Climate and Society alumna Suzie Hicks teaches climate science to kids of all ages
when susie hicks Growing up, she thought her interests in the media and theater were completely separate from her love of the outdoors and the environment.
It was only as she got older that she began to see the threads that tied these topics together.
Suzie Hicks and Sprout the Puppet on set. (courtesy Suzy Hicks)
Hicks’ Parents, both ministers, were deeply involved in progressive social movements at a young age. But like many teens, Hicks doesn’t draw parallels between their motivations and her own. “I always thought of art and expression as a way to escape the hard and scary things in the world. I thought it was just an opportunity to be loud and avoid everything. But as I got older and went to college, I actually learned about art and Expression can be an amazing conduit for understanding, navigating, and finding solutions to those big, scary problems,” Hicks said.
Now, as a fresh graduate of the inaugural class Columbia Climate Schoolof MSc Climate and Society program, Hicks was looking for unique and engaging ways to engage audiences through film, music, televisionand children’s books— while combining her not-so-distinct passions.
In the Q&A below, Hicks discusses her experience with the Climate and Society Project, how she spreads climate science to “kids of all ages,” and what keeps her motivated.
Why did you decide to take part in the Climate and Society Project?
I decided to go to Climate and Society because I come from a non-climate world. My background is in television, theater and entertainment.
Growing up, I thought of these fields as completely separate, but as I worked at the New England Aquarium, the gap between climate and expression became smaller for me. Standing in front of the tank for 8 hours a day and telling the kids how climate change is affecting their favorite fish is actually very powerful because they find this real emotional connection and then want to get out there and make a difference.
I knew I wanted to be really solid in climate change science because I needed to communicate it effectively and accurately if I was going to synthesize it into something kids and adults could understand and they could have a healthy emotional relationship with. I did a lot of research myself, attended webinars, attended protests. But I knew I wanted to move my career forward as a climate communicator, especially in media, and there weren’t many programs out there that didn’t require a science undergrad or a research background.
I was working at PBS SoCal at the time, so I was doing science, but it was explaining the engineering design process to an 8 year old, or hunting for local bugs in your neighborhood. This is not advanced atmospheric physics. So finding Climate and Society was a really cool opportunity because it seemed to be the only program that really valued an interdisciplinary approach to climate education and found value in different industries rather than just focusing on scientists.
Do Do you feel like you walked away with the knowledge you were looking for? How has this program affected you?
I feel more confident about my role in addressing climate change—both from the atmospheric physics and quantitative modeling courses, and from the cohorts and people inside and outside the program. I learned that there are so many ways to get involved in climate work that I didn’t even know existed. Sitting next to fashion designers, business people, politicians, and GIS cartographers, all with skills I never dreamed of, but all working in the climate space. It’s great to see that we’re building the paradigm shift that people have been shouting about for the past 20 years.
Hicks poses with the first print copy of her book, Zaynab the Great and the giant plastic monster. (courtesy Suzy Hicks)
CCan you talk about the projects you are working on now and what are your goals?
Fundamentally, I’m a children’s media creator who talks about the climate.Now I have a children’s program called climate chick I shot and produced it, and now I’m on tour. We just won the Visionary Film Award at the Portland Eco Film Festival. The festival director said he’s been watching eco films, and ours was the first one to make him cry, but not because of our sadness or depression. This is because the theme of the show is unity and belonging. Obviously, we’re talking about climate science, but really we’re talking about the socio-emotional impact of climate change on kids because they’re doing nothing to cause climate change. It’s really scary living in a world that is changed by other people’s actions, but so many good things have happened. All it takes is for everyone to be involved in these solutions. I’m sending that pilot episode right now to tour the festival circuit and pitch it to different networks to see if anyone is interested in making it into a TV show.
I also do a lot of speaking at different organizations.I am currently working at Earth Echo International, where I did a lot of youth movement building. I’m speaking on a panel on climate stories this month, and then I’ll be back at Columbia to teach as part of a March climate change strategy communication class. In April, I’m going to Portland for a workshop on creativity and social change. I’m also a children’s author, so I have a book about friendship and ocean plastic pollution.
Now, I hope to secure funding for future projects. I’m thinking of a podcast for kids, a play or musical for kids. I’m really excited, I hope there’s wider recognition that children’s media is a great outlet for discussing climate change, and I hope to be the one to push it further into the spotlight.
Where Media or shows that inspire you or that you use as a model?
I was a student of Mister Rogers, Steve Irwin, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and Hayao Miyazaki, and their storytelling was fun and exciting in a way that made kids feel like they were part of something. I’m taking those teaching methods shown to us by those iconic children’s media figures and applying them to this great existential crisis.
Fred Rogers talks about assassinations, divorce, and things adults don’t want to talk about. Climate change is something adults don’t want to talk about with their kids. So if I can be the one to create a really healthy intervention point that gives kids the tools they need to understand that information and the avenues to create solutions and advocate for a better future, that would be great.
Climate education for children isn’t being mass-produced for the public, but someone like me who doesn’t have a huge platform is doing the work. So it’s just a waiting game until it all comes into this world.
hHave you received a lot of resistance, or have you found yourself in conflict with parents or people who don’t want to talk about these topics with their children?
It depends on the audience I’m talking to. Almost everyone I deal with agrees that we need to be able to talk about this. But it has several obstacles. First, because fossil fuels are included in so much money, it’s hard to find a place where you can talk about how fossil fuels are accelerating climate change.
The next hurdle is that kids aren’t ready to see or understand the big question arguments. But the thing is, kids have seen it. We’re not protecting them by not talking about it, because climate impacts are everywhere. The news keeps showing catastrophic climate damage. Social media exists, and people there are talking about climate change, but is it in a healthy way? Won’t. If kids are already exposed to it in these unhealthy ways, it’s important for us to show them healthy ways to participate.
Sometimes my content gets shifted to the wrong side of the internet and I get climate deniers who say I’m brainwashing kids. But I’m not too concerned with convincing the unbelieving minority. I’m more concerned with mobilizing the vast majority of people who care and are ready to act.
Hicks filmed virtual summer camp for PBS SoCal during the pandemic. (courtesy Suzy Hicks)
Mano Do you have any memorable advice or lessons to share?
You can’t do it alone. Community is very important. I got help from a lot of people and mentors who told me to keep going. So if you’re struggling and feel like it’s all on your shoulders, it’s not. There are people everywhere who are willing to help you, and I am happy to be one of them.
I think it’s really hard to communicate climate change, but it’s totally worth it because, essentially, it’s a huge problem that we have to solve. Children are very familiar with the big problems we have to solve, and so are adults. Because we are all natural problem solvers, I believe we can produce offspring who can solve this problem.
An important issue in talking to kids about climate change is belonging. There are as many solutions as there are people and places on this planet. So I hope with any communication I do or any communication my kids receive about climate change, it shows that they can be part of the solution in the same way that we are told we are part of the problem.
