Shawn Taylor: Empowering Future Climate Leaders Through Land Restoration

• In this video, Shawn Taylor, a site supervisor at Land Force, is interviewed about his personal journey growing up in Pittsburgh and the importance of his job in fighting climate change.
• Land Force plants trees, maintains green infrastructure, and reduces flooding and pollution through stormwater management.
• The resource also includes written text about Shawn's story, discussion questions, links to learn more, and ways to take action.
• The video opens at Emerald View Park, a beautiful example of restored land.

Positives

• The video includes an inspiring personal narrative about overcoming financial hardship and incarceration.
• Students will hear some great advice about finding a career they love.
  

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with the terms land restoration, stormwater management, and green infrastructure. 

Differentiation

• This is a great resource to use when students are exploring possible career paths.
• The provided discussion questions will spark engaging conversations, but can alternatively be used as writing prompts. 
• The video discusses the importance of green spaces for physical and mental health. Students can journal about their own experiences with green spaces in their community or about how their community can benefit from more access to these types of spaces.
• Teachers can encourage students to explore the links to learn more and take action. The Drawdown Ecochallenge is an especially great resource to learn about ways to join the fight against climate change.
• Other related resources include this story of another land restoration project in Pittsburgh, this video about the importance of tree planting, and this video about the health benefits of green spaces.
  

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.