"Close your eyes and imagine we are on the same team. Same arena. Same jersey. And the game is on the line," Jaylen Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP for the Boston Celtics, said to a packed room of about 200 people at the recent Day of Climate event at the MIT Museum.
"Now think about this: We aren't playing for ourselves; we are playing for the next generation," Brown added, encouraging attendees to take climate action.
The inaugural Day of Climate event brought together local learners, educators, community leaders, and the MIT community. Featuring project showcases, panels, and a speaker series, the event sparked hands-on learning and inspired climate action across all ages.
The event marked the celebration of the first year of a larger initiative by the same name. Led by the pK-12 team at MIT Open Learning, Day of Climate has brought together learners and educators by offering free, hands-on curriculum lessons and activities designed to introduce learners to climate change, teach how it shapes their lives, and consider its effects on humanity.
Cynthia Breazeal, dean of digital learning at MIT Open Learning, notes the breadth of engagement across MIT that made the event, and the larger initiative, possible with contributions from more than 10 different MIT departments, labs, centers, and initiatives.
"MIT is passionate about K-12 education," she says. "It was truly inspiring to witness how our entire community came together to demonstrate the power of collaboration and advocacy in driving meaningful change."
From education to action
The event kicked off with a showcase, where the Day of Climate grantees and learners invited attendees to learn about their projects and meaningfully engage with lessons and activities. Aranya Karighattam, a local high school senior, adapted the curriculum Urban Heat Islands - developed by Lelia Hampton, a PhD student in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, and Chris Rabe, program director at the MIT Environmental Solution Initiative - sharing how this phenomenon affects the Boston metropolitan area.
Video: MIT Open Learning
Karighattam discussed what could be done to shield local communities from urban heat islands. They suggested doubling the tree cover in areas with the lowest quartile tree coverage as one mitigating strategy, but noted that even small steps, like building a garden and raising awareness for this issue, can help.
Day of Climate echoed a consistent call to action, urging attendees to meaningfully engage in both education and action. Brown, who is an MIT Media Lab Director's Fellow, spoke about how education and collective action will pave the way to tackle big societal challenges. "We need to invest in sustainability communities," he said. "We need to invest in clean technology, and we need to invest in education that fosters environmental stewardship."
Part of MIT's broader sustainability efforts, including The Climate Project, the event reflected a commitment to building a resilient and sustainable future for all. Influenced by the Climate Action Through Education (CATE), Day of Climate panelist Sophie Shen shared how climate education inspired her civic life. "Learning about climate change has inspired me to take action on a wider systemic level," she said.
Shen, a senior at Arlington High School and local elected official, emphasized how engagement and action looks different for everyone. "There are so many ways to get involved," she said. "That could be starting a community garden - those can be great community hubs and learning spaces - or it could include advocating to your local or state governments."
Becoming a catalyst for change
The larger Day of Climate initiative encourages young people to understand the interdisciplinary nature of climate change and consider how the changing climate impacts many aspects of life. With curriculum available for learners from ages 4 to 18, these free activities range from Climate Change Charades - where learners act out words like "deforestation" and "recycling" - to Climate Change Happens Below Water , where learners use sensors to analyze water quality data like pH and solubility.
Many of the speakers at the event shared personal anecdotes from their childhood about how climate education, both in and out of the classroom, has changed the trajectory of their lives. Addaline Jorroff, deputy climate chief and director of mitigation and community resilience in the Office of Climate Resilience and Innovation for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, explained how resources from MIT were instrumental in her education as a middle and high schooler, while Jaylen Brown told how his grandmother helped him see the importance of taking care of the planet, through recycling and picking up trash together, when he was young.
Claudia Urrea, director of the pK-12 team at Open Learning and director of Day of Climate, emphasizes how providing opportunities at schools - through new curriculum, classroom resources and mentorship - are crucial, but providing other educational opportunities also matter: in particular, opportunities that support learners in becoming strong leaders.
"I strongly believe that this event not only inspired young learners to take meaningful action, both large and small, towards a better future, but also motivated all the stakeholders to continue to create opportunities for these young learners to emerge as future leaders," Urrea says.
The team plans to hold the Day of Climate event annually, bringing together young people, educators, and the MIT community. Urrea hopes the event will act as a catalyst for change - for everyone.
"We hope Day of Climate serves as the opportunity for everyone to recognize the interconnectedness of our actions," Urrea says. "Understanding this larger system is crucial for addressing current and future challenges, ultimately making the world a better place for all."
The Day of Climate event was hosted by the Day of Climate team in collaboration with MIT Climate Action Through Education (CATE) and Earth Day Boston.
