State of the Planet Awareness Presentation

1. STATE OF THE PLANET
AWARENESS
Lauren Dickey – Kennesaw State University – Global Teaching Presentation

2. DEFINITION
• State of Planet Awareness: Mindfulness or consciousness of
the three “key trends” of human population, biodiversity, or
climate. It also includes the representation of air, fresh
water, fisheries, food and soil, and energy

3. CURRENT RESEARCH
• Extinction – Many species are facing extinction due to the decline of the
state of the planet. For example: the white rhino is considered to only have
four of its kind left on the planet due to the human population and its
tendency to kill rhinos for it’s horn.
• Current research is being done to preserve the habitats of many animals due
to the changing biodiversity (due to pollution, deforestation, climate
change)
• Implementation of sanctuaries that allow humans to view and appreciate
nature
• Ecosystem Research Program – helps manage coastal/ocean resources

4. RELATIONSHIP WITH EDUCATION
• EARTH DAY – A huge initiative that has swept the nation throughout the year
• As our borders “shrink” due to technology and access to transportation,
students need to have global awareness on how to protect the planet
• Kids, in general, are very empathetic towards things that need help
• If students learn to be more responsible with our planet, they have more
success for the future

5. UNITS OF STUDY
• Pollution Science Units
• Adaptations Science Units
• Earth Day
• Ecosystems Science Units
• Extinction Science Units

6. IDEAS FOR INTEGRATION
• ELA: writing a letter to your governor on tips to save the planet
• Have students implement a schoolwide initiative to save the planet… will
include commercials (technology integration), writing speeches (ELA),
money saved from “saving the planet” (math), etc.
• Economics – Become your own entrepreneur and create a product that will
reduce a harmful pollutant
• Math – relate how climate change has affected the levels of our oceans

7. RESOURCES
Harris, J. (n.d.). State of the planet "executive summary" Lecture presented at EE 563 Graduate Seminar.