“I think a lot about how we can create a world of more joy and less suffering, and how we can engage boys and men in that,” says Joseph Henderson, father of two middle schoolers, school board member, Little League coach, and lecturer at the University of Vermont.
While many parents have similar concerns, Joseph observes how his kids navigate shifting ecological and social dynamics from a unique perspective: he’s an anthropologist of environmental education.
In honor of Father’s Day, we asked Joseph for his thoughts on the challenges and solutions in building a world where both boys and girls take equal responsibility and care for our planet so everyone can thrive.
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What is petro-masculinity, and how do we undo it?
Joseph is very familiar with the pressures on boys and young men to prove their masculinity. He’s taught at several colleges and universities in the U.S. and is a former middle school teacher. It’s challenging to educate students about climate change in school, he says, because many go home after class to a community that denies climate science. But for young men, there is an added layer of complexity, perhaps not obvious until you look closely: “Masculinity is kind of wrapped up with the fossil fuel industry,” he says.
This “petro-masculinity,” or masculinity tied to fossil fuel culture, includes the glorification of gas-guzzling trucks and meat-eating as virility. He’s had students say they would never drive an electric car because that would make them look weak. But perhaps the most extreme example is the practice of “rolling coal,” where people modify a diesel truck’s engine to emit excessive amounts of black smoke, then intentionally release it near cyclists, pedestrians, and hybrids to show dominance.
Boys aren’t looking for a fight. They’re looking for meaning.
Joseph has taught many young men who are adrift and searching for purpose and usefulness. He hears his male students say, “I just don’t want to get drunk every weekend and punch walls. There’s got to be something better than this.”
There’s no mystery as to why some students are checking out of the educational system, he says. Too much of what they experience at school, including endless testing and worksheets, does not feel meaningful to them. Boys in particular can feel even more antsy because they are not moving their bodies enough during the school day; by the time they get to college, their love of learning has diminished.
One potential solution? Joseph says that climate change can be reframed as an opportunity for students to do something real and helpful. He proposes curricula that move away from high-stakes testing and toward creating opportunities to work alongside community members in order to solve real-world environmental problems. One great example is the National Wildlife Federation’s Resilient Schools and Communities (RiSC) program, which offers a climate science curriculum plus hands-on experiences in community projects, like dune restoration and beach grass planting, to New York City students.
Finding better role models
Men who are interested in caregiving and sustainability and aren’t threatened by social change can be hard to find in traditional and social media; instead, we seem stuck in an era of toxic trends like looksmaxxing, or taking extreme measures to improve attractiveness. “I know a lot of guys who are very egalitarian, but you don’t hear about them, because they don’t have a huge platform and they’re not making money off the fact that they’re helping their kids’ dance theater troupe,” Joseph says.
To have more of an impact, he believes that men need to model and promote care—for families, communities, and the planet—not just critique “toxic masculinity.” The Dad Guild, based in Vermont, does this well. In addition to local community events that “help dads be dads,” they host a podcast that promotes connection and education for fathers (check out their episode about climate change).
Caregiver tips for Father’s Day and beyond
So what can we do to engage boys in community care and environmental stewardship? New York State recently made climate education mandatory, and Joseph says more resources and support for systemic initiatives like this in other states would help.
At home and in communities, he offers three more suggestions:
- Provide boys with opportunities for hands-on climate action. Options include going to the local park to remove invasive species, starting a compost pile at home, attending a community meeting about a proposed power plant or data center, or giving testimony before EPA about rollbacks to our federal clean air protections.
- Model care work at home for men and boys. Maybe Dad takes the lead on a family meal made with ingredients sourced from a local farm, or ensures kids take water breaks when playing on the swing set in extreme summer heat.
- Seek out or build noncompetitive community spaces for boys. Maintaining a neighborhood garden or starting an environmental book club are two climate-minded options for young men.
“I see it with my own kid, he cares a lot about other people and nature,” Joseph says. Climate action may be just the meaningful, inclusive project boys and young men are looking for—offering the opportunity to do positive things in their community to help neighbors “literally weather the storm.”
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