I recently had a conversation with our 3-year-old about biodiversity.
This was after hearing, as we were driving to school, a story about how the United Nations Global Biodiversity Targets set in 2010 had been almost entirely missed by the 2020 summit.
[Me]: We need to save species. Help mother nature so we can save the animals.
[3-year-old]: Is mother nature dying?
Not quite; just changing. But some animals may die if we don’t take care of her.
Are foxes dying?
I don’t think so? At least not the ones around here; maybe some types of foxes.
Does mother nature live in the woods?
Yes. Mother nature lives all around us.
Does she live in the woods here?
Yes, sort of. Where do you think she would live if she lived in the woods?
In a tree. Maybe in a branch.
Are foxes dying? [why do we come back to foxes?]
No. Maybe tonight we can look at a list of endangered species. There may be some types of penguins that are endangered or dying. [he loves penguins]
Noooo. Why?
Because they don’t have the habitat they once did.
But they like the water.
But the water may not be cold enough for them in some places.
But I like the cold.
But the planet is getting warmer.
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When I was asked to do this blog, I was excited, but then got stressed about what to write and how to communicate my passions or inspire others when there is so much circulating in our heads right now.
I kept thinking to myself that I am not an expert in childhood education around climate change and/or an expert in climate change communication.
But perhaps that is the problem; we hear all day long from experts about how we can make a difference, when in fact, each one of us needs to be an expert in our own way to really institute change.
We are members of a community that can think locally and act globally. We may have heard that phrase before, but we can act in a way that preserves the value around us for the next generation.
We live together — despite each having our “1 acre ranch” — in a place that is surrounded by natural beauty and opportunity. But things are changing, even on our scale.
Storrs was once rated one of the safest places to live to avoid a natural disaster, published in Slate Magazine in 2005 in an article ironically entitled “Where to hide from Mother Nature.”
But we cannot hide anymore– changing weather changes habitats, migration patterns, pollination patterns, growing seasons, ice freezing, snow melt. This affects our farms, our food, our water, our recreation.
We can use these changes to set an example for that next generation through even daily actions. Simple choices: what you eat, how you move, how you spend your time.
Are you creating an atmosphere to enjoy the outdoors? Either independently or as a family? And by enjoying it, maybe you will be inspired to save it.
Small things can make a big difference [per the previous blog post about pollinators]. We need to establish a multigenerational approach to resiliency for an ecosystem that is changing rapidly.
These small actions can make an impact – and can resonate with kids of all ages. Compost. Recycle. Upcycle. Reuse. Hand-it-down. Pass-it-on. Watch your water use. Watch your fuel use. Know where your energy comes from. Ask questions. Look up answers to questions. Maybe find those experts when you need them. Find books, stories, videos about climate, animals, ecosystems.
Understand why snow changes to rain. Look at the last time that lake froze. Or how many times you went sledding.
These all establish routines for awareness and can help establish routines for change.
I am not perfect and the pandemic has made things even harder; coffee shops don’t even have the option for bring-your-own-thermos now, and who doesn’t love a coffee out now and then (or a lot).
My goal in sharing this with you is to be practical, not preachy, to perhaps start a conversation.
Set an example, but not judge another.
Change a habit in a land of steady ones.
There is so much climate change information, it’s easy to get overwhelmed in the media coverage or get down in the dumps with blips of reporting that cast only a glimpse of the irreversible things happening to our planet. [think “Humans do bad things->Ice is melting->Oceans rising->Storms getting worse->on to the next story…”] But I believe communication through action can be an effective tool for all generations to move forward in a positive manner. There is not time to sit and think “this will not happen to us” when it is happening in our own backyard. We cannot hide from Mother Nature.
We can look forward to a world– as UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammad said in the recap of the biodiversity summit– that is “people centered and planet sensitive”.
Lastly, I would encourage the Storrs/Mansfield community to join the conversation with UCONN. The university has reinstated their UCONN Reads program, choosing a topic/theme/book to engage in multidisciplinary conversations. The selection for 2020-2021 is Amitav Ghosh’s The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable. The book takes a look at climate change through the lens of its portrayal– or lack thereof–in the framework of literary fiction and contemporary imagination.
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/G/bo22265507.html
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Laurel Manville is a mom, designer, outdoor adventurer, and Joshua’s Trust supporter living in Storrs, CT. She is passionate about saving snow for the next generation.
She recently published a book entitled Snow Starts With Me: small ways for keeping our planet cool(er). contact her at www.rememberwinter.com
for reference:
Slate article:
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2005/09/where-to-hide-from-mother-nature.html
UN Biodiversity Summit Recap:
You could certainly see your skills in the work
you write. The world hopes for even more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to
mention how they believe. At all times go after your heart.