Small Towns Can Be Green Too by Mei Strout
Living in a small town, in a small state, it often feels as though I am cut off from the rest of the world. In my rural hometown of Lisbon Falls, Maine, with a population of roughly 4000 people, we are not often forced to face the problems of climate change in the same way other people are. We are somewhat shielded from the impacts of climate change in a way that makes the issues more distant and harder to overcome. In the 17 years I have lived in Lisbon, it often feels like I am the sole caretaker for our earth when I see the carelessness in which many townspeople act when it comes to climate change and global warming.
That being said, recently, my town has taken action to become much better stewards of the earth. The town has implemented composting at our transfer station and the number of people using the recycling center is at a steady incline. It is constantly busy and the compost bins are typically overflowing with food that would otherwise be thrown away. We also have multiple community gardens popping up that not only support residents in planting their own food but also use the dirt produced from the compost made by other Lisbon residents, reducing our carbon footprint. These small changes give me hope for a green future.
Unfortunately, while the recycling and composting efforts have risen, there is still an immense need for access to environmental education for my fellow Lisbon inhabitants. In my opinion, the biggest challenge Lisbon will face in regards to climate change does not have to do with what we are doing but with what we are not doing. In my experience, if you ask a resident of Lisbon about climate change the most common response would be one of ignorance and disregard. While I know these opinions are a result of the lack of climate education in our school system, and that everyone is doing the best they can given the resources they have, it can be disheartening to feel so alone in such an important and truly urgent cause.
Additionally, it is particularly frustrating when people refuse to recognize the root of many of the local climate-change-induced issues that we face. For example, the cost of seafood has been on the rise but this year it is especially high. There have been numerous complaints about the outrageous prices for lobster and yet local residents continue to refuse to learn about the impacts on climate change on the Maine Lobster Fishery. While I am lucky enough to have learned about the impact climate change has on the lobstering industry, not all students in Lisbon schools have been as fortunate. My personal experience has been incredibly hostile when trying to facilitate any sort of discussion about climate change in my town and this saddens me greatly because I know we have the potential to make critical and smart climate conscious changes in our town and become a leader in Maine if we are just given the right support and push.
From my perspective as a youth in my town, climate education is the most necessary long-term step in becoming a greener town. Lisbon needs to feel unified in one goal, which could be climate justice given the right motivation, and one of the best ways to build knowledge and understanding of current science based recommendations is implementing a mandatory K-12 climate change curriculum.. I think supporting teachers in implementing climate education across all grade levels would ensure everyone has the basic knowledge needed about climate change and current data to have a reasonable discussion and would also give everyone the needed push to really think about the way they interact with the earth in more sustainable ways. While this curriculum would only reach the ears of the students in the classroom, I think the impact it would have on the town would be much greater than anticipated. If students who participate in climate education go home and discuss what they learned with their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., little bits and pieces of information about climate science would be spread organically throughout the town and even the state. I know this would take a lot of time, effort, and money, but with the right execution and planning I truly think preventing even further damage from climate change is possible, starting right in Lisbon Falls.
By Mei Strout
