climate change exhibition

One whole wall of the Climate Change exhibition is devoted to the Multiplier Effect: an interactive display that shows how individual actions can combine to make a real dent in our carbon footprint. What kind of change makes the most sense for the way you live? What if you drove less? Or planted a tree, or changed to energy-efficient light bulbs? What would happen to CO2 levels if more people joined you? Even more? Have fun with this cool interactive and find out the answers.

It can be hard to think about the health of the planet (or much of anything, frankly) before that first jolt of caffeine. But you can play it smart, and green, by purchasing shade-grown coffee. It’s likely to taste better, cost more, and help combat climate change.

Coffee evolved in the subtropics to grow under taller trees. But over the past several decades, in order to produce higher yields faster, many coffee plantations began to cultivate it under sunnier conditions. Roughly half the growers have cleared forest to plant unshaded coffee, and this deforestation is one of the leading causes of carbon dioxide emissions. Shade-grown farms, on the other hand, not only promote healthy forests that extract carbon from the atmosphere, but boost biodiversity by providing habitat for birds and other animals. They also require far less fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides than sun-coffee plantations.

There’s no official definition of “shade grown,” but several organizations are working on certifications. You can read about them. Or come to Global Kitchen: Climate Change and Coffee at the Museum on Tuesday, February 3 to learn more about where coffee comes from and to sample brews grown under different conditions.

Thanks to so many of you on Facebook for donating your status to climate change. Now, another request. The American Museum of Natural History is asking people who care about the health of the planet to join our Facebook cause. Our goal is to get at least 5,000 people to join up and to learn more about the history and impact of global warming. The exhibition It explains not only the risks associated with global warming, but the many small- and large-scale options we have when it comes to reducing carbon emissions.

Visit Facebook to see how to join up and spread the word.