March 7 workshop aims to dispel anxiety around environmental issues
Young people have a broad range of emotions, including fear, around the effects of climate change, author Harriet Shugarman told the Explorer. Coupled with growing research on anxiety over the effects of climate change, the director of the organization Climate Mama said there’s a need for clarity on climate science and solutions.
That’s why New York City-based Shugarman and local organizations including The Wild Center and the Adirondack Research Consortium are planning a workshop on communicating about climate issues. The event is set for 10 a.m. to 3:30 pm. on March 7 at St. Lawrence University’s Eben Holden Hall in Canton.
“The reality is that we as humans have caused our climate to change and it’s happening, whether we want to bury our heads in the sand or not. Our young people are experiencing and feeling that and emotionally need to be able to express that it’s normal to be concerned and have fears or be angry that people aren’t doing things.”
author Harriet Shugarman
Members of the Wild Center’s climate team will speak, along with representatives from Paul Smith’s College, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe and St. Lawrence University.
Sunita Halasz, a mentor for a home-schooled student-run North Country Climate Club, will moderate and club member Anthony Zurlo will participate. Halasz said she hopes listeners will leave the event more optimistic about communicating about climate change.
“It’s a heavy message, but it’s a message that has tons and tons of hope and action in it,” said Halasz, who lives in Saranac Lake. “And if we as adults understand that, we can be mentors, we can be followers of the youth who are already such leaders in the climate movement, and we can just support each other.”
A former economist with the United Nations’ International Monetary Fund, Shugarman said she began looking into sustainability while preparing for the 1992 Earth Summit. After having kids, she looked for resources on communicating about global warming, but found none, which led her to develop Climate Mama.
“When a 7-year-old’s afraid because they’re afraid to go outside because they don’t understand why the sky is orange, how do you explain that to them?” she asked. “We need to have tools for parents, for educators, for our community to help move through those experiences.”
Click here to learn more about the upcoming event.
Photo at top: The North Country Climate Club celebrates Earth Day at Lake Colby in Saranac Lake. Photo courtesy of Sunita Halasz
I was Sunita’s and Steve’s XC Ski coach for a year or two at Cornell and it’s great to read about what Sunita’s up to these days. She scarcely looks a day older than she did then! If I knew her email address I’d regale her with some stories.
Cheers,
Dan Karig