Durango High School students among panelists on climate education in Colorado
Youth climate activists with the Durango High School Green Team participated Thursday in a panel discussion about climate change and water education in Colorado.
The panel followed the first-ever screening of “Thirsting for a Future,” a film by Christi Bode. The 30-minute film dives into what climate education looks like throughout Colorado and how students learn about water in the state. Two DHS Green Team members sat on the panel along with their staff sponsor, Alan Szech, and Aisha O’Neil, a former member of the club who also founded the Good Trouble Climate Network.
“The film just underscores how important climate education is,” O’Neil said.
The filmmaker, Christi Bode, calls Pagosa Springs home and said the Durango screening made her feel encouraged. Bode has gotten to know O’Neil over the past two years and said it’s exciting to see how O’Neil has inspired youths in Durango.
“I really feel encouraged by how active the youth are in this community and want to see the film be used as a tool that can really enable more conversations like this,” Bode said of the film and the panel.
Ahead of the screening, Bode asked the audience to answer a question: How are you feeling about the current environment? The audience gave one-word responses, ranging from hopeful to anxious and unsettled.
“Thirsting for a Future” opened with a shot of kids wading in Lake Powell and asking them what they think would happen if the lake dried up. It then wound through water education programs across Colorado, showcasing a water pen pal program between Basalt and Aurora intended to diversify student conversations between the Front Range and the Western Slope. The panel opened following the film’s conclusion.
“It really hit close to home for sure,” Annabeth Hanson, the president of the DHS Green Team, said of the film. “Just seeing the skiing, the rafting, everything outdoors – it’s all stuff that growing up in Durango has been such a huge part of my life, and really monumental in shaping the way I see the natural world and the environment.”
Annabeth is a senior at DHS. She said she’s taken every science class DHS has to offer and even some classes with Fort Lewis College. She said she takes those classes as electives because she cares, not because it’s required, which speaks to the school system.
“Right now in Colorado, climate education is a privilege instead of a right,” O’Neil said.
Abigail Phelps, the DHS Green Team secretary, said climate education shouldn’t be controversial. She said it’s not about forcing ideas on people; rather, “it’s just learning about it, and then kids can form their own perspectives on it.”
Education is just one part of the conversation, said Szech, the Green Team adviser. People also need to care and be interested, and then they can be provided with education, he said.
The discussion circled how the students and O’Neil are shaping their community and facilitating conversations and education about climate change and water scarcity. The common sentiments: talk about it and start small.
“You don’t have to go change the world. You’re not going to fight climate change all by yourself,” Abigail said. “But there’s smaller things you can do – you can be smart about how much water you use while showering.”
Bode said she was inspired by youth conversation and action, and what started as a singular film on water education could transform into a docuseries – if funding can be secured. Bode is looking at 10- to 15-minute episodes that can spur conversation and be used as a classroom tool, she said.
The film will premiere Nov. 8 on Rocky Mountain PBS, Bode said. She also has two more screenings scheduled in Cortez and Towaoc at the end of October, and is hoping for a screening during Fort Lewis College’s water week.