Be Cool! Support a Positive Climate on Earth Day (and all year long!)

This week we have 2 topics, updating the way we give feedback and the upcoming Earth Day (April 22th).

First, from the Washington Post- an article and embedded video in giving feedback to Gen Z. I loved this specific strategy and think it will work for all generations! Watch the short video to see the tips in action.

Essentially, the tips are- give feedback right away, encourage collaborative solutions to issues or things that need to be different, explain what needs to be different, and make a warm human connection that promotes growth and doesn't heap shame or blame. Sounds good to me, and I am a Boomer!

Second, since 1970 the USA has been celebrating Earth Day. The theme for 2024 is Planet vs. Plastics. As stated online, "For Earth Day 2024 on April 22nd, EARTHDAY.ORG is unwavering in our commitment to end plastics for the sake of human and planetary health, demanding a 60% reduction in the production of ALL plastics by 2040." For libraries and IT areas, in SUNY we are already committed to reducing, reusing, and recycling, but we are heavily involved in using plastics in our work. As a proud graduate of SUNY Plattsburgh's Environmental Science program, I've been incorporating elements of ecosystem thinking and a sustainability focus through all my work. We are connected, and each decision we make contributes to the directions we are moving towards and away from. I hope that you can participate in some Earth Day activity, on your campus or in your community.

And to celebrate another pioneering woman scientist, we owe a debt of gratitude for elements of our understanding of the impacts of climate and greenhouse gases to Eunice Newton Foote, who experimented with greenhouse gases and their relationship with air temperature, all the way back in the 1850s. "Foote’s experiments in the 1850s demonstrated the ability of atmospheric water vapor and carbon dioxide to affect solar heating, foreshadowing John Tyndall’s later experiments that described the workings of Earth’s greenhouse effect. Despite her remarkable insight into the influence that higher carbon dioxide levels in the past would have had on Earth’s temperature, Foote went unnoticed in the history of climate science until recently."

So, we can have a positive impact on the internal working climate through the way we give feedback and support our colleagues, and on the external climate through the way we support our environment. Cool right?

All the best,
Holly

WIT Weekly Wisdom: A message for SUNY WIT list subscribers on the topics of Connecting, Learning, Stretching, Teaching, Reaching, and Balancing.

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