newly ancient

Global warming is not a problem created by higher powers, beyond our control. Rather, it is created by the individual choices we make every day. The choice to drive 2 minutes instead of having a quick walk. The choice to change the world is ours.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.

~Margaret Mead

On a personal basis, having been raised in an environmentally conscious family I do as much as possible to lessen my impact upon our planet. I bike to school every day and carry a lap top with me everywhere. This allows me to minimize my use of paper and conserve resources. When I do have to print something, I do so on 100% recycled paper. In addition, I print on both sides of paper. I encourage you to join me in saving out planet and combating the wastes of humanity. Specifically for teachers, here are a few ideas:

1. Try to bike or walk to work if you can at least once a week. It will make you feel far more refreshed and prepared for the day ahead. If this is not viable, try taking public transportation or car pooling.
2. Ensure there is a recycling bin in your room. Encourage students to use it.
3. Give students the option of submitting work electronically. This will save paper and increase the number of assignments turned in on time.
4. Publish publications (newsletters, announcements, grades) on a blog instead of printing them out for every student. Only make hard copies for families that specifically request them. (My school does this very well - daily announcements are published on the website, as well as quarterly grades behind a password system)
5. Think outside of the box (and in the cloud)! Instead of having every student make a large poster board for a project, have students build a class wiki or web page to demonstrate their learning.
6. Talk about the environment in class. Ask what students due to cut down their economic footprint. Tailor the discussion to the subject and age level you teach.

I urge you to consider the solutions above if you are an educator. I also recommend everyone calculates their carbon footprint and looks for ways to reduce it. Every single one of us is responsible for global warming and is responsible for finding a solution. We owe it to the planet, ourselves, and each other.

I wrote this post as part of Blog Action Day - a great method of leveraging the blogesphere for a worthy cause. While I hope you can take personal steps, a contribution to an enviromental organization is always welcome.