Last week my 11-year old son Tyler came home from school, dropped his backpack and headed straight to the fridge. Stop, rewind! He did not head to the fridge--instead he headed straight for our world map.

“Where are Libya and Japan?” he wanted to know. Now this was a change from “what’s to eat?”

As we began discussing the tragedy in Japan and the complex situation in the Middle East and Northern Africa, it became clear that the common threads are nature and energy. It also became clear that nature and energy are the two common threads of climate change.

When I think about the recent earthquake and devastating tsunami, I am humbled by the power of our natural environment. Of course, witnessing this power amplifies my concerns about the warming of our planet and the risks we are taking in doing so.

But then we must also look at energy and the multi-layered price tag accompanying use of non-renewable, polluting energy: autocratic governments, risky methods of energy creation and extraction, economic risks, environmental disasters, human health challenges.

What’s missing here is the opportunity at hand: clean and renewable energy made in and for the U.S. This is it. Here is our chance to make our position exquisitely clear. And all we need is one child, one family at a time, to redirect our course.

It begins with a family discussion like the one I had with Tyler.

Thanks for your continued support of Cool the Earth.
 

CARLEEN CULLEN,
Founder and Executive Director
Cool the Earth

As the head of the Green Team at Manor Elementary in Fairfax, CA, Laura Honda was drawn to the Cool the Earth program. “Energy education has always been important to me,” say Honda, who teaches 2nd grade. “It’s rewarding to see kids take a leadership role in teaching our school community about being energy efficient.”
With a busy schedule teaching, it was important for Honda to figure out the best way to manage running the program. She wound up getting a lot of help from her students. “The kids really enjoy being leaders," she shares, "making announcements wearing the polar bear costumes, collecting the coupons, and writing for the school paper. I think they feel proud of themselves and believe very deeply in what they're doing for the environment.”
A mother of two grown children, Honda had been teaching environmental education for seventeen years, but running Cool the Earth at her school has helped her involve the kids more in this important issue. “Environmental Education needs to be a bigger priority than it is. I am so happy that for some kids this is now their priority.”
 

TIP OF THE MONTH

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Cool the Earth engages kids and their families in climate change solutions, by increasing awareness about global warming, and inspiring people to take simple actions to reduce their carbon emissions. You can share in our commitment to inspire and empower kids and families to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a one time or reoccurring monthly donation. For more information or to support our programs visit www.cooltheearth.org.