Combat climate change is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges of the XXI century. In this context arises in Mexico the initiative "Betting on Climate", a campaign that aims to inform and educate youth on these environmental issues and provide the tools necessary for students to become strategic players in the climate change issue and sustainable development. The campaign is based on raising awareness of the global environmental problems and fight at the local, everyday driving alternatives available to youth and schools that choose to participate in this initiative.

"The Bet on Climate" is set among students of participating schools and the Environment and Natural Resources Minister to reduce CO2 emissions for a semester in a certain percentage (between 10% - 20%). The goal is to achieve this reduction, without major infrastructural changes; therefore, personal commitment with behavioral change in all daily activities that affect CO2 emissions is the key to have the best result. In turn, this project is based on training and empowering students to become main actors of this cause in their schools.

The campaign focuses on a bet between students with the State Government that revolves around the goal of reducing a certain percentage of CO2 emissions at their schools through simple actions coordinated by the students themselves with support from teachers. This commitment is accompanied by an action plan coordinated by and for students with support and monitoring from the Integral Platform for Sustainable Development A.C.(PIDES) and with the support of the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry of the three states participating in the initial phase: Mexico City, Mexico State and Puebla State.

It will work on two main principles: the first is the creation of a joint strategy with each school to reduce consumption of electricity, water care and solid waste. The second point focuses on educational strategy and empowerment of the students so they can have an active role and become aware of the challenge of climate change. This is accomplished through an educational campaign and a series of activities that are designed for young people to internalize sustainability. This may generate changes in habits that influence changes in various levels, community and eventually nationwide. Thus, we seek first, to reduce CO2 emissions and second, to guide young people to promote behavioral changes and encourage action within a framework of sustainability in a way that students will become strategic actors in the climate change theme and will be participants in solving one of the most representative problems of our times.

Visit our Site!! http://apuestaporelclima.bypides.org

Problem

According to UN, the global goal for CO2 emissions is to produce no more than 1 ton of CO2 per capita to prevent an increase of the planet's temperature above the 1.5 C degrees. In Mexico we produce 4 tons per capita. We need to reduce our current emissions to achieve the UN goal and the Mexican government commitment to reduce the country's current C02 emissions by 50%. If we really want to tackle global warming, we need to act now and start changing our habits and behaviors, but to achieve a long run solution in what we as humans need to do for this planet is change our mindset, to be successful, we need to look at our children and our youth to generate generational changes that will result in sustainable societies. Its because of this facts that we will be working with school communities, public and private, to engage, motivate and educate students to become agents of change, giving them the tools and conditions to start fighting against global warming in their schools, learning how to lead, work and share ideas towards a common goal, reducing their schools emissions for the short term and empower them to be the change. Global warming needs real solutions, people's actions really can make a difference, today's children and youth are the consumers and aware citizens of tomorrow. Right now, "The Bet on Climate" is being lunch in 7 schools (public and private), reaching a total population of nearly 5,000 students. We are expecting more schools to accept the challenge and increase not only reductions in CO2 and make savings, but to form and teach their students to become changemakers.

Solution

This project is innovative because it is not just another greening schools project, we walk students to be the engine of the experience and assume themselves as agents of change. This project will be easily replicated so any school can benefit from it. By the end of the implementation in schools, we will edit a Manual for Greening Schools and Youth Empowering towards Global Warming, so any school can implement it by itself with their students. The manual will provide information about every step to reduce CO2 emissions at school, monitor their advance while empowering students to lead the campaign and live the experience of becoming doers.

Exemple

"The Bet on Climate" consists in empowering students to make changes in their lifestyles and having schools involve in the process to reduce its carbon emissions, giving youth a reachable goal, so they can learn from the successful experience of change by doing. To do so, we first determine the amount of emissions produced by the school, then we have a goal we can share to the school's community about where they stand. Then we start working with schools, having talks with administrative personnel, teachers and parents about how to reduce their emissions, with the condition of having students be the leading party in the process. Then students elect or volunteer to create a student group that will be the coordinating body so the school can achieve a reduction between 10% to 20%. Students will deliver the action plan and will be responsible for its execution with the support of everyone else involved, school community, local government and PIDES A.C. For so, PIDES will provide thematic workshops, tips, encouragement, chats and suggestions to improve their action plans, PIDES will also be the monitoring partner, so we can asses the advances and results of every measure and its reduction in CO2 emissions. Participating schools will not be just greener but better at showing their students they can be able to make changes in their schools, their homes, their lives and of course the world.

Marché

We are already partnered with 7 schools, reaching nearly 5,000 students, we are also working with the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry to create incentives so more schools may become part of "The Bet on Climate". We are involving teachers, administrative personnel and parents, but we are seeding a wider movement, in which not only schools get benefited, students can implement CO2 reductions, energy and water conservation at home and promote this same path anywhere else in their community, so it may have a way bigger impact, but that is for children and youth to decide, since they are the conductors of the initiative. Our work is to create conditions, give them tools and as much as we can offer so they succeed and share their experience with anyone else. For now, our scope goes from elementary schools to intermediate and high school students, since is in those ages that many habits and behaviors will remain and be part for the long in their lives. Here we make the change in the mindset for a better society than ours, we hope for them to grow not only wiser and more sustainable but more empowered. Our only competitor is doing nothing and of course to much CO2 emissions.