Photo credit: RODNAE Productions
by Arline L. Bronzaft, Ph.D., Board of Directors, GrowNYC, Co-founder, The Quiet Coalition, and Honorary Chair, Quiet American Skies
Knowing that the readers of the Quiet Coalition are concerned about the adverse impacts of noise on our mental and physical health, I am pleased to tell you about the updated Sound and Noise Education Module, developed by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, that aims to educate youngsters to the dangers of noise and to ways to lessen noise in their lives.
The Module does not simply educate youngsters, it includes programs that actually involve them in actions to reduce noises in their environments. I hope that after you have checked out the Module and examined the lessons and workshops in the curricula, you will introduce it to school administrators, teachers, public officials, and others who are concerned about noise pollution. The goal is to bring the Module to the attention of people who, in turn, can introduce the Module in other schools.
While the information on sound and noise is written as lesson plans for students, I also believe that the information in these lesson plans can enhance the knowledge of all who read them. I hope you agree with me. My children’s book “Listen to the Raindrops,” illustrated by Steven Parton, is part of the curricula for the younger children, and I assisted with the development of the Module.
Noise pollution is a dangerous hazard to our health and we should start teaching children about this hazard early in their lives. Let us hope that such education will enlist them in efforts to lessen the din and enhance the quiet in our lives.
