February, 2022 – Ecosystemic Magazine

19Feb

By Sophie CaoNo Comments

Activities

Word Search

By Sophie Cao This word search is based on the interview conducted with Dan Schrag. The key will be posted in the next edition. We encourage you to print this out and offer it to students if you are an educator! Or print it out for yourself! HTW Y UZ E I L DH B DT M B AZ P UR X K P RY E EL E G MRXNSBZ C AD U CE L S IU VC UE A Y VR F AK T G LKT ENN C N AO Y BH I N CBHG RE E N HZ R OO N I D R LN IDA Y G XT N T G N F N B OS T&n...

19Feb

By Audrey WuNo Comments

Literature

Pushback

By Audrey Wu What if we were born pushers Off the backs of this mother Whose fingers have rusted green Like those of Lady Liberty Maybe we were meant to become oxymorons Killing what gives us breath And breathing what brings us death We are not falling off the edge of a cliff But dangling our feet like the rim of a swimming pool Or walls where wine sloshes like watered down banter Against the tilting glass Glass now freckled stars beneath our feet Glass that was never rose colored to start with Are we the force that pulls the dawn in From her rosy comfort Do we dare ask her to join the march Leaving shadows behind us Hoping they’ll become imprints Because we are not the exception We are the young And the scared And the hurting And we are asking you to help

19Feb

By Katharine EvansNo Comments

Art & Multimedia

Time Bomb

By Katharine Evans In his interview with Ecosystemic, Dan Schrag explains how climate justice should be called climate injustice because the majority of those suffering from (and those who will suffer from) the negative impacts of climate change are not the ones who caused it. Wealthy corporations, political figures, and past generations who contributed to these threats will not feel the consequences. Minorities, developing nations, and later generations (including ourselves) will face the ramifications. Part of Interview it Refers to: “There is intergenerational justice and injustice. We caused the problem, it's gonna be our great-grandchildren who are really going to suffer. That's unfair. They are going to inherit a world that is very constrained... You are going to inherit a q...

Jacob Stowe Interview: Amazing Summer Opportunities

16Feb

By Ariana ThorntonNo Comments

Interviews

Jacob Stowe Interview: Amazing Summer Opportunities

Transcribed by Ariana Thornton Read an exclusive interview with Jacob Stowe, Youth Programs Coordinator at Mobilize Green as he talks about upcoming programs, his experience with climate change activism, and advice for interested high schoolers. Scroll down for links and more information for how to sign up for the programs this summer. Q: Tell me about yourself. Who are you? What do you do? Right now, I'm a Youth Programs Coordinator here at Mobilize Green. For those who don't know Mobilize Green, we have our hands in various things, but we run two separate sectors. One that I'm [most] responsible for is the Youth Programs. That's reaching high schoolers and placing them in internships all over the country. Specifically, we have our main program in Philadelphia and then a co...

5Feb

By Ariana ThorntonNo Comments

Art & Multimedia

Mother

By Ariana Thorton, Philips Exeter Academy Mother Earth contains our identity, history, and future, and sadly, its destruction is becoming increasingly conspicuous. Polluting our own home will ultimately lead to the end of Earth's life as we know it– yet there is hope. Together we can renew and preserve the beauty of our Earth and secure a future for those to come. Original Design Ink, Watercolor, Micropen

5Feb

By Krish GuptaNo Comments

Pop Culture

How to Go Vegetarian

By Krish Gupta The recent popularization of vegetarian and vegan diets across the world has occurred as a result of growing consciousness about the health benefits of these diets, the animal cruelty that is central to the production of meat and animal products, and the meat industry’s environmental recklessness. Despite all the benefits associated with vegan and vegetarian diets, misconceptions about plant-based diets remain prevalent, causing many to disregard the idea of transitioning to a new, environmentally-conscious diet. As a recently-turned vegetarian who feels healthier than ever, I can tell you that the majority of these ideas are false — a vegetarian or vegan diet can supply you with all the energy and nutrients needed to remain healthy, while also allowing you to enjoy delic...

It’s Time to Lose the Obsolete Tradition of Classroom Animal Dissections and Adopt a More Ethical, Safer, and Effective Method

5Feb

By Hannah ParkNo Comments

Community News & Policy

It’s Time to Lose the Obsolete Tradition of Classroom Animal Dissections and Adopt a More Ethical, Safer, and Effective Method

By Hannah Park Millions of animals of over 170 species, including cats, frogs, and fetal pigs, are killed for school and university dissections in the U.S. each year, according to the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS). However, anatomy and physiology can be taught as or more effectively as the traditional dissections, through digital programs, 3-D models, and synthetic animals. Through these methods and more, schools can easily adapt many non-animal alternatives that are both safer and are more ethical. The history of this cruel and dangerous way of learning dates back to the sixteenth century, according to AAVS’s “History of Vivisection and Dissection” page of their “Dying to Learn” website. Andreas Vesalius, known as the founder of modern human anatomy, strongly believ...

5Feb

By Jaiden SaranNo Comments

Global News & Policy

The Nigerian Heat Crisis

Jaiden Saran McLean High School As months pass and global temperatures rise, West African climates are warming far faster than the global rate. In Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, the temperatures are reaching startling highs of up to 99 °F nearly every day. And these temperatures will continue to increase. For decades, people have used fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. However, with every generation, the use of fossil fuels has increased. The newest generation has polluted the most, resulting in a half-degree increase in temperature over the past century. In Nigeria, the rising temperature has led to alarming issues such as water scarcity, food shortages and poverty. Part of the reason Nigeria is affected by climate change is due to its abundant fossil fuels and oil-...

Sustainable Agricultural Practices: Agroforestry

4Feb

By Alma BielenbergNo Comments

Eco-STEM

Sustainable Agricultural Practices: Agroforestry

Alma Bielenberg, Sidwell Friends School Endless stretches of corn and grain illustrate the American farming ideal, but mass plantings of a single crop are not effective nor enduring compared to less mechanized methods. An ancient farming practice, agroforestry, provides an alternative. As Earth’s human population grows, nourishing the world poses a new challenge. To make the most of the land around us for the longest possible time, nature’s resilience and adaptability could serve as a guide. Reintroducing trees into farming practices is one way to maximize efficiency and ensure sustainability to fulfill our need for food. Agroforestry, a low-tech and traditional farming practice already used in one billion hectares of land worldwide, can be easily applied to our farmland for the b...

4Feb

By Ariana ThorntonNo Comments

Literature

Blessings

E. Ariana ThorntonPhilips Exeter Academy At my childhood home in Ashburn, surroundedby woods and hills, I watch my mom tendher many-hued garden frombehind the kitchen sliding-glass doors.Today, I join her:crouchingclose to the dirt in a floppy pink sun hat, pullingweeds or planting seeds (Chinese okra,parsley, strawberries),relishing the sensation of wet earth in my small palm,the dewy grass dampening my bare feet. SwiftlyI’m reminded of photographs fromNational Geographic Kids Magazine,of breathing soil and centuries-old trees,earthworms my hands arecupped around. I dash aroundour living yard,breathless, laughing,imagining the Earth’s ovenlike core rumblingbeneath my feet—upon my fingertips,the blessings of the atmosphere. Photo by Megan Chopra (Sidwell Friends School)