We are all being pushed to our limits as the economy and job market adjust to environmental issues. You and your community can change, to remain resilient in the face of these changes.
BREN SMITH
Since he was a teenager, Bren Smith knew he would spend his life at sea. But after working for years as a commercial fisherman he realized the industry wasn’t sustainable and he had to switch gears. He tried his hand at oystering, but after two hurricanes wiped out his business it was time to change tactics and build a new solution for the future.
With a "never give up" attitude Bren adapted yet again by developing a 3D kelp farm. Now he grows shellfish and seaweed in columns, a method that helps protect his livelihood from the ravages of weather. The vertical farm model is storm resistant, spatially efficient, and even creates a barrier that protects coastal communities. Bren mentors agricultural student interns about how to compost and fertilize with kelp as a way to help secure a sustainable future. He and his wife make his crop profitable by teaming up with chefs to introduce kelp into restaurants.
Bren’s ideas have gotten so popular that he started a nonprofit organization to help set up 3D farms in every coastal state in the U.S. and in 40 countries around the world. His method is a new but part of a familiar way of life. It helps the world adapt to a changing environment by thinking creatively about jobs and bringing a new food source to the table.
SCIENCE IN EVERYDAY LIFE
RECOMMENDED BOOKS AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Consider these selections for your Change theme reading and discussions. Full descriptions of each book and suggested discussion questions can be found in the download file at the bottom of the page.
Climate Changed: A Personal Journey through the Science, by Philippe Squarzoni. (Non-fiction graphic novel)
This look at our planet and how we live on it explains what global warming is all about.With the most complicated concepts made clear in a feat of investigative journalism by artist Philippe Squarzoni, Climate Changed weaves together scientific research, extensive interviews with experts, and a call for action.
Zeitoun, by David Eggers. (Non-fiction)
Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun run a house-painting business in New Orleans. In the days following Hurricane Katrina he travels the city, feeding abandoned animals and helping elderly neighbors. Then, on September 6th, police officers armed with M-16s arrest Zeitoun in his home. Told with eloquence and compassion, Zeitoun is a riveting account of one family’s unthinkable struggle with forces beyond wind and water.
The Day the Tide Kept Rising, by Greg Jefferys. (Fiction)
A thrilling tale filled with action, adventure, intrigue and a pleasant pinch of romance - the story follows the lives of four different people in their struggles to survive after a hug tsunami sweeps across the Pacific.
Heat, by Arthur Herzog. (Fiction)
In a secret underground laboratory, Lawrence Pick and a team of scientists learn that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will ascend to the point where no living thing can survive. Pick’s predictions become a reality as freakish weather conditions prevail, but neither the U.S. Government nor the people will listen. Too late, the result of man’s indifference is everywhere…with only one hope for survival.
Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago, by Eric Klineberg. (Non-fiction)
On Thursday, July 13, 1995,a week-long heat wave began in Chicago. Over seven hundred people perished. Klinenberg uncovers the forms of social breakdown that contributed to the high fatality rates.
Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938, by R.A. Scotti. (Non-fiction)
September 21, 1938. Lives were turned upside down, along with most of the coastal lands along Long Island, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, as a hurricane bore down with a fury no one had ever witnessed or dared imagine before. You can't stop turning the pages as Scotti's urgent writing style builds to an emotional peak that leaves you breathless but begging for more.
This look at our planet and how we live on it explains what global warming is all about.With the most complicated concepts made clear in a feat of investigative journalism by artist Philippe Squarzoni, Climate Changed weaves together scientific research, extensive interviews with experts, and a call for action.
Zeitoun, by David Eggers. (Non-fiction)
Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun run a house-painting business in New Orleans. In the days following Hurricane Katrina he travels the city, feeding abandoned animals and helping elderly neighbors. Then, on September 6th, police officers armed with M-16s arrest Zeitoun in his home. Told with eloquence and compassion, Zeitoun is a riveting account of one family’s unthinkable struggle with forces beyond wind and water.
The Day the Tide Kept Rising, by Greg Jefferys. (Fiction)
A thrilling tale filled with action, adventure, intrigue and a pleasant pinch of romance - the story follows the lives of four different people in their struggles to survive after a hug tsunami sweeps across the Pacific.
Heat, by Arthur Herzog. (Fiction)
In a secret underground laboratory, Lawrence Pick and a team of scientists learn that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will ascend to the point where no living thing can survive. Pick’s predictions become a reality as freakish weather conditions prevail, but neither the U.S. Government nor the people will listen. Too late, the result of man’s indifference is everywhere…with only one hope for survival.
Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago, by Eric Klineberg. (Non-fiction)
On Thursday, July 13, 1995,a week-long heat wave began in Chicago. Over seven hundred people perished. Klinenberg uncovers the forms of social breakdown that contributed to the high fatality rates.
Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938, by R.A. Scotti. (Non-fiction)
September 21, 1938. Lives were turned upside down, along with most of the coastal lands along Long Island, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, as a hurricane bore down with a fury no one had ever witnessed or dared imagine before. You can't stop turning the pages as Scotti's urgent writing style builds to an emotional peak that leaves you breathless but begging for more.