Third and Fourth-Graders Promote Carpooling with School-wide Initiative

Progress toward meaningful climate change policy was a mixed bag in 2019. Many observers might make a pessimistic case by pointing to the litany of issues left unresolved after two weeks of high-level international climate negotiations in Madrid, or to the increasingly dire warnings from scientists about our rapidly warming planet. There were some good things, too, like the fresh urgency in the U.S. House of Representatives to craft new policies to reduce emissions. But one thing sticks out most of all... and thankfully it represents good news. As exemplified by Time’s 2019 “Person of the Year,” 17-year-old Greta Thunberg of Sweden, climate change activism enjoyed a surge of energy as young people joined the movement, scolding those in power for their inaction and daring leaders to live up to their commitments.

One does not have to look to Europe for inspired and empowered kids trying to make a positive difference, however. In suburban Maryland, a few miles northeast of the nation’s capital, third- and fourth-graders at Friends Community School (FCS) in College Park have been learning all about climate change. And doing something about it.

EESI Executive Director Daniel Bresette asks Friends Community School students about their Carpool Project

This author has a special interest in the goings-on at FCS... because it is where his son attends Kindergarten. When you arrive on campus for the first time, the school’s emphasis on sustainability is pretty obvious: the main building is LEED-certified and supports a green roof, for example, and there are almost always birds flitting around the gardens of native plants and deer wandering around the edge of the woods. None of it is just for show; take, for example, the school’s zero-waste policy. This author was surprised at first when half-eaten lunches and empty cartons and wrappers were being sent home instead of thrown away or recycled. But it was a good reminder that waste is, well, wasteful, and can be neatly reduced with a little added mindfulness about menu planning and a few extra reusable containers.

The geography of the school, though, means that most everybody has to drive there. There is a Metrobus stop, but it is only served by one route, lacks lighting, and is mainly accessible to pedestrians willing to jaywalk through a busy rotary. Even those who live in nearby Berwyn Heights must cross a four-lane divided highway, using a single crosswalk, to reach the school. This reliance on gas-guzzling cars is a big obstacle to making the FCS community more sustainable.

In November, teacher Tess Ross-Callahan sent a message to FCS parents with a survey that pointed to a possible near-term solution: carpooling. Her third- and fourth-graders had identified carpooling—or, more specifically, too little carpooling—as an issue they needed to study and tackle as the final action project for their Climate Change Thematic Study. If they did a good job, they reasoned, and influenced beneficial behavior change, then their project might actually help lower emissions.

A chance to meet Tess and her students before the holiday break gave this author an opportunity to learn all about their project, from its origins as a bright idea through its implementation and execution. The class had split itself into committees to divvy up tasks and promote focus. Some students crafted a survey to help the class understand the (real and perceived) barriers that prevent more FCS families from sharing rides. Others worked on advertising the project, while one group met with administrators and teachers to generate school-wide support for the survey once it was sent around.

About 140 parents completed the survey. (To put that in context, about 240 students attend FCS). The feedback was parsed, and trends and common responses were quickly identified. The students were a little surprised by the fact that the majority of responses were squarely in the “maybe” category—expressions of interest hedged by busy schedules, inconvenience, and the demands of after-school activities. (This author himself was a reliable “maybe” across the board.)

With the knowledge of carpooling attitudes gleaned from the survey results, the class once again broke out into groups: “ambassadors” would discuss carpooling options with the assistants who run afternoon programming, “announcers” would get the word out at school events, “presenters” would prepare an informative bulletin board for the hallway, and the “FoCuS” team would meet with the middle-schoolers in charge of the student newspaper to write copy and place ads. At the December 20 holiday show, students shared their knowledge about the causes and effects of climate change with parents and the greater FCS community. And they began to circulate a student-written, teacher-shot short video about their project to show families new to the school.

New families, the students hypothesized, are a key FCS constituency and perhaps especially receptive to their pro-carpooling message. Some of the ways to promote carpooling discovered by the students might appeal to new families that have not yet established morning routines, which the students think are more suitable for carpooling as they are less variable than afternoon pick-up schedules. And an online portal to help families identify potential fellow carpoolers would be especially helpful to those just getting to know their FCS neighbors. The new video would be a great resource for administrators, teachers, and students to share with new families during their orientation.

The project the students undertook is impressive, but unfortunately the results they found are typical. People are creatures of habit, and resistant to potential inconvenience (“Sure, carpooling is a good, sustainable practice, but….”). Granted, sometimes carpooling is simply out of the question. But even occasional carpooling would help. It would take a little extra thought—some planning and coordination with neighbors—but it would help. In the long run, it would make a difference by lowering emissions. All the excuses not to carpool are just that... excuses. And now these kids know it.

 

Author: Daniel Bresette