Teach Hope & Take Action to Combat Eco-anxiety & Apathy

A call to action for all teachers this year to teach hope and climate optimism for our future

This year let's challenge ourselves to focus on solutions instead of problems, don't ignore the facts, yes our students still need to know what's going on in the world, but let's spend most of our energy and time learning about all of the amazing innovations that are working towards a clean energy future. Let's learn about the practices of regenerative communities around the world. Let's research organizations embracing circular economy design features to design out waste. Let's learn about the Sustainable Development Goals and all the great progress being made on these goals globally. With our world in the midst of a pandemic, our students do not need more stress in their lives, they do not need more anxiety about the future, and as educators we can change the doom and gloom climate narrative by empowering our students with knowledge about the progress being made globally and by providing them with the opportunities to take action locally.

When we focus on solutions, when we engage students in the practices that build regenerative and resilient communities, we are building hope and helping these children to participate in designing a brighter future for themselves and the world. This year, let’s focus our inquiry learning on taking action, and then inform students why. Let’s plant gardens, learn how to grow food, start composting, ban single use plastics, hold toy and book swaps, build bat houses, go foraging, do a beach clean up, and learn about communities working towards sustainability all over the world.

This year let’s focus on the positive, let’s focus on the solutions, let’s focus on building hope for our future.