First hour: Discussing small business owners' concerns about the proposed Extended Producer Responsibility Act
Second hour: What should climate change education look like in K-12 classrooms?
China is taking a lot less plastic from the United States and other countries. That has led to a great deal of debate about how we use packaging. One proposed solution is something called the Extended Producer Responsibility Act. It would place some of the responsibility on producers of plastic and glass packaging to cover the costs downstream. But while so much focus is on plastic, New York’s distilling and wine industries are deeply concerned about the ability of small businesses to handle this change. We discuss how the law might work. Our guests:
- Chad Hendrickson, wholesale manager at Lakewood Vineyards
- Steve Bate, executive director of the New York Wine Policy Institute
- Dawn Timm, member of the board of directors for the New York Product Stewardship Council
Then in our second hour, what does education about climate change look like in today’s K-12 classrooms? What should curricula include? In a new paper titled “Climate change as superordinate curriculum?” the authors explore how “despite being one of the largest carbon emitters in the world, the United States has little direct emphasis on climate change in its schools.” They argue that the politicization of the topic steers teachers away from the subject. Should American schools emphasize climate change in their curricula? If yes, what should lessons cover? We discuss these questions with our guests:
- Joseph Henderson, associate professor at Paul Smith’s College, social scientist and researcher, and school board member in Saranac Lake
- Glenn Branch, deputy director of the National Center for Science Education, Inc.
- James Kostka, science teacher for New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science II in the South Bronx
- Bridget Mousaw, 12th grader at Brighton High School, co-president of the Brighton High School Climate Club, and a leading member of the Rochester Youth Climate Leaders
