Join NOAA Planet Stewards April Book Club!

Looking for a great, quick and incredibly inspirational read this weekend? Check out Rachel Sarah's new book Climate Champions: 15 Women Fighting for Your Future   Then Join NOAA Planet Stewards on Tuesday, April 11 at 7:00 PM ET to discuss it at our April Book Club   Details and discussion questions are below.    The Planet Stewards Book Club is a great way to meet colleagues in education from across the country and engage in relaxed, fun, and thoughtful conversation.  ...and you don't even need to have read the book! - though the discussions are livelier if you do ;>)   Climate Champions: 15 Women Fighting for Your Future by Rachel Sarah Book Club Date & Time: Tuesday, April 11, 2023 @ 7:00 PM ET   Book Club Place: Video Meeting Link:  meet.google.com/bzd-jysy-ccu To Dial in Using Phone Only: +1 402-744-0240 Pin: 204 040 572# Fifteen women, each in her own way an environmental advocate, set examples for those interested in climate science and justice. Climate change is a crisis that the individuals profiled in this book tackle head-on with urgency and hope. As Sarah assures readers in her introduction, there is still time for us to make necessary changes. The book is organized into three sections: "Challenge the System," "Hold Fast to Science," and "Take a Stand for Justice," with miniprofiles of additional trailblazers as well as helpful contextual information (e.g., "What Does a Conservation Biologist Do?") appearing in text boxes. Taken together, the chapters demonstrate the breadth of ways to get involved, no matter one's age or professional background. Many of the subjects—including Wanjiku Gatheru, a young Rhodes Scholar and the daughter of Kenyan immigrants to the U.S.; Trimita Chakma, an Indigenous woman from Bangladesh who is a feminist advocate for grassroots organizations; and Tori Tsui, a documentary filmmaker from New Zealand and Hong Kong who is an activist for diverse representation—point out that those in the Global South who are most affected by climate change also have the least to do with creating these problems. Each subject's social media handles are included, and terms such as eco anxiety, environmental justice, climate resilience, and intersectional environmentalism are explained in context. This compact and useful resource effectively highlights critical voices. An inspiring collective biography that is also an empowering call to action. With resources, podcasts, recommended reading, and notes. Discussion Questions The book is broken down into three sections: Challenge the System, Hold Fast to Science, and Take a Stand for Justice. Why do you think these titles are significant? In the introduction the author references "hope". With todays' rapidly changing climate what does hope look like for you and your community? As you we move through the book there are many comments made by the women that are profound. What do you think about this statement: "Lives absorbed with seeking solutions," What does this mean to you? How do you see solutions progressing globally to mitigate the climate crisis? In the first vignette, Molly references her participation in the Democratic National Convention in 2008. What is your experience with the relationship between politics and climate science? What do you think about the quote on page 5: "The average person struggling to get by doesn't have the luxury of being able to worry about things happening thousands of miles away. That's why we must solve climate change for everyone." One of Amy Westervelt's initial awareness to a changing climate were the devastating fires that plague Northern California every year. What significant environmental events do you remember that piqued your interest in climate change and that may have motivated you to become more active in climate awareness? How do we as a society use recent weather events to motivate people in their awareness about a rapidly changing climate? How do we as educators or influential humans capitalize on life changing moments? Is there a way to increase the availability for individuals to have life changing moments? Did any of the trailblazers at the end of the segments speak to anyone? Have you heard of the 2020 Global Climate Risk Index which presents the countries most impacted by climate change today? Do you think its conclusions would sway Americans to take a stronger stand on climate change? Katharine Hayhoe wonders: How do scientists bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and the understanding of the general public? Is there a distinction between climate change and ecological issues in general? What do you think? Do celebrity activists i.e. Sir David Attenborough, Leonardo DiCaprio, Greta Thunberg, Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep, Prince Harry, etc., help, harm, or have no impact on raising climate awareness or developing mitigation strategies? This is a list of the 100 most influential people on climate (https://apolitical.co/list/en/most-influential-climate-100-2022). The top three individuals on this list are women, have you heard of them? Why or why not? Is the world totally ethnocentric?  How do we communicate better between countries? How can data and information from the past (paleoclimate) help scientists in the future? What does it mean to the planet that the permafrost is melting? Is this relevant to the general public? should it be relevant? On page 121 of the book Debra talks about indigenous stories and uses John Muir as an example as a human who did not recognize the work of the indigenous peoples in Yosemite and how they "landscaped" ecosystems. Do federal land policies come into conflict with traditional native sustainable land practices? Tessa Khan questions, what do you think of the expression "Fossil Fuel Racism?" Can this expression be turned into a positive? How do citizens with the power to bring about change fight the dogma of economic superiority?  (Page 155) The women in this book are motivating with their passion and drive for climate awareness, equity, and change. How can we take this and move forward? How can we engage our communities, our schools, our local governments? If you'd like to see the books and discussion questions from previous NOAA Planet Stewards Book Club meetings, check out out our  Book Club Archives Page! Sign up to the NOAA Planet Stewards email list to receive our bimonthly newsletter The Watch. It's the best way to keep up with all NOAA Planet Stewards happenings, and get the latest information on upcoming educator and student opportunities, meetings, workshops and much more! NOAA Planet Stewards Education Program Stay Connected with NOAA's National Ocean Service Manage Subscriptions   This email was sent to sajanram.shrestha@blogger.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: NOAA's National Ocean Service · SSMC4, Room 9601 · 1305 East-West Hwy · Silver Spring, MD 20910