Street Notes 7: Getting Schooled on Urban Greening
by Sonam Velani and Lyn StolerA video street note from Esperanza Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA
Some bad news: 75% of youths feel that the future is frightening due to climate change. And only 38% of Americans feel even somewhat hopeful about climate change.
Some good news: We believe we can bring optimism and agency back to climate! And that comes down to the stories that we tell about climate solutions.
This graph is adapted from the Climate Change in the American Mind April 2022 report from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
We think Parachute does a pretty good job of telling written stories that inspire action and hope. But for some audiences (like kids) or some stories (very visual ones that Lyn can’t draw), we have to get creative about our storytelling process. So today we’re trying something a little different: a video street note.
The Video:
This beautiful video was produced by Aaron Lemle and directed by Christine Zivic. They did an incredible job sharing the story of an urban greening project at Esperanza Elementary School.
What you’ll learn:
How the project has impacted students, as told by the students and their principal, Brad Rumble.
The science behind urban greening and its co-benefits, from our beloved friend Dr. Diane Garcia-Gonzales at the UCLA Center for Healthy Climate Solutions. To read more from us on the benefits of urban greening, check out Street Note 3 from the great city of Minneapolis.
How climate action and tangible solutions like these can inspire a sense of agency, from Kevin J Patel (a youth climate activist, and another dear friend!).
Without further ado, here’s the video:
Backstory + Credit:
As you can see in the credits, Parachute didn’t create this video, but we are so proud to share it! Before starting Parachute, Lyn worked at the UCLA Center for Health Climate Solutions (C-Solutions)(), where this video was one of her favorite (and final) projects.
It was only made possible through the amazing guidance and direction of the C-Solutions team, the UCLA Science Project at Center X, and the UCLA Theater, Film, and Television School. Because of this partnership, this video will be played in K-12 classrooms all over California — and hopefully beyond!
Other resources to start ‘em young:
We still have a lot of work to do to educate young people about the beautiful future that climate solutions can enable for them. Here are some other resources that we think get the job done!
🦸 Planet Protector Academy: Engage kids as real-life planet protectors, complete with pre-planned lessons, worksheets, game shows, and all important missions to change the world!
🌱 Rainforest Alliance: Fun games that transform kids into small carbon atoms as they circulate among air, plants, animals, soil, and minerals by way of the carbon cycle. It’s all around us!
🧒 Crash Course Kids: There’s no shortage of YouTube videos. But next time rather than the cute cat shorts, tune into Crash Course Kids with your little ones to learn about earth science, natural resources, and more!
🔭 Science Explorers: From family science nights to science summer camps, kids across the country are learning about the wonders of the world around them through hands-on STEM education workshops with a side of adventure!
🇮🇳 The Better India: Turn plastic bottles into beautiful urban gardens! Our friends all the way in India are reusing everything from coconut shells to jaggery to plastic bottles to reduce waste and beautify cities while they’re at it!
👣 Clever Carbon: Did you know that the average annual CO2 emissions per person is 17.5 tonnes CO2 in the US and only 2.1 tonnes CO2 in Vietnam? Take this fun two minute quiz to find out YOUR carbon footprint and things you can do in your daily life to save a bit here and save a bit there!
🖼️ Climate Museum: The next time you’re traversing the streets of Soho in New York City, pop into the Climate Museum with your little ones to engage in creative arts and crafts workshops, book talks, and exhibitions on how local communities are taking climate action into their own hands.
And finally, we just had to ask ChatGPT for some favorite ways to teach kids about climate solutions to add to the list!
📍Location Check:
Lyn will be in Washington, D.C. for the next few days! She will also be hosting an intimate, invite-only brunch for climate funders, founders, and storytellers with Fifty Years for SF Climate Week. If you’d like to chat about attending, reach out on Twitter!
Sonam will be kicking off the Founder Fellowship at Newlab, a former shipbuilding factory turned into a spiffy innovation hub at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York – and Parachute x Streetlife’s new office! Come say hi if you’re around!
by Sonam Velani and Lyn Stoler