- Partners in the climate protection movement
- Videos from events co-sponsored by BostonCAN
- Educational materials
- Climate Change News
Partners in the climate protection movement
Massachusetts Climate Action Network: statewide information and links to other municipal-level climate action groups
West Roxbury Saves Energy: this neighborhood organization encourages local residents to save energy
Back Bay Green Initiative: news about climate activism both citywide and in the Back Bay neighborhood
CarbonRally.com BostonCAN team: email challenges for reducing your carbon footprint
City of Boston, Mayor’s Climate Pledge: sign-up to demonstrate popular commitment to climate action and to receive news about the City’s climate initiatives
Youth Climate Action Network: a network of high school and middle school groups working to increase climate change awareness and action among students and educators. For more information check out the Youth CAN network at http://www.youthcannetwork.org.
Green for All: a national organization dedicated to the creation of green “pathways out of poverty”
350.org: an international campaign to make 350 parts per million CO2 the basis for the post-Kyoto treaty to be signed in 2009.
Videos from events co-sponsored by BostonCAN
June 8, 2008: Bill McKibben speaking about 350.org at the “Green Roots Festival” in Jamaica Plain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFm09ieZPoQ
April 14, 2007: “One Earth, One Climate,” the Boston rally for Step It Up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-gvhunF5L0
November 3, 2007: “Voices for a Climate Revolution,” Step It Up 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-DOeINkzKA&feature=user
November 3, 2007: Interviews at Step It Up 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE_xfxBN2ds&feature=user
December 6, 2007: Van Jones on Green Collar Jobs, Dorchester, MA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjOS7QYCMZ8&feature=user
Just published – special issue on climate change from Change Agent, a magazine for Adult Education programs. This is a great new resource for explaining what global warming is, how it affects people, and what individuals and groups can do about it. Written for low-literacy Adult Education readers but applicable in many other contexts as well. Community study group anyone? Copy and art for flyers perhaps? Copies will be available at BostonCAN events or order a copy online: http://www.nelrc.org/changeagent/
Great power-point on how yucky plastic bags are: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/MULTIMEDIA02/80505016
Short accessible videos to spark lively discussion
1) “Why 350?” is a completely nonverbal 90-second introduction to climate change and the campaign to make the 2009 international climate change negotiations reflect the urgency of the problem and the scale of the solution needed.
2) A great video animation from Australia explaining the concept of “tipping points” and urgency of political action on climate change: “Wake Up, Freak Out – then Get a Grip.” It’s scary but if you can stick it out for the full 11 minutes it leaves you with enough inspiration to “get a grip” and get active! (The Australian accent might make it difficult for some American ears but the website also provides the full script as well.
Cool Classroom activity – Catalog Cancelling Challenge
Want to save trees, water, energy and our climate? Your school is invited to take action with the free and easy Catalog Canceling Challenge to cancel as many unwanted sales catalogs as you can in thirty days. Get a grade, class, or club together and start canceling! It’s that simple. And it makes a difference. See www.TedWells.org for instructions, movies, results, and more! Call 617-512-8724 with any questions.
Recycled materials for teachers
ExCL is Extras for Creative Learning, a recycle center in Dorchester where teachers, group leaders, parents, and artists are able to obtain low-cost or no-cost recycled materials that offer unlimited creative opportunities.
Global warming shrinks New Zealand glaciers to record small size http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/231704,global-warming-shrinks-new-zealand-glaciers-to-record-small-size.html New Zealand’s glaciers have lost 2.2 billion tonnes of permanent ice in the last year and shrunk to their smallest volume since record-keeping began 32 years ago, according to a study published Monday. The total remaining ice volume had shrunk by 18 per cent in 20 years and at 44.9 cubic kilometres is now the lowest ever…
Nitrogen emerges as the latest climate-change threat http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/686913.html Scientists are raising alarms about yet another threat to Earth’s climate and human well-being. This time it’s nitrogen, a common element essential to all life. Now, it’s becoming clear that human activities, such as driving cars and raising crops, also are boosting nitrogen to dangerous levels – polluting air and water and damaging human health.
Get regular climate updates from Earth Equity News.
National Wildlife Federation Announces Recipients of Youth Climate Action Grants
Ten eastern Massachusetts schools will receive $1,000 grants each to educate and engage teenagers in “on-the-ground” actions to address global warming during the 08-09 school year.
Projects range from Revere High School’s Green Team that will be running a campaign to rid their school of bottled water and encourage students to use re-usable water bottles, to Codman Academy’s Youth CAN’s program, which will help to educate their community through an energy fair, light bulb campaign and a program to teach younger students about important energy issues.
“It is our hope that these Youth Climate Action grants will help schools and their local communities to take action and serve as models of student involvement in science education as well as common sense actions within their community,” stated Liz Soper, Senior Field Education Manager, NWF. “Whether students are conducting energy audits, identifying opportunities to reduce their carbon footprint, recycling, improving wildlife habitats, learning about global warming issues, or sharing their learning with others –the learning is creative, practical, and hands-on.”
Schools receiving this year’s grants include: The Bromfield School – Harvard, MA, East Boston High School – East Boston, MA, Codman Academy – Dorchester, MA, the King Open School – Cambridge, MA, 3rd Eye Unlimited – New Bedford, MA, Revere High School – Revere, MA, the John D. Runkle School – Brookline, MA, Winthrop High School – Winthrop, MA, Milton Academy – Milton, MA and the Boston Latin Academy – Dorchester, MA. Each grant recipient will also become part of the growing Youth CAN network.
NWF’s Youth Climate Action grants are just part of a new and unique program developed by National Wildlife Federation called Climate Classroom™. Climate Classroom™ offers innovative on-line resources to empower students as leaders on this important environmental issue. Engaging and educational, the curricula provides age and developmentally appropriate ways to address a tough and complex topic in the classroom. NWF offers curricula to encourage students of grade 4 – 12 to learn about the science of global warming, its relevance to current natural events happening around them and how they can be part of the solution.
The Climate Classroom curricula are available free of charge online at www.climateclassroom.org
