Summer 2009

Science Center Collaborative Home

CA-CP FELLOW WORKS WITH SCIENCE CENTERS

Jessamine Fitzpatrick, one of 14 distinguished students spending Summer 2009 as a Climate Fellow with Clean Air-Cool Planet®, has been conducting research crucial to discovering what The Northeast Science Center Collaborative can do to better serve science centers.

Fitzpatrick interviews representatives from Collaborative members for success stories as well as for challenges and hindrances to the realization of sustainability plans. "I am hoping to learn what makes implementation of sustainability plans successful," she said. "We want to get a better sense of how Clean Air-Cool Planet can help science centers and what other technical, managerial, and innovative resources we can provide them with."

Fitzpatrick already has some intriguing findings. "I have noticed," she said, "that centers that need to expand are naturally inclined to be as sustainable as possible . . . Once a new, sustainable, building or addition is up, staff tend to understand the importance of renewability and are more conscious of their own carbon footprint. They take pride in their new building and try to adopt what it represents into their own lives."

With the current economy, Fitzpatrick has found cutting costs to be a big incentive for organizations to go green. "For example, composting hasn't been huge because it doesn't really impact cost savings and it's hard to get new projects off the ground," she said. Energy efficiency and technical changes that will increase sustainability as well as save the organization money are more prevalent.

"I have also noticed that most organizations already have a green team in place," she continued, "but the green teams that are most active and successful have been given a specific project or mandate, usually from upper management." On that note, "buy-in at the senior level is very important," she said. In her research, sustainability efforts have proven to be most successful if senior management or a board member is vocally and actively supportive of sustainability efforts.

Such findings will be assembled into a list of best practices for science center sustainability to be published online and in our newsletters at the end of Fitzpatrick's fellowship. Her findings will also help CA-CP establish goals and a strategy to become a better resource for science centers.

If you're an NESCC member, your help with this project would be greatly appreciated. Any information you would like to share regarding what has and has not worked in your path to sustainability will help CA-CP get a better sense of what we can do to be the best possible resource for you. We will highlight your comments in the next edition of the science center newsletter.

For more information, or to share your story, please contact:

Jessamine Fitzpatrick

Karin Jakubowski

The Next Generation of Climate Leaders
Like all of CA-CP's Climate Fellows, Fitzpatrick is already a climate leader. Currently a candidate for joint master's degrees in business administration and environmental management from Yale University's schools of Management and Forestry and Environmental Studies, she spent four years working on public policy issues for The Nature Conservancy in California prior to Yale and graduated from Georgetown University in 2002 with a degree in biology and a concentration in ecology, evolution and animal behavior.

"I would like to be a sustainability coordinator for an organization in the future," she said, "so my fellowship is great experience. It's good to see how institutions are incentivized to become better environmental stewards and increase sustainability. I am learning the ins and outs of what helps sustainability plans move forward and getting a broad sense for how they are affected by certain situations."

In addition to Fitzpatrick's work, CA-CP also has two other fellows working to green science centers in the region. Katie Miller will be working on "Greenhouse Gas Reduction Planning and Education for Strawbery Banke Museum" in Portsmouth, while Maria Leonardi is helping the Wild Center to write a regional energy and climate protection plan in Tupper Lake, NY.

NESCC MANAGER DISCUSSES CORAL REEF DEMISE IN VIRGIN ISLANDS

Karin Jakubowski, manager of the NESCC, recently traveled to the Virgin Islands to speak about how climate change impacts the coral reef ecosystem in the area. Her presentation was a part of a destination-based, hands-on workshop for middle and high school teachers put on by the Wright Center for Science Education at Tufts University.

Eighteen educators from all over the United States spent a week capitalizing on the resources of the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station, as well as the expertise of MIT, UMass Boston, Wright Center, and Clean Air-Cool Planet staff and faculty.

"The Wright Center recognizes Clean Air-Cool Planet as an expert in marine and climate solutions and policy," Jakubowski said, citing CA-CP's work at the Wright Center's annual Glacier National Park workshop. "We lectured about the coral reef and how it has been impacted by climate change. We also went out to visually study stress signals on the ecosystem, such as a decrease in plankton and an increase in ocean temperature and pH level."

"Our audience was well-educated and is already taking steps toward climate neutrality," Jakubowski said. "We wanted to provide them with other resources and steps they can take." Clean Air-Cool Planet also hopes to gain in using the experience to develop better climate change curricula that science center educators can adapt to their own environment. "We want to integrate science and solutions," said Jakubowski. "We can develop material for a broader audience and expand our network of educators."

INTERVIEWS WITH MEMBERS
DAN SMITH OF THE LIBERTY SCIENCE CENTER TEACHES FROM THE "TOTAL-ECOLOGICAL" PERSPECTIVE

Daniel N. Smith, Jr., is Director of Liberty Science Center's award-winning Abbott Partnership Program which serves approximately 180,000 students, teachers and families from at-risk communities each year. Passionate and optimistic about the future of mankind, he is co-chair of Liberty Science Center's Green Team and has been active throughout the region in sustainability issues. Dan has been trained in climate science by the Honorable Al Gore through The Climate Project.

How did you become interested in teaching about climate change science?
When I first heard the term, "sustainability" I was so excited to find a word that encompassed my diverse interests in the natural world, human health, economics, regional planning and scientific research. As the best expression so far of what is required for humanity to survive and thrive long term, sustainability has become accepted as needed, even though we are not really certain what it looks like in the real world.

Climate change is the biggest and most urgent aspect of sustainability that needs to be addressed, and we do know what it looks like. Heat trapping gasses are causing an imbalance in the atmosphere by increasing the average temperature of the planet. The "quick and easy" answer is to produce less of these heat trapping gasses. The reality is a little tougher, but it is still grounded in discernable action. Unlike the ambiguous sustainability, climate change has somewhat easy-to-identify parts that we can measure and control.

After seeing "An Inconvenient Truth," I applied and was accepted as one of 1,000 people trained by Al Gore and other leading scientists through The Climate Project. In exchange for the training and support, I agreed to make presentations on climate change throughout the NY/NJ region. I've given probably 50 presentations so far, with the early ones dealing almost exclusively with making the case for the existence of climate change. It wasn't that long ago when most people didn't believe it was happening. Once the switch happened though, the general audience's needs changed very dramatically toward solutions. People generally accept climate change as true and don't want to hear every excruciating detail about how bad it is. They want solutions: do hybrid cars really work, what about CFL light bulbs, what can I do really?

When it comes to addressing climate change, what do you see as the Liberty Science Center's greatest accomplishment to date?
Our facility has to take the prize for greatest accomplishment. When we reopened our facility in July 2007 after a $109 million expansion and renovation, we had a 6,000 sq ft. green roof, two solar arrays totaling 227kw, and a 10kw wind turbine. The building though, wasn't really as green as we thought. Don't get me wrong, it was built according to our specifications but when we examined the actual performance of the building, our engineers realized they had work to do.

Partnering with Noveda Technologies (www.noveda.com), an energy monitoring company, enabled our staff to see, in real time, what our facility was producing and consuming. This information enabled changes in operational procedures and equipment that reduced our electric and gas consumption by over 40%. The vast majority of the savings came from changes in procedures too, not light bulbs! In addition, we realized that our alternative energy production only represented about 5% of peak demand. This is big news. We saved 40% changing how we did things and only 5% by adding solar.

We are doing our best to walk the walk and talk the talk.

What do you think are the most important messages about climate change that educators can share with their students?
Think beyond climate change to sustainability and work on multiple levels. We need to rethink everything and make sure we're not creating new problems by solving the old ones. The larger question I want educators to think about and explore is how can we reintegrate humanity into natural systems? Climate change, and almost all other environmental problems come from what I call flat-earth thinking. Humanity still treats the planet and creates things in a linear fashion. We work 'efficiently' in a straight line. We mine 'resources' and produce 'waste.' That is an organism-individual perspective not a total-ecological perspective. Waste does not exist in the total-ecological. Waste from one is food for another. Nothing is created by one (except people) that is not eaten by another. Could you imagine if we didn't have the biggest 'waste' product from trees? We'd be dead without oxygen.

What is your strategy when teaching about climate change?
We need to excite students about the possibilities associated with this challenge/opportunity. I explain the importance of understanding the basics. Science, math, social studies and economics are all important. Students need to take it all in so they can improve upon everything, that's why school is so important. For example, a student built a refrigerator with no moving parts and requires no electricity. It is basically a clay pot, filled with sand with another clay pot inside it. You put your vegetables inside the inner clay pot, put water in the sand between the two pots and cover the top of the veggies with a rag or something. When the water evaporates from the sand it requires energy for the water to change phases from a liquid to a gas. That energy required for the chemical reaction is pulled from the inner pot as heat. The temperature of the inner pot drops because the heat is required for the phase change of water. You have to understand the basics of science to be able to create things like that.

I always show examples of students doing things never been done before and tell students how to handle "it can't be done." First, ask why, specifically, and listen closely. Ask follow up questions to genuinely understand that individual's perspective. When they are finished thank them for sharing their insight and tell them you'll let them know how it turns out. You then incorporate the new information into your thinking and keep going.

Students have the opportunity to solve problems for all time by thinking in systems. We need to help them be creative and have fun. It's ok, we can do this!

What is one personal step that you have taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
For a long time I found it very difficult to do anything substantial about my carbon footprint. I tend to be a big thinker and sometimes get paralyzed by the enormity of the problem. I'd think, "we need to reduce emissions by at least 80% within my lifetime to keep warming below 2C, and whatever I do doesn't seem to matter that much." I know everyone feels that way sometimes but it really is not productive. I've since adopted the strategy that I do things that both prevent and prepare for a changing climate. The world is at the point now where we are locked into climate change, it's only a matter of degrees.

I don't look at it like I'm doing something less, or sacrificing something. I approach it by doing something more, with multiple benefits. For example:

• By riding my bike to the store or town meetings, I get outside in the fresh air, can stop and talk to neighbors if I want and get some exercise. It's an enjoyable experience, not a sacrifice.

• By taking the train to work sometimes I save money, catch up on my reading and get some exercise by getting off one stop early. Since I live on the shore in NJ, it's also a much more consistent and relaxing commute in the summer.

• By growing some veggies in our yard and working with neighbors to start a relationship with a farmer through a CSA, we happen to be eating less meat and supporting local agriculture.

Don't be against something, be for something better that works on multiple levels. Being less bad will only get our species so far. We need to focus on being good! I want a great big giant footprint that leaves the earth, and my fellow living things, better off for my having lived. Have you ever seen a rainforest that has too many different species? A coral reef with too many fish? People can be the same way if we can live as a part of, not apart from the natural world around us.

WAXMAN-MARKEY PASSES HOUSE: HOPE FOR A LOW-CARBON FUTURE

The American Clean Energy and Security Act (Waxman-Markey) has officially been passed by the US House of Representatives. This energy and climate bill, the first of its kind, would establish a cap-and-trade program to impose limits on greenhouse gases and incentives for investing in clean technology. It aims to cap greenhouse-gas emissions at 17% of 2005 levels by 2020 and at roughly 80% by 2050. Heralded by many as the most important piece of environmental legislation in America's history, Waxman-Markey is great news for climate change and is hard proof that the country is working toward a bright, low-carbon future. It is slated to be put to the Senate this fall.

FIRST EVER INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL TEACHERS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED

Inspiring Climate Education (ICE 09), the first international teachers' conference for environmental educators, is scheduled to take place October 12-14 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The program will include presentations from keynote speakers and workshops on the subject of participants' strategies for teaching climate change. Attendees will be able to exchange and develop ideas on the topic as well as reflect upon their own practices. For further information please visit http://www.ice2009.org.

WINNING SCHOOLS HELP KEEP CONNECTICUT COOL

The Keep Connecticut Cool winners for 2009 have been announced. Danbury High School and Coventry High School each won $3000, while Irving A. Robbins Middle School, Hillcrest Middle School, Harbor Elementary School, and St. Peter-Sacred Heart School each won $1000. This competition for CT students in grades 5-12 involves greening a school, home, business, or another location, over the course of two years. Students do everything from completing a greenhouse gas inventory to designing and implementing a climate action plan. For more information, please visit the Keep Connecticut Cool website.

BACKPACK TRAINING SESSIONS MAKE A SUMMER COMEBACK

The Climate Change Backpack is back! Our successful, K-12 teacher-preferred Climate Change Backpack has returned after an extensive update. The Backpack is an original climate change curriculum tool designed for use both in the classroom and in the field. The first training session for this new version will be held at Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts on August 11. Learn more and register online here.

NEW EPA TOOLKIT FOR SCIENCE EDUCATORS

The EPA just released a new resource designed to "educate, inspire, and engage students, scouts, park, zoo or museum visitors to do something about climate change." The toolkit, entitled "Climate Change, Wildlife, and Wildlands: A Toolkit for the Educator in You," is meant to go above and beyond the traditional student in getting the masses involved with and passionate about climate change. It was created over the course of two years with input from six other federal organizations and represents a strong, unified voice for the issue. Check it out at the Global Change government website.

DO YOU TWEET? WE DO!
CA-CP Invites You to Connect with Facebook and Twitter

Clean Air-Cool Planet is now Facebooking and Tweeting, too. Check out blog updates, participate in discussion board conversation, and find out what we've been up to on both sites. Become a fan on Facebook here. or follow us on Twitter here.

CLIMATE CHANGE BACKPACK TRAINING SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 11TH August 11th, 2009: 9:30-3:30 Harvard Forest Petersham, Massachusetts Harvard Forest website Registration Rates Training registration only- $30 Training + Climate Change Backpack - $130 Your registration fee includes beverages and light snacks as well as the day's program. Learn more and register online here.

For more comprehensive information on climate change topics in New England, visit Clean Air-Cool Planet's website for fact sheets, press releases, program initiatives, and more!!

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