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IN THIS ISSUE
Character Op-Ed: The Food Crisis, Genetically Modified Crops, and You
Teacher's Lounge: Get Serious About Sustainability
Character in the Curriculum: Make Your Local Ethical Shopping Guide
Web Poll: Should Personal Finance Courses Take Precedence Over Mathematics in Public Schools?
Commentary by Michael Josephson: Caring Is More Important Than Plants
ON THE SIDE
Announcements
Donuts in the Lunchroom: Earth Day – Hooray!
Resource of the Month: Environmentally Friendly CC! Tote Bag
CC! in the News
Did You Know? The Environment Affects Your Mental Health
Free Teacher Resources: The Story of Stuff
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Character Op-Ed
The Food Crisis, Genetically Modified Crops,
and You
The cost of rice has soared 75 percent in just the past two months, triggering food riots from Haiti to Mexico to Bangladesh to the Philippines. According to the World Bank, the increase could push 100 million people deeper into poverty by as early as next year.
Most Americans have never experienced severe hunger, but with gas and food prices continually rising and reaching record numbers (the cost of bread rose 7.4 percent last year, twice the rate of inflation, says the Labor Department), those at the lower end of the economic spectrum could face devastating consequences in the near future.
What is causing this perfect storm? Smaller tracts of arable land due to increasing urbanization, livestock grazing, and land reserved for bio-fuel crops.
The market would seem ripe for a new seed. One that would slash food costs because of its near infallibility to survive. That new seed has arrived, but there’s a catch – it’s genetically modified (GM).
Despite concerns over long-term consequences of GM crops, regulators have so far been more likely to overlook them in favor of reaping a short-term solution to higher prices. And that has triggered a vigorous debate. If you’re looking for the perfect marriage of science and character education in your curriculum, this topic is a natural.
According the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, the goal of agriculture is shifting from production to environmental and social issues. This is more prevalent in developed countries where food scarcity is not a problem and people are more concerned with health and environment over cost and availability. But being green sometimes comes with a price.
From 2001 until its discovery in 2004, the Swiss agri-biotech firm Syngenta accidentally sold an unapproved, genetically modified seed variety of maize called Bt10 to U.S. farmers. The product was subsequently released into the market, exported to countries that have a moratorium on Bt10, and naturally released into the environment by being carried on the wind and releasing substances into the soil. The mistake wasn’t made public until Nature magazine uncovered the scandal in 2005.
Debate points to raise with your students:
- Do we say “yes” or “no” to GM crops? And if yes, how should they be regulated?
- What are the alternatives to GM crops in the face of rising food prices and chronic poverty?
- If we grow identical seeds on a massive scale, what are the consequences for the food chain, particularly if those seeds are not immune to emerging disease?
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Those in favor of GM crop development say we’ve been altering the DNA of our food for years, using hybrid varieties to develop hardier and higher-yield crops. Biotechnology allows such advances at a faster rate.
Those who oppose GM crops say they evolve and interact with the environment, creating imprecise varieties of the original product whose effects are unknown, instable, and can’t be safely regulated.
In the case of Bt10, it was mistaken for Bt11, a previously approved strain. Regulators in some countries accept identical proteins under one submission, while other countries require a separate regulation for each individual protein. The Bt10 variety contained the same protein as Bt11, but the resulting crop was highly resistant to antibiotics and contained DNA that could live in the gut. This could effectively turn humans into living pesticide machines.
Last month’s Web Poll asked “Are the possible benefits of genetically engineering foods worth the unanticipated risks?” The results (15 percent said they were unsure) indicate a lack of awareness on the topic, but a great deal of enthusiasm for it.
By encouraging your students to learn about and discuss important and controversial issues such as this, you’ll enhance their skills as discriminating readers, encourage innovative scientific inquiry, and develop their opinions on topics that will have serious consequences outside the classroom. This is one instance where they can directly and immediately apply what they learn to real-life situations and be real agents for ethical change.
Teacher's Lounge
Get Serious About Sustainability
The Industrial Revolution marked the birth of a new era in human history, an economic and social transformation driven by technology, manufacturing, and transportation. It sparked an age of innovation and invention and challenged the limits of human imagination. But at the same time, our young industrial society made reckless, self-serving choices without regard to the consequences to the environment.
And now, we have a mess on our hands.
On February 2, 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body of hundreds of scientists from around the world, announced that climate change is indisputable and poses a great threat to life on earth.
Breaking the Ice on Global Warming
Almost exactly one year after global warming became a universally accepted issue, a chunk of ice seven times the size of Manhattan dislodged from an Antarctic shelf and disintegrated into the ocean.
Because global warming and cooling are linked to industrial economics, the issue is often made into a political tug-of-war that causes more contention than consensus. “We're in a giant car heading toward a brick wall and everyone's arguing over where they're going to sit,” muses Canadian geneticist and environmentalist David Suzuki.
Everyone has a role to play in facing what U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has called the “defining challenge of our age.” It’s up to educators to spread the word. Is your school teaching climate change? If not, now is the time to start.
Four Ways to Grow Green
Avert political gridlock with character education. Educators are often pressured into staying within a defined curriculum to avoid turmoil. This makes it challenging to introduce politically charged issues such as global warming. For this one, stress that climate change is a human issue (not a political one) that will economically and socially affect people all over the globe.
Enlist the language of the Six Pillars of Character when persuading administrators or community members. Argue that good citizens of the 21st century respect nature and have a responsibility to one another to maintain a clean, habitable environment. As denizens of a global village, we also have a duty to be fair when distributing and consuming limited natural resources.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair summed it up when he said, “The only society that works today is one founded on mutual respect, on a recognition that we have a responsibility collectively and individually to help each other on the basis of each other's equal worth. A selfish society is a contradiction in terms.” -
Avoid talk of the apocalypse. “We have just ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tailspin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics, and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced,” warns the documentary An Inconvenient Truth. How do you break that kind of news to a kid?
Start by explaining the science behind global warming. Like the saying goes, people fear what they don’t understand. Stick with what we know. Touch on, but don’t dwell on, the hypothetical consequences of climate change. It’s important that kids grasp the gravity of the situation, but scaring them won’t reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Change the world. Even though scientists predict dire consequences if we continue along the trajectory of industrial “progress,” many are optimistic about the future. Glenn Albrecht, an Australian researcher and professor who studies the effects of climate change on the human psyche, offers this thought: “I’m not willing to give up on encouraging change towards sustainability even in the face of what looks like overwhelming negative forces.”
It’s an exciting time to be alive. As teachers, we can get the ball rolling by encouraging youngsters to play a pivotal role in the fate of climate change. Empower your students to live sustainably, promote eco-awareness, and get involved in the political process.
Take advantage of technology. Because the U.S. government is just now accepting that human activity has contributed to climate change, textbook publishers are scrambling to introduce comprehensive coverage of the issue. Look to the Web for teaching resources. As a start, we recommend these pages (listed alphabetically):
11th Hour Action.com
An extension of the documentary, The 11th Hour, which explores how we live, how we impact the earth’s ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course. The following pages offer specific ways students of all ages can get involved in the green movement:
Take Action – Schools and Colleges
Take Action – Kids
AIT in the Classroom
Supplemental materials to An Inconvenient Truth, the award-winning documentary on former Vice President Al Gore’s campaign to make global warming a worldwide issue.
The Center for Eco Literacy
Dedicated to education for sustainable living.
Children and Urban Agriculture
Links to programs, projects, and resources for educating children about sustainability.
The Cloud Institute for Sustainable Education
Inspires young people to think about their world, their place in it, and their ability to influence it.
EPA Climate Change Kids Site
Offers information, games, and resources for teachers and administrators.
Global Challenge
Challenges students to get involved in solving the world’s most intractable problems, including climate change, poverty, and disease.
NOW Classroom
A television program and accompanying Web database provided by PBS dedicated to exploring current events. Use the search function to find information on global warming.
Roots & Shoots
Jane Goodall Institute’s program is a powerful, youth-driven, global network of more than 8,000 groups in almost 100 countries that encourages service-learning projects that promote care and concern for animals, the environment, and the human community. A special segment of the site is dedicated to educators.
The Urban and Environmental Policy Institute
An umbrella group for community-based sustainability initiatives, education, and other programs.
Revolve or Evolve
Fewer than 300 years after the Industrial Revolution, modern civilization has arrived at the brink of its adolescence. Technology won’t disappear, but we have an opportunity to transcend our self-absorbed, industrial youth. Will we mature into a respectful, globally conscious, sustainable citizenry? Or will we continue to rebel against nature? Educators have the power to shape the future. You decide.
Comment on this story in our blog »
Web Poll
Sound Off
Millions of Americans face foreclosure due to the subprime mortgage crisis. Should personal finance and economics courses take precedence over mathematics in public schools?
Respond and see the results »
Last Month's Poll Results
Last month we asked if the benefits of genetically modified food outweigh the risks.
Your Response:
Yes |
25% |
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No |
60% |
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Unsure |
15% |
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Your Comments:
Yes "From the research, I see only benefits. No one has proven risks!"
"When precautions are taken, genetic engineering can possibly remove the bad and keep the good in foods."
"The problem won’t hurt anybody. So I think we shouldn’t worry and let professional scientists figure it out."
No "When will we realize that we need to work with nature rather than dominate it?"
"Many new health problems are arising that haven’t been seen in the past. I wonder how many are the result of things that have already been altered, such as gluten allergies to wheat."
"[This is] another example of corporate greed replacing the common good and common sense."
Character in the Curriculum
Tips
Our Foundations for Life program offers free writing prompts, lesson plans, and cross-curricular connections based on character-related maxims that complement your existing programs.
Learn more »
Monthly Lesson Plan: Make Your Own Ethical Shopping Guide
Involving students in taking responsibility for their actions is a great way to teach good decision-making skills.
This month’s lesson helps them understand the consequences of what they choose to buy by developing a guide for local goods and services that are environmentally safe and friendly.
This project can be extended as a fundraiser to help raise money for local clean-up projects or to buy new CC! tote bags in which to put all the environmental goods when the guide is done!
Access the lesson plan »
Would you like to see your lesson plan published? Send it to us and we’ll pick our favorites!
> Find free Foundations for Life resources
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Commentary by Michael Josephson
Caring Is More Important Than Plants
Gary Smit, a school superintendent in Lombard, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), is a passionate advocate of CHARACTER COUNTS! He says his school system adopted the program because it makes such a difference in the lives of kids and communities.
He illustrates his convictions with powerful stories including the following. It seems that an elementary school was engaged in a major fundraising drive to purchase plants and flowers to beautify its grounds. After collecting $400, it scheduled a Saturday for a special planting celebration and sought the help of kids and their parents.
One student – a girl I'll call Karen – announced in a planning meeting that she and her parents could not participate in the planting because her father had lost his job and they’d just been evicted from their apartment. She said she would be moving to another school.
Chris, a fourth-grader, immediately made a motion to donate all the money they had collected for plants to Karen's family so she could stay in the school. “If we’re a CHARACTER COUNTS! school,” he said, “caring is more important than plants.” The motion passed unanimously.
When the faculty heard about this gesture, they decided to match the $400. And when word got to the local newspaper, the community contributed more money. Karen's father was offered a job, and she was able to stay at the school and eventually graduated.
By the way, Dr. Smit added, the entire school was beautifully landscaped with plants and flowers also donated by members of the community – all because of the character of one fourth-grade boy.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
Adapted from Michael Josephson's Gabriel Award-winning radio commentaries, airing every day across the nation. They also appear daily in the Commentary blog, where you can post responses and see what others have to say.
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