Many students, including myself, feel small and helpless when it comes to the global task of avoiding environmental catastrophe. Beloved A.P. Environmental Science teacher Mrs. Kleinman gives her two cents on how students can best cope with the enormity of this problem and still remain focused on making a difference. She strives for a progress not perfection model. “Live your life everyday doing something that brings us closer to us all doing the right thing. Each person and decision is cumulative. Sometimes just take a step back from the big global disaster viewpoint and just go towards all the things that you do in your life that make a positive impact," said Kleinman. I sat down with Mrs. Kleinman recently to delve deeper into how we can make a difference.
What are small ways students can help the environment?
“You have to pick the thing that you can do easiest, which will not be the same for everybody. For some people that could be walking places instead of driving, ordering chicken or veggies instead of beef, switching out household products. You have to be the one to decide where you can make the change in your life.”
What inspires you to teach APES?
“I just want clean air, water, and healthy food for my kids. People should be able to live on the planet sustainably so we can keep going.”
What do you institute in your own classroom?
“I try to use the fans and windows instead of the AC, I have recycle bins for the cups and bottles, when the fish die I feed them to the turtles. It’s tough because I like to use paper in my classroom, but I do recycle it all. To be honest it's hard to be super environmental in this school. It takes a concerted effort from students to administration to custodians. Everybody has to be on board.”
Is there still hope?
“Of course. That is why I get up every morning. Things will change, but the more we mitigate, the less we’ll have to adapt.”