Easier Done than Said: Move from Fear to Action by Educating for a Sustainable Future

In my experience, it is harder for people to think about what it will take to educate for sustainability, than it is to actually educate for sustainability. This makes sense, given that change of any kind is threatening to our reptilian brains. We have a biological fear of change. Add to this the fact that most educators think of “sustainablizing” as an add on to an already packed life, curriculum and to do list. Given the flavor of the month way that schools often operate, it seems like just one more thing to do. It isn’t. It can’t be. It is the thing we all must do if we want to thrive over time.

EfS Perspectives, EfS in Schools, Curriculum & InstructionCloud InstituteNovember 28, 2017EFS, Curriculum

How to Sustain Sustainability Education

I have been working with Kapalama Middle School at the Oahu campus of Kamehameha Schools for the past seven years. We would like to continue our work together, but for now, the contract has been completed. How can we know if the work we have done together to educate students for a sustainable future will last and will be improved over time? We can’t. What we can do is create favorable conditions for it to flourish over time—just like everything else we want to sustain. As I always say, there is no such thing as “sustain-guaranteed” but there is such a thing as “sustain-able”.

PNW BOCES: A Regional Approach to EfS

In previous blog posts, we’ve featured stories about schools or districts across the country that have integrated EfS into their curriculum. Today, we’d like to tell you about Putnam and Northern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services (PNW BOCES), a regional education agency whose innovative approach to EfS is worth exploring.

New York State’s PNW BOCES is a regional collaborative serving approximately 60,000 pre-K through 12th graders in 18 school districts. In 2008, the PNW BOCES Curriculum Center undertook the development of a K-12 web-based Education for Sustainability curriculum to address the question, “How are we all going to live well within the means of nature?” The curriculum development project was a multi-year undertaking that included capacity building for administrators to lead in this area as well as support for teams of teachers to develop the cutting edge sustainability education curriculum. To implement the project, PNW BOCES assembled a diverse group of sustainability, curriculum design, and instructional technology experts to work with the educators in involved in the project.

EfS in Schools, Curriculum & InstructionCloud InstituteApril 7, 2017PNW BOCES

New Jersey: An Unexpected Leader Emerges in Sustainability Education

As the new administration in Washington questions the role of the federal government in protecting the environment, there is a growing sense of urgency for all parts of society to step up to the plate, and they are. As Einstein said, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved with the same thinking we used to create them.” We need new ways of thinking, not just to solve today’s problems, but to lead us to a healthy and regenerative future. Now imagine that schools could prepare young people to think about the world in this entirely new way. Here’s the good news—it’s happening. Right now, all over the state of New Jersey.

EFS in Schools: Trevor Day School

Today we’d like to introduce you to Trevor Day School, a Pre-K through Grade 12 independent day school located in New York City. Trevor’s commitment to sustainability is evident inside and outside the classroom. Jaimie Cloud has been working with the school since 2009, providing training and resources to help the school integrate Education for Sustainability across grade levels and academic disciplines.

Curriculum & Instruction, EfS in SchoolsCloud InstituteJanuary 26, 2017EFS

Educating for Sustainability: Case Studies from the Field, PreK-12

Curriculum & Instruction, EfS in SchoolsCloud InstituteOctober 5, 2016EFS

Embracing Education for Sustainability (EfS) with Jaimie Cloud

Curriculum & Instruction, EfS in Schools, Green Schools, Jaimie CloudCloud InstituteSeptember 23, 2016EFS, The Willow School

EfS in Schools: Denver Green School

Today, we’d like to introduce you to the Denver Green School (DGS), a public neighborhood K-8 school now in its seventh year. DGS, located in a diverse urban setting, is one of Denver’s “Innovation” schools. These schools create their own unique program design with waivers from certain state and district rules. Recently, DGS was among four schools granted even more autonomy through the approval of a new “Innovation Zone”.