By Edysmar Diaz-Cruz & Jennifer Perez

Students from Miami Lakes Educational Center joined panelists December 3, 2015  for “Green Generation” at the Milander Center for Arts and Entertainment where they discussed the issues of climate change and rising sea-levels, the integration of art with science, and the importance of making effective environmental changes.

This panel is one of twelve brought about by Xavier Cortada, who created the art exhibit CLIMA, to address rising sea levels and global climate change from November 30 through January 29. For the first 12 days of his exhibit, Cortada will be hosting a number of panels and participatory performances alongside renowned scientists and community leaders.

The “Green Generation”  event brought together several schools with science, engineering, technology, and mathematics programs to learn about the innovation of new technology and finding creative ways to fight environmental issues such as climate change.

“The people that are going to solve climate change and sea level crisis are the people I’m looking at today,” said Cortada as he gestured to the young audience before him.

After the panelists shared their goals, ideas, and inspirational thoughts,  MLEC’s jaguars interacted with them by asking them questions on how to make a difference as young people of today’s generation, and how to find the vision to fix a problem.

Pandwe Gibson, executive director of Ecotech Visions, talked about using trash as resources. To engage the students, she passed around spoons and forks and asked what they thought the disposable utensils were made from—corn and potato were the correct answers much to the students’ surprise.

She informed students on ways trash is reused to create new things, such as the use of rubber tires to make jewelry and tables. According to Gibson, it takes little projects like these to reach a fully impacting change.

“Climate change didn’t happen overnight, the solution isn’t going to happen overnight,” said Gibson.

Regarding politics and climate change, Carvalho said, “to deny scientifically proven reality is reckless, irrational, immoral, stupid, and unethical.” As someone who emphasizes positive usage of social media, he also said, “disrupt the status quo,” on calling out politicians.

.@MiamiSup speaks about environmental literacy w/ students from @HialeahSenior @josemartimast @MLECJaguars #CLIMA pic.twitter.com/ocaaG6x8wu

— Miami-Dade Schools (@MDCPS) December 3, 2015

“We don’t have an either/or between problem solving and pursuing your dreams,” said CEO and Co-Founder of CappSci, Ted Caplow, to encourage students to follow their dreams despite their inheritance of unresolved problems of past generations.

Nicholas Oehm, Jr., Co-Chair of Education & Outreach Executive Board, focused on the importance of getting and staying involved in school such as immersing oneself into something as simple as a science project.

Dr. Eldredge Bermingham, Chief Science Officer of the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, brought in several facts to his presentation, including the effects rising sea levels could bring—690 billion dollars in property loss, for starters.

And with that, Dr. Eldredge Bermingham handed responsibility onto the hands of the youth sitting before the panel.

“We are the present,” he said. “You are the future.”

And the #CLIMA presentation comes to an end as panelists stand for a photo with artist @xcortada pic.twitter.com/xDe0WljgyD

— The Harbinger (@HarbingerMLEC) December 3, 2015

 

For more information, visit City of Hialeah’s Facebook page.
To watch the livestream of the event, visit http://livestream.com/cityofhialeah/CLIMA