Join NOAA Planet Stewards for our first Book Club meeting of the 2023-2024 academic year. We’ll discuss Don’t Look Up, an apocalyptic political satire comedy film that tells the story of two astronomers attempting to warn humanity about an approaching comet that will destroy human civilization. The impact event is an allegory for climate change, and the film is a satire of government, political, celebrity, and media indifference to the climate crisis. The film is available on Netflix.

Meeting Date & Time: Tuesday, September 12 at 8:00 PM Eastern Time

Video Conference Log In: meet.google.com/wnf-wuxm-dom

Phone Dial In #: (‪US) ‪+1 401-285-4760

Pin: 743 337 488#

• For details on all our meeting dates, times, selections, and how to log in, go to our Upcoming Events Page.
• Make sure you receive reminder announcements! Sign up to our mailing list.
• See previously selected books and discussion questions in our Book Club Archive.

In the latest issue of The Earth Scientist read stories NOAA Planet Stewards educators engaging their students, schools, and communities to affect real and lasting changes - and get inspired to take action in your community!

Congratulations to all our Planet Stewards authors! Read all their articles here including:

• Advocates for Change by Amy Durham Shea
• Floating Wetlands for the Future by Deanna Orr
• Keepers of Turtle Islands by Amelia Cook
• Clean Up Crew: Empowering Changemakers by Kelley Hodges
• Beaumont Rain and Butterfly Garden by P. Goff & K. Trahan
• Seminole HS Landscape Architecture Project by Jerry Cantrell

CNN will be holding their third annual Call to Earth Day on November 8, 2023, featuring classes and groups from around the world working to protect our connected ecosystems. CNN is looking to raise awareness of environmental issues and engage with conservation education. Project-Based Lesson Plans, written by NOAA Planet Steward, Kottie Christie-Blick, are on CNN Call to Earth Day: Our Shared Home.

What can you and your class do to help protect our planet? Join CNN on November 8th for a special day of coverage on TV, digital, and their social media channels, to celebrate a planet worth protecting. But first, click here to learn more and to register your event. 

USA Blue Schools are K-12 schools that are working to increase awareness about the ocean and inspire educators, students, and community members to deepen their connection with the sea. Participating schools may be involved in action projects such as park/beach cleanups, data collection, community science activities, and educational workshops via webinars with scientists and marine educators, online symposia for students to share their successes, and opportunities to connect with other Blue Schools, both in the US and internationally.

Learn more about the USA Blue Schools and complete the short application to register your school. 

Created by One Cool Earth with funding provided by the NOAA Marine Debris Program, this Marine Debris Prevention Best Practices Manual is a comprehensive guide to help establish lasting change on school campuses. It covers tips and tricks for engaging students in assessing school waste, bringing student leaders together into “Green Teams,” and supporting the entire school community with marine debris prevention. Learn creative ways to minimize waste in the classroom, in the cafeteria, in school gardens, and on the playground. These strategies are accompanied by case studies, standards-aligned lesson plans, videos, and other resources.

Learn more.

During summer break, scientists from NOAA and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography summarized their latest findings: another record year of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels into territory not seen for millions of years. Last month, measurements of CO₂ obtained by NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory averaged 424.0 parts per million (ppm), a 3.0 ppm increase over the 2022 average for May.

Carbon dioxide levels are now more than 50% higher than they were before the onset of the industrial era.

So, what IS the cost to the ocean? Students can explore the lessons in the Ocean Acidification module to explore cause-and-effect relationships between rising carbon dioxide concentrations, ocean chemistry and the growth and survival of shell-building organisms! 

Explore the Module Resources!

As our planet faces the challenges of a changing climate, understanding the Arctic's delicate ecosystem and the significance of melting ice is crucial for our students. The following activity, video, and article will inspire curiosity, critical thinking, and a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of our world.

Resources:

• Activity: Polar Lab
• Videos:
  • After the Ice - Part 1: Our Food
  • After the Ice - Part 2: Our Land
  • After the Ice - Part 3: Our Story
• Article: The surprising connection between Arctic ice and Western wildfires

Click on the links below to find how Ice Cores can tell us about past climates and help us make predictions on future climate changes.

• What is an Ice Core? with Video
• An Introduction to Ice Cores  (NASA)
• Cutting to the Core  (AGU)
• About Ice Cores   (NSF)
• Ice Core Data 
• How Scientists Study Ice Cores (NOAA)
• CO2 Earth

Air bubbles in an ice core from the Antarctic: The ice is up to 24,000 years old.
Credit: Bernhard Bereiter/Scripps Institution of Oceanography/Empa/University of Berne

This resource from the CLEAN collection has teaching tips, relevant standards, and other guidance for how to use an interactive tool from Climate Central to help students identify potential risks (to people, buildings, infrastructure, contamination, land) for selected coastal areas in the US, using scenarios of water level rising from 0-10 feet.

Surging Seas Risk Finder

The Sam and Mary Lawrence Foundation’s Sea2Earth Fund will provide up to $50,000 in small grants to 501c3 nonprofit organizations that support the Sea2Earth Fund’s goals of connecting youth and adults to nature through immersive experiences that inspire caring and stewardship. 

To apply to Sea2Earth's funding opportunity, please send a brief Letter of Interest (LOI) by Friday, September 10, 2023, which responds to the LOI outline found on the Sea2Earth Website here. Learn more about the Sea2Earth Fund.