EARTH WEEK MUSING PART I: OUR CHILDREN'S CRISISDear Usdan community: Within the first days of the quarantine, I found myself with tremendous hesitation and an ache in my stomach, throwing out a plastic bag. I do not remember the specifics now, but my family and I were worried that the bag could be contaminated by the virus, and that it was better to get it right into the garbage than put it in a drawer to be filled later with single use plastic and recycled. Instantly, I started to worry – what if this corona crisis messes up the minimal progress we've already made to address the climate crisis? For a few years, the climate crisis has dominated all of my thinking. At this point, nearly every action in my day, every choice I make, factors in the impact of that choice on the planet. I cannot hold a piece of plastic without picturing it bobbing in the future ocean while my kids and their kids go for a swim. I cannot book a flight, even one for an important purpose like visiting my dad, without cringing that that flight will negate every effort I made to compost and recycle by shooting a stream of jet fuel emissions along my course from NYC to Florida. It’s Earth Day, and for a few years I have been remembering the role of Earth Day in my childhood. Now I think about the planet every day all day, but I certainly did not as a kid. I have very clear memories of Earth Day from back then, feeling it was kind of neat and came with some interesting community events and cool pins. Until a few years ago, those memories were my entire relationship with the climate movement. I share this because I hope it helps people understand that you do not have to have cared about this issue all along to start caring deeply about it now. What changed me were the words and actions of teenagers that I happened upon a few years ago. In 2015, when doing dishes and looking for something to listen to on TED, I saw a talk by teen sisters Melati and Isabel Wijsen. Since I am always drawn to teens, I clicked on that link and learned how they with their friends succeeded in getting plastic bags banned on the island of Bali. Say what? Teens did that? Then one day in 2017, I happened to see Trevor Noah on The Daily Show interview teenager Xiuhtezcatl Martinez who revealed that he had been a climate activist since he was six. At age nine, Xiuhtezcatl testified at a press conference in his hometown of Boulder to ban the use of pesticides and fracking. Then he became one of the twenty-one youth plaintiffs in the Juliana v. United States case suing the federal government for violating their constitutional rights for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness by colluding with the fossil fuel industry and failing to act on climate change. A kid did all that? The Wijsen sisters and Xiuhtezcatl woke me up. I realized: if I care about kids, which I deeply do, if I spend my life investing in children, how can I be blind to the gravest and most unifying issue that this generation is facing? So, what can we do with this reality? What can we do to give our children a planet that can sustain them? I know a lot of people reading do a tremendous amount to address the climate crisis already and that some people are hopefully now thinking they can do more. I am far from a guru - I simply believe each of us should learn as much about the issue as we are willing and make as much change in our lives as we are able. To that end, I will share from whom I learn and what I do in my personal life. My top sources for information on the climate crisis:
When it comes to what I personally do to address the climate crisis: I take many small actions all day to reduce my impact on the planet, I show up at climate strikes, and every Friday I tweet #ClimateStrikeOnline to encourage the youth strikers who now strike only digitally by sending messages like “Hi, I see you from NYC. Please keep striking. We need you.” In the spirit of Earth Day and to support our collective children, please pause and think about what change you can make in your life, starting today. Warm wishes, Lauren Brandt Schloss, Executive Director Looking for ways to celebrate Earth Day with your family at home? For over fifty years, Usdan has brought together world-class teachers and visitings artists to teach and collaborate with campers ages 5 to 18 in nature. If it matters to you that Usdan makes it through this difficult time, please consider making a donation today. Your generosity will help us build creative resources for our community to keep creativity alive when we need it most, and support our mission to instill in young people the desire and drive to creatively contribute to the world now and for the rest of their lives. |