Climate Change - Local Response

During the summer months, students at the House of Mercy completed a climate change project sponsored by Erie Community Foundation. Their project began with an investigation of climate, weather, ecosystems, and renewable and non-renewable resources and resulted in a broad understanding of climate change. After the students learned about the causes of climate change and how climate change might affect their future, the students suggested ways to combat global warming locally. The House of Mercy Students decided that planting native plants was a good way to reduce greenhouse gasses that cause climate change. Waste Management and Beran Environmental Services partnered with Earth Force to take the students on a field trip to the Waterford Sports Complex, a recovering wetland area that was previously a landfill. Here the students learned about ecosystems, wetlands, and native plants as they had the opportunity to plant native grasses in the wetland. Next, the desire to create lasting change in their neighborhood, reduce greenhouse gasses, and beautify the neighborhood park caused the students with the help of Sarah Galloway, the City of Erie Arborist, to plant 6 apple and pear trees in Woodlawn Park. Then the students made brochures about global warming that included ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as the benefits of using compact fluorescent light bulbs and distributed them to their neighbors with a package of fluorescent light bulbs for each family.