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1 in 5 American children is living in poverty. #SpreadWarmth in your community – #donate coats your children have outgrown to a child in need to our #CoatDrive. We’ll donate it to @onewarmcoat now through 12/18. More info > https://t.co/93n8P6X04q#OnQGivesBack #DonationDrive pic.twitter.com/7zN8Jg38lF
— On Q Financial, Inc. (@OnQFinancialInc) December 15, 2020
After the northeastern U.S. had its first major snow of the season, a school superintendent in West Virginia became an instant hero on Wednesday when she declared a “snow day” from virtual school so families could share the joy of the wintery weather together. She said a snow day is “a time of renewed wonder at all the beautiful things that each season holds. A reminder of how fleeting a childhood can be. An opportunity to make some memories with your family that you hold on to for life.” Indeed, studies show that spending time in nature is not just fun — it actually improves cognitive skills in children, as well as providing long-term physical and sociological benefits.
But for some kids, it is not as easy as it sounds to get outdoors in winter — because they lack adequate clothing to stay safe and warm when the temperature goes down or because it has snowed. Waterproof and warm coats, mittens, and boots are essential but some kids may not have access to these basic items. New America Foundation, in a blog this week suggested that we can all help kids in need have access to nature by donating gently used coats and other winter weather clothing, or giving to organizations that provide them to kids in need. Especially now, with so many families struggling, the need for coats, mittens, and boots is greater than ever. If you are looking for a place to donate, click here. A wonderful organization called One Warm Coat can help you find a location near you to donate and/or help you organize a coat drive in your neighborhood so that all kids have the chance to throw snowball and make a snowman, or lie in the snow to make a snow angel.
H/T to Friend of the Planet Sarah W for reminding us that there are many barriers to enjoying nature for kids in need.
by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer Extreme weather and permanent droughts are sweeping across the Western U.S., and with them comes an increasing demand for A/C and power. But cooling buildings through increasingly severe heatwaves takes a significant toll on power grids, and a new study has found that a significant heatwave blackout in three major American cities […]
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On Wednesday, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (D-PA-08) and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the Safeguarding America’s Future and Environment (SAFE) Act to protect natural resources and wildlife from climate change.
Why This Matters: As temperatures rise and extreme weather becomes more common, the nation’s natural resources are increasingly at risk.
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by Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer As summer approaches, the Northern Plains of the United States and the Canadian Prairies, which are the world’s key growing regions for canola and spring wheat, are experiencing a record-breaking drought. Now, farmers fear that these parched fields won’t yield enough crop to satisfy unusually high demand. This fear […]
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