Carbon-Neutral Book Empowers Kids To Protect The Environment
A new illustrated children's book prepares kids for the realities of climate change while also instilling hope and giving them the tools to make a change.
Updated May 23 2019, 11:55 p.m. ET
Understanding some of the catastrophic effects of climate change on our planet is hard enough for adults—and it's scary for adults too. For those adults who are parents, the challenge becomes educating their kids on how humans are dangerously altering the conditions of the Earth through carbon emissions, waste, and all sorts of other pollutions. The most difficult part may be conveying any of that information while still giving them hope that things can improve.
US climate scientist Michael E. Mann and Australian writer and illustrator Megan Herbert met in 2013 at the 101 Earth summit Reykjavik, according to Green Tumble. They decide to work together on a piece of kid lit that would be capable of both educating and inspiring the next generation.
The book is called The Tantrum That Saved The World, because, as Herbert explains in the Kickstarter video, it makes sense that kids would throw a tantrum over what adults have done to the planet. She and mann just want to teach them how to channel those feelings into substantive change. The book breaks down complicated issues into small fragments, to make kids aware of what they can do without overwhelming them.
Their Kickstarter campaign opened only days ago, and has already reached its goal, receiving support from lost of big name celebrities, like Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Klein, Morgan Fairchild, and Bill McKibben.
"As parents, we want to talk to our kids about what’s happening to our planet, but we don’t want to scare them senseless at bedtime," they write on their campaign page. "Or bore them into apathy by reading them dry academic material. Or give them reason to be angry, without also giving them the tools to manage their strong emotions."
Mann and Herbert searched for a book and discovered that there really wasn't one that could do all the things they were looking for, and so they decided to write it. And not only is the message about sustainability and protecting the planet, production for the book aims at the same thing.
All editions will be printed on 100 percent recycled materials, use soy inks, and will be produced in a printing facility that runs on renewable energy. Their goal is to produce zero landfill waste and to distribute the book with carbon offset shipping.
It seems as though Mann and Herbert have already met their goal, though the Kickstarter campaign is open until the December 11. Looks like a lot of people have been looking for exactly what they're offering.
