could also study the cycles of the sun, which plays a part in how hot a summer can be. Sunspots are very interesting.

There is so much information available to us regarding our climate, the earths cycles, solar cycles, (surprisingly) what goes in the atmosphere and much much more. To take a global warming warning without truely taking advantage of the information out there, would be cheating yourself of wonderful knowledge. Your sons would feel better knowing just how the climate works, history's recorded data and that there is so much more invovled with the climate than a movie tells you. Of course being green is a wonderful way to be. Sadly so many people don't put forth the effort. What is even more sad is too many of those that preach do not live the green way. There are so many things that your kids could learn about and do to set an example for others. As an astrophysics major I can tell you the information out there is beyond the quantity that you'd need to put together a great lesson plan for discovery. I wish them luck on their path.
An interesting read http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast20oct_1.htm

K. Arbo
Lafayette

----- Original Message -----
From: Beth Mouser
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2007 10:23 PM
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Global Warming is depressing my boys


Once again, my almost 11 YO ds has told me how much global warming
bothers him. He saw a segment, quite a while back I believe, on
20/20, about "An Inconvenient Truth". He and my 13-YO ds have both
asked what they can do about global warming and seem very motivated
to want to do something. Not only that, but they want to know what
people in power are doing about it!

I was thinking and I wonder just how much the schools discuss it and
educate students about energy use, etc., and how involved the
students get. It seems they could stay fairly busy studying for
tests, looking at college, etc., to try to save the planet. As
unschoolers, our kids may have more time to devote to this if they
were so inclined.

It seems to me that many adults don't really want to make sacrifices
or change their way of living to address what may be on the horizon
(hey, I'm guilty too!). I wonder if youth really understood what may
be at stake, and if so, if they would be more angry about how much
pollution, carbon, and waste is being generated. I know when my boys
get to thinking about it, they get angry. They keep asking
me "what's being done about global warming?". I honestly really
don't know what steps are being taken. Does anybody have info on
what new laws have been passed recently that will really make a
change? Specifically, is there anything new out there to help save
our rain forests? I understand that there are many more coal-burning
factories slated to be built within the next few years.

What if the kids and teens formed some sort of "Youth Movement" that
makes it clear they want to see some significant changes taking
place. Are there environmental youth clubs in existence now? I know
we have a Sierra Club in our area, but don't know if they have a
youth group associated with them. If there are already environmental
youth clubs out there that are striving for changes, I think it would
be more productive to look into joining them rather than reinventing
the wheel. I know little on this subject, but my kids are so upset
about future predictions, I am trying to learn more about not only
what we can do as a family, but what steps government and countries
are taking as well.

I apologize if this thread has already been discussed repeatedly.
I try not to go overboard on this topic with my boys and actually
rarely bring up the subject. But they hear things and they are the
ones bringing it up and wanting to hear some good news about what is
being done.

Thanks,
Beth





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

tootskds

I have a very paranoid 10 year old. He gets so concerned about the
world coming to an end sometimes he doesnt sleep at night. To solve
this I just DO NOT let him watch shows that even imply the world
ending, or the discovery of some killer exotic animals...or that sort
of thing. He will learn more about whats going on in the world later
in life. I just dont think he needs the stress at 10. I want him to
be a happy kid.

Karen
South Carolina
mother of John(19), Daniel(15) and Matthew(10)

--- In [email protected], "Beth Mouser" <mouser4@...>
wrote:
>
> Once again, my almost 11 YO ds has told me how much global warming
> bothers him. He saw a segment, quite a while back I believe, on
> 20/20, about "An Inconvenient Truth". He and my 13-YO ds have both
> asked what they can do about global warming and seem very motivated
> to want to do something. Not only that, but they want to know what
> people in power are doing about it!
>
> I was thinking and I wonder just how much the schools discuss it and
> educate students about energy use, etc., and how involved the
> students get. It seems they could stay fairly busy studying for
> tests, looking at college, etc., to try to save the planet. As
> unschoolers, our kids may have more time to devote to this if they
> were so inclined.
>
> It seems to me that many adults don't really want to make sacrifices
> or change their way of living to address what may be on the horizon
> (hey, I'm guilty too!). I wonder if youth really understood what may
> be at stake, and if so, if they would be more angry about how much
> pollution, carbon, and waste is being generated. I know when my boys
> get to thinking about it, they get angry. They keep asking
> me "what's being done about global warming?". I honestly really
> don't know what steps are being taken. Does anybody have info on
> what new laws have been passed recently that will really make a
> change? Specifically, is there anything new out there to help save
> our rain forests? I understand that there are many more coal-burning
> factories slated to be built within the next few years.
>
> What if the kids and teens formed some sort of "Youth Movement" that
> makes it clear they want to see some significant changes taking
> place. Are there environmental youth clubs in existence now? I know
> we have a Sierra Club in our area, but don't know if they have a
> youth group associated with them. If there are already environmental
> youth clubs out there that are striving for changes, I think it would
> be more productive to look into joining them rather than reinventing
> the wheel. I know little on this subject, but my kids are so upset
> about future predictions, I am trying to learn more about not only
> what we can do as a family, but what steps government and countries
> are taking as well.
>
> I apologize if this thread has already been discussed repeatedly.
> I try not to go overboard on this topic with my boys and actually
> rarely bring up the subject. But they hear things and they are the
> ones bringing it up and wanting to hear some good news about what is
> being done.
>
> Thanks,
> Beth
>

Joyce Fetteroll

On Apr 3, 2007, at 11:23 PM, Beth Mouser wrote:

> He and my 13-YO ds have both
> asked what they can do about global warming and seem very motivated
> to want to do something. Not only that, but they want to know what
> people in power are doing about it!

Al Gore has a website: AlGore.com. I signed an online petition and
have been getting periodic emails but I haven't checked out what kind
of information or what is there. The most recent email talks about a
rally:

> Since March 16, AlGore.com has grown by more than 250,000, to an
> amazing 555,392 members. However to ultimately succeed and convince
> our elected leaders to do what needs to be done, we have to grow
> much bigger still.
>
> In addition to increasing the size of our movement, we want to be
> constantly alert to any opportunities where AlGore.com members can
> help build momentum to solve the climate crisis. Sometimes these
> actions will take place on AlGore.com - but there are dozens of
> other groups doing great work. One of those organizations is Step
> It Up 2007.
>
> Step It Up 2007 has organized a National Day of Climate Action on
> April 14. They've already scheduled more than 1,100 rallies in all
> fifty states - locations vary from the melting glacier on top of
> Mt. Rainier, to the levees in New Orleans, to underwater in an
> endangered coral reef off the coast of Florida, to your
> neighborhood park.
>
> You can find the rally closest to your home, or if there isn't one
> nearby, host one yourself by visiting:
>
> http://stepitup2007.org/
>
> One simple message will unite these rallies - "Step it up,
> Congress! Enact immediate cuts in carbon emissions, and pledge an
> 80% reduction by 2050. No half measures, no easy compromises - the
> time has come to take the real actions that can stabilize our
> climate."
>
> This reduction in CO2 may seem far-fetched, but it is within our
> grasp. Now we need our elected leaders to take the bold steps
> necessary to make it happen. Rallies in all 50 states are sure to
> further that goal.
>
> Participating in, or even hosting an event is easy. Take the first
> step and sign up by visiting:
>
> http://stepitup2007.org/
>
> Thank you,
>
> Al Gore
Joyce

Debra Rossing

Maybe check out the current Time magazine issue
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/environment/ - 51 Things We Can
Do...it's all stuff for individuals/families/households to do that CAN
have an impact. All sorts of stuff is listed and it has a rating of how
high an impact it will have, how soon it can happen (there are some
things being worked on as far as biofuels that aren't ready for mass
production yet while you can readily get compact fluorescent lightbulbs
right now, for example - though I also have qualms about the CFLs and
their mercury content). There's also a related article on reducing your
carbon footprint. The issue also contains a section on people who ARE
working on doing things, right now, to make the situation better.

Deb


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Katharine Wise

Jane Goodall (is to chimpanzees as Dian Fossey is to gorillas) has started an organization for kids along these lines called Roots & Shoots. We don't have one in our area, and I haven't been up to trying to organize one, but it has looked interesting to me.

www.janegoodall.org
www.rootsandshoots.org

Katharine

----- Original Messa

What if the kids and teens formed some sort of "Youth Movement" that

makes it clear they want to see some significant changes taking

place. Are there environmental youth clubs in existence now?










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caradove

For younger children Eekoworld on PBSKids is great and very positive
for learning about the environment.No reading required, my five and
three yo daughters love it and the info seems to stay with them. K
wants to know why hubby has a gas mower! Also Eeko Creature is fun!
Cara

Ren Allen

I'm pretty sure I got this link from someone right here on the list,
but I thought it was worth mentioning again anyway:
http://www.stepitup2007.org/

There's a focus on Global Warming on April 14th for anyone interested.
Rallies and other activities are planned for many communities, check
to see what's up in your area (or plan something!).

I think if kids have information from a lot of sources and feel
empowered to make changes, it really helps them not feel as anxious
about issues that might scare them.

I have a close friend whose husband is a geologist that studies
permafrost. His work is closely related to global warming issues, as
the permafrost layer up North is considered a barometer of what is
happening globally: http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/essay_romanovsky.html

I wouldn't read that to a child that already has fears, but it's
really interesting for those that are passionate about the topic.

Ren
learninginfreedom.com

plaidpanties666

--- In [email protected], "tootskds" <kdself@...>
wrote:
>To solve
> this I just DO NOT let him watch shows that even imply the world
> ending, or the discovery of some killer exotic animals...or that sort
> of thing.

How do you manage that, especially with two other kids? I don't let or
not-let either of my kids watch tv or movies, but I do talk with them
both about content if I think there's something the younger will find
disturbing.

---Meredith (Mo 5, Ray 13)

Beth Mouser

Karen, my 10 year-old is in the same boat. He is very stressed about
what he heard on that program. Then my husband is an avid newspaper
reader and left the paper lying on the table with the headline about
European Team of Scientists predicting major consequences from Global
Warming. I have mentioned to him before that he might want to think
about what's visible because he leaves the paper scattered all over
the table or the living room furniture. It is pretty hard though to
protect kids from hearing doomsday predictions in regards to this.
Although we certainly can reduce it. I wish he never would have seen
that show to be honest. I remember when I was a bit older than he
was, I was certain the world was going to be blown up from a nuclear
bomb and I would never actually "grow up". It stressed me out and I
remember worrying about that alot.

Thanks,
Beth-

-- In [email protected], "tootskds" <kdself@...>
wrote:
>
> I have a very paranoid 10 year old. He gets so concerned about the
> world coming to an end sometimes he doesnt sleep at night. To solve
> this I just DO NOT let him watch shows that even imply the world
> ending, or the discovery of some killer exotic animals...or that
sort
> of thing. He will learn more about whats going on in the world
later
> in life. I just dont think he needs the stress at 10. I want him to
> be a happy kid.
>
> Karen
> South Carolina
> mother of John(19), Daniel(15) and Matthew(10)
>
> --- In [email protected], "Beth Mouser" <mouser4@>
> wrote:
> >
> > Once again, my almost 11 YO ds has told me how much global
warming
> > bothers him. He saw a segment, quite a while back I believe, on
> > 20/20, about "An Inconvenient Truth". He and my 13-YO ds have
both
> > asked what they can do about global warming and seem very
motivated
> > to want to do something. Not only that, but they want to know
what
> > people in power are doing about it!
> >
> > I was thinking and I wonder just how much the schools discuss it
and
> > educate students about energy use, etc., and how involved the
> > students get. It seems they could stay fairly busy studying for
> > tests, looking at college, etc., to try to save the planet. As
> > unschoolers, our kids may have more time to devote to this if
they
> > were so inclined.
> >
> > It seems to me that many adults don't really want to make
sacrifices
> > or change their way of living to address what may be on the
horizon
> > (hey, I'm guilty too!). I wonder if youth really understood what
may
> > be at stake, and if so, if they would be more angry about how
much
> > pollution, carbon, and waste is being generated. I know when my
boys
> > get to thinking about it, they get angry. They keep asking
> > me "what's being done about global warming?". I honestly really
> > don't know what steps are being taken. Does anybody have info on
> > what new laws have been passed recently that will really make a
> > change? Specifically, is there anything new out there to help
save
> > our rain forests? I understand that there are many more coal-
burning
> > factories slated to be built within the next few years.
> >
> > What if the kids and teens formed some sort of "Youth Movement"
that
> > makes it clear they want to see some significant changes taking
> > place. Are there environmental youth clubs in existence now? I
know
> > we have a Sierra Club in our area, but don't know if they have a
> > youth group associated with them. If there are already
environmental
> > youth clubs out there that are striving for changes, I think it
would
> > be more productive to look into joining them rather than
reinventing
> > the wheel. I know little on this subject, but my kids are so
upset
> > about future predictions, I am trying to learn more about not
only
> > what we can do as a family, but what steps government and
countries
> > are taking as well.
> >
> > I apologize if this thread has already been discussed
repeatedly.
> > I try not to go overboard on this topic with my boys and actually
> > rarely bring up the subject. But they hear things and they are
the
> > ones bringing it up and wanting to hear some good news about what
is
> > being done.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Beth
> >
>