Educating Youth About Environment with MLK & Buttons | Custom Buttons Seattle May 17 2019
Climate change is happening and there are constant reminders around us every day, but as a collective human population, we are having trouble changing behaviours and working to fight against the environmental changes we see.
Barak Gale is a Seattle environmentalist who is both looking to the past and to the future - bridging the two - in order to spur conversations about climate change and to inspire change.
Gale visits high schools in the city with his Climate Reality presentation to get students thinking and talking about climate change. It is not an all doom-and-gloom presentation, as he offers humour and personality into the the talks. He also seeks to engage the students and have them contribute to the conversation, which they do.
It is an important task that Gale is taking on as one poll has indicated most teachers in the United States are not teaching their students about climate change, but 4 in 5 parents wish they did.
He has also found the right audience by targeting the voters, consumers and policy makers of the future, as another study indicates the best way to get to adults who don't seem to care about climate change is through educating their children.
It is at the end of Gale's presentation that he looks to the past for wisdom through Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He has this quote printed on custom red buttons:
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter."
He has a challenge for the students in order for them to get a button. Anyone who pledges to talk to their family and friends about climate change gets a button.
The buttons are always scooped up.
It is an inspiring response to Gale's work as he continues to talk to hundreds of Seattle-area students.
Gale is a member of the Thurston Climate Action Team so you can find out more about their activities and resources in the following ways:
YouTube: Thurston Climate Action Team Channel