Because we're all in this together..
Ok so not quite high school musical, but I did have the opportunity to speak to a few classes at a local high school yesterday about climate change. The students recently have been considering what careers interest them, and it was great to be able to come in person and tell them more about what I do and how I find it so fulfilling. It also gave me an opportunity to gauge the level of importance and interest this next-generation has towards the climate crisis, and what I can do to further help them get involved.
Where to find Climate Education
One of the topics that came up a few times was alternative education/job opportunities in climate that do not involve a traditional college path - which led me to bring up the American Climate Corps. The American Cimate Corps is a new program started by the Whitehouse to train early-career individuals in environmental jobs that will build the future resilience and sustainability of our country. Careers such as helping to build better food systems, protecting public lands, addressing environmental injustices, along with others have been highlighted by the organization.
I'm going to plug this article by the Modern Farmer below that describes a few of the potential roles and how the program aims to operate: Modern Farmer
As I tried to stress with the students, climate jobs can come in a number of different forms, and honestly it will be a key theme no matter what job they choose. I love that the topic of alternative career options came up, because in reality, we'll need creative solutions and help fight the climate crisis, and it's important to recognize that a "traditional" path isn't always required or better for upcoming generations. But what surprised me the most, was how great their questions were - seriously, some of them were asking questions that I ask to my company's leadership.
+And of course, I want to give a special thanks to all the teacher's at York High School and especially my cousin "Ms. K" for giving me the opportunity and finding my work so fascinating!
