Harry Potter and the 3 E’s of Sustainability 

by Rachel Brett

What does Harry Potter have to do with EFS? A lot, especially if you’re trying to teach kids about sustainability. As any Harry Potter fan knows, one of the most important lessons that Harry learns during his quest to fight evil is that he can’t do it alone. Although Harry may be the star of the books, he needs the help of his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, to ultimately triumph. Focusing only on Harry means that you’re looking at just one piece of a much bigger puzzle.

So what lessons can we take from Harry Potter? Well, when many people hear the word “sustainability,” their mind goes immediately to the environment. For many, sustainability means being “eco-friendly.”  The environment may well be the Harry Potter of sustainability, but it’s not enough. Instead, EFS must integrate the 3 E’s into how we define and understand sustainability. The 3 E’s are environment, economy and equity, and all three are essential and interconnected elements of EFS. J.K. Rowling builds this theme of interconnectedness into her books both explicitly and implicitly and makes it clear how vital it is for the heroes’ success. For example, Dumbledore repeatedly emphasizes to Harry and others how interdependent life is: what seems inconsequential or unrelated often has vast implications when the big picture is revealed. This concept is woven into the very fabric of the novels, as well. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that each small and seemingly insignificant action and event has consequences and reverberations on a much grander scale.

When we teach about sustainability, we need to teach people to look at it from multiple perspectives. Environmental health, social justice, and economic stability shouldn’t be at odds with one another—they are all critical components of the big picture of sustainability. If the problems we face are interdependent, then the solutions must also be integrated. As environmental justice advocates like Van Jones and Majora Carter emphasize, even the greenest idea in the world won’t solve our problems if it’s so expensive only the wealthy can access it. After all, it was the boy from under the stairwell, a muggle-born girl, and the son of a mid-level bureaucrat who together brought peace and justice to the wizarding world, not the elite, affluent Malfoy family. In addition, by embracing a vision that was diverse yet cohesive—not fragmented or divisive—Harry found unexpected allies in house elves and Centaurs. Adopting a similar scope through the 3 E’s, then, will not just ensure that our solutions are more holistic—it will also help unite people in constructing a society that is sustainable and equitable for all.

The students I work with understand this. I’ve heard fifth graders wax poetic about how a new technology isn’t sustainable unless it’s fair to all; how our ability to make change often depends on money but our ability to make money depends on the resources in our earth; how each of these concepts are just individual—but interlinking—pieces of that big puzzle. I’ve heard the same students discuss their favorite Harry Potter characters, and although some revere Harry while others may have “I love Ron Weasley” t-shirts in their closets, they all recognize that each character is only one part of the story. There is a lot more to Harry Potter that creates a complete, complex world encompassing the struggles of ordinary people trying to get by in an unfair world. Only by looking at the bigger picture can we understand that world; only by bringing together all the pieces can Harry and his friends save that world. These lessons apply to us as well: only by integrating the 3 E’s and the many pieces of our own big picture will we ultimately achieve our purpose of creating a more sustainable society ourselves.

Taken from Antioch University Official blog  Thank you Rachael 

The Indian Cow - An excellent example of Sustainabilty

We visited the Krishak Ashram couple of weekends back. Learned about the importance of cows and why/how cows play a very important role in our ecosystem and in our society.

COW-Pivot of Indian Society - Excellent example of why and how serves as an excellent example of sustainabilty. All the three E's Environment, economy and Euity or Society benefit from having cows - read on- 

Cow is an important and inevitable part of Indian culture and society and is interlinked in all walks of lives.

Cows play an important and unmatchable role in many segments of Indian Society.

1. Cows in Indian Household - Society/Equity

Cows have since eternity been part of Indian households. Most of the houses will have a Gau-shaala (cow-shed) mostly infront of their house.

A typical day used to start with Gau-pooja - paying respects to the Gau-matha and offering food and seeking her blessings.

It is most common in Indian house-holds even today (mostly restricted to rural areas)to apply cow-dung in front of each house. Many houses even now, have the floor laid with cow-dung to keep homes cooler.

Cow-dung as it is now scientifically proven, has high anti-bacterial properties and it protects from harmful radiations.

Cow provides milk and bi-products for the family.

2. Rituals and spiritual practices - Equity/Society

Cows are an inevitable part of any religious ritual in India. Gau with calf is looked upon as very auspicious and it is a practice to perform Gau-pooja on any occasion, especially on religious functions and spiritual practices.

In many Rituals like Yajna's, Gau-pooja / Gau-daan are considered integral for effective completion of the ritual.

3. Environment protection

Indian cows have the unique ability to absorb harmful radiations from the environment and they produce good vibrations, thus helping to cleanse the surroundings. 'Suryaketu' nerve on Cow's back absorbs all harmful radiations and cows body produces very serene energy which cleanses the environment.

Cow-dung possess very high anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and is used in Indian households to protect from harmful bacteria and harmful radiations.

4. Cow-products as Eco-friendly Energy source - Environment/Economy

Cow -dung is an excellent energy source.

Dried cow-dung, is a good supplement for firewood. The same is a widely used for Fire rituals in Indian tradition.

Cow dung is an essential raw material in production of Bio-gas, a supplement for cooking gas. The Slurry from bio gas plant is an excellent fertilizer, which can be used to grow crops.

Through the above, cow is helping in decrease the use of firewood thus indirectly help prevent cutting down more trees.

5. Livelihood - Economy

Cow gives milk and other products, which in turn enables the owners to have a descent livelihood by selling the Cow-products

Milk - Milk is one of the staple food products.

There are many other food products which can be prepared from Milk

Butter, Ghee, Curd which are produced from milk are extensively used in Indian cuisine and is much in demand always.

All cow-products are widely used in Rituals and religious worship - for applying on statues of Dieties, for fire rituals (homa/yaaga).

6. Cow in Agrarian Society

Vast Majority of Rural Indian society are dependent on farming and related areas for their livelihood. This is referred to as an Agrarian society. Cow and Ox play a pivotal role in this kind of a society.

• Oxen are used for ploughing the fields
• Bull/Ox-carts are widely used as mode of transport.
• Cow-dung is used as Fetrilizer for the crops and also used as Firewood suppliment.
• Cow-urine and Panchagavya used as highly effective and efficient fertilizers.
• Cow dung is used as Energy source - Bio-gas prepared from cow-dung, Dried cow-dung are used for cooking purposes.
• Cow dung is also used to decrease the acidity of soil and also in water. Crops grown using only Cow-products (Organic fertilizers) are much in demand, and fetch very good/better price for farmers compared to crops grown using chemicals.

All the above substantiate the claim that Cow plays a pivotal role in Indian society and also helps provide Economical stability and financial independence to our society.

Documentary on me by makechange TV

Dear readers,

Greetings from me, I have been busy moving countries, and setting up a new venture. So sorry I have not shared anything in about a month. But please see this one:

I received this piece from Julie Tran at make change TV.  

http://www.makechange.tv/videos/eduvation-e-1-green-school-becoming-green-leaders-part-1-indonesia

She wrote to me -

Once again, I would like to say thank you for allowing me to film your class and having you on my film. I really feel that your passion for teaching came through the camera and for me, it's a blessing to be able to show it so thanks for caring and sharing :-) My best wishes, Julie

Back 2 basics - Collaboration

I have started a small initiative called "Back 2 Basics - growing with educators worldwide".

As part of this initiative, I will be meeting several educators, create meaningful meeting/sharing opportunities to foster collaboration and then identify the needs of schools in training teachers appropriately to help integrate sustainability into the curriculums.

Because I think collaboration is most important in moving ahead with a clear vision and supported by the community, we hope that we can design interesting teacher/educator workshops.

Service and Enterprise learning

In my class we celebrated World bamboo day by all students and teachers participating in designing, and creating bamboo toys for early years. 

You may want to see their commitent for yourself at the link below. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTpD_cy3lrM&feature=youtu.be

Hi all, I have now added a link for you to be able to subscribe to my blog and get an email alert of any new posts:)
Thanks

Educating for sustainability: Raising whole children

Educating for sustainability: Raising whole children

Raising whole children

Fyodor Dostoevsky said, "Beauty will save the world."

Expanding on the above thought, I wanted to share a story I read in The "Ecological Literacy".

Here is a story by Michael Ableman in his essay on "Raising Whole Children Is Like Raising Good Food...." consider this:

           

        Every evening we wrap up our new born son in his favourite wool blanket and ever so slowly walk the length of our farm saying good night to the chickens, touching the leaves on the asparagus, rubbing our faces on various herbs and flowers, and quietly sneaking up on the thousands of frogs that inhabit our pond.

            It's the same route each evening, but every walk reveals something new. Most nights just as we reach the farm-gate and turn to walk back home, young Benjamin's eyes have started to close as he is lulled and calmed by the life on the farm, which is also drifting into sleep.

            These walks include no talk, no explanations; there is no reading or study required to understand and learn from our experiences. But I am sure that young Benjamin is absorbing it all., even when his eyes are closed and he is asleep.

            But just as I immerse my young son in the natural circles of the farm as I give him responsibilities to care for some of the animals and plant life that exists on it, and feed and nourish him from it, our society must find ways to offer similar experiences to all families and communities.

            We have to deal with the world of worry in which so many of our young people live and the constant struggle between hope and despair by focusing on the small successes: on local and incremental change; one handful of seeds, one child, one garden at a time.

References and readings:

Dewey, J. (1929). Experience and nature. New York: Dover.

Orr, D. W. (1992). Ecological literacy: Education and the transition to a postmodern world. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Beauty WILL save the world!!

My grade 2 class showing love for Earth. Why won't these kids solve the problems of the world. They are already proactive.:) 

Fyodor Dostoevsky said, "Beauty will save the world."

"Eco-phobia" this word as I understand means "the fear of the environment". Actually Eco-phobia is more common in adults, youth and children than we think. I presume this is because we expose our children and students too early about the problems of the world - the problems that they think will end life on the planet.

Instead of instilling eco-phobia in kids, how about first making children fall in love with Earth -their planet and if we can do this successfully they will know the problems themselves. Children are experts at creating visions of places they've seen only in their imagination- places made real by the act of creation. Imagine what they could do when they are exposed to wonder and not catastrophe.

In recent years environmental education has too often focused on environmental problems and crisis such as pollution and species extinction. David Sobel says, "Emphasizing environmental problems with children, especially young ones, can leave them feeling disempowered and hopeless about the state of the world and their ability to affect it". It is so true, I believe that if children can learn to love a place or their connection with mother Earth, they will naturally grow up to take care of her.

There is an organization called RIVERS OF WORDS (ROW) founded by Pamela Michael which practices place-based learning by inviting children to use the arts to explore and express their understanding of and connections to their home places. People at ROW believe that children who come to understand and to love their home places will grow into engaged, effective citizens committed to preserving those places.

Fyodor rightly said, "Beauty will save the world".

Appreciating the local environment - How do children connect?

Place based learning appears as a new concept that is being talked about in the education world, but actually it is not new. Real education that is practical and experiential needs to be rooted in the local environment. I will highlight some background on this topic from the pedagogical standpoint and then extend my point with examples of how I integrate this pedagogy in my practice.

Place-based education has many roots: from the age-old practice of learning from our surroundings, to the ideas of Dewey (1929) and Geddes (Higgins and Nicol, 2009). However the phrase became popular in the last two decades in the United States through the work of the Orion Society (2010) and educators such as Gruenewald (2003), Knapp (2001) and Smith (2002). Place-based education marks the development of environmental education to include local as well as global issues, and engage learners with the interdependence of ecological and community issues around them (Smith, 2002).

Place-based learning is a philosophy of education that uses the local community and surrounding environment as an integrating context for multidisciplinary learning. It is characterized by student-driven, project-based explorations of local environmental issues, social questions, cultural heritage, or civic leadership.

The approach to Educating for Sustainability, as stated by the Center of Ecoliteracy, follows the following guiding principles:

• Nature is our teacher

• Sustainability is a community Practice

• The real world is the Optimal Learning Environment

• Sustainable living is rooted in a deep knowledge of PLACE

We practice Place Based Learning by growing rice, taking care of the crop, harvesting it and finally storing, selling or consuming it - this is a possibility because we are in a rice producing area, i.e Bali. If you are in a wheat producing area then you can teach your child/children to grow, harvest and devour the local grain. Similarly children can grow vegetables that are suited to the local climate rather than always buying non seasonal vegetables from the market. Such real opportunities help children to connect with their local environment and they learn first-hand several key science concepts that cannot be substituted by reading or experimenting alone.

Last year my students extended their connection to the place by collaborating with the local school to address a very local problem of unmanaged waste in the neighborhood. When children connect to a place they can take proactive measures in finding solutions to issues out of love and compassion for the place, much like increasing awareness of waste management amongst students and teachers of local schools and being role models for them in the community. This type of contextualized learning and creative participation in the locality can provide opportunities for students to investigate and deepen their relationship to their home places.

As parents we can extend our children's learning in Bali by encouraging and participating in place-based activities like local ceremonies, rice plantings, and walking through the rice paddies. We can inculcate love for our locality and a feeling of belonging by interacting with the local population. Eating locally grown foods is beneficial for our health, economy, environment and spirit. Encouraging children to make paints from plants, take care of animals,  and collect seeds to re-grow them provides hands on nature based holistic enjoyment. These and many more activities provide experiences that create special meaning and memories for our children, nurturing their connection with the environment and place.

References:

American Institutes of Research. 2005. Effects of Outdoor Education Programs for Children in California. Sacramento.

Bai, H., & Scott, G. (2009). Touching the earth with the heart of enlightened mind: The Buddhist practice of mindfulness for environmental education. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 14.

Cameron, J. I. (2003). Educating for place responsiveness: an Australian perspective on ethical practice. Ethics, Place & Environment 6(2), pp. 99-115.

Dewey, J. (1929). Experience and nature. New York: Dover.

Gruenewald, D. A. (2003). Foundations of place: A multidisciplinary framework for place conscious education. American Education Research Journal 

Orr, D. W. (1992). Ecological literacy: Education and the transition to a postmodern world. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Hidden Curriculum - Can we educate for sustainability through the hidden curriculum?

Can we educate for sustainability through the hidden curriculum? What do you think?

I feel I always want to talk about this important element of our lives. LIVES- did I say LIVES! Yes, Our kids are influenced heavily by their environment. We are what we are because of the environment we grew up in, to most part of it, if not all. I still find myself exhibiting many of my parents' behaviours. What we present to our children implicitly is what I think I mean by 'hidden curriculum'.

I read an essay on "The Power of Words" by Earnest Callenbach. I found it very interesting and relevant to education and community. You may find it interesting too. Curriculum for the Center for EcoLiteracy means the totality of a student's experiences, a mix of content and context. Organizing classes around projects rather than academic subjects is curriculum. 

An overlapping term, " Hidden curriculum" coined by Briar Jackson in the 1960s is the aspect of schooling that is implicit, usually unintentional that plays a role in constructing a student’s image of self, others, and the world.   These hidden aspects of learning are generally value-based ideas communicated indirectly, through actions and words that are part of the everyday life for children in their school community.  The messages imparted through the hidden curriculum usually deal with attitudes, values, beliefs, and behavior. 

I could identify several examples of Hidden curriculum in all the schools I have worked at. What about soda vending machines in the hallways of schools that are trying to promote healthy eating! I read about what the Wichita tribe, a Native American Indian tribe did when constructing roundhouses. They built roundhouses (community houses) that fall apart every 20 years, the reason is simple, they want every generation to have a chance to rebuild it. " If you want to make a building last you do it one way, but if you want to make the knowledge last, you do it another way. There are so many examples of hidden curriculum, we can find in our daily lives in we look and in schools. In an article 'Raising Whole Children', by Michael Ableman: he writes that making learning implicit rather than explicit, helps children make connections with systems rather than in isolation.

The development of morals is rooted in relationship to other people, animals, and the natural world. This is related to the insight that we all gain together. This is why schools have the responsibility to be aware of what messages we impart to children about learning, life, relationships, and connection to the world around them.  The school framework and institutional design, how children are learning, and how they are assessed are all key functions of what children learn in the hidden curriculum.

I really believe that what teachers have to do mostly is be a good role model for their students. In one my earlier posts on 'teachers as role models...' I try to strive for this.

Educating for sustainability: Educating for Sustainability impact

Educating for sustainability: Educating for Sustainability impact: Gaining a Masters in Educating for Sustainability from Antioch University, New England has had a profound impact on my thinking. Having a c...

Educating for Sustainability impact

Gaining a Masters in Educating for Sustainability from Antioch University, New England has had a profound impact on my thinking. Having a chance to interact and learn from Tom Wessels, David Sobel, Susan Dreyer Leon, Sue Gentile, Paul Bocko and Tom Julius among many others is a privilege. The summer of 2012, I spent in Keene is sketched all over my being. Secretly I never wanted that time to end. I wanted to go for forest walks everyday with Tom Wessels and just wanted to sit among my peers and teachers and absorb every bit of their intelligence and wisdom.

As I think Educating for sustainabilty several words come to mind.
Place based education, environment, economy, society, community, equity, nature, love of learning, civic engagement, child study, connections, self-organization, real time learning, practical, student centered, inquiry, stewardship, balance, systems, limits to growth, relationships, caring, love, interdependence, inhabitant etc - I think you get the picture.

As I consciously integrate our natural environment in my classroom lessons, I observe that students are becoming more appreciative of their natural world in which they live. Learning about the natural world like the river, eco-systems and their dwelling place is increasing their sense of place, self-identity, regional pride and conservation ethic. Similarly not only I feel this way, but magically as we live here longer and connect more to the community, my daughters have begun to take in this place with more patience, humility and attention to the smaller details.  Recently I read them the chapter on 'Indian Pedagogy.....' by Malcolm Margolin who writes about his commitment to the preservation of tradition from a place based perspective.

For sure this commitment only comes from loving a place and then understanding the needs of the place and then being engaged as a citizen. To understand place based, civic engagement and service learning I reasearched and created ths comparison table. It is beginning to dawn clearly that one leads to another, have a look and share your thoughts:

Place-based Learning Place-based learning is an educational approach that uses all aspects of the local environment, including local cultural, historical, and socio-political situations and the natural and built environment, as the integrating context for learning. In its most developed forms, it includes a clear focus on learning through civic engagement and participation in service projects of obvious relevance to the local school and community.

Civic Engagement Civic engagement promotes civic knowledge, responsibility, and participation in individual and collective actions in support of the stewardship of community natural and cultural resources, and the resolution of issues of public concern. Youth civic engagement generally involves youth in identifying appropriate projects. Civic engagement is most effective when it builds on the foundation developed through place-based learning.

Service Learning Service learning is a method whereby students learn and develop through active participation in a thoughtfully organized service that is conducted in and meets the needs of a community while also meeting the students’ educational objectives. While service learning is an important component of PBL, not all service-learning projects are grounded in local PBL experiences.

A village that plants 111 trees for every girl born in Rajasthan - The Hindu

A village that plants 111 trees for every girl born in Rajasthan - The Hindu

Being a role model is definitely an element of educating for sustainability

Should teachers be role models?

I created this video as part of my social media course but I have tried to capture how my student's behaviour reflect mine. Is this role modelling? We can educate children to live sustainably by living that life ourselves. Have a look

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO5L3ZWa7kU&feature=player_embedded#!

I respect

View my class video. My students in grade 2 created a song to promote the IRESPECT values of the school
http://youtu.be/hWwCG0Xfflk

Love for the home

Children are experts at creating visions of places they've seen only in their imagination- places made real by the act of creation. Imagine what they could do when they are exposed to wonder and not catastrophe.

In recent years environmental education has too often focused on environmental problems and crisis such as pollution and species extinction. David Sobel says, "emphasizing environmental problems with children, especially young ones, can leave them feeling disempowered and hopeless about the state of the world and their ability to affect it". It is so true, I believe that if children can learn to love a place or their connection with mother Earth, they will naturally grow up to take care of her.

Have a look at http://www.riverofwords.org an organization called RIVERS OF WORDS (ROW) founded by Pamela Michael which practices place-based learning by inviting children to use the arts to explore and express their understanding of and connections to their home places. People at ROW believe that children who come to understand and to love their home places will grow into engaged, effective citizens committed to preserving those places.

I completely Agree:)

Reflections - A poem by 11 year old Lindsay Ryder

'Reflections' -- LINDSAY RYDER, age 11, 1999 Rivers of Words finalist

Sometimes,

When the mountains

reflect on rivers,

you can find out things

you never knew before.

There are flowers up there,

rocks like clouds,

A little snow becomes a creek and grows into a river.

 

Consider this story - Power of the Mangroves

Consider this: A story of The Crying Engineer

 Janine Benyus tells a poignant story illustrating how schools have focused on what humans can do with technology while ignoring how to learn from nature’s technology.

I had gone to the Galapagos. One of the perks of this job as a biologist is that we do our workshops in amazing places where there are lots and lots of habitat types to expose architects, designers, engineers—the people who make everything that you’re sitting on—who make our world…

I had taken this group of waste-water engineers to the Galapagos.

They said, “Why are we here?”

I asked them, “What do you do?” and they said, “We filter.” And I said let’s go snorkelling because everything in the ocean basically is filtering salt out of the water. Everything lives on freshwater. Everything [in ocean] lives in salt water but has fresh water within it including plants like mangroves. They’re filtering; they’re filtering mechanisms.

So one day I came upon this guy Paul, this engineer, this very reserved guy and he was crying. He was looking at a mangrove plant crying, standing there, the tears coming down his eyes.

And I said, “What’s going on?” And he said, “Why have I never learned in all of my education about mangroves? Why don’t I know or have ever considered that these guys are a solar-powered desalination plant? They have their roots in salt water and are living on freshwater.”

He said, “We use 900 pounds per square inch to force water against a membrane to get salt out of it and we wonder why it clogs. And this is silent, solar powered, desalination.”

Engineers are trying to make tools for living–technology. Nature has technologies too!

Sustainable Development and Energy

Since “Sustainability” is such an important topic, let's talk about it from various perspectives. I am touching on the topic of Sustainable Development and Energy

Smil (1994) has argued convincingly that a direct correlation between changes in energy use – both source and converters – and advances in human well-being is one of the dominant features of human history. Although perennial debates linger about precise definitions of sustainable development, there is increasing agreement amongst scholars and practitioners that sustainable development policy relates to three critical elements that need to be treated together: economic, social and environmental.

Energy is central to any discussion of sustainable development because it is central to all three dimensions. In terms of the economic dimension of sustainable development, energy is clearly an important motor of macroeconomic growth. In terms of the environmental dimension, conventional energy sources are major sources of environmental stress at global as well as local levels. In terms of the social dimension, energy is a prerequisite for the fulfillment of many basic human needs and services, and inequities in energy provision and quality often manifest themselves as issues of social justice.

Successive environmental summits at Stockholm (1972), Rio de Janeiro (1992) and Johannesburg (2002) show an evolving agenda, depicted in the diagram below, where energy has received increasing prominence at these meetings and become more firmly rooted in the framework of sustainable development

Reference

Cleveland, C.J., Najam, A.: 2003, ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AT GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL SUMMITS: AN EVOLVING AGENDA

Sustainability

SUSTAINABILITY

Consider this: Quite simply, we have invented a new ecology, one in which, to an ever-increasing extent, all the resources of the world that previously nurtured many millions of species, are channelled toward just one. - Colin Tudge                         

           

 The word sustainability is derived from the Latin sustinere (sus, up; tenere, to hold). Some meanings from the dictionaries for sustain are  “maintain",  "support", or "endure”. We can consider sustainability at a number of different levels, including the individual, a community, an organization, or a planet. It reminds us of our responsibility to pass on to our children and grandchildren a world with as many opportunities as the ones we inherited. The most popular definition of sustainability can be traced to a 1987 UN conference. It defined sustainability as:

 "Meet our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs". (WECD, 1987).

 

We have lived by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. While it has been commercially profitable for enterprises to use more natural resources and employing fewer people, in the 21st century we'll have to use fewer natural resources while employing more people.  21st century well-being will require the nurturing and valuing of: Natural, Cultural, and Human capital. Isn't it true that all wealth is ultimately, a product of a healthy environment!

As Fritjof Capra states, "Living sustainably means recognizing that we are inseparable part of the entire web of life, of nonhuman and human communities, and that enhancing the dignity and sustainability of any one community will enhance all the others" (Bioneers Conference workshop, 2003)

I found this animated video on sustainability relevant to the topic of discussion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5NiTN0chj0