calling all UN Climate trackers

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Permalink Reply by Christine on September 10, 2009 at 5:05pm

I'm all for spreading the word, but I don't understand how discussions on a website can do so. The people who look at the website know about it already. Writing to MPs I think is a different matter: it's obvious how that should work.

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Permalink Reply by Caroline Nute on September 10, 2009 at 5:18pm

I do not assume that everybody who is a reader/contributor/member of one group on acfc is active in all the groups that can be viewed on here. I only hope to draw attention to the aims of 350.org, specifically now for the climate action day on 24th October, so that people can be actively invloved in actual events in their neighbourhood on that day. These events are highly visible, direct forms of action.and much more likely to be effective than forums and discussion on the internet. On the matter of writing to your MP, the "Who on earth cares" (internet) group facilitates writing of lettersto MP's and actively encourages this to happen.
Thanks for your input.

Christine said:

I'm all for spreading the word, but I don't understand how discussions on a website can do so. The people who look at the website know about it already. Writing to MPs I think is a different matter: it's obvious how that should work.

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Permalink Reply by Alison Leitch on September 10, 2009 at 5:26pm

Hi Caroline

Maybe you can tell us a little bit more about 350.org and about what is being planned for Oct 24th with some suggestions of what we can also do locally. I run an environment group called HOPE at my kids primary school and would love to do something with that. We do after school activites for the kids as well as taking part in initiatives like Waste Wise Schools. Yesterday for e.g. we did some native planting and talked to the kids about native gardening. We have done birdwatching, recycling, bushland cleanups and so on, but I find it hard to work out what I could do that would be really interactive with them on climate change - without also scaring the hell out of them, cos it is scary stuff! Any suggestions from anyone would be welcome, or even if anyone knows where to find good ideas for working with kids on this stuff. A lot of the parents hang around too, so it is a great way for the community in our suburb to become more informed. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Caroline Nute on September 10, 2009 at 7:58pm

Alison,
I take your point about it being scary stuff for pre-schoolers and primary school children, it is scary stuff for all of us. I remember talking about the greenhouse effect with my eldest daughter when she was only about 3 years old, that was in 1986 and I was pregnant with my 2nd child (and wondering weather I should even be bringing children into the world!). That same child is now approaching 26 and is supporting me in my current quest, so the fear of overly freaking her out seems to have been somewhat unfounded. It freaks us all out, adults and children alike. But so long as the solutions are talked about as well as the problem, it is my belief the child will tend to look for the happy ending! (Remember red riding hood?)

I will think about what might be a good event for primary age kids further - off the top of my head I would say anyhting that involves art work if usually fun (lots of colour and paint to get messy with) so maybe get them making up some really big banners or posters with the number 350 prominant, (hand pints, footprints of littlies are great pattern makers and can cover a lot of white area quickly , these can then be either prominantly displayed somewhere of used as banners in a gathering of protesters - like the one that is taking place on the Sydney Opera House steps on 24th October (refer to my Blog postings on the 350.org group for more details)
Whilst I am thinking about it, you can also check out the global website at www.350.org to look at what people all over the world have planned and find out more about the science of 350.
Thanks so much for taking an interest!

Alison Leitch said:

Hi Caroline

Maybe you can tell us a little bit more about 350.org and about what is being planned for Oct 24th with some suggestions of what we can also do locally. I run an environment group called HOPE at my kids primary school and would love to do something with that. We do after school activites for the kids as well as taking part in initiatives like Waste Wise Schools. Yesterday for e.g. we did some native planting and talked to the kids about native gardening. We have done birdwatching, recycling, bushland cleanups and so on, but I find it hard to work out what I could do that would be really interactive with them on climate change - without also scaring the hell out of them, cos it is scary stuff! Any suggestions from anyone would be welcome, or even if anyone knows where to find good ideas for working with kids on this stuff. A lot of the parents hang around too, so it is a great way for the community in our suburb to become more informed. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Caroline Nute on September 10, 2009 at 9:07pm

There is a specific site for schools in Australia which goes some way to answering your question of how to go about starting an event locally, visit http://www.350schools.com

Alison Leitch said:

Hi Caroline

Maybe you can tell us a little bit more about 350.org and about what is being planned for Oct 24th with some suggestions of what we can also do locally. I run an environment group called HOPE at my kids primary school and would love to do something with that. We do after school activites for the kids as well as taking part in initiatives like Waste Wise Schools. Yesterday for e.g. we did some native planting and talked to the kids about native gardening. We have done birdwatching, recycling, bushland cleanups and so on, but I find it hard to work out what I could do that would be really interactive with them on climate change - without also scaring the hell out of them, cos it is scary stuff! Any suggestions from anyone would be welcome, or even if anyone knows where to find good ideas for working with kids on this stuff. A lot of the parents hang around too, so it is a great way for the community in our suburb to become more informed. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Christine on September 18, 2009 at 9:01pm

Hi Alison,
re ideas with kinder and primary kids, I agree with Caroline that any arty crafty stuff is good, but I think it's best if you use sustainable stuff: use household 'rubbish' to get the kids to make artwork about carbon footprints, or at least use 100% recycled products and talk about how using that can help reduce waste, and therefore help look after our neighbourhood and our world. Or you could use all natural stuff that is biodegradeable: dried beans, peas, rice, bark etc. Our local council ran a competition in which kids from the schools used junk to make artworks with a sustainability message. There were some really amazing fish etc made.
Sometimes local papers have stories about environmental stuff: these are usually written in simple English and have an accompanying photo. At Wyndham, we've had several pictures of dead platypuses (morbid, but kids need to know what rubbish does), but the other good news stories about environmental successes, and stories about what local schoolkids are doing to help the environment.

Also, you could have a 'walk to school' day, and encourage the parents who can to walk their own, and maybe several other children's kids to school/kinder. Another idea is 'naked food', where parents are encouraged to provide lunches of fresh food, e.g. fruit, celery sticks, etc, nothing too processed or over packaged...

Good Luck

Good luck


Alison Leitch said:

Hi Caroline

Maybe you can tell us a little bit more about 350.org and about what is being planned for Oct 24th with some suggestions of what we can also do locally. I run an environment group called HOPE at my kids primary school and would love to do something with that. We do after school activites for the kids as well as taking part in initiatives like Waste Wise Schools. Yesterday for e.g. we did some native planting and talked to the kids about native gardening. We have done birdwatching, recycling, bushland cleanups and so on, but I find it hard to work out what I could do that would be really interactive with them on climate change - without also scaring the hell out of them, cos it is scary stuff! Any suggestions from anyone would be welcome, or even if anyone knows where to find good ideas for working with kids on this stuff. A lot of the parents hang around too, so it is a great way for the community in our suburb to become more informed. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Christine on September 18, 2009 at 9:06pm

Hi Alison,

I forgot. Often our own lifestyle is more important than what we teach the kids. They notice. I don't know what you're doing already, but incidental teaching, possibly about why you ride a bike to school (if you do), your own healthy, low CO2 lunch, only drinking tap water (rather than bottled drinks), wearing suitable clothing for the weather and encouraging use of neither heating nor cooling in the classroom except for extreme conditions.... could all be powerful incidental teaching points.

Alison Leitch said:

Hi Caroline

Maybe you can tell us a little bit more about 350.org and about what is being planned for Oct 24th with some suggestions of what we can also do locally. I run an environment group called HOPE at my kids primary school and would love to do something with that. We do after school activites for the kids as well as taking part in initiatives like Waste Wise Schools. Yesterday for e.g. we did some native planting and talked to the kids about native gardening. We have done birdwatching, recycling, bushland cleanups and so on, but I find it hard to work out what I could do that would be really interactive with them on climate change - without also scaring the hell out of them, cos it is scary stuff! Any suggestions from anyone would be welcome, or even if anyone knows where to find good ideas for working with kids on this stuff. A lot of the parents hang around too, so it is a great way for the community in our suburb to become more informed. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by UN Climate Trackers on September 25, 2009 at 9:46am

Hey Christine,

Did you know that we have embedded into this site a 'take action' functionality where you send a letter to Ministers calling on stronger climate action? Check out the 'take action' button on the right side of each page.
Next time you send off a letter to your MP or your local paper, I'd really suggest you post it as a blog on here, that way people who may be new to letter writing can get an idea of how to approach it. Also, if we see the diverse range of people writing to MPs on climate change, we'll know that our letters aren't sitting lonely in a post box, but that they are part of a loud and gorwing voice of concerned citizens!!
Keep up your great work :)

Christine said:

I'm all for spreading the word, but I don't understand how discussions on a website can do so. The people who look at the website know about it already. Writing to MPs I think is a different matter: it's obvious how that should work.

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Permalink Reply by blanche on December 14, 2009 at 11:58am

I have sent my 350 photos to various MPs and also to the local paper which is read by a vast number of people. However, I have yet to get a response from the local paper. I understand Christine's concern about discussions on a website - it's like preaching to the converted isn't it? And it is extremely time consuming. However, I find that reading the discussions can often provide material for my preaching to the unconverted - family, friends, those who couldn't be bothered etc.

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Permalink Reply by Caroline Nute on December 14, 2009 at 4:07pm

Yes Blanche it does sometimes feel like preacing to the converted, but one only has to look at how succesful this years 'walk against warming' was to realise that the climate action movement is growing all the time, I have watched the numbers on this site grow and I believe that it is becoming increasing useful as a tool for dissemination of information and giving people opportunities to help the cause,with their discussions, online writing to MP's and by participation in actions. Getting messages to the Newspapers is harder, but their are publication specialists within the movements who do that quite well at times!

Thanks for your input, great work!

blanche said:

I have sent my 350 photos to various MPs and also to the local paper which is read by a vast number of people. However, I have yet to get a response from the local paper. I understand Christine's concern about discussions on a website - it's like preaching to the converted isn't it? And it is extremely time consuming. However, I find that reading the discussions can often provide material for my preaching to the unconverted - family, friends, those who couldn't be bothered etc.

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