Educating the young

loadquo · Coal Joined: Apr 21, 2005 Posts: 1

If we wish to make a difference to the future we should start trying to educate the youth of our respective countries. Global warming is taught at a variety of different levels in my country and is pretty much undisputed, although the amount and what we should do to stop it is contested. But that at least is better than where we are on peak oil.

So I decided to see what an advocacy group that tries to convince the government (UK) to put Peak Oil on the national curriculum would involve.

This is not my area of expertise so I would appreciate any thoughts on the following ideas. And I will probably try all of these over time, so any other ideas also would be appreciated.

Creating some example school material to give to our respective governmental departments
Writing a single letter to the education department
Petitions (online or otherwise)
Attempting to get green inclined MP's behind the idea (Michael Meacher being an obvious one, if anyone can think of any others I would be interested)
Contacting the luminaries of the Peak Oil idea so that they will include advocacy of education of the youth in there material.
Contacting geography teachers or teachers unions to try and get them interested in petitioning for it.
Or seeing if greenpeace is interested.

Will

lateStarter · Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 1:26 pm Post subject:

Too late... Time to hunker down. This time it is different. While I appreciate your sincerity, the only ones who could have done anything are too interested in maintaining the status-quo for as long as possible. I know, it sucks, but that's the way it is...

gollum · Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 1:36 pm Post subject:

I think one should consider learning and teaching some of the older skills like how old medecine was done, or farm skills, Building skills etc. The History Channel has a couple of shows that show how some older things were done like building log cabins etc without industrial things like nails etc. that I am going to start burning to DVD.

uNkNowN ElEmEnt · Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 1:52 pm Post subject:

WHile I am not a spokesman for greenpeace, I think you would find that PO, the environment, sustainability have long been on their hot plate.

They have for many years been trying to get information and tools out. but until the government or someone with enough interest starts with some funding, there is no way they could become more active teaching in schools etc. To do this would take away from all their other very important actions.

quite frankly I think its a lost cause. I'm in canada. I called all of the canadian environmental government agencies and no one, not even down the the universities could tell me how to make a frog/toad house (as an example of the most basic information they should have).

even if the governments knew what to do (which they don't even have the most basic of info) they couldn't or wouldn't. that's even if it weren't too late, which it pretty much is.

that's why WE have to be proactive and have boards like this. because like everything else, WE have to be the ones making the change before they will catch on.