(WSB photos. From left, Madison librarian Stacia Bell, Climate Clock creators Aidan Busby and Lola Thaler, teacher Robin Russell)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Talk about follow-through.
While in 8th grade at Madison Middle School last year, two students collaborated on a project so ambitious, they continued work on it even after the school year ended and they moved on to high school.
Now the result has a prominent place in the Madison library, where it presents a simple but powerful message to everyone who visits.
That’s the Climate Clock designed and built by Lola Thaler and Aidan Busby. They returned to Madison to install it a few weeks back, and now it presents a continuous two-part message. “It’s not a doomsday clock,” they are quick to tell you. You could in fact describe it as an anti-doomsday clock – the countdown shows the time remaining for emissions-elimination action to limit the planet to 1.5 degrees (C) of warming. So you can look at it as “cup half full” – there’s still time. The second number, chosen from other possibilities, shows the percentage of global energy use that’s renewable – another cause for hope, as that number rises (though slowly so far).
Not only did Lola and Aidan plan, design, and build the climate clock – he did the programming – they got funding for it; Lola applied for – and received – a $200 grant from the Madison PTSA.
This was a “Social Change” project originated while they were in teacher Robin Russell‘s class. Lola happened onto the concept of a climate clock while doing research. They could have ordered one. But the teacher suggested, “Maybe you could make your own.”
Aidan says he heard about the project and jumped in – “I thought it would be interesting to build.” He was the tech expert for the project, both hardware and coding.
Then they talked with Madison librarian Stacia Bell about setting it up in the library. She says this is the first time she can recall a student project seeking and obtaining PTSA funding. She’s proud to host it: “It’s become a topic of conversation.”
For teacher Ms. Russell, she remains impressed at how much time Lola and Aidan put into it – and how they saw it through. Finding the time was a challenge, the students admit – Aidan’s family was out of town for the summer, and Lola recalls it required “short bursts of work.” Aidan put dozens of hours into the coding, “including debugging.”
As for the clock’s message, it’s serious business to both. “I think we need to make serious changes,” Aidan observes, especially “better energy choices … solar, nuclear.” Lola sees the big picture – personal changes can only go so far, and beyond them, “it’s frustrating that it’s just a few big corporations doing most of the damage.”
Last year she also gave a Climate Clock presentation in the citywide Environmental Slam, held online in May.
The ultimate message is to challenge the status quo. “If we are to go on with business as usual, the goal won’t be met in time,” says Lola. So raising awareness is imperative. “The most important thing is educating others,” Ms. Bell agrees.
And that’s the lesson of students’ Social Change projects, Ms. Russell says: “That each person CAN make a difference.”
If you want inspiration to make a difference yourself, more information is available at climateclock.world (which also features additional metrics of ongoing world action).
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