Activism & Social Change – Ecosystemic Magazine

16Apr

By Sofia CalderonNo Comments

How to Lead a Strike at Your School

By Sofia Calderon On March 25, 2022, students around the world struck school to demand climate action through the international strike group Fridays for Future. With the help of a teacher and other students at school, I was able to organize a demonstration on school grounds for Global Climate Strike Day. Striking is a very effective way to bring awareness to your school and call for more environmentally-conscious practices. Here is how you bring your strike from an idea in your head to an event that will change your community and your life forever. Graphic by Elson Bankoff Find a trusted adult to help and support you! This is really important. Having an adult who cares about this issue can be a game changer. I received support from the sustainability science teacher who also...

Be an Activist, Not a Celebrity: The Problem With Social Media-Based Activism

16Apr

By Leia NeilsonNo Comments

Activism & Social Change, Pop Culture

Be an Activist, Not a Celebrity: The Problem With Social Media-Based Activism

By Leia Neilson At a climate strike in 2018, I saw a woman stiffly posing in front of the United States Capitol building, holding a sign inscribed with a catchy message about climate change and beaming into the camera. An hour later, I noticed her scrolling through her phone in the middle of a speech meant to encourage action to combat climate change. Though inattentive and seemingly uninterested, she had created the illusion that she was committed to fighting climate change, which her Instagram followers surely believed. Political Cartoon by Elson Bankoff This facade of caring about global movements is not uncommon, and has attracted lots of negative attention since the Black Lives Matter protests of the summer of 2020. Many so-called activists at these protests posed in fr...

16Apr

By Helen ManciniNo Comments

Activism & Social Change

The Youth of NYC Demand the Following

By Helen Mancini Drawing by Elson Bankoff New York City's climate justice demands exist on three scales: national, state, and city. At the National Level, we are demanding for Congress to pass the Green New Deal for Public Schools, a 1.4 trillion dollar investment in removing toxic materials from schools and cutting down carbon emissions by 78 million metric tons. This deal will also be an important step toward dismantling systemic racism in education with targeted funding to create a healthy learning environment for all. At the State Level, we are fighting for the Climate Can't Wait Package which contains twelve urgently needed climate bills. Included in this package is the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) that will jump-start the transition to an 100% ...

We Need Action From Maryland to India: My Speech at the D.C. Climate Strike

15Apr

By Shriya ReddyNo Comments

Activism & Social Change, Community News & Policy

We Need Action From Maryland to India: My Speech at the D.C. Climate Strike

By Shriya Reddy I have lived in Maryland for nearly 12 years of my life. I have grown up here seeing the floods that have decimated Old Ellicott City where I live, seeing my friends in Baltimore sent home from school due to the exceptionally high temperatures in the summer, seeing the Chesapeake Bay face warming temperatures, and witnessing the area face long periods of extreme weather conditions. I have grown up seeing my friends seek shelter in 2018 when heavy floods destroyed houses, restaurants, antique shops, and many more in the historical area. I have grown up watching students take action, cleaning up trash around local parks, organizing strikes, and participating in conferences and committees for their counties in an attempt to improve the quality of life. I have grown up with ...

What Leading a High School Climate Strike in Minnesota Taught Me

15Apr

By Holly SwigloNo Comments

Activism & Social Change

What Leading a High School Climate Strike in Minnesota Taught Me

By Holly Swiglo It is a bitterly cold day, with snow and hail pelting down. Standing atop a wobbly folding chair, pressing a megaphone to my lips for the first time, I look out into the sea of nearly 600 faces before me. I am astounded. There are hundreds more than we expected. A few years ago, I was a shy kid who rarely raised my hand in class. I never would have imagined that now, I would be speaking in front of so many people, including government officials. I am one of the leaders of the Progressives Club at my school. Our club organized and led the Roseville Area High School (RAHS) Walkout For Climate Progress in Roseville, Minnesota. For as long as I can remember, my highest aspiration has been to make the world a better place. I discovered my passion for the natural world ...

How War in Ukraine Wrecks the Environment

19Mar

By May ChanNo Comments

Activism & Social Change

How War in Ukraine Wrecks the Environment

By May Chan Not only are civilians affected by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but the environment is also suffering from air, ground, and water contamination. Wartime practices and militarization use large amounts of energy, releasing dangerous pollutants and leaving substantial environmental repercussions following the conflict. The environmental consequences of war began long before the conflict itself began. Firstly, military forces demand a vast number of nonrenewable resources, including oil fuel, common metals and rare earth elements. According to the Conflict and Environment Observatory, major militaries can emit more carbon dioxide than some countries. The high-intensity conflicts throughout war also use large quantities of fuel. Large-scale vehicle ...

The Power of ‘We’: Part One– The Impact of Sunrise in the Climate Movement

19Feb

By Willa WangNo Comments

Activism & Social Change

The Power of ‘We’: Part One– The Impact of Sunrise in the Climate Movement

By Melanie Shao and Willa Wang As Dan Schrag mentions in his Ecosystemic interview, “Climate change is a global collective action problem.” This assessment rings especially true in the context of the youth movement. The Sunrise Movement, a prominent United States-based environmental organization, emphasizes the power of “we”, as portrayed in its principles: We are a movement to stop climate change and create millions of good-paying jobs in the process.We grow our power through talking to our communities.We are people from all paths of life.We are nonviolent in word and deed.We tell our stories, and we honor each other’s stories.We ask for help and we give what we can.We take initiative.We embrace experimentation and we learn together.We take care of ourselves, each other, and o...

The Power of “We” in the Climate Movement: Part Two– Polarization

19Feb

By Melanie ShaoNo Comments

Activism & Social Change

The Power of “We” in the Climate Movement: Part Two– Polarization

Melanie Shao and Willa Wang To further advocate for political action on climate change, Sunrise works with politicians such as Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Ed Markey and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to pass a Green New Deal. According to the New York Times, The Green New Deal’s primary goal is to limit carbon emissions, thereby terminating warming temperatures and consequently combatting the catastrophic inflicted to our Earth. Climate change is a topic that is often shrouded in misinformation; people think they understand the scope of the problem when really, they do not. The climate crisis will not just melt ice caps. NASA reports claim that climate change will intensify health concerns, poverty, food insecurity, species extinction, and severe weather, as ...

22Jan

By Lane WorthingNo Comments

Activism & Social Change, Activities

Help Tongass National Forest by Monday!

By Lane Worthing, Sidwell Friends School Tongass National Forest, located in southeast Alaska, is the largest national forest in the US. As seen in the documentary Understory, it is a beautiful old growth forest made up of western hemlock, sitka spruce, and western red cedar trees, many of which have been storing carbon for hundreds of years– and it is in danger. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the Roadless Rule Act prevented logging in 9 million acres of the forest from 2001-2020, but the Trump administration reversed those limits, opening the Tongass up to destruction. Now, however, the Biden administration is trying to undo that decision. The public comment period on restoring the Roadless Rule Act for the Tongass ends on Monday, Jan. 24, so if you want to help preserv...

On Youth Climate Strikes: Battling the Stark Divide Between Politicians and Youth

21Jan

By Ariana ThorntonNo Comments

Activism & Social Change

On Youth Climate Strikes: Battling the Stark Divide Between Politicians and Youth

By Ariana Thornton – Philips Exeter Academy Slogans scrawled on cardboard signs, students in uniform holding multicolored banners, mouths agape, cheers and chants, an undulating crowd: around the world, these scenes of climate protests define recent years. The climate movement and warnings of a warming planet are not new. In 1893, a Swedish physicist predicted that changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels could substantially alter global surface temperatures. In 1938, English inventor and engineer Guy Callendar linked carbon dioxide increases to global warming. Preserving the balance of the ecosystem has always been a prioritized value for indigenous peoples. However, it took decades for the issue of climate preservation to reach mainstream understanding; the first...