“`html
“Shut your eyes and envision that we are on the same squad. Same venue. Same uniform. And the match is crucial,” Jaylen Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP for the Boston Celtics, addressed a filled room of approximately 200 individuals at the recent Day of Climate event at the MIT Museum.
“Now consider this: We aren’t competing for ourselves; we are advocating for the upcoming generation,” Brown added, motivating participants to take climate action.
The inaugural Day of Climate event united local students, educators, community figures, and the MIT community. Featuring project displays, discussion panels, and a series of speakers, the occasion ignited practical learning and motivated climate action across all age groups.
The event celebrated the first anniversary of a broader initiative bearing the same name. Guided by the pK-12 team at MIT Open Learning, Day of Climate has convened learners and educators by offering complimentary, interactive curriculum lessons and activities intended to familiarize learners with climate change, demonstrate its impact on their lives, and reflect on its consequences for humanity.
Cynthia Breazeal, dean of digital learning at MIT Open Learning, highlights the extensive engagement across MIT that enabled the event, along with the larger initiative, through contributions from over 10 different MIT divisions, laboratories, centers, and initiatives.
“MIT is dedicated to K-12 education,” she states. “It was genuinely uplifting to see how our entire community united to illustrate the strength of collaboration and advocacy in fostering significant change.”
From education to action
The event commenced with a showcase, where the Day of Climate grantees and learners welcomed attendees to explore their projects and engage meaningfully with lessons and activities. Aranya Karighattam, a local high school senior, modified the curriculum Urban Heat Islands — developed by Lelia Hampton, a PhD candidate in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, and Chris Rabe, program director at the MIT Environmental Solution Initiative — explaining how this phenomenon affects the Boston metropolitan area.
Karighattam elaborated on possible actions to protect local communities from urban heat islands. They proposed increasing tree cover in areas with the lowest quartile of coverage as one mitigation strategy, but emphasized that even minor actions, like creating a garden and raising awareness about this issue, can be impactful.
Day of Climate echoed a persistent call to action, urging participants to actively engage in both education and action. Brown, an MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellow, discussed how education and collective efforts will pave the way to confront significant societal challenges. “We need to invest in sustainable communities,” he stated. “We need to invest in clean technology, and we need to invest in education that promotes environmental stewardship.”
Part of MIT’s broader sustainability endeavors, including The Climate Project, the event reflected a commitment to nurturing a resilient and sustainable future for everyone. Influenced by the Climate Action Through Education (CATE), Day of Climate panelist Sophie Shen shared how climate education inspired her civic engagement. “Learning about climate change has motivated me to take action on a broader systemic level,” she noted.
Shen, a senior at Arlington High School and a local elected representative, stressed that involvement and action appear different for each person. “There are numerous ways to participate,” she stated. “This could involve starting a community garden — these can serve as excellent community hubs and educational spaces — or it might encompass advocating to local or state governments.”
Becoming a catalyst for change
The broader Day of Climate initiative encourages youth to grasp the interdisciplinary nature of climate change and contemplate how the evolving climate impacts various facets of life. With curriculum available for learners aged 4 to 18, these no-cost activities range from Climate Change Charades, where learners act out terms like “deforestation” and “recycling,” to Climate Change Happens Below Water, where students utilize sensors to assess water quality data such as pH and solubility.
Many speakers at the event recounted personal stories from their childhood about how climate education, both inside and outside of the classroom, has influenced the direction of their lives. Addaline Jorroff, deputy climate chief and director of mitigation and community resilience in the Office of Climate Resilience and Innovation for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, detailed how resources from MIT played a crucial role in her education during middle and high school, while Jaylen Brown described how his grandmother taught him the importance of caring for the planet, through recycling and collecting litter together in his youth.
Claudia Urrea, director of the pK-12 team at Open Learning and director of Day of Climate, emphasizes how providing opportunities at schools — through new curriculum, classroom resources, and mentorship — is essential, but offering other educational prospects is also important: particularly opportunities that empower learners to become strong leaders.
“I firmly believe that this event not only motivated young learners to take significant actions, both large and small, toward a better future, but also inspired all stakeholders to continue creating opportunities for these young learners to develop as future leaders,” Urrea remarks.
The team intends to host the Day of Climate event annually, bringing together youth, educators, and the MIT community. Urrea aspires that the event will serve as a catalyst for change — for all.
“We hope Day of Climate acts as an opportunity for everyone to recognize the interconnectedness of our actions,” Urrea states. “Understanding this broader system is critical for addressing current and future challenges, ultimately making the world a better place for everyone.”
The Day of Climate event was organized by the Day of Climate team in partnership with MIT Climate Action Through Education (CATE) and Earth Day Boston.
“`