Solving Environmental Problems through Engineering

Introduction and Rationale

Henry C. Lea School sits on the corner of 47^th and Locust Streets in the West Philadelphia section of the city. Serving close to 600 students, this Kindergarten through Eighth grade school draws about half of the students from the local catchment within walking distance, and the rest from across West Philadelphia and beyond. Lea School has a diverse student body comprised of immigrant students from around the globe and students whose families have lived in the area for generations. Across the city of Philadelphia, gentrification has been taking place as urban flight has made a turn-around and more families seek the benefits of urban living. Lea School is right on the edge of that gentrification, grappling with changing demographics. Across the street from the school is the now-shuttered West Philadelphia High School, an enormous facility that takes up an entire city block. West Philadelphia High School once had over five thousand students enrolled. It is now being converted into loft rentals marketed to a younger generation with rents that are likely beyond the financial means of many local residents.

The 2019-2020 school year presented the eighth grade students at Lea School with a number of serious issues with which to grapple. Even before the emergence of COVID-19, 100% of students attending the school qualified for free lunch and breakfast, and the data kept by the School District of Philadelphia lists 100% of the student body as “economically disadvantaged.” Well under half of the students enrolled at the school reached proficiency on any of the three Pennsylvania State System of Assessment standardized tests from 2019: science, math or English language arts.¹ As a classroom teacher, I am aware of parents who are working long hours to make ends meet, parents who are incarcerated, students whose parents are likely concerned about deportation, and of course students who have parents living in different households. With the addition of COVID-19 and an intense awakening and debate on race in America (69% of the school self reports as African American),² I worry about giving my students one more thing to think about: climate change. But the evidence is clear, if we do not address this issue now, we will have little control over what happens down the road.

Climate change is the undeniable fact of the future, and there are strong arguments to connect the racial inequities to changing weather and changing climate patterns. In a recent editorial in the Washington Post, climate scientist and marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson argues that communities of color should be actively engaged in the climate change fight because statistically, “black people are more concerned about climate change than white people.” She makes a stunning plea for white people to immediately address racism so that people of color can turn their actions and protests to the climate crisis rather than having to fight for more basic rights.³ It is easy to see why black people may be more concerned about climate change than their white counterparts. In the Fourth National Climate Assessment Report published by the US Global Change Resource Program, the Summary Report states that people “who are already vulnerable, including lower-income and other marginalized communities, have lower capacity to prepare for and cope with extreme weather and climate-related events and are expected to experience greater impacts.”⁴ And this also appears to explain why communities predominantly comprised of people of color are being harder hit by COVID-19. Dr. Aaron Bernstein Director of the Harvard C-Change Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment states that people “with chronic health conditions, lower-income, and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by both COVID-19 and climate change, and pollution is at the heart of both problems….”⁵ Figure 1 illustrates some of the likely impacts vulnerable populations may face due to climate change along with some solutions. This graphic seems written for Philadelphia showing rivers, diverse communities, low-income neighborhoods, and urban road congestion all converging to create challenges but also possibly opportunities. (See Figure 1)

Figure 1. Vulnerable populations are at greater risk for the adverse affects of climate change. Fourth National Climate Assessment.⁶

My 2019 Teachers Institute of Philadelphia Unit: A Place Based Exploration of Climate Change, is designed to help urban students find a connection to a sense of place, to understand why climate change is happening, to explore how young people are bringing awareness to the situation, and to illustrate one example of how Philadelphia is dealing with the impacts. This current unit seeks to take over where that one leaves off, but will also exist as a stand-alone unit for teachers who choose. Embedded within a project based approach, students will begin with several basic lessons on the causes of climate change, including the connection between fossil fuels and climate change and the associated changes in human behavior that are surely going to need to happen. Students will also explore the local situation with regard to climate change. Middle school students need to connect to what is in front of them, and my students know city. They will then explore a variety of possible engineering solutions to adapt a building to climate change, ones which might not be immediately apparent and which will move beyond individual responsibility to lower fossil fuel consumption and mitigate its effects.

For this unit, students will be tasked with collaborating with peers in a project-based approach to develop engineered models that respond to climate change. The project will seek to answer one key question or problem statement: How can we retrofit our school building to adapt to and mitigate climate change. Here, I seek to ask a central question that is locally based, relevant, age-appropriate and attainable. And one that gives hope to children that the choices they make can have an impact for their community. Embedded in these activities will be explorations of different types of engineering choices to help students grasp complex concepts in science and design, and also to present career choices. Students will engage in dialogue about whether solutions are addressing the causes of climate change or addressing the visible effects. They will then present their chosen engineered designs, and will be asked to convince an “investor” why there is a need for an immediate investment in this solution. Use of online platforms will be included in the unit, as students may need to complete virtual school in the coming years.

As a likely introductory unit on climate change, the goal for this unit will be multifaceted. Students will finish the unit with a basic understanding of why and how climate change is occurring. They will explore the impacts climate change is likely to have locally, giving them a sense of the future of their own surrounds. Students will also look at some of the underlying universal truths of climate change: that we can make an impact by lowering our carbon footprint and also need to prepare for the inevitability of change. In this particular unit we will focus on tangible design and engineering solutions that will be of benefit. Students will also have the chance to work together collaboratively using a project based approach and will present their choices to peers and staff to build communication skills and confidence. All standards to be addressed in this unit were chosen from Pennsylvania Department of Education standards.