Crisis and Opportunity

Transcription

1 Crisis and Opportunity THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING Official Book & Film Study Guide 42

2 Learning Objectives Students will: lai o a c i i ca e a mome t o c a e a d t at ou e o e to c i i can lead to something better or worse. aly e t e eco e y e o t o t e to o G ee u a a ollo i it destruction by a super tornado in eate eci c la o o t ey ould eima i e a d e uild a model ee school if a crisis like a natural disaster destroyed your school. Themes Civic Engagement Economics Democracy Environmental Stewardship Social Justice Materials Needed All materials are available for download at thischangeseverything.org/studyguide. Handout: odel G ee o o t i uide Film clip: limate i i i i a o o tio al Go Fu t e acti ity a o tatio i e el i o o tio al Go Fu t e acti ity Activities 1. Ask students to consider the question, Can a crisis also be an opportunity? e i e eac tude t a a dout a d i t uct t em to ead t e te t a d a e the related questions. After students have completed the handout, discuss their responses as a class. Emphasize how in the process of reinventing their town, the citi e o G ee u e e e i ed ci ic a tici atio ou t olutio t at e e ted everyone, and created an alternative economy that worked in partnership with nature for the success of the community. k tude t to o ima i e t at t ei c ool a ee de t oyed y a ma o to m and it is up to them to rebuild it. Divide the class into teams of 3-4 students. Each team will develop a plan to reinvent their school as a model green school. Follo i t e e am le o t e citi e o G ee u team ill t ide ti y a et o core values shared by members of the school community. For the purposes of this assignment, the value of being good environmental stewards will be a given. To dete mi e ot e alue all tude t ould u ey e o t ei ie d a d a k t em THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING Official Book & Film Study Guide 43

3 what phrases, values, and attitudes should represent what is best and most important about your school. eam ould t e meet to e ie t e e o e t ey a e at e ed d commo t ead amo t em a d a e t em do to a et o co e alue i cludi ei ood e i o me tal te a d t at t ey elie e e t e e e t t e c ool commu ity and should be used to guide the rebuilding process. a e team co ect eac o t ei co e alue to a eci c t ate y t ey ill u e to c eate t e model ee c ool Some e am le o alue a d elated t ate ie could include: Be good stewards of the environment - Install solar panels on the roof of the school, or Promote healthy living - Provide space for an organic vegetable garden. Conduct additional research as needed. Students should create a poster or digital slideshow to display their ideas. 4. Allow time for each group to share their plans with the class. Discuss which parts of their plans your school could implement now and how students could take action to make those things happen. Go Further lo e o omet i co ide ed a c i i a ect o e e d ou time and money. Start the discussion by having students bring in news articles about a recent crisis, such as a natural disaster. How have citizens and government leaders responded to the situation? What has prompted them to take action? Then have students watch the This Changes Everything lm cli limate i i i i a le t at doe aomi lei mea e e ay i a i lite ally choking on its own economic growth. How did the air quality crisis provide a mome t o c a e o i a at a e ome eci c ay t at i e e citi e responded to this crisis and fought for something better? What strategies shown in the video demonstrate that China is starting to shift its model of economic growth to reduce its negative impact on the climate? What motivated the actions of both citizens and government leaders? Based on this case study, what would it take for climate change to be considered a crisis in other areas of the world and prompt more aggressive levels of response? How could this happen in your community? Design a better transportation system for your city. Begin by having students review and discuss the This Changes Everything video, Transportation in New el i le t o do t e o e ide t i el i o o a ca a ect the quality of life for everyone else in the city? How can the transportation crisis in Delhi be an opportunity to create an better mobility pattern for all? After discussing the video, divide students into small groups and have them brainstorm a list of the various ways that people get from place to place in your community e ca u t ai icycle alki etc e a c a t to di cu t e o a d co o eac ty e o t a o tatio e o muc doe eac e e t o a m t e e i o me t at im act doe eac a e o uma ealt etc o doe you commu ity e i ti i a t uctu e a ect eo le t a o tatio c oice How could your city s mobility patterns be reimagined and improved? Conduct additional research as needed. Have groups then create an online slideshow that o o e eci c c a e to you city t a o tatio y tem t at a e mo e environmentally-friendly and improve public health. Allow time for each group to e e t t ei idea to t e cla o ide i iti a city official to ea t e tude t presentations and give feedback on their proposal. THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING Official Book & Film Study Guide 44

4 Lesson 7 Handout A Model Green Town t uctio ead t e e ce t om t e ook This Changes Everything below, then e o d to t e ue tio ce t om This Changes Everything, by Naomi Klein: a u e to ado i ed t ou t e u al to o G ee u a a tu i a out e ce t o t e to i to u le a e ult o a e t ao di a y commu ity led oce t at e a u t day a te t e di a te it ei o oldi meeti in tents amid the wreckage of their former lives, Greensburg today stands as a model green town, often described as the greenest in America. The hospital, city hall, and school have all been built to t e i e t ce ti catio le el i ued y eade i i e y a d i o me tal e i d t e to a ecome a de ti atio o u d ed o olicy make a iou to lea mo e about its low-energy lighting and its cutting-edge green architecture and waste reduction, as well as the wind turbines that earn municipal revenue by producing more power than local residents need. o t t iki o all t i li i la o ato y i taki lace i t e heart of an overwhelmingly Republican-voting county, where a great many people are entirely unconvinced that climate change is real. But those debates seem to matter little to residents: the a ed e e ie ce o t eme dou lo a ell a t e out ou i o generosity that follow the disaster, have, in Greensburg, rekindled the values of land stewardship and intergenerational responsibility that have deep roots in rural life. The number one topic at those tent meetings was talking about who we are what are our values? ecall G ee u mayo Bo i o a o me o tma te o comes from a long line of farmers. He added, Sometimes we agreed to disagree, but we were still civil to each other. And let s not forget t at ou a ce to e e te a d o t e la d y a ce to li ed in the original green homes: sod houses. We learned that the only true green and sustainable things in life are how we treat each ot e THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING Official Book & Film Study Guide 45

5 Questions: 1. How is a crisis like a natural disaster a moment of change that can lead to something better or worse? cco di to t e te t o did alue lay a ce t al ole i t e deci io made y t e citi e o G ee u to build a model green town? 3. How did the crisis faced by the people of Greensburg transform these types of activities: Political, Social, Economic? 4. Would you describe the Greensburg, Kansas recovery as a success? Justify your response. THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING Official Book & Film Study Guide 46