Educating Girls and Reducing Food Waste: Two Powerful Weapons in the Fight Against Global Warming

Finding hope in unexpected places in the battle to address the climate crisis will be the subject Monday, Sept. 16, when the Climate Change Coalition of Door County hosts a program featuring fascinating videos from Project Drawdown, the global initiative to reverse climate change. The videos highlight two strategies that scientists have identified as critical if we are to protect our planet from irreversible warming: educating girls and reducing food waste. The program, at the Kress Pavilion, 7845 Church St. Egg Harbor, begins at 7 p.m.

Climate change discussions typically focus on energy — conservation, reducing fossil fuel use, and moving to clean, renewable resources like wind and solar. While energy changes are crucial, when the scientists of Project Drawdown evaluated 100 strategies to reduce and ultimately reverse global warming, they found that 15 of the 20 most effective actions we can take do not directly involve energy production. Surprising many, educating girls ranked #6, just ahead of #7 family planning. The third most important was reducing food waste.

The Sept. 16 program’s videos feature Project Drawdown’s Katharine Wilkinson. In the first, she explores the crucial links between gender equity, educating girls and the climate. In the second, she delves into the many ways food waste contributes to global warming and what we can do. Discussion will follow each video. Roy Thilly will be facilitator. 

Wilkinsonholds a doctorate in geography and environment from Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and a B.A. in religion from Sewanee—The University of the South. 

Freewill contributions to support the Climate Change Coalition’s work are gratefully received.

The Climate Change Coalition of Door County is a non-partisan organization that through education, outreach and civil dialogue increases public understanding of climate change and its many detrimental impacts at home and around the world. Your donation for the Climate Change Coalition to our fiscal agent, Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership, is tax-deductible as allowed by law. Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership is a 501(c)(3) organization.