Author Joan Marie Galat: 5 Things We Must Do To Inspire The Next Generation About Sustainability And The Environment
An Interview With Martita Mestey
Buy your children books that expose them to the environmental topics you care about and read these books too! Sharing books on important themes will spark meaningful conversations you might not otherwise have. Your children will become more aware of topical issues and enjoy the added benefit of debating ideas with adults who have their best interests at heart.
As a part of my series about what we must do to inspire the next generation about sustainability and the environment, I had the pleasure of interviewing Joan Marie Galat.
Joan Marie Galat is an international award-winning author of more than twenty-five books, including The Story of Malala Yousafzai, Dark Matters: Nature’s Reaction to Light Pollution, and Too Much Trash: How Litter is Hurting Animals. She is known for presenting complex information to young readers in approachable and engaging ways. A professional speechwriter, former radio host, and frequent presenter, Joan has traveled across Canada and from Australia to South Korea to deliver literacy-building presentations based on her books. She lives near Edmonton, in Canada.
Learn more at www.joangalat.com.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I spent most of my childhood in a community known as the world’s largest hamlet. Sherwood Park is located just outside Edmonton, Alberta’s capital city. I liked to spend time outdoors, read, and write and started creating my first books around eight or nine years old. Other favorite pastimes included swimming, camping, bike riding, roller skating, ice skating, downhill skiing, and traveling. My childhood and teenage years included countless road trips that saw me crisscross Canada and the United States with my parents. This gave me plenty of time to read! I remember my chief concern being whether the accommodation would have a pool.
I was interested in birds, wildlife, and the environment, and I present my early outdoor experiences in a book that partners stories with an environmental issue: Dark Matters: Nature’s Reaction to Light Pollution (Red Deer Press). This book’s publication recognizes that even though a childhood appears ordinary, it still holds stories worth telling — including the night I got to follow a radio collared moose around in the woods. Maybe it wasn’t so ordinary!
Was there an “aha moment” or a specific trigger that made you decide you wanted to become a scientist or environmental leader? Can you share that story with us?
A few pivotal moments occurred! I remember visiting a toy store while my mom shopped for groceries. Instead of spending my allowance on a toy, I bought a book on birds. It triggered a lifelong interest, and that book, along with camping and spending time outdoors, grew my interest in wildlife, trees, and pretty well anything nature related. My interest in astronomy also stemmed from reading The How and Why Wonder Book of Stars (Wonder Books). I wanted to be an ornithologist or an astronomer or set up my own nature center and educate people on the environment. I also loved books and wanted to be an author. In postsecondary, I studied biological sciences with a focus on ecology, and now write books that allow me to explore my interests.
Is there a lesson you can take out of your own story that can exemplify what can inspire a young person to become an environmental leader?
When I was twelve years old, I entered a writing contest in the Edmonton Journal. I didn’t win but something unexpected happened. My name — Joan Marie Galat — was in the newspaper followed by the words Honorable Mention. An editor from a weekly newspaper — the Sherwood Park Star — saw my name and invited me to become a contributor. I was an eighth grade student who became a paid weekly columnist! It was up to me to dream up topics and I decided to write a question and answer column on birds. When the mail brought questions, I had to conduct research and write answers in my own words. Readers sometimes brought me wild birds they had rescued, and I released them into the wild.
During this period, I never knew if the editor knew my real age, and I didn’t offer the information! Everything was conducted by mail. The takeaway here is that if you want to learn about a topic or educate others on a subject, it doesn’t matter how old you are. What matters is the effort you put into building your skills and implementing your ideas. I learned it’s also good to find people who support your endeavors. My mom, a whiz at grammar, checked my columns before I sent them in.
Can you tell our readers about the initiatives that you or your company are taking to address climate change or sustainability? Can you give an example for each?
As an author working from home in a rural area, I find many opportunities to make decisions that support a healthy environment. When running errands, I group as many as possible into one trip to reduce my carbon footprint and bring a refillable water bottle rather than purchase bottled water. When printing is unavoidable, I use both sides of the paper or the backside of used sheets. I choose nonchemical cleaning products, like vinegar, buy in bulk to reduce packaging, and avoid wasting standby power by unplugging electrical devices that are not in use. At night, I close blinds and curtains to make sure light does not pollute the habitat around our home. I think my biggest impact, however, is writing about how climate change is impacting our world and promoting sustainability though books like Make Your Mark, Make a Difference: A Kid’s Guide to Standing Up to People, Animals, and the Planet (Aladdin/Beyond Words). As a public speaker, I take the opportunity to share these topics with wider audiences.
Can you share 3 lifestyle tweaks that the general public can do to be more sustainable or help address the climate change challenge?
These three approaches are easy to incorporate into daily living.
- Instead of buying paper towels, use and reuse washable cloths or rags.
- Reduce carbon emissions by eating more plant-based meals.
- Refuse to purchase bottled water. Anticipate that you’ll be thirsty and carry your own water bottle.
The youth-led climate strikes of September 2019 showed an impressive degree of activism and initiative by young people on behalf of climate change. This was great, and there is still plenty that needs to be done. In your opinion, what are 5 things parents should do to inspire the next generation to become engaged in sustainability and the environmental movement? Please give a story or an example for each.
1. Buy your children books that expose them to the environmental topics you care about and read these books too! Sharing books on important themes will spark meaningful conversations you might not otherwise have. Your children will become more aware of topical issues and enjoy the added benefit of debating ideas with adults who have their best interests at heart.
2. Teach your children to think critically by educating them on fact-based evidence, and how to identify misinformation and disinformation. Discuss what motivates the spread of various types of communication. I often visit schools to discuss themes in my books, and students raise issues that they learned about through social media. I ask them to make it a habit to dig deeper — to look at the credentials of content creators and to use reputable sources to explore all angles of an issue — so that they can form opinions based on facts.
3. Teach your children how to fix things. When objects in our home break, we aim to repair rather than replace them. If you’re not sure how to tackle a project, find a good how-to book, explore online tutorials, or find someone who can advise you. You’ll be demonstrating the research skills every environmentalist needs and when you live sustainably, children learn organically from your example. Reinforce this message by talking about other ways to reduce and manage waste in our world.
4. Find opportunities for your children to take part in activities or events that support a healthy planet. You might enroll them in scouting or other clubs that promote environment awareness. As a child, I took part in a volunteer highway cleanup spearheaded by a 4-H club. Picking litter all day had a huge impact on me. I was appalled at the trash people let fly from their car windows. The experience led to a lifelong concern about trash and its impact on our environment. It’s a topic I address in Make Your Mark, Make a Difference, and it’s what sparked the idea for my book Too Much Trash: How Litter is Hurting Animals (Orca Book Publishers).
5. Point out positive age-appropriate news about climate change. Build optimism and hope for the future by learning from those who are facing this battle with courage and perseverance. I took this approach in Make Your Mark, Make a Difference, spotlighting people like Felix Finkbeiner who started a tree planting organization at age nine. His organization — Plant-for-the-Planet — has trained tree planters in seventy-five countries. Good stories inspire, motivate, and deliver the message that when it comes to following convictions, age is not an issue.
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
Customers and clients have a growing interest in supporting businesses that engage in sustainable practices. Those making decisions that favor the environment, such as reducing packaging, using less water or other resources, and lowering waste can realize lower operational costs. They will also grow more resilient over the long term. These dynamics all translate into higher profits.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
When I was fourteen, my mom arranged for me to volunteer at the John Janzen Nature Centre in Edmonton. Once a week, she drove me — 30 minutes one way — to nurture my interest in nature. One of my jobs was to interact with visitors and interpret local flora and fauna, including a garter snake in an aquarium. At this time, I was so terrified of snakes that even seeing one would trigger an intense nightmare. A staff member took the time to teach me about garter snakes, and I overcame my fear to the point where I was happy to handle the resident snake and introduce it to interested visitors. The experience made me more open to appreciating nature in all its forms. I’m grateful to my mom for arranging this volunteer opportunity and taking the time to make the weekly trips. I also appreciate the staff member who ended my nightmares!
You are a person of great influence and doing some great things for the world! If you could inspire a movement that would bring the greatest amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
If I could inspire a movement that would bring the greatest amount of good to the greatest number of people, it would be one that supports literacy. People who can read and write are better able to take control of their lives, escape poverty, and improve their health and safety. Literacy helps girls and women in developing nations grow more independent and realize better futures. Literacy skills allow people to earn higher incomes, make them more likely to stay in school, and less likely to depend on government aid. Literacy provides the quickest path to learning and makes it easier to solve problems, manage finances, get job training, and access opportunities to support oneself.
Reading grows empathy, understanding, critical thinking, and communication skills. Literature helps us understand our experiences and improves coping skills, supporting emotional growth and social resilience. Nonfiction can give us a greater understanding of our world, multiple points of view, historic perspective, and a better grasp of current challenges. While literacy is clearly tied to productivity, the entertainment value found in books — both fiction and nonfiction — also nourishes mental health and contributes to happiness. Books provide important perspectives that we can apply to our own interactions and experiences.
In addition to its practical uses, writing also has the capacity to bring pleasure. It is therapeutic to explore your feelings through the written word, satisfying to record your personal experiences, exciting to use your imagination to create original written works, and fun to communicate through letters, social media, or other approaches. Literacy initiatives offer a huge opportunity to bring the greatest amount of good to the greatest number of people.
Do you have a favorite life lesson quote? Can you tell us how that was relevant to you in your own life?
In my journey to getting published, I read these lines by Martin P. Levin: “Talent alone is not enough. Sometimes the tenacious get there faster than those with more talent and less tenacity” in Be Your Own Literary Agent: The Ultimate Insider’s Guide to Getting Published (Ten Speed Press). These words delivered the perfect mix of reassurance and inspiration I needed as I first navigated the craft of writing and the business of publishing. I didn’t know if I had talent, but I did know I had the energy and motivation to try, and try, and try. No matter what goal I’m pursuing, I appreciate the perspective that success is tied to tenacity, and that talent grows with practice and perseverance.
What is the best way for people to continue to follow your work online?
Visit my websites:
- www.joanmariegalat.com — books and school visits
- www.moondotmedia.com — public speaking, corporate training, and freelance writing/editing
Look for me on social media:
Instagram: @jmgalat
Twitter: @joanmariegalat
Facebook: @joanmariegalat
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/joanmgalat
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joangalat/
This was so inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
