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VISION SETTING AND DEFINING KEY TERMINOLGY
VISION SETTING AND DEFINING KEY TERMINOLGY
Vision of Environmental and Climate Action in K-12 Schools: When environmental and climate action is integrated into a K-12 school setting, the school will have evidence of equipping students with the tools, resources, and life experiences to create an environmentally sustainable, socially just, and economically thriving world. The schools will also provide equitable access to safe and healthy spaces for children, youth, and adults to learn and play; minimize disruptions to learning from climate change; and serve as a catalyst for transformative change in their communities.
--> Explore resources and activities for establishing and driving buy-in for this vision: Sample Vision Activities for Environmental and Climate Action in Schools
There are a number of key terms associated with sustainability and climate resiliency in schools, for example: Environmental Sustainability Education (ESE), Environmental Education (EE), Environmental Literacy, Nested Triple Bottom Line of Sustainability, Green Schools Movement, Environmental Equity, etc. These terms and concepts are defined and outlined in the following WebQuests:
Environmental and Climate Action in K-12 Schools WebQuest: This comprehensive WebQuest is designed for educators to become familiar with the key terminology and frameworks that are associated with environmental and sustainability education (ESE).
Environmental Sustainability and Frameworks WebQuest: This introductory WebQuest provides an overview to general environmental sustainability and associated frameworks.
Shared Narrative for Sustainability and Climate Resilience and K-12 Schools: This one page resource provides a high level overview to the most pressing environmental issues that we face at this time (i.e. ecological overshoot, global warming, and climate change). It builds on this quote from David Orr (Professor of Environmental Studies, Oberlin College): “The planetary emergency unfolding around us is, first and foremost a crisis of thought, values, perception, ideas and judgment. In other words, it is a crisis of mind, which makes it a crisis of those institutions which purport to improve minds.”
THE WHY: VISION AND EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHIES
THE WHY: VISION AND EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHIES
The broader vision for this work is that all schools serve their community as hubs of sustainability and climate resiliency. As models they will equip students with the tools, resources, and life experiences to create an environmentally sustainable, socially just, and economically thriving world. They will also provide equitable access to safe and healthy spaces for children, youth, and adults to learn and play; minimize disruptions to learning from climate related crises; and serve as a catalyst for transformative change within their communities.
Two driving philosophies that capture the role that schools could play in getting the critical mass of humanity to engage with a sustainable paradigm shift are details out below.
The World Becomes What we Teach And Do
The World Becomes What we Teach And Do
The World Becomes What We Teach and Do: This philosophy stems from the work of Zoe Weil and the Institute for Humane Education. By adding the phrase “and Do” to the end of this philosophy, environmental literacy becomes action oriented with the full phrase reading: The World Becomes What We Teach and Do.
This philosophy calls on adult educators to integrate environmental sustainability across curriculum and instruction, AND to model environmental and climate resiliency efforts across the campus and community engagement programs. Embracing this philosophy transforms the overall culture of the school to one that walks the talk of whole school sustainability and resiliency. It also reinforces for students the process of moving from awareness to understanding to applied responsible action.
Educate to Survive and Thrive
Educate to Survive and Thrive
The planet provides a wealth of resources and services that provide the building blocks of human survival and thriving; yet, humans are degrading and destroying this habitat through pollution, natural resource depletion, and human enhanced global warming. All of these issues have shifted humans from anticipating existential environmental threats such as climate change and ecosystem collapse, to experiencing these issues on a faster and more frequent timeline. While these issues are now impacting everyone, it is well understood that these disasters are impacting our most marginalized and vulnerable communities first. Therefore, the 2020s are a critical decade for humans to figure out how to survive and thrive, and to finally prioritize communities who are suffering from environmental injustice first.
Disclaimer: The content, views, information, or opinions expressed on this site and in these resources are solely those of the individuals involved in developing the resources. They do not necessarily represent the current or past employers of those individuals.
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