by: Natalie Ambrosio
They come in all shapes and sizes, but the important thing is that they keep coming in whatever form feasible. Here at the EV we watch what happens when children are inspired to learn, engage and share about the environment and we hope our activities and students’ other interactions with the beautiful natural world instill a lifelong sense of stewardship. Seeing others engaging in environmental actions and being empowered to do so themselves helps fuel this desire and confidence in people of all ages. Creativity, community and curiosity ignite and sustain environmental actions.
For many, the environmental actions may conjure up images of environmentalists at protests or large-scale beach clean ups, which are important ways of catalyzing positive change. Or there are the examples of the EV’s own PL-birders (photo right) who invented a new activity focused on birdwatching while picking up litter or the thirteen year old boy who began the Blue Feet Foundation, which sells bright blue socks to raise money for scientific research on the decline of the Blue-Footed Boobys in the Galapagoes. In fact, youth lead nonprofits are surprisingly abundant and a treasure trove of new perspectives which find success in prompting change. These include the global Fridays for Future school strike movement lead by Greta Thunberg and the less well known, Sink of Swim Project lead by Florida youth activist and author Delaney Reynolds, and many more. These stories show that creativity helps bring diversity and fun to actions to help preserve our natural world.
However, there are also the actions that come when a student shares what she learned about different types of energy with her cousins and friends after school or when another student initiates a composting effort in his home. These actions may seem smaller, but that also means they’re easier to take on and have a better chance of becoming a regular practice. Sharing with others and building community around environmentalism can set off a chain reaction of environmental actions. Regular small actions in collaboration with family and friends lays the groundwork for a life that makes stewardship a habit.
For some, their chosen environmental actions may be participating in the annual Christmas Bird Count, or other citizen science projects where amateur birdwatchers or other hobby naturalists have an opportunity to contribute to large-scale scientific research programs and learn from educated researchers. These actions provide a huge opportunity for learning, perhaps inspiring young ones to ponder the possibility of a career in science. They also offering everyone a chance to nourish their curiosity while giving back to the environment.
Stories of courageous young environmentalists near or far can encourage all of us, young and old alike to harness our own talents and passions to contribute to environmental conservation or climate action. Likewise, seeing a parent, sibling or community member engaging in environmental actions also helps to foster this dual love of nature and stewardship in children and fellow adults alike.
Your environmental action could be volunteering for EV. More information can be found here.