There are many concerns that we face in our modern society. But it has become very clear that climate change is among the top issues that we must address. Floods that paralyze the transportation network; record-breaking, extreme heat conditions; and unseasonably warm winter weather are causing concern in – and serious disruptions to – our daily lives. These environmental justice issues have many negative impacts. Fortunately, New York City is among the global leaders in addressing the climate crisis.
The NYC Office of Energy and Sustainability and the NYC Department of Education have teamed up to create awareness around these concerns. Among the sustainability initiatives is the Climate Action Days series; consisting of four events that take place in schools throughout NYC, the Climate Action Days series is designed to build awareness and to promote action. The series will take place over the 2023-2024 school year, with each Climate Action Day addressing a specific theme: December 6 is Energy; February 7 is Waste; April 17 is Health, Wellness, and Green Space; and June 12 is Water. On these four days, every school in New York City will engage in climate action to build a better future, for our students and our planet by promoting simple climate actions that could result in big impacts
It is exciting that the newly-formed Leadership Green Team (LGT) has taken charge to increase awareness and promote action around these issues. For the December 6 Energy Climate Action Day, the Green Team selected a video and created a discussion circle to initiate a communitywide conversation around the creation, consumption, and conservation of energy. On the 10th floor, LGT designed an ‘energy reduction pledges’ bulletin board; their members of the community are pledging to reduce energy in three specific ways: (1) turn off your cell phone when you go to sleep; (2) turn out the lights in a room when you leave; (3) unplug your electronic devices once they are fully charged (if you haven’t already, please come by and pledge to reduce energy waste). These are small – but impactful – actions that we can take to conserve energy!
If anyone is interested in issues of conservation and sustainability, please join the Leadership Green Team; we meet in Room 1015, every Thursday, from 3:00 – 3:30 pm. And be on the lookout for the Leadership Green Team’s upcoming Climate Actions Days!
Read more about it here: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/space-and-facilities/sustainability/climate-action-days
