Category: EDforSD

Check out the Sustainable Fashion’s October 2022 Newsletter by Lilian Brennan and Tabitha Webster!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16d6HX3HJh7lAIdUI9UrqCbFQgy6z3c-k/view?usp=sharing

The website: https://sites.google.com/hvrsd.org/sustainablefashionnewsletter/home

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/fashion4theenvironment/

 

 

Updated: Aug 23, 2022

by Eco Ambassador Vidya Bindal, Rising Freshman, Millburn Public School

At long last, there is a sign of hope and there are new wings to fly far and wide, literally. For me, as my middle school years come to an end, and I eagerly look forward to high-school there are a wide variety of electives to choose from and varsity sports, and then there is also a great news to share from the world of Nature. The World Wildlife Fund recently reported that there were 35% more monarch butterflies in Mexico’s forests this year than the previous year!

The monarch butterfly is a beautiful insect, and a legend in its own right. It travels upward of 3000 miles to and from the Northeastern United States to Mexico. It is not just one of nature’s most eye-catching creations, with the bright orange wings, but as is typical of nature, it is also highly helpful in pollination and preservation of local eco-systems.

The monarch butterfly population had been on the decline since 1995 when such a drop was first reported. Since then, this legendary insect was losing its tribe, largely for three main reasons:

• Overlogging of forests in the areas of Mexico where the butterflies migrate to tide over winter in the north.
• Climate crisis. As our planet warms, each new year recording higher temperatures, the butterflies’ migratory route between Canada, the US, and Mexico becomes less hospitable.
• And last but not the least loss of Milkweed plants. Milkweed is a critically important plant because the choosy Monarch only lays eggs on these plants, and this plant then becomes the only food source for monarch caterpillars.

The loss of these butterflies was thus indicative of not just a loss of a natural process but also a distressing reminder of how we the humans are causing irrecoverable damage to our planet. However, as we can see from the latest WWF report, perhaps some people somewhere made note and started to undo the damage done on this innocent creature. I want to think that I know some, if not all, of those people. I know that my township of Millburn has been actively promoting the creation of monarch waystations in private yards, and a community native plants gardens with ample milkweeds, was especially created for this purpose. I am equally proud to mention that not only did we attempt such a garden in our backyard too, but that as eighth graders in our science class we dived fully into the nuances of the life-cycle of the Monarch butterfly culminating the year-long project with germinating milkweed seeds and growing them in our classrooms, to finally be able to take them to our homes and plant them. I was told by my school that while monarchs as a topic are not formally a part of the curriculum yet, teachers are encouraged to introduce ‘extra’ elements in the class to help students learn about different content and skills in science. In that context, I was filled with more hope for Nature when even my younger sister reported doing a similar native plants project in her school’s newly formed environmental club.

To have our in-class school experience be so meaningfully aligned to a real problem in Nature was already gratifying, and then to learn that our efforts, combined with those of many other smaller entities like us, are having an impact, is the icing on the cake. I look forward to a greater immersion in real-world problems of our world, in high school now.

 

Source: https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/eastern-monarch-butterfly-population-shows-signs-of-recovery

 

Photo by Vidya Bindal. Lake Placid, NY.

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.