Learner Shares with Climate Science and Environmental Justice Class

Parker welcomed a special guest to campus this week, as parent emeritus Howard Learner came to speak to the Upper School Climate Science and Environmental Justice class. This course, co-taught by History teacher Andrew Bigelow and Science teacher Ryan Zaremba, combines climate science with a corresponding focus on history and politics, involving two days that are science-focused and two days that are history- or politics-focused each week, with a lab or a guest speaker set on the fifth day. Students focus on the science behind climate change in addition to the delicate balance between human intervention and political oversight.

Learner was a perfect fit for speaking with the students due to his work as the president and executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center—the Midwest’s premier environmental legal advocacy and sustainability innovation organization. The ELPC aims to “show that environmental progress and economic development can be achieved together by putting sustainability principles into practice.” Specifically, the ELPC combines “effective public interest litigation with strategic policy advocacy, sound science and economic analysis.”

This mission meshes extremely well with the approach and focus of Bigelow and Zaremba as they lead their charges through the course. In advance of meeting with Learner, the class members read Learner’s op-ed  “Let’s Get Serious About Climate Change Solutions for Chicagoland,” watched multiple videos on the ELPC’s work and reviewed its website. After analyzing these sources, the students were ready with questions for Learner, who responded with examples of the ELPC’s work, lessons learned and other anecdotes of his real-life experience in this field.

Hearing from Learner allowed students to step outside of the textbook and get a real glimpse into topics they are covering in class this semester. Students saw exactly how the content they are learning from Bigelow and Zaremba applies to the world around them.

Parker sends a special thanks to Learner for taking time out of his incredibly busy schedule to meet with the school’s aspiring minds.

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