Headmaster's Weekly Newsletter -- Week 30

Earth Day was last week. We did our bit. We picked up garbage in town and we turned down the heat (completely off in some places) and our students wore sweaters to stay warm. It catalyzed some good discussions. At my Headmaster’s Council meeting our Junior School representative Hannah Bryant brought forth initiatives for re-usable shopping bags, turning down the heat permanently, and making compost collection more efficient. Mr. Alguire’s Environmental Club is meeting and forging ahead with its initiatives too. However, this morning I watched a Ted Talk on YouTube and realized that what we are doing are steps in the right direction but are not enough.

 

A fifteen year old Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg, delivers a message in her Ted Talk on climate change that we must all hear. It is crystal clear and, quite frankly, accusatory. Her voice is a cry which pierces through the wilderness and touches a nerve. It certainly touched me.

 

As I write this note I am acutely aware of the contrasting Canadian states of emergency declared in Biggar, Saskatchewan because of wildfires and in Ottawa, Ontario because of flooding. Images of flooded streets and ruined homes in Quebec and New Brunswick fill the news. The contrast of fire and flood tell their own tale. No one is immune to climate change.

 

Greta’s story is fascinating. She objects to school and refuses to attend as she believes that traditional schooling has failed the planet and addressing the global crisis of climate injustice must be our top priority. She is articulate, well versed in multiple languages and the sciences and math. She appears supremely educated and capable. Recently, Greta addressed the United Nations (that address is on YouTube as well) with a piercing message for all the adults in the room. She, and this generation of children she speaks for, might just be the voice of change that our planet needs. Her Ted Talk is 11 minutes long. Take the time to watch and listen. Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAmmUIEsN9A