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SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Talking to kids about the climate crisis
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts. Nic: This is a lifelong conversation that we are all going to be a part of and we need to see it in that way. If you need a break, take a break, come back to it later. Don't see it as an all or nothing. Don't let yourself burn out. We've got too much pressure to let something like this take away the positive change that we can create for our kids. SB: Extreme weather events – whether floods, fires or cyclones – have become increasingly common. Scientists say they're fuelled by climate change, and that the world is currently off-track to limit a global temperature rise to prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Nic Seton is the CEO of an activist group called Parents For Climate and he wants to do something about it. I'm Sophie Bennett and in this episode of the Beta Blueprint, we'll discuss how parents can help influence change and how to navigate climate conversations with young kids. SB: Thanks for joining me Nic, to start with why do you get into climate activism? Well, I grew up on the fringes of suburbs in Logan and Queensland and really saw a lot of expansion and just with the local community felt very concerned about new freeways and the removal of forests. And then as I grew older, I realised that this is actually a big global condition that we've kind of industrialised to the point of actually undermining our own ecosystems. And I got really engaged in climate. I signed up for everything I could find to sort of campaign and make a difference. And then seven years ago I became a dad and that's when it all got very real in a different way. I sort of stopped thinking about climate change and started feeling it, particularly during the Black Summer bushfires. My 3-year-old boy at the time suffered quite acute bronchiolitis and was hospitalised a few times with need for oxygen and he was one of thousands of kids who were struggling to breathe under 90 days of constant smoke. And we were in Sydney, we're not in the middle of the bush, but we were really feeling it hard and it felt very personal. It is hard to describe, but if you've ever had a moment where your kid is in danger and you want to do something to protect them, it's very, very motivating. And I saw Parents for Climate around that time and I thought that's absolutely the organisation I want to be a part of and to help other parents respond to that constructively and make a difference for their kids. SB: Yeah, I remember that summer it was truly horrible. So, with the Parents For Climate group, can you tell me a bit more about it? So I literally just saw a notice in a cafe, in a cafe window in the inner west of Sydney and it just said, come along, we're just having a meetup, we're doing a playgroup. Bring your kids, we've got toys. We're having a chat about climate activism. I thought, well, that's a great place to start because most parents don't really know what actions to take or don't have a lot of time, but if you can fit it in because you need a play date and frankly socialising your kids and meeting some other parents is pretty important to you, especially with young kids that just fit our schedule beautifully. And so it just so happened to be that we were coming together for that and for a positive conversation about climate action. And yeah, I really found a home there. SB: When you mentioned before that you said you started really feeling climate change rather than just being aware of it … would you describe that feeling as climate anxiety or a heightened level of fear? Definitely, I'm one of those people that want to know as much as possible on the issues of things like climate change. And I do as much reading as I can and reading different perspectives and I think it sort of led me to understand that we're going to struggle to deal with some of the fallout of climate impacts for the next few decades as a community, as society, and also just as individual families. And this really hit home when I was talking to Professor Mark Howden, so he's an ANU climate scientist and one of the lead authors on the Impacts report from the most recent International Panel on Climate Change and he is also a dad. And he said, yeah, look, I'd gladly talk to your community online. We ran a webinar and people just sort of said, how bad is it? It was a hard conversation. He really sort of said, this is what we know could happen. But he also said something that was very motivating, which was we could turn this around in the lifetimes of ourselves, not just our kids, but our own eyes could witness our kids' world becoming safer from a climate perspective. If we get it right, if we get on top of this, the next few decades will be hard, but there is a world we will live in if we get it right. And that's so powerful to hear because while knowing your kids have to go through so much growing up and all the change that comes with that and there's going to be hard times, you accept that and still do everything you can to set them up for success. And I think climate change is no different. SB: Ok, so when it comes to practical action, what are you doing now as a parent? Look, I sometimes describe Parents for Climate as both a home for those parents who maybe are starting their journey into climate action and just need a sense of community and to be seen and heard and felt and respected and belong. But it's also a strategy. Parents for Climate plays a really big role in power and politics because 12.5 million Australians are parents. It's the majority of voters. There might be grandparents, there might be carers, there might be single parents, but we've all got this innate prioritising of our kids' best interest going on. And research in the Climate Compass, which looks at attitudinal profiles towards climate change, shows us that about a quarter of those parents are already alarmed or alert, they're engaged, they're switched on to wanting to do something about climate change, but in another quarter the bit that start to cross over into the middle of the normal curve, they're concerned but they're quite passive. They're not given the time, space, opportunity, or access to make a difference. And that's what our organisation is focused on is working with those people who are active to really connect with and support those who aren't yet active. But if asked, they have a strong opinion to express and want to see things that are in the best interest of their kids and that could be really powerful and we're already seeing it play out. The current parliament has a cross bench made up of climate champions, which wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the mums in particular in those electorates who decided to change their vote from their traditional pathway to that particular option. SB: So you're talking about driving political change, but maybe not through some of the more reactionary ways you tend to see in the media, like people throwing paint on famous artworks or blocking ports and roads. That's right. I think the media's really good at showing those moments, those peaks of conflict or action that are maybe a bit more polarising. And to be honest with you, I know that very well because my background, I spent seven years working with Greenpeace in different countries. I specialised in how to engage audiences and get their attention on issues by creating big spectacles and polarisation moments. Like to give you an example, back in the early 2000's, tweens, I was figuring out how to attach iPhone cameras to the tops of climber's helmets so that a team of female climbers could scale the outside of London's tallest building and hang a banner. And we managed to get the attention according to YouGov polling of half the country in the UK during that moment. SB: It's interesting too that you've come from that background working with GreenPeace and doing those big stunts. Do you still believe that they're effective? Yeah, in climate campaign circles, we often refer to this as different theories of change. How does change happen? And generally speaking, we don't all agree on the theory of change, but we all agree that we need all of them because we don't know which one's going to be the most effective till we try it. And the metaphor I use is if you want to put out a fire, you're going to need a pretty big blanket and you're not going to be able to be covering every corner yourself. You're going to need a lot of people tanking on different corners. One succinct way to put it is we need to build bridges on climate. We've learned in Australia that polarisation, partisanship and extreme points of view can cost us so much time and so much energy and so much missed opportunity. We've got to build common ground. We've got to agree on there's the principles that's in everybody's best interests because this isn't an us versus them that's totally manufactured and made up, it's everybody's kids altogether. Let's get it done for them. SB: Your children are 4 and 7, have you started discussing the climate with them? How do you plan to navigate those conversations? I think on a personal level, the conversation we have in our family about climate change, we've done a bit of reading and we've made some of these resources available on the Parents for Climate website. It's important not to go too heavy, too hard and too strong on the emotion side of this conversation. These are big conversations. Any big world issues, global conflict health and pandemics, climate change, you don't just drop it all on top of your kids with all of your feelings. You've got to listen to them first. So you've got to ask them, what do you know? What have you heard? How are you feeling about this? And get a read on where they're at so that you are not trying to shape it. Then you've got to check yourself how do you feel as a parent? And if you are not in the right emotional space to be giving them a constructive and positive direction, don't go there. Just take a break. You don't have to solve the problem with them in every moment, but of course if you are ready to listen to them and say, okay, where are you at? Got it, let's talk about this and talk about it in constructive terms because it's a problem that we are solving and it's always got to be in that frame because if we say to kids, this is a problem and there's nothing you can do about it that's so disempowering. It's not good for their self-esteem, not good for their mental health at any age, and it's also not true. We're at halfway to a 2030 target already on renewable energy. We're seeing 40% in Australia. There's terrific examples of how renewable energy or climate solutions are happening at a grand pace that is actually really exciting. And so it's really useful to point to those examples of this is how we're dealing with this problem and talk about how would you like to engage with that. They might talk about careers or ideas or they might say, let's do some art and drawing and create pictures. Sometimes when I go into classrooms, I really love pulling up a slide that comes from a Bluey episode where they picture the future. They just do a sort of brief landscape and they picture the future of what Bluey might look like when she's an adult and the kids point to the screen and they call out all the things they can see, like solar panels and the plants are on the buildings and the car is electric. It's really exciting to think about the future where we're building together, and I think that's the attitude we need to give our kids so that it builds them up, makes them feel strong and resilient and also gives them some control. SB: So being in classrooms and having your kids at home, do you think this generation will be different to previous ones? Definitely. I think, and the teachers do an amazing job here when kids are learning about influence and media or discourse or advertising or geography and weather cycles and rain patterns, and they're coming home with this immense interest and fascination in what they're seeing in the real world, not just at school, how the weather's behaving. And so we're talking about it all the time. I think it's something that we just need to be ready for. There will be a lot of changes in our own world. Right now for example, our organisation's looking at the fact that for the last few years we've had a pattern of the back to school week being one of the most heavily impacted in Australia by unnatural weather disasters. We are observing this stuff and our kids are too, and it's hard to know where things will happen and when, but we need to be ready to have those conversations and to equip the kids with the understanding. We also need to be ready as a community, we need to be ready to have a conversation about what types of changes might we need to make. How can we set schools up so that they have solar powered air conditioning with a battery that's resilient to power outages during heat waves because that's an issue that's affecting kids' health and their access to education or as in the case of countries like the Philippines, do we actually need to talk about, and I know this might alarm some parents who are just done with the school holidays this year, but do we need to talk about moving the academic calendar? Because if the first week back at school is too heavily exposed to risk, particularly risk to health, but also education, we might need to think about how to adjust to that even if it's uncomfortable. SB: Yeah, that's interesting. What other changes do you think need to be happening right now? Yeah, look, this all kind of falls out from solving climate change for kids can be boiled down to a few basic points. We need to make sure that we stop making the problem worse. And so we're talking to parents about what kind of products are you experiencing that might be creating unnecessary pollution or not necessarily accounting for that pollution accurately. Another aspect is that we need to make sure that kids are safe at school and in any environments they go to. That means looking at what are the adjustments we need to make to keeping them safe from a lot of the impacts we can't avoid. Schools should be resilient in places of learning. We already know that childcare centres have a legal requirement to maintain safe air temperatures, for example. Schools need to be supported to do that too. Many states have already done significant air conditioning rollouts. There are still massive gaps in some states and that really needs to be backed up by clean energy and solar panels because ultimately that is just the most cost effective way of getting it done. Schools are open during the day, they cool during the day and they need to use that daytime energy. It also creates a different kind of grid equation which can benefit community at large when it comes to solar supply and renewable energy and its impact on wholesale electricity prices. We also want to make sure that kids are safe at home. Unfortunately, not all homes are able to do that without support. You've got low income homes, you've got renters, you've got social housing that just don't have the agency or the autonomy to make changes to their living conditions and frankly should be supported to also have an efficient all electric and air conditionable home so that they can withstand the worst effects of heat and storms. And lastly, we just need to make sure we're getting it done in a way that's really visible to our kids. We want to make sure that we're building essentially resilient infrastructure in the form of schools and childcare centres in particular that are powered and backed by solar and batteries because we think at scale, not only could that be fantastic for the equation of each of those individual centres and sites, but at scale that would actually be a significant change, like top 10 electricity users, if you include all the energy and carbon that goes into schools and drop-offs and all of this, we could be talking about the fifth biggest energy consumer industry in Australia. It's just getting our kids educated at high school and primary school and childcare centres. If we tackle that by saying, well, why don't we just use that roof space, that huge roof space to turn that around, then we can get that done. And that's something that we've been working on. Some states have worked with us towards some progress. We've seen about 71 million across three states unlocked to fund solar and battery installations. We think it should be Australia wide. It's a bit of a no brainer, and I think a lot of the politicians we're talking to agree with us. We just need to get it up to the hierarchy of issues on their agenda. SB: It's good to hear you talk about those large scale projects. Just reflecting on my own childhood, there was a lot of talk around individual action like recycling and eating less meat and obviously while they're good things to do, just that list of things you've just said, it's clearly putting the responsibility on governments and businesses rather than only individuals. Do you think there has been a transition in the way people consider who is responsible when it comes to climate change? I think so. I think a lot of Australians are sort of coy to the notion that they are responsible for this. This is a bigger systemic issue and we see it in polling, across polling from all sides of the spectrum, hearing that Australians want more action from government, they want more action from industry and business. They get that those actors are capable of making differences that an individual simply can't by themselves. But also it's potentially really positive to think about individual action because if you show your kids in your own life that you take care, you do some active transport, go walking or bike riding rather than driving your car on the occasion just because it's good for us and it's the kind of world that we want to create, show how you're managing your own household waste, things like that. Not only does that help your kids see and feel and get involved and feel quite a degree of agency and empowerment, it also helps us all to see ourselves as agents of change and just to feel good about making that little difference that we can make. Because at the end of the day, these are big issues that are beyond the capability of an individual. So we have to think, well, what can we control and focus on that. But I highly recommend connecting with others because if we connect, we get stronger and that means we can affect the big picture and that's something that we're focused on doing. So we are trying to present big ideas to parents so that we can get them on board. But of course it starts with what can we do at home and how can we get our kids involved? And that's something to be really proud of as well. I think the number one trap that I want people to watch out for is feeling like they're not doing enough. I mean, God, it's hard enough as a parent these days to not feel guilty for spending too much time at work or not doing everything you can for your kids or all of those extra clubs you could be going to with the sports involvement or whatever, take the pressure off. You are not responsible for this issue. Do what you can. And if the best you can do right now means you have to use a product that might not be perfect, that's fine. Let's focus on working together to fix the supply chain so that you are not responsible for that decision on your own. SB: Yeah, I think that's an important message to send out. And just quickly before we wrap up, is there any other final advice you have for parents navigating climate activism and raising kids? This is a lifelong conversation that we are all going to be a part of and we need to see it in that way. If you need a break, take a break, come back to it later. Don't see it as an all or nothing. Don't let yourself burn out. We've got too much pressure to let something like this take away the positive change that we can create for our kids. So I do want to remind everybody, particularly parents, that the world's not on your shoulders. Let's shoulder it all together because you're not alone and you don't have to do it all, all the time. SB: That was Nic Seton, I'm Sophie Bennett and you've been listening to the Beta Blueprint.
Hypebeast
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Bronx Girls Skate Takes on the Nike SB Dunk Low
Name:Bronx Girls Skate x Nike SB Dunk LowColorway:Black/White/Challenge Red/Total Orange/Lucky Green/Smoke GreySKU:HV1664-001Retail Price:$140 USDRelease Date:Holiday 2025Where to Buy:Nike Bronx Girls Skatehas been making waves in the skateboarding scene since 2020. The collective has celebrated women skaters, encouraging the growth of the scene not only in its homeplace of the Bronx, but around the world too. This mission is now being amplified byNike SB, which has offered up its iconicSB Dunk Lowsneaker to the collective for the duo's first collaboration. Our first look at the Bronx Girls Skate x Nike SB Dunk Low sees the pair loaded with special details. A stingray-inspired leather texture covers the upper in black as orange, red, and green piping joins white Swooshes for a burst of color. A golden 'BXGS' dubrae matches NY-themed hardware hanging at the heel. Just below that, 'THE BRONX' and 'THE WORLD' text is debossed onto the left and right shoes respectively. Co-branding is also present at the tongue's two tags, as well as the unique sockliner. At the time of writing, neither Bronx Girls Skate nor Nike SB have indicated when their collaborative take on the SB Dunk Low is coming. Stay tuned for updates, including an official look at this new pair, as we currently expect it to arrive on shelves by the end of the year via Nike SNKRS and select skate shops at a starting price of $140 USD.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Colin Cowherd Sounds Alarm On 'Overrated' NFL Team Entering 2025
Colin Cowherd Sounds Alarm On 'Overrated' NFL Team Entering 2025 originally appeared on The Spun. Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd had a pretty harsh critique of one NFL team that many consider to be a Super Bowl contender. On Thursday's edition of The Herd, Cowherd made the case that the Green Bay Packers are "overrated" as the No. 5 ranked team in the NFL by The Athletic. Cowherd remarked that he doesn't see the Packers as having enough elite players. Cowherd did a comparison between the Packers and the 14th-ranked Broncos and found that Denver seems to have more elite players than Green Bay does. NFL fans weren't ready to write the Packers off as easily as Cowherd did. Some pointed out that Green Bay has more elite players than the Fox Sports host let on, while others believe that the organizational stability will get them over any hurdles: "Xavier McKinney at 10 invalidates this whole list he easily behind Surtain," one user replied. "Zach Tom (4th PFF OT, $88M), Kenny Clark (3× Pro Bowl), Rashan Gary (elite rush win rate), Jordan Love (top‑10 EPA/play), Nate Hobbs (CB1), Christian Watson (WR1), Xavier McKinney (All‑Pro S, 8 INTs). That's 7 difference-makers," wrote another. "I can't ever rule them out cause the organization is just run so well. But I really just don't see all that much talent in the team. Good QB, great RB, Elite Safety. Everything else is just ok? They'll be good I just don't see them being SB contenders," a third wrote. "Colin saying this means they're a Superbowl lock," another joked. The Packers certainly fell below expectations in 2024. Despite going 11-6 in the regular season, that was only good for third in their own division as the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings combined for 29 wins and swept them in the regular season. They certainly didn't have the formula down pat by mid-January as they got blown out by the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs. Will the Packers regress in 2025? Or will they prove Cowherd wrong?Colin Cowherd Sounds Alarm On 'Overrated' NFL Team Entering 2025 first appeared on The Spun on Jul 24, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
Fibre2Fashion
21-07-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
California retailers, AAFA & NRF to launch US' first textile PRO
The California Retailers Association, the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), and the National Retail Federation (NRF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly establish an independent Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO). This new body will lead efforts to divert apparel and textiles from landfills by collecting, repairing, reusing, and recycling post-consumer materials. The initiative aligns with California's pioneering Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law for textiles—the first of its kind in the US. California Retailers Association, AAFA and NRF have signed an MoU to establish a producer-led PRO under California's SB 707, the US' first EPR law for textiles. The PRO will manage end-of-life textile responsibility through collection, repair, reuse, and recycling. It aims to unite stakeholders across the value chain, meet legal requirements, and begin operations in early 2026 following state approval. Signed into law in 2024, California's SB 707 requires producers and importers of textiles to take responsibility for the end-of-life management by joining and funding PRO. It will develop and implement a plan to meet the requirements of the law, including the collection, transportation, repair, recycling and the safe and proper management of covered products, they said in a joint press statement. The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery must approve a PRO by March 1, 2026, following a January 1, 2026, PRO application deadline. The initiative aims to establish an independent, producer-led PRO to represent and ensure compliance of all producers of apparel and textile articles covered under SB 707. It will foster collaboration across the textile value chain by actively engaging manufacturers, brands, retailers, collectors, sorters, recyclers, repair businesses, and other key stakeholders to drive innovation and maximise the programme's impact. The PRO will also be responsible for developing and implementing an effective stewardship programme that fulfils all legal requirements while strengthening infrastructure for the collection, repair, reuse, and recycling of textiles. 'California's groundbreaking SB 707 positions our state as a national leader in responsible textile management. The California Retailers Association is proud to set the standard for innovation and collaboration in environmental sustainability. We are dedicated to guiding the implementation of this transformative law and to establishing a PRO that unites and empowers the wide array of producers selling textiles in California. Our commitment is to deliver real impact for our communities, our environment, and the future of retail in California,' said Rachel Michelin, president, California Retailers Association . 'This partnership signals our industry's commitment to collaborate in support of a circular transition. By bringing together diverse stakeholders from across our industry supply chain, we are launching an inclusive organisation that is right for the California market and regulatory environment, establishing California as the standard for similar approaches nationwide,' said Steve Lamar, president and CEO, AAFA . 'Our associations have a shared commitment to ensuring the success of SB 707. Collectively, our members bring significant experience in PRO-building, EPR compliance and implementation to this effort. We look forward to working together to establish an organisation that supports the entire producer community to meet the immediate needs in California and potential future needs if other states adopt similar approaches,' said Stephanie Martz, chief administrative officer and legal counsel, NRF . The associations have begun the process of forming an independent 501(c)(3) PRO to meet all requirements under SB 707 and prepare for the application process. The PRO is expected to be operational in early 2026, with the initial focus on registering producers by July 1, 2026. Additionally, it will conduct an initial statewide needs assessment to determine the necessary steps and investment needed to fulfil the law's requirements and inform the program budget and plan. The PRO will prioritise early outreach to producers and will engage with interested parties to lay the groundwork for implementation, added the statement. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'NFL Season (Taylor's Version)': Taylor Swift's lucky number 13 has fans convinced Travis Kelce is destined for NFL glory in 2025
Travis Kelce's 13th NFL season has sparked excitement, fueled by Taylor Swift's lucky number (Getty Images) Travis Kelce is entering his 13th NFL season, but this one feels different—and fans think Taylor Swift has something to do with it. With 13 being Swift's famously lucky number, the coincidence has sparked excitement among Swifties and football fans alike. Could this symbolic season mark a fairytale Super Bowl run for the Chiefs' star tight end? Fans think Taylor Swift's lucky number 13 could spark Super Bowl magic for Travis Kelce Travis Kelce is gearing up for his 13th NFL season — and Swifties are convinced that the number isn't just a coincidence. After the Kansas City Chiefs honored their star tight end with a celebratory Instagram slideshow captioned 'Lucky year 13 coming soon for @killatrav', fans immediately made a bold connection: 13 is Taylor Swift's iconic lucky number. Fans are positive about Travis Kelce's 13th NFL season (SS via Instagram) That's all it took for the Swift-Kelce fandom to erupt with predictions, memes, and some serious championship energy. 'All the Swifties 'of course it'd be year 13!' one fan @janetmccormick_ wrote. 'NFL Season (Taylor's Version),' joked @booksovrbros . 'It only makes sense that they win the SB on his 13th year,' added a hopeful user @swiftiesforeternity. From Taylor Swift's sacred number to Super Bowl dreams — the year 13 narrative is already building Taylor Swift has long associated herself with the number 13. Born on December 13, she's talked about how the number has appeared at pivotal moments in her life and career. In her early performances, she would even write '13' on her hand for good luck. So when Kelce's 13th NFL season rolled around, it seemed tailor-made for conspiracy theories and romantic destiny narratives. But this upcoming season isn't just about numerology. It's a critical moment for Kelce's legacy. His 2024 season ended in heartbreak, with the Chiefs falling 40–22 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl. Despite whispers of retirement, Kelce shot them down in February, saying he couldn't end on a 'bad note.' Travis Kelce's new body, new mindset, and off-field spotlight suggest a refreshed chapter Fans have noticed more than just symbolism in the number 13 — they're seeing a transformation. At the Amazon MGM Studios Upfronts this past May, Kelce revealed he dropped 25 pounds in the offseason, debuting a noticeably leaner physique. In a November 2023 interview with The Wall Street Journal, Kelce opened up about the toll of the game. 'The discomfort. The pain. The lingering injuries — the 10 surgeries I've had that I still feel every single surgery to this day,' he shared. Also Read: Taylor Swift snubs Kamala Harris plea, but plays house entertainer for Travis Kelce's NFL frat party Yet even with the physical pain and increasing Hollywood opportunities — including podcasting and acting — Kelce remains locked in for one more run. And if Swift's influence and his own mental reset are any indication, fans may be witnessing the most poetic Super Bowl win yet — one where football meets fate. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
