KidSpirit (http://kidspiritonline.com), the award-winning online magazine and social networking site for 11- to 17-year-olds, launches its spring issue on climate change today. The issue, Climate Change: Tending Our Planet, will feature articles, poems, and artwork from young people around the globe, as well as a PerSpectives piece by renowned environmental educator Bill McKibben. Climate change is widely regarded as one of today’s most pressing topics, with coverage appearing in major media outlets on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Young people will be among those most affected by environmental degradation, yet rarely do they have a chance to share their views on the subject. With Climate Change: Tending Our Planet, KidSpirit brings attention to a broad range of ways youth understand and respond to the international crisis of our warming planet.
Articles released today include a feature article in which eight young writers around the world summarize their approaches to climate change; a Pakistani contributor’s exploration of how the floods that devastated his country in 2010 impacted him personally; and a review of Michael Pollan’s highly influential book The Omnivore’s Dilemma. In the Interfaith Connections section, a Unitarian Universalist describes how her faith shapes her efforts to protect the environment.
Every KidSpirit issue revolves around a Big Question that the all-youth Editorial Board sees as central to the theme. This spring, a writer from Maine offers a poetic, thought-provoking meditation on our relationship to the earth.
In other features to be released throughout the quarter, writers will examine climate science, explore how domestic and international policies affect the planet, and describe major figures and organizations behind the environmental movement. Authors for the Interfaith Connections section will offer perspectives inspired by their own Islamic and Christian traditions.
Also later this spring, readers will hear from Bill McKibben, this quarter’s adult contributor, in an article written especially for KidSpirit. McKibben, a bestselling author and the founder of 350.org, is widely regarded as one of the most important leaders to educate the general public about climate change. His 1989 book The End of Nature was the first to spark concern and action about climate change among a wider readership.
KidSpirit provides a unique forum for young people. This issue features compelling writing, artwork, and poetry on a critical topic from kids around the world. For interviews and further information, contact Jessie Post at jessie@kidspiritonline.com.