Andrea Koehle Jones
Climate and environmental journalist
Based in Greater Vancouver, Andrea is a freelance climate journalist, news photographer, children’s book author, screenwriter and an environmental education advocate for kids.
Andrea is also an award-winning documentary producer and she has worked for CBC News in Toronto, Vancouver and Yellowknife as a news writer/producer, cbc4kids and Greenpeace as a communications strategist during the campaign to ‘Save The Great Bear Rainforest.’ Andrea is also the founder of The ChariTree Foundation.
She has a Masters degree in journalism with a focus on climate journalism.
Andrea’s work has taken her to UN Climate and Biodiversity conferences around the world. Her specialty is climate change and children. She was recently included in an article listing Top Canadian Climate journalists.
Follow Andrea on Blue Sky or email her about climate change assignments at andreakj.writes@gmail.com.
Below are some highlights from her work:
Let’s Have a Children’s Tree Planting Party!
The true joy of a tree-planting party is the enthusiasm of children and young adults, who are having fun while helping our planet. As you stand among these young people, ready to get your hands dirty and join in on the action, you can’t help but marvel at how their energy transforms the world around them. Every hole dug and tree seedling planted by these kids leaves a lasting impact, knowing that they were part of something much bigger than themselves.
It’s no secret that kids who spend more time outdoors are healthier for it. By organising a tree-planting party for children, you’re not only teaching them how to love and respect nature but also providing them with important hands-on experience. READ MORE.
Talking to Kids About Climate Change: Help your kids be a part of the solution
When is the right time to talk to your kids about climate change? The answer is simple: the time is now. According to Tzeporah Berman, environmentalist, author, and the international program director of Stand.Earth, “Climate change is the greatest threat facing humanity today and our kids will hear about it in school, on the news and from friends so I think it’s critical that we talk to them about it.” While it may feel like something that you can push to the periphery or leave until your child is older, the reality is that they—like millions of other children and youth around the world—are directly impacted by climate change each day. READ MORE
How to Host a Kids’ Beach Clean-up Party
There’s no place like the beach, but you might not realize how much fun a beach clean-up party can be—until now. You’ll be amazed at all the garbage that can wash up over time and the difference an enthusiastic group of kids can make in just a few hours.
Research shows that kids who spend more time outside are happier, more confident, better at paying attention, and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors. By hosting a beach clean-up party for kids you are introducing them to the wonders of nature and helping to educate and empower them as well. READ MORE
Climate Anxiety and Kids: How to Help Manage Their Distress in These Uncertain Times
Millions of children and teens around the world are already dealing with the impacts of climate change, and millions more are hearing about it every day at school, on the news, from friends and family—everywhere.
According to Professor Mala Rao, Senior Clinical Fellow at the Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College, London, the climate crisis is causing an increase in psychological distress in youth around the world. Rao is also Chair of a group of experts on the environmental determinants of climate change and health at the WHO South East Asia Region, and a long-standing campaigner for climate action. READ MORE
3 Tips to Get Teens Outdoors
Uprooting your teens from their addictive devices and getting them outdoors is a difficult prospect at best. Younger kids are easier to engage and are usually more enthusiastic and open to trying new things—they still think hanging out with Mom and Dad is cool! But when it comes to teens, not so much. It may take a little more convincing and perhaps a bit of bribery to get them moving.
The problem is, you’re not just competing with screen time but also the time they could be spending with their friends, and of course, they’re on their devices as well. On average, kids spend up to 40 hours/week in front of a screen, and just minutes a day playing outdoors—and that was before the pandemic! Being in nature can be healing, and help to ease childhood stress, so let’s get kids off-screen, reconnected with nature, and back on the trail. READ MORE
Trees are Linked, BC Ecologist Suzanne Simard reveals in her bestselling book Finding the Mother Tree
Leading forest ecologist Suzanne Simard believes that there is plenty to learn about how trees help each other and the world around them. In her groundbreaking New York Times bestseller, Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest,¹ mysteries that promise to increase our understanding of the connectivity and generosity of trees, and their role in slowing climate change.
The Forest for the Trees
Simard shares her life and experiences as she weaves her journey of discovery through the stories of the trees. After decades spent researching Indigenous knowledge and scientific study, and immersing herself in North America’s rugged forests and the scarred remnants of clearcut logging, she developed sensitive experiments designed to show the connectivity of the forest. Simard concludes that, “Mother Trees—the majestic hubs at the centre of forest communication, protection, and sentience, are vital to any healthy forest.” They are not solitary beings: they are linked together by the wood wide web: a vast underground fungal network. Simard’s research has shown that a Mother Tree can be connected to hundreds of other trees. They are able to recognize their own seedlings and will prioritize their own kin over others by providing them with more nutrients. READ MORE
How protecting forests can protect us from pandemics
As the world unravels in the wake of COVID-19, I encourage my kids to get outdoors. And as our rain boots navigate the tree roots that criss-cross the forest floor, I’m struck by the connectivity of the forest and the world beyond our tree-topped Bowen Island home off the coast of Vancouver. It’s no secret that a walk in the woods makes everyone feel better. Not only does the forest boost your immune system, it can also help reduce stress: the perfect antidote for life during the dark days of a pandemic. When we introduce kids to the wonders and biodiversity of forests, they will be more likely to protect them for future generations, and right now, protecting forests around the world may be vital in preventing future pandemics. READ MORE
A few of Andrea’s published photos:
Photos by Andrea Koehle Jones for BBC News, EcoParent Magazine and Gripped Magazine.
