Can a Childhood Comic Strip be a Climate Awareness Powerhouse? Yes!

Part of my job at 350.org is monitoring the group inbox we have, where general requests are sent. It's an awesome part of this work- I get to keep a finger on the pulse of the movement, and talk to inspirational people around the world. Recently, an email popped in from the creator of a Sunday comic that I read as a child- "You Can with Beakman and Jax", a weekly panel in the American Sunday comics that talks about all kinds of science, with ways for kids to get hands-on and see science in action. As a kid, this was my favorite panel, and I'm still immensely grateful that science education can find a home in the realm of weekend mornings. So when I discovered that the creator of this comic wanted to talk to us, and was featuring 350.org for the second time in his panel, I was a bit star struck. It wasn't just me- our executive director, May Boeve, who also grew up with the comic, was also quite excited to hear about Jok reaching out. I imagine if we polled the 350 staff, other Beakman and Jax afficionados would arise from the woodwork. I reigned in my excitement, and got to talk to Jok, the creator, about his work and his climate comics. The first 350.org Beakman and Jax comic came out 3 years ago, just in time for our first international day of action. The comic contained a large 350.org logo, as well as a kid-sized interpretation of the science. He posted a link to his website, where he had more 350.org logos, and told his readers to print them out and put them all over town. He included a picture of someone on his team sticking 350 logos up around the San Francisco area, logos that our staff have seen routinely, but didn't know who put them there. Mystery solved! Jok's been making this comic for 25 years- and he let me know that it makes him really happy and a bit choked up to see that those who read his strip when they were young still excitedly remember it. On top of that, we're now doing some great science based climate work, in an organization he's an avid fan of. It was a great moment for me to realize that separate pieces of my life are actually all working towards the same thing I am- the forces that have shaped me in the past are still active, and I'm now working with them side by side to make this planet a better place for everyone on it. What a great influence for a cartoon (and a cartoonist) to have- and what a great discovery for those of us who grew up with science in the funnies. On my twitter feed, Bill Nye the Science Guy (another hero from my childhood) is working to increase climate change awareness. In the Sunday comics, a long-running comic strip is letting millions of readers know about the work we do. This movement is filled with a wonderful cast of characters, and I can't imagine a better group of folks to be working with.To see what Beakman and Jax are talking about this week, Jok updates his website weekly with his newest comics.

Part of my job at 350.org is monitoring the group inbox we have, where general requests are sent. It’s an awesome part of this work- I get to keep a finger on the pulse of the movement, and talk to inspirational people around the world.

Recently, an email popped in from the creator of a Sunday comic that I read as a child- “You Can with Beakman and Jax”, a weekly panel in the American Sunday comics that talks about all kinds of science, with ways for kids to get hands-on and see science in action. As a kid, this was my favorite panel, and I’m still immensely grateful that science education can find a home in the realm of weekend mornings. So when I discovered that the creator of this comic wanted to talk to us, and was featuring 350.org for the second time in his panel, I was a bit star struck. It wasn’t just me- our executive director, May Boeve, who also grew up with the comic, was also quite excited to hear about Jok reaching out. I imagine if we polled the 350 staff, other Beakman and Jax afficionados would arise from the woodwork.

I reigned in my excitement, and got to talk to Jok, the creator, about his work and his climate comics. The first 350.org Beakman and Jax comic came out 3 years ago, just in time for our first international day of action. The comic contained a large 350.org logo, as well as a kid-sized interpretation of the science. He posted a link to his website, where he had more 350.org logos, and told his readers to print them out and put them all over town. He included a picture of someone on his team sticking 350 logos up around the San Francisco area, logos that our staff have seen routinely, but didn’t know who put them there. Mystery solved! Jok’s been making this comic for 25 years- and he let me know that it makes him really happy and a bit choked up to see that those who read his strip when they were young still excitedly remember it. On top of that, we’re now doing some great science based climate work, in an organization he’s an avid fan of.

It was a great moment for me to realize that separate pieces of my life are actually all working towards the same thing I am- the forces that have shaped me in the past are still active, and I’m now working with them side by side to make this planet a better place for everyone on it. What a great influence for a cartoon (and a cartoonist) to have- and what a great discovery for those of us who grew up with science in the funnies.

On my twitter feed, Bill Nye the Science Guy (another hero from my childhood) is working to increase climate change awareness. In the Sunday comics, a long-running comic strip is letting millions of readers know about the work we do. This movement is filled with a wonderful cast of characters, and I can’t imagine a better group of folks to be working with.

To see what Beakman and Jax are talking about this week, Jok updates his website weekly with his newest comics.