Recently, climate movements, often led by activists such as Greta Thunberg, have warned people about the dangers of global warming. In Deerfield Academy’s backyard, the First Church of Deerfield is spreading awareness about this problem by using its church bells, a symbol of gathering and warning.
On December 11, 2022, the First Church of Deerfield started to ring its bells for eleven minutes at 11 am on the eleventh day of every month. The consistent representation of eleven portrays how we are in the eleventh hour, right before climate change effects begin to heighten and become irreversible. Reverend Liza Knapp, the pastor at the First Church of Deerfield since January 2017, has noticed how threatening climate change is to the current generation and the future ones to come. Rev. Knapp expressed how everyone must do their part, large or small, to help raise awareness about this prevalent matter; even an action as simple as ringing bells at a seemingly random time of day to call attention to climate change makes a difference.