Educate our Kindergartners and Primary school children for Sustainability.

by Geoffrey Grant
(Munster, Indiana, USA)

Thank you for showing all of the ideas and groups involved within this serious issue, but one group that has been left out are children who are 12 and younger.

Their minds are fresh, impressionable and sponges for all of the contamination and pollution issues.

Instead of allowing them to occupy their time with

Mindless "kill the bad guy" Computer Games,

show them games which define the problem, factors and some of the solutions for all types of pollution, including manmade light. Reward them with new levels or tools to solve more difficult pollution problems.

Allow them to use the computer software, to draw solutions with Paint Boards and let the Administrator of the Game or Games give them the next levels to solve.

I believe that Stuff in the air is related to all of our military, industrial, civic, scientific research and consumer use/handling systems and that all of our products can be recycled for reuse in a safe manner.

The highest level of the Worldwide computer game has to be a level where each type of pollution becomes a harmless product that is reused in a new product = Sustainability.

Let our children be a part of their own legacy and future solutions.

Barry's response to teaching kids sustainability...

That's a great idea. Instead of doom-and-gloom climate change lectures, how about interactive games? You've got a great head. Let's raise problem-solvers, not little parrots who repeat, "The Earth is warming, and it's all your fault."

Let's be Honest

Educating kids about climate isn't just about making them aware. It's about the way we teach. That's when things get weird.

There are two ways to be sustainable, two ways to teach climate and sustainability:

• Teach with fear: "If we don't stop using fossil fuels NOW, the world will burn, the glaciers will melt, and polar bears will knock on your door looking for couches to sleep on." It gets attention, but it also instills anxiety, helplessness, and guilt. Is a 7-year-old's juice box straw causing hurricanes? I'm not sure.
• Here's how the natural world works: Here's how it works. It's human-made.

Think like engineers, inventors, and entrepreneurs." Kids become critical thinkers, not just climate activists.

This Science should be Taught

It's important to balance sustainability discussions with meteorological and climate science. Here's what kids (and adults) should know:

Earth's temperature is mostly controlled by the sun. Solar radiation and cosmic rays also play a big role. (Why don't we hear more about that?)

There have been ice ages and warm periods long before SUVs. It's a good idea to teach kids about the Medieval Warm Period (when Vikings farmed in Greenland) and the Little Ice Age (when the Thames River froze solid).

The CO2 isn't the Only Factor - We focus so much on CO2, but what about water vapor? What about ocean currents, volcanic activity, and natural weather cycles?

It'd be great if we could just flip a switch and run the whole world on wind and solar. Grids don't work like that. How do solar panels work? What do you do when there's no wind?

Kids need to learn that humans can impact the environment, but they can also adapt, innovate, and improve. Christian stewardship involves taking care of creation without idolizing the Earth.

What's a fun, engaging way to teach? This is where your video game idea shines. You can do it this way:

• Kids design technological solutions to pollution and waste instead of shaming them for existing. Want cleaner energy? What's the best way to balance that with energy demand? How do you reduce waste? What's the best way to make recycling work?
• Play Earth Builders and balance economy, energy, environment, and innovation. Regulate too much and crash the economy? Ignore pollution and deal with the consequences? Fun and practical trade-offs.
• What about a game that teaches kids about carbon capture, reforestation, and natural solutions like ocean phytoplankton?

Experiment with real science to balance emissions and innovation.

What kind of Kids are we Raising?

We're raising:
- Do you think critically? Problem solvers (who test ideas)
- Blind followers? They don't question what they're told

Teaching sustainability is best done by letting kids explore all facts, not just the ones that are politically convenient. Let them think for themselves instead of handing them a script.

They're gonna run the world one day, not just protest. That's a great idea. Don't tell kids what to think, teach them how to think. Human ingenuity, adaptation, and freedom to explore ideas should be the focus of sustainability, not just climate alarmism.

What's up? Do any of these games appeal to you? 😆