KidWind, For A Brighter Tomorrow...
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 02. 4.07
In light of the recent IPCC report released this past week and stating essentially that global warming is a runaway train that can’t be stopped for centuries, it may be tempting to give up hope for a brighter future… But like any patient who suffers from a chronic disease that is potentially fatal, not only is education about the condition itself essential, but also what we can do to help mitigate its impact. So thinking back over the last couple of years as the Long Island Power Authority has struggled along with local environmental groups in New York to educate the public about the clear environmental benefits of clean energy and what could be the first offshore wind farm in the US, it seems apparent to me that if area schools had access to a program such as KidWind 15-20 years ago the resistance they’ve encountered today might well be less intense and better informed. Essentially, KidWind is a small non-profit started by a former California science teacher that seeks to improve the quality and quantity of wind energy science education in classrooms across the United States. Founder Michael Arquin had always been fascinated with clean renewable sources of energy, but found himself facing a lack of good classroom resources on the topic. In the face of his own dilemma, he decided to hold a Wind Energy Challenge in his classes to help students understand and appreciate wind power, and as he witnessed the enthusiasm with which his kids took to the idea, he realized that an idea was born…
What started out as one teachers’ quest to improve his students’ appreciation of wind has today grown to becoming a source for all kinds of great stuff for other teachers to use to help educate their own students’. In fact, KidWind offers everything from do-it-yourself kits that teachers can use in the classroom, to all kinds of curricular materials, lesson plans, science fair ideas, and in-school seminars specifically for teachers to improve their own knowledge that have been given across the country. In the face of the significant planetary changes to come, and coupled with the opportunity to reach parents with the knowledge that kids bring home; it just may be that programs like KidWind can play a vital role in educating kids of all ages about ways to mitigate the impact of climate change, and providing a brighter future for us all…
You might also want to check out the junior solar sprint, they do the same thing only for solar.
http://www.thesietch.org/positivechange/jss/JSS2006.htm
http://www.thesietch.org/positivechange/jss/JSS.htm
This guy is great. He's here in the Twin Cites and might teach a alt energy class for my moms engineering education organization
Michael's great -- I wholeheartedly recommend his teaching materials, and he's a very effective educator.