Rochelle Strauss is an award-winning children’s author, whose books focus on building environmental and ocean literacy. Her best-selling titles include The Global Ocean, One Well: The Story of Water on Earth and Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth. A storyteller by nature, Rochelle’s goal is to change the world—one book at a time! Through her narratives, she combines her love of nature and passion for stories to teach children about the wonders of the natural world and the impact humans are having on it. She also shares stories of hope that are meant to inspire and empower readers to take action. Her books have been published internationally, translated into several languages, and been incorporated into curriculum in the US. The Global Ocean was recognized an Ocean Decade Activity by IOC-UNESCO.
Two different school workshops are offered:
1. The Global Ocean
What if Earth had a beating heart that powered everything on the planet? In a way, the Global Ocean is like Earth’s heart.
Using this powerful premise and the principles of ocean literacy, award-winning author Rochelle Strauss builds students’ Ocean Literacy – an understanding of the ocean’s influence on us, and our influence on the ocean.
Through this dynamic, engaging and interactive presentation, students will dive into the global ocean to discover that while Earth is home to five distinct oceans, these oceans are actually connected to form one global ocean and this one ocean sustains all life on Earth. The presentation will highlight the important roles the global ocean plays in supporting all life on Earth, such as regulating Earth’s climate, controlling weather, providing habitat, and as a source of food for many animals on the planet (including people).
But the global ocean is in trouble, with many human activities having a huge impact on the global ocean. Students will explore how pollution, overfishing, acidification, habitat destruction, warming water and rising sea levels are all affecting the health of the global ocean.
Through stories called Ripples of Change, Rochelle will share that the news isn’t all bad. By showcasing leading ocean conservation initiatives and other good news stories from around the world, Rochelle will demonstrate the actions people and organizations are taking to protect the global ocean.
The final, and perhaps most impactful and dramatic moment of the presentation comes with an interactive activity that engages the full audience and which clearly demonstrates to each student the power of just one person to make a change. This activity leaves students feeling empowered and inspired. It will also build their capacity for making informed and responsible decisions when it comes to protecting the Earth’s global ocean.
2. One Well: The Story of Water on Earth
Imagine for a moment if all water on Earth came from just one well.
The Earth is a watery planet. Its surface is about 71% water, which sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? But of all the water on earth, humans depend mostly on freshwater. Freshwater makes up about 3% of all water on Earth. And while that may not sound like a lot of water, it should be more than enough, if we are all well aware.
This Presentation supports Rochelle Strauss’s global best-selling non-fiction book: One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by taking students on a journey to become well aware. Using a dynamic, engaging and interactive approach, Rochelle builds students’ water literacy—teaching them how all water on Earth is connected and looking at the issues that impact Earth’s one well, such as the limited amount of freshwater on Earth, access to the well, demands on the well and pollution in the well. The presentation also explores the water cycle that connects all water on Earth, the importance of water as habitat, and stories about how plants and animals (including people) use and depend on water.
The presentation wraps with good news stories and an opportunity for students to brainstorm actions they can take to protect all the water in the well. A final dramatic moment comes with an activity that clearly demonstrates to each student the power of just one person to make a change. This activity leaves the students feeling empowered and inspired.
