Warwickshire children are given opportunities to get closer to nature
Warwickshire children and young people are one of the groups who will be most affected by the impact of climate change on our planet, even though they bear little or no responsibility for it.
This is the subject for discussion in the latest episode of Warwickshire County Council’s Sustainable Warwickshire podcast. It’s a new series of conversations with people from around the County who are all taking action to reduce carbon emissions, support biodiversity and promote economic growth.
In the episode, titled “Engaging Children with Nature, the Environment and Climate Change”, three guests talk about their work with Warwickshire children. They include Kristie Naimo, Director and Project Manager at Achieving Results in Communities Community Interest Company, who leads on a Children’s Forest project in Radford Semele (Leamington), and Diane Compton-Belcher and Sarah Gittins from Michael Drayton Junior School in Nuneaton, who have created an amazing outdoor education space for their pupils and embedded nature into their curriculum at every opportunity.
All the guests agree that the more connected children are to the natural environment, the more likely they are to take part in activities that help to protect it. During the podcast, they also share how they have seen the positive mental and physical health benefits that being outdoors bring to children and young people. As Kristie Naimo explains, “being able to be out and spend time in nature and plant trees, and then come back and care for those trees, is a really important way of tending to ourselves as well as tending to the natural environment.”
Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment, Climate and Culture Heather Timms, said “This is another fantastic episode of our Sustainable Warwickshire podcast. It’s wonderful to hear the stories of what is going on around our County and this episode is particularly special, as it focuses on our next generation of Warwickshire residents, who will be living with the impact of climate change for many more decades to come. Involving and inspiring them to get involved in finding ways to reduce carbon emissions is critical, as is showing them the wonders of our natural environment. The more they understand the world and what it has to offer, the more they’ll be able to use their imaginations and creativity to find the solutions to protect it”.
Previous Sustainable Warwickshire podcast episodes have featured biodiversity in Warwickshire country parks, sustainable transport and the county’s network of Repair Cafes. All episodes are available to download now – just search for Sustainable Warwickshire on Podbean, Spotify or Apple.
Listen to the latest episode here: https://sustainablewarwickshire.podbean.com/e/engaging-children-with-nature-the-environment-and-climate-change/
For more information on Warwickshire County Council’s actions on climate change, visit https://www.warwickshireclimateemergency.org.uk/
Get the latest news about how Warwickshire County Council and partners are facing the challenge of the climate emergency and how you can get involved: http://eepurl.com/hrk-zf