Author: Radhika Iyengar

Updated: Feb 3, 2022

Let us come together to discuss sustainability and justice as key components of New Jersey’s Climate Education policy. The Center for Sustainable Development at the Earth Institute, Columbia University will be hosting this event. This will be the 2nd annual Climate Change Education Summit to discuss policy and practice to further Climate Change Education in New Jersey.

Partners to the event include:

New Jersey Audubon

Biotrail New Yorks

UN Sustainable Solutions Network SDGs Today

UN Sustainable Solutions Network USA

The Summit will include free workshops led by youth activists, educators, education and sustainability policy experts to further participants’ skills on climate storytelling, community organizing and thinking about ways to integrate learning and action toward sustainability and justice in schools and communities.

2-4th February 3:30 to 6:30pm.

2nd Feb 2022

3:30pm -3:45pm

Keynote: First Lady of New Jersey Tammy Murphy

Introduction: Radhika Iyengar

3:45 – 4:30pm

Topic: Status of Climate Education in NJ: A Policy Dialogue

Marc Rogoff, Lead Environmental Education Specialist at the New Jersey department for Environmental Protection

John Henry, Senior Manager, STEAM & Sustainable Schools

Audience: Teachers and School Administrators

4:30pm-5:30pm

Topic: Understanding NJ’s Climate Resilience and Local Action

Moderation: Jazmin Mora

4:30 to 5:00pm-Localization of SDGs in education and local community action

Alainna Lynch on NJ SDG Index and discussion of local action, SDGs, USA a part of SDSN

5:00-5:30pm

Randall Solomon on The role of municipalities and schools in making Jersey Sustainable

The New Jersey Sustainable State of the State that tracks our progress toward a sustainable future.

Audience: Teachers and School Administrators

5:30pm-6:30pm

Global Stories and Local Action

Maryam Rabiee, UNSDSN SDGS Today On the Power of Storymaps

William Bertolloti and his students from Plainedge High School, New York.

Panel Moderation: Radhika Iyengar

Audience: Teachers and Students

3rd Feb 2022

3:30pm-4:30pm

Introduction: By Allison Mulch

Schools and Climate Action:

ANJEE- Mike Chodroff, Past President of ANJEE and Founder of the The Ripple Center

Frida Ruiz & Bianca Palomina – The Green Cause

Navyaa Jain – New Jersey Student Sustainability Coalition

Ben Rich – Science Educator at MKA & OASIS North Coordinato

Audience: Teachers and Students

4:30pm-5:30pm

Introduction: Jazmin Mora

Student Research on Climate Education

4:30 to 5pm: Carolyn McGrath and her students from Hopewell Valley Central High School.

Nadia Chasalow and Akhansha Arvind, seniors at Hopewell Valley Central High School and leaders of the HVCHS Youth Environmental Society, will present about biomimicry and ways to incorporate it in classroom and extracurricular activities. They will also discuss their experiences participating in the 2020 Biomimicry

Youth Design Challenge and running virtual workshops for participants around the world.

Tabitha and Lilian are two high school students and authors of the Sustainable Fashion newsletter. Starting as just a simple Girl Scout project, Lilian and Tabitha decided to create a newsletter that spreads information on the importance of sustainability in clothing. Through their newsletter, their hope is to inspire others to be more thoughtful before purchasing and live a more sustainable lifestyle.

Audience: Teachers and Students

5:00 – 5:30 Betsy Freeman and her students

Introduction: Jazmin Mora

Collaborative Action to Curb Climate Change and Food Waste across Schools

And Insight into “Greenwashing”

Student Action Researchers will discuss their collective action in collaborating schools for UN SDG 13.3 Climate Action, 12.3 Responsible Consumption and Production, and 4.7 Quality Education. Their shared goal: to support international, national, and state goals to halve food waste and mitigate climate change – starting in their spheres of influence and control – the school cafeteria. The students are collaborating members of the Columbia University Center for Sustainable Development Eco Ambassador network, as well as leaders in developing intersectional alliances and action for the UN SDGs in their own schools and communities. Hailing from three states, these GIS storytellers will share their work from research to advocacy to mobilization to student-driven teaching, learning, action, and best practices.

The team is represented by:

Dr. Jonathan Hart | Superintendent of Schools for the Readington Township School District. Prior to coming to Readington, Dr. Hart served as the Director of Human Resources for the Marlboro Township School District. His previous experience also includes appointments as Acting Assistant Superintendent and Assistant Director of Special Services for the Flemington-Raritan School District. Dr. Hart is an Adjunct Instructor at The College of New Jersey. Dr. Hart and his wife, Kara, are the proud parents of two sons Luke and Logan.

Betsy Freeman | Readington Schools, Student EcoAmbassador Advisor, Teacher, Gift and Development and Enrichment, Student Action Research Coach, and District Coordinator of Green Initiatives and Sustainability. Betsy has a Masters from Columbia University Teachers College, and EdD work in Educational Leadership and Management from Drexel University. Her focus is on student-driven inquiry and innovation, action research, and education for sustainability.

Readington Middle School Students:

• Callum Suggitt | EcoA Strategy Lead, Grade 7
• Marcos Hernandez | EcoA Operations Lead, Grade 7
• Noah Bielen | EcoA Field Research Lead, Grade 7
• Philip Kazantsev | EcoA Scientific Research Lead, Grade 8

School Partners:

• Sophia Berman | EcoA Youth Advisor, GIS StoryTeller, and Senior at Lower Moreland High School, Huntingdon Valley, PA
• Chris Serrao | EcoA Youth Advisor, GIS StoryTeller, and Sophomore at Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH
• Ashley Jun | Community EcoAmbassador, GIS Storyteller, and 8th grader at Millburn Middle School, Millburn, NJ

5:30-6:30pm

Introduction: Radhika Iyengar

Action Civics and Climate Education: Organizing for Community Change as Learning

Anjuli Ramos-Busot, Sierra Club, NJ

Emily Fano, National Wildlife Federation in New York City

Tara Stafford Ocansey, Executive Director, Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation

Vicky Garufi, Director of Education, Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation

Audience: Teachers and Community-based Organizations

4th Feb 2022

3:30pm-4:30pm

Connecting the New Jersey Climate Education Summit to the National Picture of Climate Education Policy

Frank Niepold

Climate Education Coordinator, Senior Climate Education Program Manager, Climate.gov Teaching Climate section lead Action for Climate Empowerment National Focal Point for the United States

Moderation by Aalok Bhatt and Radhika Iyengar

Audience: Teachers and School Administrators

4:00 to 4:30:

Radhika Iyengar, Curriculum and Resources for Integrating Climate Change Education & Global Citizenship Eco-ambassadors Program (3:30 to 4pm)

Audience: Teachers and School Administrators

4:30pm-5:30pm

Panel Moderation: Radhika

Moving forward with Justice and Sustainability

Panel discussion

Christina Kwauk, Education Consultant and Research Director at Unbounded Associates

Felisa Tibbits, UNESCO Chair in Human Rights and Higher Education and Chair in Human Rights Education at the Human Rights Centre of Utrecht University (Netherlands).

Audience: Teachers & Students

5:30 – 6:00

Introduction: Allison Mulch

Sustainability and Health Care

Elizabeth Cerceo, MD, Chair, Cooper Green Team: received approval to engage sustainability consultant to assess and plan Cooper’s sustainable future

Audience: Teachers & Students

6:00 to 6:30pm

Moving Ahead

Jeffrey Sachs, Professor Columbia University

Workshop: Moving forward jotting points from week

Audience: Students and teachers

 

Register here for the event

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-jersey-climate-change-education-summit-tickets-19832932

Aalok Bhatt,

Millburn High School, New Jersey

Recently, I took the course Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.7, Across Curriculum Spaces on Udemy (a free online learning platform), which I found to be very interesting. This free online course encourages schools all over the world to integrate sustainability into their curriculum. The speakers in the course were activists and specialists in a wide variety of educational fields. They spoke about why it is necessary to fulfill the United Nations’ sustainable development goal, and some methods for doing so. The course also discussed methods of integrating sustainability across different disciplines.

One argument I found notable was proposed by Marc Rogoff, the Lead Educator for the New Jersey Department of Education, and Joy Rifkin, a Sustainability Specialist for the New York City Department of Education, stating that it is important to localize the curriculum. Mr. Rogoff explains, “if you are talking halfway around the world to a bunch of fourth graders, they don’t make the connections. But if you are talking about halfway down the block, it makes a lot more sense and they can relate and it gets them physically and emotionally connected to the issue.” According to Joy Rifkin, change has to be motivated by members of the community and schools are large community centers. Therefore it is key to motivate students to create a chain reaction: teachers encourage students, students encourage parents, etc. Rifkin also argued that sustainability should be taught in every class in school, not just science.

Another point that I found interesting was the connection between social issues with climate change. Educator Julia Sommer asked,, “What are the effects on different communities? Who are the different stakeholders? What motivates different stakeholders to play various roles within this entire issue?” She further explains, “And it is important for educational institutions to teach the civic aspect of this alongside the climate issues.” Understanding the civic aspect exposes how systemic racism affects some marginalized groups more than others in climate change . An example of where social justice and climate change intersect is the seizure of Native American lands for the purpose of mining. After taking the course, I was inspired to do further research and found an interesting article from the New York Times (Tabuchi, Furber, and Davenport) about the Line 3 pipeline in Minnesota. The possibility of an oil spill from this pipeline disproportionately impacts Native Americans. For those of us in the New Jersey/New York region, the drinking water crisis in Newark is an issue of social justice that local teachers could address in their curriculum. For example, a chemistry teacher could talk about the lead crisis in Newark during their toxicology lesson.

I personally think that this course is interesting and useful. Students can use this course, but I would say that it is even more important for teachers, especially science teachers. It is essential that we fulfill SDG 4.7 if we want to mitigate climate change. Implementing these topics in schools is not purely a top down or a bottom up approach, it requires action from both administrators and classroom teachers. As a student, I would like to encourage science teachers to take this course and to implement sustainability in creative ways.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/07/climate/line-3-pipeline-protest-native-americans.html

https://www.nrdc.org/newark-drinking-water-crisis

https://www.udemy.com/course/sdg47-across-curriculum/

 

By Tara Stafford Ocansey

Updated: Jun 5, 2021

This Summer, the Eco Ambassador program hosted by the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University’s Earth Institute is inviting middle and high school students to take part in a program focused on “SDG 14 Life Below Water: Storytelling with ArcGIS”.

In this summer program, a partnership with Esri and SDGs Today, students will take part in workshops and panel discussions to explore issues of interest relating to SDG 14, and learn skills for using ArcGIS and StoryMaps to support their research and advocacy for the SDGs. More info on the summer program can be found on our Eco Ambassador page here and in this StoryMap.

To help Eco Ambassadors identify their SDG 14 issues of interest for their summer StoryMap projects, the below selections provide a wide array of multimedia learning resources, activities, and toolkits from leading institutions and organizations that explore various oceans and fisheries-related issues, as well as data sources that help show where we stand in relation to achieving SDG 14 targets.

SDG 14 LEARNING RESOURCES

Earth Institute Live: K-12 Education

This online channel features experts from across Columbia University’s Earth Institute presenting relevant sustainability content in 60-minute live sessions for K12 students and educators. Through these videos, the program aims to bring interdisciplinary research across the Earth Institute to classrooms. Each session features an appropriate targeted age range based on the topic, and the sessions vary between topical lectures, demos, and skills-based training. Many of the videos also feature additional educational resources related to the content covered in these online sessions. Select sessions featuring SDG 14-related topics for middle and high school are linked below:

• A World of Change: Ice and Ocean Interactions in Antarctica
• Migration and Fish Management (Grades 9 – 12 educators)
• The Hudson’s Habitat (Grades 6-8 educators)
• Sea for Yourself: Exploring Sea Level Rise through the Polar Explorer (Grades 7-12)

UNESCO SDG Resources for Educators

As part of UNESCO’s SDG Resources for Educators, the page for SDG 14 includes sections for early childhood, primary, and secondary education, with pedagogical resources for teachers, as well as activities and multimedia resources to learn more about marine ecosystems and how we can sustain them.

• SDG Resources for Educators: Life Below Water

National Geographic: Ocean Education

This wealth of interactive multimedia activities and resources are organized by grade level – K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12, with additional links to toolkits for taking local community action.

• National Geographic Ocean Education Resources

Ocean Wise

Ocean Wise offers two levels of “Ocean Literacy” courses for students, for middle school (grades 7-9), and high school (grades 10-12). The site also has resources for teachers.

Ocean Literacy courses tailored for middle and high school students

• Ocean Literacy courses

SCIC Online Global Citizenship Education Resources

Canada’s Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation offers their own resource hub linking to various resources, including Netflix documentaries and TED Talks focused on Life Below Water.

• SDG 14 Global Citizenship Education Resources

SDG 14 DATA TRACKING & VISUALIZATION

SDGs Today

SDGs Today, part of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, is the global hub for real-time SDG Data, with datasets as well as collections of StoryMaps for each of the 17 SDGs. Resources for SDG 14 are linked below:

• SDG 14 Datasets
• SDG 14 StoryMaps

SDG Tracker

Our World in Data’s SDG Tracker is an open-access resource where users can track and explore global and country-level progress towards each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals through interactive data visualizations. This resource is kept up-to-date with all of the latest data across all of the 17 Goals. For SDG 14, each target is presented along with the latest data available on its progress.

• SDG 14 Tracker

Ocean Action Hub

Similar to the SDG Tracker, this resource provides added contextual explanations of the various SDG 14 targets, along with maps and data visualizations that help show the current status of the SDG 14 targets.

• Ocean Action Hub

Pacific Data Hub

This SDG Tracker focuses on the Pacific Region, with data tables and visualizations highlighting the status of SDG 14 targets in the Pacific Region.

• Pacific Data Hub SDG 14 Tracker

By Jasmine Ali

I was cleaning out my closet and I had decided to drop off my old clothes at GreenDrop in Springfield, where the clothes are then donated to thrift shops and organizations such as the Red Cross. I realized my family had some old shoes, and I did a google search to find organizations where I could donate them. I came across Soles 4 Souls, and their mission of turning shoes into opportunity was inspiring. I decided to start a shoe drive in our community to help keep shoes from going to our landfills and instead to a good cause.

I set my goal to be 500 pairs of shoes, which seemed ambitious at the time, however, the community was so supportive and I ended up collecting about 700 pairs! According to the Soles4Souls website, 700 pairs of shoes saves 21,000 pounds of carbon from going into the atmosphere, and in the countries where the shoes are shipped to, they can provide food, shelter, and education for a family for 12 months. I am deeply thankful for those who supported my initiative by donating their shoes and giving me shipping boxes to send them to the Soles4Souls headquarters. Together, we made a powerful impact.

 

Volunteering is an essential part of my life. Conducting a shoe drive was just one part of what I do. I volunteer regularly with the South Mountain Conservancy where I help pick up litter and make new trails. I organized an environmental education summer camp for elementary school aged children in our community last summer. I’m the coordinator for Extinction Rebellion Youth NJ, an environmental movement that uses nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action on the climate crisis. I also work with the Green Cause, a youth-led environmental education organization. I am also a part of other environmental groups such as Fridays for Future, NJ Student Sustainability Coalition, MHS Ocean Conservation Club, and Sunrise Millburn. My greatest passion is protecting our environment. I’m vegan for the environment, and I’ve just started an Instagram account called @veganmillburn where I highlight the vegan options in our town to help normalize and promote vegan food. I also like to paint and draw. I’m a huge plant lover, and I’m starting a butterfly garden in my yard this year to help save the butterflies and honeybees.

In college, I hope to major in Environmental Studies. I’m very interested in pursuing something that has to do with environmental policy or environmental education. I want to do everything I can to combat climate change and help conserve our oceans. Thank you to everyone who donated shoes for helping me get one step closer to achieving my goals.

 

 

Bio

Jasmine Ali is the coordinator of Extinction Rebellion Youth NJ and a member of many other environmental groups. She is a proud volunteer for the South Mountain Conservancy where she works to protect and preserve the local reservation. She also teaches children about the science and impacts of climate change through presentations and lab activities. She hopes to study Environmental Analysis in college, with an emphasis on Environmental Policy or Environmental Education.

 

 

Updated: May 12, 2021

An Analysis of the UN Sustainable Development Report and its context to the United States’ Sustainability Education Curriculum

In this day and age, the emphasis on sustainability education has never been greater. The 2020 Global Sustainable Development Report from the United Nations points out that SDG-4 and its goal to provide quality education for all people makes it a priority to share accessible knowledge and information. In order to fully understand the educational context of this report, it is reasonable to break up the topic into three main categories. One, being the direct awareness category where people focus on sustainability within the environment. The second topic is social equality for all people and specifically towards women in third-world countries. Finally, there is a priority in establishing economic stability for all people to sustain themselves. With these three distinct yet integrated categories, the overarching theme can be applied to spreading sustainability education all around the globe. Schools in the United States could implement new changes to curriculum that revolve more around addressing and utilizing this information to effectively educate the future generations.

In the topic of sustainability within the environment, many aspects of this category are already covered in segments of U.S. learning curriculums. However, more additions and information should be implemented to reinforce this idea. In specific textbooks and courses that mention the importance of sustainability in the ecosystem, they should be edited to go further in providing information on how these measures can be achieved within a certain community. By adding a more hand-on perspective within these textbooks as well as sharing the importance of environmental sustainability, school curriculums can maximize their potential of educating students and ensuring that future generations are well informed about how to maintain and improve the environment. In the document provided by the United Nations, it breaks down each goal into three components of learning. Likewise, school curriculums in textbooks should include these three components of: cognitive learning, socio-emotional learning, and behavioral learning. Currently many curriculums only focus on the scientific aspect of these goals, not mentioning how people should respond to it. By including these three components, students would be better educated and know how to deal with these issues hands-on.

In terms of social equality, awareness for women’s rights is clearly established to an extent throughout the United States. However, activism for these social rights should be spread to other developing countries in Africa to help empower women. Women in African countries, due to their social inequalities, are hindered from the ability to make sustainable decisions. With proper education, students in U.S. schools should learn about how to empower and support women in these afflicted areas. Adding educational units in schools to spread information on social behaviors, and current gender roles within developing countries also can play a monumental part in achieving equality around the world. Schools can specifically tie these learning standards into regular courses like world civilization, or modern world history.

Finally, in terms of the economic aspect of sustainability, curriculums should be modified based on the sustainability theme of how to ensure economic safety and well-being for teenagers and young adults. Courses surrounding personal finance and business should incorporate the important findings from the UN Sustainable Development Goals to establish that they have the ability to sustain themselves following graduation. Due to the connection between the economy and the environment, schools should prioritize a clear distinction between financial well-being and it’s practical uses within the environment. This connection would not only serve as real-life advice for students, but also would help sustainable measures be passed around all local communities.

 

By Matthias Choi

Matthias Choi is a junior at Northern Valley Old Tappan and has been an avid proponent for environmental sustainability in New Jersey. As the founder of e-Salvage, he hopes to continue to foster local engagement and ensure the health of the community. In the future, Choi would like to continue to contribute to sustainability education, and spread its values to the younger generation. His current projects are working with local schools and members from other states to create e-cycling drives to reduce electronic waste.

 

Rebecca Ganzekaufer

Plainedge High School

Class of 2023

20 April 2021

During the course of the past week, my peers and I have read and discussed the chapters and ideas presented within The Age of Sustainable Developmentby Dr. Jeffrey Sachs. Throughout our reading experience, we collectively agreed that we’ve gained a greater understanding about the core concepts of sustainable development. Originally, I had a general base of knowledge about sustainable development but had not been exposed to the complexity and broadness of all of the subjects that it enconpasses. Reading this book has raised my awareness of the urgency of addressing the problems that my generation will inherit. Dr. Sach’s work has inspired me to continue learning about topics including the availability of healthcare, food and education; and to fight poverty (seen in the chapters 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10).

I found the book to be insightful, clear and expansive, a valuable resource to people in my age range, the future citizens who will have an integral part in furthering sustainable development. Dr. Sachs covered a wide range of topics to which everyone can relate, while articulating potential avenues of action. I recognized the value of inspiring open and active communication and participation in achieving a more sustainable future.

As for my recommendations for the book, a future edition of the book could further address topics that appeared underdeveloped in comparison to other topics. In Chapter 13: Saving Biodiversity and Protecting Ecosystem Services, overfishing is a topic whose problems and solutions are discussed in depth, while deforestation felt comparatively less developed. A reader may believe that more information suggests greater importance of one issue over the other. I would love to see further development of the SDGs through additional chapters or volumes that detail the specifics of the all-encompassing information, examples and solutions of Sustainable Development. My last point of feedback concerns the discussion of proposed solutions, solutions in progress and solutions currently in effect. These discussions are valuable and would benefit from explanations and ideas for mobilizing governments, local people and communities to enact change in every aspect of the SDGs. For the everyday person reading and learning about the sustainable development goals, seeing what can be done beyond broad and open-ended answers that overwhelm would motivate teenagers like me to make a stand and do our part to help transform the SDGs from an academic discussion into actual and practical change.

Questions for the author

1. In most of the chapters, we see problems being named and solutions being listed for what to do and where the outcomes should be, but I noticed that there isn’t really a timeline for exactly where to start or continue in addition to how world leaders should be convinced to do these projects or even where to start in the long list of SDGs we’ve read about. Do you have an idea about how to fill in these how, when and where gaps in the book?
2. In chapters such as Chapter 12: Climate Change there is mention that, of many other things, climate change is an intergenerational problem where the older generations either don’t care as much or don’t take responsibility for the consequences of actions that have happened in their lifetimes because they won’t be alive to see those consequences. How do you suggest that we reach out to these people in our lives who are less open-minded to hearing about the issues mentioned in the book whether their reason being not wanting to be involved in the controversy some of these issues seem to hold or they either just don’t care?

Reviewer profile:

Rebecca is interested in cognitive psychology and during the pandemic, developed several online instruments testing students’ working memory. Rebecca is still exploring the field of psychology and wants to continue learning about how people think, perceive, and remember before committing to a formal research focus.

 

Miranda Garvey

Plainedge High School

Class of 2023

20 April 2021

Over the course of these past few weeks my team of researchers and I read and reviewed the imperative topics of The Age of Sustainable Developmentby Dr. Jeffery Sachs. I found that this work maintained a certain broadness that made for an interesting and digestible read. Upon talking with my team I have also found that they too, liked the simplicity and informative chapters. The facts and figures presented by Dr. Sachs transcended politics and emotional discussion to remain grounded. I feel that Dr. Sachs’s arguments are compelling and empowering for people of all backgrounds and beliefs. In this current social climate of polarization and anger, I found Dr. Sachs’ use of statistical analysis refreshing and inspiring. Before reading this book I did not know practically anything about Sustainable Development, now that I have educated myself, I believe that we need to incorporate this information into our educational systems and daily lives. I feel that the more people need to be exposed and have that incorporated into our daily lives will truly make a difference. Certain chapters in the book however really piqued my interest. Chapter 4 linked the Industrial Revolution to why some countries remained extremely poor while Chapter 14 introduced me to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Overall this book was truly amazing and really helped inspire me to continue expanding my knowledge and quest for understanding the Sustainable Development Goals. I am eager to see future editions of the book go into more depth for each SDG. I would also want to know whether new solutions have been proposed based on newly collected data. Further work on this book could expand the scope of the book to engage the world, incorporating statistics exploring specific hurdles in the path to achieving sustainable development.

Questions

1. Would you consider the current state of government and relationships with big businesses an obstruction to the SDGs?
2. Do you think that governments are miss-handling the funds to generate momentum on building the SDGs and supporting sustainable development?

About the reviewer: Miranda has her sights set on becoming a pediatric surgeon. She rapidly learned 3DSlicer and Blender and created a workflow whereby students could download CT and MRI scans and convert them into 3D models for biomedical applications.

Aalok Bhatt

MIllburn High School

Class of 2023

20 April 2021

I recently read the book The Age of Sustainable Development, written by Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, and it was an eye-opener. I finally see why so many young people supported Bernie Sanders in the last election. He addressed many issues that are vitally important to my generation such as affordable education and universal healthcare. Dr. Sachs’ book teaches us that for any type of development to be meaningful and sustainable over a long period of time, governments will have to reconcile materialism with morals, and economic development with social inclusion and environmental protection. Development must include everyone. The recent Black Lives Matter protests and the stark political polarization in our country demonstrate that even high-income and highly developed countries struggle with income inequality and problems with discrimination based on race and ethnicity.

I was intrigued to find out that many countries, particularly in the global south, with high natural resource wealth, tend to be poorer than others with fewer resources. This can be attributed to a variety of factors, like corruption, gender inequality, and failure to put in place government policies that emphasize economic and social investment. The book helped me see the various components of development like education, geo-politics, government policies, implementation of laws, climate, gender equality, and technological innovations. I like Dr. Sachs’ idea of developed countries donating a certain percentage of their GNP to developing countries. The Millennium Village project in Africa is a fine example of how developed countries can make low-cost investments in health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, and technology, and bring relief to struggling underdeveloped countries who have been stuck in a poverty trap for generations.

I also learned how development needs to be responsible. For instance modern agricultural practices have increased food production and reduced food insecurity in many South Asian countries and yet, genetically modified foods and pesticides pose a danger to human health and biodiversity. Urbanization has improved our quality of living, and yet unchecked development and construction are threatening our ecosystems and contributing to global warming. Therefore it is important for countries to collaborate as the future of the entire planet now depends on how we can come together despite our differences to implement the UN prescribed sustainable development goals.

Questions

How can we convince developed countries to donate funds to poor countries, especially during these Covid times where most countries are now turning insular? For instance, India donated millions of vaccines to poor countries, and now it is being criticized for doing so, as it is facing vaccine shortage during its second wave. The Europeans have also tightened export controls for its vaccines given their sluggish vaccine rollout. The United States, after looking at these countries, understandably wants to prioritize its own people, on the pandemic front and on the post covid economic front. The Chinese are in a position to help out other nations but their assistance often comes with strings attached, (ex. The BRI and debt trap diplomacy). So in the post-Covid world, as countries struggle to get back on their feet, how can we convince the western democracies that donating is in our interest?

In your book, you mention how China was able to alleviate 900 million people from poverty within a forty-year period. The country though is an authoritarian one-party state. How can this success be emulated in democratic countries in South and Southeast Asia?

About the reviewer: Aalok Bhatt is an Eco-ambassador and has consistently taken environmental initiatives in his community. He recently won Millburn’s STEAM Environmental Challenge. Aalok wants to be an environmental policy expert when he grows up. His favorite subjects are social sciences.

Tessa Read

Plainedge High School

Class of 2023

For the sake of transparency, prior to immersing myself in this project, the only information I had regarding sustainable development was that it was needed. Now informed and updated, I am more aware of how sustainable development is simultaneously a global issue whose implementation is intimately unique to each country, nation, town, or village. This book serves as an entry guide to the complexities of sustainable development, a friendly textbook or dictionary of sorts, a conversation introducing how sustainable development is necessary for the climate, economy, and equality. Surveying historical developments ranging from the Industrial Revolution to more contemporary events such as the current economy, this book introduces, explains, and develops all the foundational areas of sustainable development necessary for further action. Understandably, such a vast amount of information makes it difficult to deep dive into the specifics, future editions or volumes could provide a deeper analysis of the details. Overall, the read was digestible and informative, introducing (without intimidating) the reader to a preliminary education in sustainable development.

As a number-brained individual, the facts, visuals, data sets, statistics logic provided in the text proved to be useful on a number of different occasions, providing almost a rock in a very emotionally driven world (as you can’t argue with statistics). However, readers who connect with emotions may struggle to connect the data to a deeper story.

It may prove useful to possibly provide another addition, deeper chapters, or a revision on the points that may connect with certain individuals on what draws them in on the topic in general. For example, my team and I each took interest in specific aspects of sustainable development. Whether it was public health, business, climate change, or the history behind human development, once we were given the information necessary to understand the topic that we were discussing we all wanted to deep dive into our specific niches. Chapters dedicated to these specificities may prove useful, in not only education but drawing in a bigger audience. Keywords that draw in people’s attention would provide a sort of gateway from, for example, the interest in public health leading into an interest in sustainable development. In further additions or revisions, I would also be interested in seeing include a more solution-based volume. Being presented with such an overwhelming problem, it brings comfort to know there may be a way out of the hole we have dug ourselves into. Being providing with the information necessary I, and I’m sure others, are now eager to make a change in the specific areas that have peaked our interests.

However, as stated solutions vary globally. After reading this book, and speaking with my team we have been inspired and are excited about not only sharing the knowledge we have learned but possibly connecting with others. It may be interesting to develop a way for readers to connect beyond reading the same pages. A forum, blog, channel, or podcast of sorts may prove to be away, to not only get the word out about the necessary changes that must be made but connect globally and propose solutions by incorporating others’ opinions, questions, and statements that may have arisen during the reading.

Ideas, lesson plans, story books, activities all in this blog.

Monday 3/22 is Water Day. You can find more about Water Day here

https://www.worldwaterday.org/

 

Did you know that there is a Sustainable Development Goal Dedicated to water- Goal 6 talks about “Clean Water and Sanitation” https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/

Many countries have pledged that “ By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all”. Do you think we/countries will achieve this goal?

Water is a precious resource, what are some of your ideas to conserve water–

1. Turn off the tap when it’s not in use. …
2. Soak your dishes in warm water first. …
3. Run your dishwasher and laundry only when its full. …
4. Cut those long showers short. …
5. Use energy-efficient, water-saving devices. …
6. Use a water softener to tackle hard water problems. …
7. Fix plumbing leaks. …
8. Go easy on your sprinklers and gardening hose.

Here are some more ideas https://www.culligannation.com/10-ways-to-conserve-water-sustainable-living/

Story Books:

Here is a book on water conversation https://www.culligannation.com/10-ways-to-conserve-water-sustainable-living/ Michaela Goade is the first Native American to win the Caldecott Medal for her illustrations in “We Are Water Protectors.” – CNN

Maybe you can ask your school to get it for your school library?

Type in “water” and you will find 625 story books free on water. https://storyweaver.org.in/search?query=Water

Nya’s Long Walk (recommended by Ms Adams, Wyoming School)

This story is about 2 sisters who live in South Sudan and the trials and tribulations of walking far distances to receive water. It always sparks interesting and insightful discussions about how fortunate we are to have clean drinking water so accessible. It’s a great book!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZvgsh0TLhA

Teachers do you want lesson ideas on water?

You could type “water” and the “age group” and a lesson on water will pop up appropriate to the age group. https://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/resources/

Learn more about Water Crises

Here are two water foundations that you should know about. They work on water and sanitation issues globally.

https://water.org/our-impact/water-crisis/

https://www.paanifoundation.in

YOU can do it too.

There was acute water scarcity in their village and the children decided to create a canal with check dams to store surface water. They worked extremely hard to get the funds donated for this through various means.

https://dfcworld.com/VIDEO/ViewVideo/213

Lecture on Water (for high schoolers)

High fluoride in water is a huge problem in many parts of the world. Listen to this lecture here.

https://www.earth.columbia.edu/videos/view/it-takes-a-village-citizen-science-in-rural-india-grades-9-12

Student research (high school)

Science for Everyday Decisions series Center for Sustainable Development Earth Institute, Columbia University Video #18: A Prototype Citizen-Science Microplastics Sampling

https://youtu.be/FALNLzNi7Mo

Protocol to Quantify the Magnitude of Pollution Along a Community Beachfront Spencer Feehan is a senior at Plainedge High School. He conducted a microplastics research with science research advising from his teacher Mr. William Bertolotti, and research and lab advising by Dr. Joaquim Goes of the Earth Institute, Columbia University. With the local beachfront samples Spencer collected, he examined them at Dr.Goes’ lab, to investigate the magnitude of local microplastics issue. His research has inspired junior students to continue the microplastics research, and take up various dimensions of the microplastics issues for investigation. Other students’ research will be featured in the future Science for Everyday Decisions series.

Stay tuned on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZHqp2zW-VUbmcWFdaKQ-g/videos Eco Ambassador Program based out of the education team of Center for Sustainable Development, Earth Institute, Columbia University

Simple activities on Water (Recommended by Ms Lori Princiotto, Glenwood school)

https://handsonaswegrow.com/flower-garden-kids/

Kids talk to your parents about the Lawn Problem

In the United States, lawns are so ubiquitous that to my young eye (and many others) they seemed to be almost a basic human right. That’s a serious problem, given the enormous resources that our North American lawn-fetish consumes.

https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2010/06/04/the-problem-of-lawns/

Festival on Water? Wait what….

Holi Festival is a festival of colors played with water. It is just around the order Sunday 28th March.

https://time.com/5799354/what-is-holi/

 

Ashna Swaroop, Middle School, Millburn, New Jersey.

Dvita Bhattacharya, Middle School, Millburn, New Jersey.

Today brought about the end of our week-long Climate Summit. It has been a truly amazing five days, and our session today was a fitting end to this experience. The theme for Day 5 was Climate Action. We asked ourselves, “How can we use what we have learned to make a difference?” and our inspiring speakers helped us answer this very question.

Our first event for today was a panel with several college students. They helped us understand how we could incorporate sustainable development into our high school and college careers, as well as our everyday lives. Our panelists included Sophia Assab (a student at Columbia university studying Economics and Sustainable Development), Charlotte Munson (studying Sustainable Development and Business management at Columbia), Jeremy Zimmerman (a senior in the dual degree program between Sciences Po and Columbia University, studying Political Humanities and Sustainable Development), David Yang (a sophomore at Columbia, planning on double majoring in Computer Science and Sustainable Development), and Isadora Muszkat (in the Dual Degree Program between Tel Aviv University and Columbia, pursuing a degree in Philosophy and another in Sustainable Development).

Each of our panelists outlined their own unique journeys to the study of sustainable development and the environment. Assab, for example, initially planned to study human rights, but felt the need to do more for the earth and the life on it; Munson used to be a professional ballet dancer until she ruptured her ankle at 22 and was forced to give it up. She decided to go back to school and found her passion for sustainability. Our panelists’ diverse, varying paths to this field of study helped highlight how all-encompassing the topic of sustainable development truly is. Somehow or the other, sustainable development is relevant to every subject and area of learning, a lesson all of our speakers touched upon. While each had different ideas to share with us, the common theme through their stories was how sustainability factored into each of their career paths. Munson gave examples of sustainable fashion and environmental engineering. At first glance, neither fashion nor engineering seems to have much to do with the environment. Yet there is always a way to combine sustainability and whatever your passion is. This only serves to once again prove just how relevant and important climate change and the environment are in our world today, as well as what a pressing issue they pose.

Our panelists also spoke about their work to help others and our planet. Yang and Zimmerman, for example, are part of an organization called Engineers without Border, and work to incorporate their passions for computer science and law into the work they do. Muszkat is helping develop activity kits for children in public schools to help them learn about sustainability. Munson worked on a project in India, where she tested the fluoride content in groundwater. And Assab is a part of a Harvard Think Tank working on a bill for environmental change that will be proposed to Congress. Each of these students has done inspiring work to help change the way things are and to make the world a slightly better place. Their determination and talent is an example of what we should work to live up to.

The last question our panelists answered was one that is of utmost importance, especially considering how unfair and dismal our world can seem today. The question we asked was “How do you stay hopeful when things look so bleak?”. Their responses were both insightful and powerful. Munson said that her source of hope lies in humanity’s ability to adapt and respond to challenges. She used the current COVID 19 pandemic as her example. If we, as a country, managed to completely change our lifestyles by quarantining and social distancing, there is at least some hope that we will be able to take the steps necessary to stop climate change. Zimmerman also pointed out how many young people are motivated to stop this issue even if they come from families who don’t believe in climate change. This is a topic that is too often politicized – and the younger generations seem to be able to cut through the din surrounding it and get to the core of the matter. The potential they hold is enough to give us hope even when it seems as though nothing is happening. And thus our panel came to an end, leaving us as the audience with many new ideas to think about and a renewed belief in our ability to overcome climate change.

Next, we met Jeneda and Clayson Benally, a powerhouse brother and sister duo who bring awareness to their culture through punk-rock music. They are part of the Navajo tribe, and started to sing and raise awareness when they realized that their tribe was dying out because of many terrible reasons and the history was being underrepresented. In Navajo traditions, singing and dancing are important in many things, even healing ceremonies. When they were fighting relocation from the place where their tribes have been for generations, that was then when they found their voice. As said by Mr. Benally, “Music, art, activism and advocacy are all intertwined”. As part of the Navajo tribe, they grew up learning to respect the Earth. Nothing was wasted. Growing up like this gave them an idea of how what happens to the Earth, happens to us.

Being asked to move did a number of things to Mr. and Ms. Benally. They had to move because there was coal where they lived, and the government wanted to use it. Even before this, their entire lives have been always sought out to justice and awareness. The coal that was in their backyard was being used in big cities, like Los Angeles, and yet they didn’t even have water and electricity. All of this was being taken away from them. Mr. Benally remembered when he was listening to his grandmother when she said that coal was the liver of the Earth, and forests were the hair. This might not appeal to the officials who wanted to take the coal, but it made sense. Your liver acts as a filter in your body, and the coal did that to water. Beneath all of that coal was an aquifer with pristine, naturally filtered water! This only shows how everything on the Earth is interconnected.

The Benallys also talked about what inspired them to write their music. As mentioned before, they use traditional songs and combine them with hopeful messages about the future. By the way, the traditional songs they use are social songs, not ceremonial songs, which are not to be shared. They were inspired by all the hippies who moved to the west coast and started singing rock music. Blues, folk, and rock n roll really motivated them to sing. Growing up, they were told that they could either be traditional and modern. Now, they identify as traditional, but they also have modern tools to show to others that “culture is cool”, and diversity is important.

Tradition was very important to the Benallys. As indegenious people, Ms. Benally says, they have lived with the Earth for so long, and they know to respect it. “Growing up with the foundation of understanding who I was guided the vision of who I am today”, she adds. Growing up, Mr. Benally endured racism. Once, he was burned by bullies in the locker room, just because of his culture. He was an outcast to his school, and playing punk rock was a place where outcasts banded. They began to play punk rock because it was a place where you could be you. In other words, it was liberating to them, and having that space growing up was so important.

In this summit, we have learned that COVID has done many good things for people. But for the Navajo, COVID has not been nearly as helpful. They’re struggling against COVID, mining, and lack of infrastructure all at the same time. The pandemic has shed light on the fact that they are in need of the basic infrastructure to support their people. And on top of that, many people in their tribe don’t have access to hot water or the internet, and kids have to drive to places with internet (sometimes more than an hour away). On the bright side, they do have community, culture, and the ability to live off of the land like their ancestors did, but that much is not going to cut it.

As a final message for kids, Ms. Benally said that they can make a difference and they should always remember that they should dream big and know what is in their head can be a possibility. Know that it’s okay to fail, because you get to learn from your mistakes. Know that you are not alone in making a difference and that you are loved. And most of all, know that you are the future, and the very breath of your ancestors’ resilience. Together, we are a global community and we want you to succeed. Know that people will be there for you every step of the way.

 

And with that positive note, the amazing, inspirational, and motivating Climate Education Youth Summit ended.

 

 

Ashna Swaroop, Middle School, Millburn, New Jersey

Dvita Bhattacharya, Middle School, Millburn, New Jersey

Day 4 of the Climate Education Youth Summit was refreshing and exciting, as the topic was Communication and Arts for Climate Change. We met 3 groups of people, and learned different things from each. Our speakers from the first event were Mr. Andrew Revkin, Mr. Joaquim Goes, and Ms. Valerie J Amor. Let’s learn about each of them, and how they came to be such big figures in Art for Climate Change.

Our first panelist is definitely gifted in his area. Mr. Revkin is a top environmental journalist, and has reported from places such as the White House, the Amazon, and even the North Pole! He has reported for well-known magazines such as National Geographic, and because of his work, he won a high award for science journalism. He even has a film based off of his work, The Burning Season.

Mr. Revkin explained how the pandemic actually did a number of good things for the environment .Availability and ease of not having to travel resulted in less fuel being burnt and less carbon emissions in the air. Levels of pollutants have gone down thanks to the pandemic. It has shown us that we can adapt, make sacrifices and save the planet, all which have become far more reachable than we thought.

Our next panelist, Mr. Goes, is one of a kind. Before he became a mentor to undergraduates, graduates, and postdoctoral students, he studied in Goa, and universities in major cities, such as Japan and Bombay. He researches topics such as impacts from the climate in the oceans, and microplastics in marine ecosystems. He mentors students from his lab at Columbia University (where he works in the Earth institute), and sometimes even from the sea!

Mr. Goes believes that kids should be the driving force to help stop the climate crisis because they will be the ones inheriting the planet. When working with kids, he tries to let them know what’s at stake so that they are motivated to make a difference. In Goa, where he lived, there were many projects that were environmentally bad. The youth in Goa realized what was going on and how it would hurt the planet, and so they stepped in and stopped it from happening. This only shows how strong kids are, and how much change they can make.

Last, but definitely not least is Ms. Valerie J Amor. She is the co-founder for Growing Broward, which is an organization that supports local food systems. She is also the founder of Drawing Conclusions LLC, where they focus on sustainable design. On top of that, she is also the designer of SCALe, which is an award winning educational design charette. She believes that art is the best way for people to open up and talk about climate change. In fact, her art workshops have been so interesting that one of her students was so immersed that he stayed past dinner time just to work on his project!

Being such a qualified person has to have some hardships though. Mainly, the people she worked with (mostly children), were not qualified to join Summits and other official meetings. Ms. Amor told the moderators that letting kids not come was just dismissing someone by their looks. To empower the children, she says that what gets them to talk is making a strong partnership between herself and them. Climate change will affect kids the most, and it is important to include them in these important discussions.

Speaking of kids, the next event was all about students. Behold the NJ Student Climate Challenge, led by Dr. Andrea Rewes from Rider University, and Heather McCall, director of Sustainable Jersey for schools! The Climate Challenge’s purpose is to show kids what they can do to make a difference in the climate crisis. Due to COVID, geographically, it is restricted to a few districts. But from 2021-2022, Dr. Rewes and Ms. McCall hope to expand their challenge statewide! Middle school and high schools can enroll if they live in the Atlantic City Electrics service area. Think Cape May, Gloucester, and Burlington counties. Student session topics include Climate Justice, Renewable Energy Options, Energy Efficiency At Home, Knowing Your Food, Knowing your Environment, and tons more! For teachers, they provide professional development sessions with topics like Integrating Climate Across Classrooms and Climate Science Primer for Educators. The Climate Challenge has something for everyone!

Sometimes, kids feel like they can’t make a difference. The problem seems too big, and they seem too small. But there are lots of things you can do in your school to make it green. Things like finding your school’s carbon footprint, conducting a waste audit, and anti-idling enforcement have saved schools up to $400,000! You could also Green Your School! use an already-there event like a dance show and make the costume, and sets from reused materials. You could also theme the event with something to do with the climate crisis. What a unique way to bring attention to what matters most! In all, the NJ Student Climate Challenge is something that every school should have, so if yours is eligible, then sign up today.

Moving on to our third and final event, a presentation titled “Creation Subverts Destruction: Artivism in Climate Advocacy.” Our teen facilitators were Edie Fine and Virgile-Mihn Perrier. They are representatives of the Extinction Rebellion Youth NYC, a group of youth who use nonviolent actions to advocate for climate justice. They are an art based group, whether it is a dance routine or a trashion show (fashion creatively made from reused items). A few sentences before, you probably read the word artivism and wondered what it was. In a nutshell, artivism is a combination of activism and art, when the art aspect is used to make a difference. An example of artivism is making a dance routine based on social justice. Or making poetry about the climate crisis. Using your medium of art (music, painting, poetry) to make a change is just what the Extinction Rebellion Youth NYC is doing.

Why artivism, though? Art helps us get in touch with the present state of the world, and defies the stereotypes of learning from books and worksheets, and uses creative mediums instead. As always, art helps you express yourself, something that might not happen if you are reading from a textbook. Art helps us get in touch with the present state of the world

Goes back the stereotypes of learning from books, and uses creative mediums. Extinction Rebellion Youth welcomes everyone and every part of everyone. Art is a tactic that can accomplish making a change because it is a stirrer. For example, one of their artivism projects was to make clothes from reused materials, like plastic bags. They did this on a day in New York Fashion week, and they caused quite a commotion. Photographers thought that they were modeling designs for the real fashion week! Getting that kind of publicity felt so good to the models and designers, because everyone was taking them seriously. If you like being creative and making a change then go to https://www.xrebellion.nyc/ for more information on this inspiring group.

Today was a motivational day for many at the Summit, including me. We hope you join tomorrow’s session: Action Planning Day!