by News Decoder | 22 Apr 2023 | Contests, Environment, Journalism
News Decoder and Global Youth & News Media challenged teens to find and profile people working on systems-level solutions to climate change. They stepped up. Photo illustration by News Decoder. A profile of geologist Florin Stoican — who established the Romania’s...
by Karolina Krakowiak | 21 Apr 2023 | Climate decoders, Educators' Catalog, Environment, Writing's on the Wall
More than half a century ago, the world began devoting one day a year to celebrate the earth. For Kathleen Rogers, that turned into a decades-long mission. Earth Day Network President Kathleen Rogers, right, looks on as actress Gabrielle Union, left, signs her name on...
In celebration of Earth Day (April 2023), we published an interview with Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. Rogers emphasizes the importance of climate education and youth participation in ameliorating the climate crisis. Get your students involved in solutions-based actions in service of our planet.
Exercise: After reading the article, assign a climate profile task to students. Their goal: interview someone in their local community who has contributed to fighting climate change. What has this person done to promote sustainable actions? Students will then transcribe the interview and write a brief summary in a written assignment, using the News Decoder article as a model.
by Karolina Krakowiak | 6 Apr 2023 | Ecologues, Environment, News Decoder Updates, Writing's on the Wall
Four experts exchanged perspectives on how to tackle the energy sector and its 40 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions per year. Emi Bartoli, Golnoosh Mir Moghtadaei and Maria Krasinski at the third meeting of Ecologues, 30 March 2023 (Photo: Emilie Biggs, American Library in...
by Enrique Shore and Marcy Burstiner | 27 Mar 2023 | Climate decoders, Decoders, Environment, World, Writing's on the Wall
Some 785 million people worldwide lack a basic drinking water supply. Experts came together at the UN to find solutions to our planet’s worsening water crisis. Delegates pose next to a sign set up outside the United Nations headquarters during the UN 2023 Water...
by Maria Krasinski | 23 Mar 2023 | Ecologues, Environment, News Decoder Updates, Writing's on the Wall
With an emphasis on solutions to the environmental crisis, Ecologues creates a much-needed space to debate and educate. Speakers from the first Ecologues meeting with staff members from The American Library in Paris and News Decoder. If you follow the headlines, the...
by Susanne Courtney | 22 Mar 2023 | Climate decoders, Decoders, Environment
We need to mitigate climate change for developing countries who have done comparatively little to harm the planet. Is there cash in the bank for that? This article is the ninth in a series of decoders examining critical aspects of climate change. They are part of a...
by Maria Krasinski | 2 Mar 2023 | Ecologues, Environment, News Decoder Updates, Writing's on the Wall
The second of six monthly climate conversations, the event brought together three voices from education, activism and storytelling. Floriane Marié, Marie Cohuet and Maria Krasinski during Ecologues at the American Library in Paris, 23 February 2023. (Credit: American...
by Tira Shubart | 21 Feb 2023 | Educators' Catalog, Environment, Science, Space
Light pollution interferes with the breeding patterns of animals and insects. How can we look to the stars if we can’t even see them? Two night scenes. On the left, stars fill the sky over the Coconino National Forest. (Credit: Coconino National Forest, U.S....
Light pollution affects more than just our ability to see the Big Dipper at night. Dive into the environmental and human consequences of too much light and discover how we might turn the night sky on again.
Exercise: After reading the article, divide students into groups of 3-4 to discuss main takeaways from the text. Then, instruct each group to come up with a one-sentence public service announcement to get people to turn off unnecessary lights in their local community. The class can then vote for their favorite PSA.
by Richard Hubbard | 13 Feb 2023 | Climate decoders, Decoders, Economy, Educators' Catalog, Environment, Writing's on the Wall
The Great Barrier Reef isn’t just an endangered world wonder. Protecting the world’s largest coral reef system is also key to Australia’s economic growth. A diver swims past coral on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, 18 October 2016. More than 90%...
Protecting the environment isn’t just the right thing to do, it can also be the profitable thing to do. Take the Great Barrier Reef, for example, which has an estimated value of $56 billion Australian dollars. Help your students disentangle the complicated world of environmental economics with this article.
Exercise: After reading the article, have students take the WWF Carbon Footprint questionnaire at https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/#/. The questionnaire estimates individuals’ carbon footprint, looking at food, travel, home and consumption habits. After the questionnaire, launch a class discussion on how changes in individual habits may contribute to fighting climate change — and might even be a profitable choice.
by Maria Krasinski | 2 Feb 2023 | Ecologues, Environment, News Decoder Updates, Writing's on the Wall
Three experts discuss solutions to climate issues from the perspective of education, activism and journalism. Ecologues with Matthew Pye, Rahmina Paullete and Alice McCrum at the American Library in Paris in Paris, France, 26 January 2023. What are schools missing in...