Bringing Climate into the Classroom: New Hampshire Students Push for Increased Climate Literacy – Non Profit News

Editors’ note: This piece is from Nonprofit Quarterly Magazine’s fall 2024 issue, “Supporting the Youth Climate Justice Movement.”

When Taylor Barry was in the fifth grade, she and her classmates were taught about deforestation and how there wasn’t enough work being done to preserve forested areas. The lesson sparked Taylor’s interest in the environment, and it wasn’t long before the Nashua, New Hampshire–based teenager founded a green teens club in middle school and became involved in similar clubs and organizations during high school, including 350 New Hampshire (350NH).¹

350NH was first launched in 2012 as a grassroots movement to fight climate change and support renewable energy in the Granite State. Made up of hundreds of volunteers, including activists, students, farmers, and teachers, it has become one of the largest grassroots climate organizations in New Hampshire. One key aspect of the organization is its youth program, which empowers teens and young adults to run campaigns and develop solutions to combat the climate crisis.²

“We are not taught this comprehensively in our schools. We’re told maybe, at max, that it’s an issue. Maybe at max we know that there’s greenhouse gases. But that’s a surface-level lesson.” —Sarah Weintraub, 18, 350NH Youth Team-member

For over a year, beginning in 2023, the 350NH Youth Organizing Program has been spearheading an effort to increase education about climate change in public schools throughout New Hampshire. The nonprofit organization comprises, primarily, roughly a dozen high school students across the state, ranging in age from 15 to 18 years old.³ The movement’s primary goal has been to attack climate change by growing grassroots support in New Hampshire for renewable energy while fighting the expansion of fossil fuels.⁴ 350NH and its Youth Team have seen success in past campaigns, such as bringing offshore wind energy to the state and halting a 27-mile fracked-gas pipeline.⁵ Now, the teens are setting their sights on schools.

Scared and Hopeless

Between December 2023 and March 2024, the state of New Hampshire, along with the rest of the contiguous US states, saw its warmest winter on record.⁶ From historic high temperatures to intense coastal flooding and below-average snowfall, the state is seeing extreme effects of climate change.⁷ As observable as these effects may be, New Hampshire teenagers claim that their schools have left them with little to no education on climate change. In an interview with Barry, she said that this has left classmates “scared” and “hopeless,” as experts continue to warn of the dire risks climate change poses for humanity.⁸ But to one group of students in New Hampshire, the situation isn’t all lost, and they want to prove that by bringing climate into the classroom.

Throughout high school, Sarah Weintraub, now 18 and a freshman at the University of Vermont, described her experience with climate change education as shallow. “We are not taught this comprehensively in our schools. We’re told maybe, at max, that it’s an issue. Maybe at max we know that there’s greenhouse gases. But that’s a surface-level lesson,” she said.⁹

Weintraub, originally from Nashua, New Hampshire, went on to describe the lack of education as “infuriating,” declaring that children as young as seven or eight years old should be exposed to information about climate change so as to be fully aware of the risks it brings. She joined 350NH’s Youth Team at the beginning of her junior year in high school, on the invitation of Barry, who had been drawn to the group after participating in green clubs in middle and high school. They quickly became involved in much of the Youth Team’s advocacy work, which was focused in part on lasting statewide change vis-à-vis the gap in climate education.¹⁰

Sponsored by State Democratic Representatives Wendy Thomas and Tony Caplan, the high schoolers with the 350NH Youth Team introduced HR30 in March 2023.¹¹ The House resolution specifically calls for a climate-focused curriculum—to be adopted by all high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools in the state—that touches on the health and economic impacts of climate change as well as mitigation effects, political discourse around climate change, environmental racism, and direct solutions that emerge, such as solar and wind power.¹² The resolution calls on the curriculum to provide guidance for educators on how best to incorporate a wide breadth of climate change information into their lessons as well as to inform students about jobs in the environmental space.¹³ It also urges a curriculum that “empowers” students, in an effort to reduce any hopelessness students might feel in the face of climate change and its impacts.¹⁴

Preparing to Enter Adulthood

For the students behind the measure, they have already seen drastic effects of climate change on their young lives, making education about its risks and solutions even more important, as they prepare to enter adulthood.

For Barry, snow is at the heart of her favorite childhood memories. Now 18, she fondly remembers when a large bobsledding hill was built in her neighborhood for all the local kids to enjoy. Less than a decade later, that has all changed. “When we do get snow, it’s only a few inches, and it only lasts for a few days,” Barry said. “There’s not nearly enough, ever, to build this bobsledding track, and that makes me really sad for the kids growing up now who don’t get to experience the snow like I did.”¹⁵

Sonya Witkoskie, 17, has been an avid skier throughout her childhood, competing during the winter. However, this past year her team saw races canceled due to high temperatures and their impact on the courses. “We’ve had more flooding and, at the same time, more drought. But to me, personally, skiing is such an important part of my life, and culturally it is an important part of New Hampshire,” said Witkoskie, who attended Nashua High School North and is now a freshman at the University of New Hampshire.¹⁶

“I realized how much a small action like that [striking against a coal plant] could spark conversation in my school, in my community, in which there was basically none.” —Preesha Chatterjee, 17, 350NH Youth Team-member

As of this past summer, only three states—New Jersey, Connecticut, and California—issued requirements for climate change education for schools.¹⁷ Experts with the National Center for Science Education and the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund have recommended increasing climate literacy among students and preparing them with solutions and knowledge to combat the effects of climate change, so that young children can “flourish” as they become adults.¹⁸ This education should be not only informative but also inspiring.

Barry’s passion for environmental issues back in fifth grade snowballed into regular engagement with environmental campaigns and projects, including protesting—and defeating—plans for the construction of an asphalt plant in the state in 2022 and 2023.¹⁹ Several current members of the 350NH Youth Team, including Weintraub and Witkoskie, have pointed to Barry as the reason why they joined the organization in the first place.²⁰

Preesha Chatterjee, 17, also attributes the start of her environmental activism to older students she looked up to, at Bow High School.²¹ “It started for me my freshman year. I had friends who were seniors who were really into activism in general, and I basically had zero experience with activism as a whole, let alone the climate movement,” said Chatterjee, who is now a senior herself. “I really looked up to this group of seniors, so they kind of influenced me, and I joined a club at school called Teen Activist Group.”²²

It was in this group that Chatterjee learned about a coal plant located in her hometown of Bow. “I started to realize, Oh, this is a big thing that’s basically not talked about, and it’s important for me to get involved and do my part in combating it.”²³

Chatterjee soon became involved with the Youth Team and helped to organize a strike in the town’s center, calling for the coal plant to be shut down. She noted that while the protest had only just over a dozen attendees, it gained attention on social media, particularly from her peers at school, who commended her for the strike.²⁴

“I realized how much a small action like that could spark conversation in my school, in my community, in which there was basically none,” she said.²⁵

Inspiring All Ages

Having seen the positive effects of increased conversation about and knowledge of environmental issues, these students are hoping to help start that process at a younger age for those coming up behind them, via increased climate literacy. So when Weintraub first joined the 350NH Youth Team as a junior in high school, she and Barry visited a kindergarten class to discuss the negative impacts of a proposed asphalt plant in Nashua.

“That was super impactful for me. It was just really sweet, seeing how hopeful [the kids] were—it was almost naïve! But it was inspiring that no problem was too big for them to want to fix,” she said.²⁶

For Weintraub, the event was evidence that spreading awareness can help make change. She believes that just as students are taught about the impacts of bullying, drug and alcohol abuse, racism, and gender violence at a young age, there would be a consequential and lasting impact if climate change were discussed in a similar way.²⁷

“We acknowledge at a young age that there are all kinds of life issues, and we’re told about different ways to try to help solve or mitigate those issues. And all my peers and I grow up knowing those issues. Climate change is not one of them,” she said. “I think if we started learning about climate issues at a younger, pivotal age—even as early as second grade—it would be so important in terms of preparing youth.”²⁸

Getting Their Voices at the Table

On March 21, 2024, the New Hampshire state legislature ultimately voted to indefinitely postpone HR30—halting any progress on the climate literacy proposal for the year.²⁹ While the decision wasn’t the win the students were hoping for, Democratic State Representative Wendy Thomas still considers the teenagers successful.³⁰

“I don’t think that they failed with this, because they got on the radar and they got people talking about it,” Thomas said. “That was the goal, to get their voice at the table.”³¹

Thomas, who was the primary sponsor of the resolution, said she was left more than impressed by the students. They not only wrote the resolution but also attended school board meetings advocating for the change and testified in front of several members of the state legislature, explaining why increased climate literacy is necessary, having themselves seen drastic effects of climate change at such a young age.³²

“Even though the effort failed, a lot of us got hope from these youths, because they are the leaders of tomorrow, and they want change, and they’re not going to sit down until they get it,” Thomas said.³³

“Unfortunately, not a lot of my peers are that engaged in climate activism….They feel like it’s hopeless, and say that they can’t help. And I hope that, through my climate activism, I inspire people by showing them that it isn’t hopeless.” —Taylor Barry, 18, 350NH Youth Team-member

The students aren’t the only ones interested in increasing climate change literacy. Weintraub explained that she has spoken at length with her former science teachers, who say they would love to teach more on the issues.³⁴

“I think some of the teachers are nervous. They have to worry about getting in trouble with some parents,” she said. “I think that, collectively, they would love to teach about climate, but the preference appears to be to have training on it beforehand, because of the potential pushback.”³⁵

At Nashua High School North, Witkoskie has also spoken with teachers about incorporating climate change discussions into their curriculum.³⁶ She affirmed that while she hasn’t heard from any teacher against it, many feel that they are not qualified to take it on. “I know many of my teachers would be open to teaching it but they just don’t have the resources,” Witkoskie said.³⁷

Statewide, there also appears to be support from other New Hampshire residents regarding the initiative: data collected through the Climate Change in the American Mind project, led by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, found that in 2023, an estimated 75 percent of adults registered to vote in the United States believe that schools should be teaching about the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to the effects of climate change.³⁸

Building Momentum to Create Lasting Change

In the coming year, the 350NH Youth Team plans once again to put forward legislation supporting increased climate literacy in schools.³⁹ Where the initiative could go will likely be determined by the outcome of the general election in November, given the polarized views on the subject.

Elisabeth Bialosky, 350NH’s youth campaign organizer from June 2022 through August 2024, explained that as the group prepares to reintroduce legislation supporting climate literacy, they will also be exploring other election-related efforts to help ensure they have support in the state legislature.⁴⁰ This includes collaborating with organizations to get young voters registered, and sharing lawmakers’ public comments on social media, so that voters are fully aware of their platforms as they relate to climate change.⁴¹

The students have also been discussing contacting teachers’ unions, boards of education, and PTA groups in order to further boost their campaign for climate literacy and gather support from educators and parents.⁴²

Despite the state legislature decision this spring, members of the 350NH Youth Team believe that they are building momentum to create lasting change in New Hampshire and, hopefully, beyond. Through this work, many of the students hope to inspire their peers at high schools and on college campuses countrywide—and across the world—as they enter the next phase of their life.⁴³

“Unfortunately, not a lot of my peers are that engaged in climate activism,” Barry said. “I think that they’re scared of climate change, because they think it’s this huge doomsday situation. They feel like it’s hopeless, and say that they can’t help. And I hope that, through my climate activism, I inspire people by showing them that it isn’t hopeless and that there are people out there making positive developments in the field—and that they, too, can make a difference if they raise their voice.”⁴⁴

Notes:

1. Author interview with student and 350NH Youth Team-member Taylor Barry, May 17, 2024.
2. See “A Brief History,” 350 New Hampshire, accessed August 26, 2024, 350nh.org/350nh-history; and “Youth Organizing Team: High Schoolers Fighting for Climate Action,” 350 New Hampshire, accessed August 26, 2024, www.350nh.org/youth-team.
3. Author interview with Elisabeth Bialosky, former 350NH youth campaign organizer, May 4, 2024.
4. “What We Do,” 350NH Action, accessed August 14, 2024, 350nhaction.org/what-we-do.
5. “Our Wins: We Shut Down Pipelines and Coal Plants and We Brought Offshore Wind Planning to NH,” 350.org, accessed August 15, 2024, 350nh.org/350nh-wins; and “Granite Bridge Pipeline Dropped After Pressure from Grassroots Organizers,” 350.org, news release, August 1, 2020, 350.org/press-release/350nh-granite-bridge-pipeline-victory/.
6. “Climate at a Glance Statewide Time Series: New Hampshire Average Temperature December–March, 1895–2024,” National Centers for Environmental Information, accessed August 14, 2024, ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/time-series/27/tavg/4/3/1895-2024?base_prd=true&begbaseyear=1901&endbaseyear=2000; and NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, “U.S. climate winter recap and summary for February 2024,” NOAA Climate.gov, March 11, 2024, www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/us-climate-winter-recap-and-summary-february-2024.
7. Daymond Steer, “New daily heat record set atop Mount Washington,” New Hampshire Public Radio, June 20,2024, nhpr.org/nh-news/2024-06-20/new-daily-heat-record-set-atop-mount-washington; Emilee Speck and Aaron Barker, “Drone video shows coastal New Hampshire town flooded by seawater for second time this year,” FOX Weather, March 10, 2024, www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/coastal-flooding-closes-new-hampshire-beach-town; and Matt Hoenig, “New Hampshire will end winter with below-average snowfall, lots of rain,” WMUR-TV, March 12, 2024, www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-winter-snowfall-rain-31224/60179464.
8. Chris Beyrer, “Climate change poses dire health and human rights risks,” Eco-Business, April 29, 2024, eco-business.com/opinion/climate-change-poses-dire-health-and-human-rights-risks/.
9. Author interview with student and 350NH Youth Team-member Sarah Weintraub, May 23, 2024.
10. Author interviews with Barry and Weintraub, May 17 and May 23, 2024, respectively.
11. “Bill Text: NH HR30 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced: New Hampshire House Resolution 30,” LegiScan, accessed August 15, 2024, com/NH/text/HR30/id/2864346; and see Ani Freedman, “Teen Activists Seek Robust Climate Change Education in NH’s Public Schools,” InDepthNH, March 5, 2024, indepthnh.org/2024/03/05/teen-activists-seek-robust-climate-change-education-in-nhs-public-schools/.
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
15. Author interview with Barry.
16. Author interview with student and 350NH Youth Team-member Sonya Witkoskie, May 29, 2024.
17. “NJ Climate Change Education Resources,” Official Site of the State of New Jersey, Department of Education, last modified January 2, 2024, nj.gov/education/climate/learning/gradeband/; Substitute House Bill No. 5285, State of Connecticut General Assembly, February Session, 2022; and “Governor Newsom Issues Legislative Update 10.8.23,” Governor Gavin Newsom, October 8, 2023, www.gov.ca.gov/2023/10/08/governor-newsom-issues-legislative-update-10-8-23/.
18. See Making the Grade?: How State Public School Science Standards Address Climate Change (Oakland, CA: National Center for Science Education; and Austin, TX: Texas Freedom Network Education Fund, 2020).
19. Author interview with See also 350NH Action (@350nhaction), “IT’S OFFICIAL! There will be no new asphalt plant in Nashua!…” July 11, 2024, www.instagram.com/350nhaction/p/C9SgA11R9K2/; and Marina Vaz, “Progress Report: Victory for Nashua—Community Defeats Asphalt Plant,” Conservation Law Foundation, July 26, 2024, www.clf.org/blog/nashua-community-defeats-asphalt-plant/.
20. Author interviews with Weintraub and Witkoskie.
21. Author interview with student and 350NH Youth Team-member Preesha Chatterjee, May 25, 2024.
22. Ibid.
23. Ibid.
24. Ibid.
25. Ibid.
26. Author interview with Weintraub.
27. Ibid.
28. Ibid.
29. “Bill Text: NH ”
30. Author interview with Democratic State Representative Wendy Thomas, June 18, 2024.
31. Ibid.
32. Ibid.
33. Ibid.
34. Author interview with Weintraub.
35. Ibid.
36. Author interview with Witkoskie.
37. Ibid.
38. Anthony Leiserowitz et , Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023 (New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication; and Fairfax, VA: George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, 2023), 7.
39. Author interview with Bialosky.
40. Ibid.
41. Ibid.
42. Author interview with Barry.
43. Ibid.
44. Ibid.