Still, the number that moves me most isn't a dollar figure or a ton of carbon. A couple of years ago, Nia House had an afternoon where children made signs about things they truly cared about. Some held up signs that said “Protect the Environment,” others “We need a clean earth”. Children are observant and notice what the adults around them choose to do long before they understand why any of it matters. Solar panels on our roof are a quiet, visible way of showing them that caring for the earth isn't just something we talk about at Nia House.
I invite you to bring this activism and action home. You don't need a science degree to hold a conversation on solar energy at home. The easiest way in is through something a child already knows: plants. Ask what a plant needs to grow, and most children will say water and sunlight without missing a beat. Tell them solar panels do something similar, that they drink up sunlight too, except instead of turning it into leaves, they turn it into electricity for our classrooms. Next time you're dropping off or picking up, look up at the roof together and ask what they think those panels are doing, and let them guess. The conversation that follows tends to go further than anything you'd plan in advance.
