Jennifer O. Leshnower’s Post

A call to all #educators to attend this year's #EarthCharter #Conference Fri Apr 12, 2024 9:00 AM - Sun Apr 14, 2024 5:30 PM Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, USA https://lnkd.in/e_HDE2Xp This three-day conference builds on four previous Earth Charter Conferences focused on #education for #sustainability and global #citizenship, and for #PlanetaryWellbeing. It will bring together a global diversity of educators, activists and Earth Charter educators, affiliates and partners, to share best practices and research. OBJECTIVES To create a space to: --> Find synergies and enhance collaboration among innovative approaches to education for change. --> Share experiences and research on innovative approaches including lessons learned from the use of the Earth Charter in various education settings around the world. --> Expand our consciousness, understanding and vision for reorienting education towards creating ecological civilizations. --> Provide training opportunities in using the Earth Charter to promote values and principles for sustainability and global citizenship education. PARTICIPANTS The event is expected to bring together 250 educators, academics, young leaders, Earth Charter International partners, researchers in education, and businesspeople.

Today’s young people are dealing with a problem like no generation has before them: climate anxiety. One simple solution to easing the mental burden of climate anxiety is connection with the natural world, serving as a catalyst to transform disengagement into environmental stewardship. In our latest #WaterWire piece, learn how programs like Estuary Explorers are working to foster student connectivity to the environment, and how teachers can implement experiences with the natural world into their curriculum. Read here: https://bit.ly/3vUUTd6

Ingrid Waldron, Ph.D., Professor and HOPE Chair in Peace and Health at McMaster University's Global Peace and Social Justice Program, along with Dr. Zobia J., a Senior Research Fellow in the same program and a Faculty Member at the Faculty of Engineering, is leading a research team seeking participation from Black community members residing in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area for a study aimed at enhancing capacity for climate change preparedness. We are now recruiting for our third workshop, to be held on Saturday, April 27th from 10am-1pm at the Malvern Family Centre in Scarborough. We express our gratitude to our partners and collaborators for their invaluable support in this project. @enrichproject  @cbtu_on_canada @toenviro  @mcmasteru @waldroningrid Eligible participants must be Black individuals residing in the Scarborough area. Participation will involve attending a three-hour climate change preparedness workshop session, which will be audio-recorded for research purposes. As a token of appreciation, all participants will receive refreshments and an honorarium of $200. Please scan the QR code or follow the URL to our Google Form to sign up! Google screening form: bit.ly/4aQHceo *This study is funded by a SSHRC Partnership Development Grant. #EnvironmentalJustice #EnvironmentalJusticeCanada #ClimateJustice #ClimateChange #ClimatePreparedness #ClimateResilience #ClimateAction #ClimateActionNow #ClimateChangeAwareness #ClimateEmergency #ClimatePreparedness #OurCommunityOnePlanet #RacialJustice

Interdisciplinary approaches enable us to address climate crisis as an opportunity to better understand the roots of our human disconnect from the natural world. They include connection to place as an important lens for considering the current situation, and balancing out what's been called "techno-rational approaches" to providing solutions. Higher education must include reframing the observer and the observed as we question the constructs that have led us into non-reciprocal relationships with life around us. We're now able to understand the implications and limitations of Western paradigms, and form extensive international knowledge coalitions with a better sense of our own positionality. The transformative power of education starts here. #crosscultural education #climatechange #social innovation #resilience building #community building #Transition education

Today our UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition Global Hub Series focuses on our Thematic Hub CUNY Princeton. Together The City University of New York Human Ecodynamics Research Center (HERC) and the Princeton University Climate Change and History Research Initiative (CCHRI) lead a Thematic Hub devoted to Past Socio-Environmental Change and Resilience in support of the BRIDGES International Program Office. Our Thematic Hub’s focus is historical societal resilience and sustainability in the face of both environmental and climatic as well as anthropogenic challenges and hazards. Rooted in working with multiple collaborators; fostering community-based co-production of knowledge and the integration of local heritage and education initiatives; and improving our own capacity to engage successfully with communities not simply as hosts but as active and vital partners in knowledge co-production, in the effort to achieve sustainable socieities. https://lnkd.in/dfdkUiCN #BRIDGEScoalitionHubs #BRIDGEScoalition #sustainability #sustainabilityscience #sustainablesocieties #climatechange

Name a role model that you look up to. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved Jane Goodall. Back then, I found the notion of a female scientist observing chimpanzees in Gombe inspiring. And she is most certainly an excellent, groundbreaking scientist – observant, insightful, and analytical. It’s because of Gooddall that I was initially attracted to science. But Goodall is so much more than just a scientist. She’s compassionate, and not just towards animals. The Jane Goodall Institute sponsors community-based conservation and development programs that have simultaneously protected habitats AND lifted local villages out of poverty. My own compassion for my clients and audience drive me to coach, write, and teach. She’s a trailblazer, paving the way for women in science, and paving the way for environmental activism. I don’t know if I can claim being a trailblazer but I’m definitely an experimentalist willing to try new things even if it’s never been done before. She’s an educator who created the incredibly impactful Roots and Shoots program in schools across the world, empowering young people to make a different in their local communities. Education is one of my core values. She spreads a message of hope and positivity. Goodall says, Jane says, “Hope is what enables us to keep going in the face of adversity. It is what we desire to happen, but we must be prepared to work hard to make it so.” Hope isn’t optimism. It’s not wishful thinking or looking on the bright side. It’s full understanding of the dark place we are in right now, but holding to the belief that if we take action there will be a brighter future ahead. When times are dark for me, it’s that quote that keeps me going. She moves through life with grace. Who do you admire and why?

How do we get the students to act on climate change... IS NOT THE RIGHT QUESTION. I've been watching the fourth season of True Detective, where the main character Liz Danvers, played by Jodi Foster, often says, 'What is the question?', while puzzling out a mystery, and then, when her rookie detective makes a stab at it, 'That is not the right question!' I often hear the question, and I sometimes think the question, 'How do we get the students to act on climate change?', but the other day as the question came into my head, I suddenly heard Jodi Foster retort forcefully, That is not the right question!!'. What is the right question?, I thought in response. Why is it not the right question? I tried a proposition instead of a question. I thought, what if we remove students as the subject. What if we make the proposition: 'We want action on climate change.' Immediately Jodi countered me. Who is 'we'? Do you? How much do you? What are you doing about it? What do students have to do with that?  Now I am focusing on the first part of the question, 'How do we get ...' What do we mean when we ask this question? Is it possible to 'get' someone else to do something, or if we do, how much of that will be compliance, rather than willing action? Of course, there are underlying layers to this question- perhaps we mean, how do we help students shift attitudes so they are willing to act on climate change? Perhaps we mean, how do we facilitate conditions in which attitudes can shift? Perhaps we mean, how do we, as well, shift perspectives and attitudes? Action is an emergent property of identity Action, unless it is compliance, cannot be dictated. It strikes me that action is an emergent property of consciousness and identity. Like all emergence, therefore, it cannot be driven, commanded, or even expected. Emergence is by definition -The development of unpredicted behaviors that occur in complex systems as a result of relationships between parts and exhibiting properties that the parts don't have on their own. With this understanding in mind, we might look for individual parts in a system and facilitate their unique development. That would be individuals, teachers or students in a school, for example. We can encourage interaction between individuals and foster the conditions for interactions that may result in transformative attitudes and perceptions. We can act as catalysts, perhaps, but we cannot guarantee a particular result, and we certainly can't guarantee a particular result in a particular timeframe. What are the right questions? This is part of a longer post on earthwards.mn.co

🟡 Today is #EarthDay. But at Columbia University we are not celebrating. 🟡 Celebrations for Earth Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about environmental issues, was cancelled due to an excess of caution surrounding escalating tensions on campus. This situation underscores the complex interplay of social and political dynamics at play at the University right now. As we reflect on this day, it's crucial to recognize that we cannot address environmental challenges in isolation from broader societal issues. Until we address underlying social tensions and power dynamics, true progress toward a sustainable future will remain elusive. This is a stark reminder that we cannot separate #environmentalcrises from #socialcrises. There won't be an Earth Day, until it becomes trully #EveryonesEarthDay. #Environment #Social #Development #Sustainability #SustainableDevelopment #Peace #US #Universities #ColumbiaUniversity #Columbia

I am practically levitating with excitement to attend the Inaugural Maine Space Conference hosted by Maine Space 2030 in #PortlandMaine. For the next two days I'll be learning from industry leaders and Maine's own #pioneers of space R&D and education about the state of space #technology and #development in Maine. We'll be learning how to cultivate Maine's #engagement in the #newspaceeconomy, and exploring #potentialities of economic prosperity that grow from fostering #sustainable, #ethical, #innovation and #curiosity. I am thrilled that an organization and event focused on these energizing, inspiring topics is taking place right in the heart of my beloved city and I can't wait to build connections with others who want to get Maine engaged in the space economy in thoughtful ways. I am coming with burning questions: 1) How to engage with space development in a way that satisfies the human impulse of #exploration with #temperance and #humility 2) How do we, on micro and macro scales, have #collective conversations that balance zeal with sacred pauses that allow us to ask not just whether we can, but if we should? 3) How to up-skill Maine's non-STEAM scholars and workforce so they may engage meaningfully in these efforts, and 4) How do we ensure that gender and racial justice are considered in the creation of Maine's well-paying STEAM and space economy jobs? Here are just a few of the panels, lectures, and breakout groups that will be held over the next two days: #SpaceArchitecture for the #Future #SpaceWorkforce for the Future #FutureofSpace in Maine Building Maine's #ArtemisGeneration Sustainability Space Related Career Opportunities Transforming #SpaceCuriosity to #STEAM Skills and Careers The State of #SpaceData

As Earth Day dawns upon us, it's a time of reflection, not just on the state of our planet but also on the future we're nurturing. We often celebrate Earth Day with fervor, advocating for sustainability and environmental consciousness. Yet, amidst our noble intentions, a stark reality remains overlooked - the plight of millions of children deprived of quality education. Did you know that according to UNESCO, around 258 million children worldwide are out of school? That's a staggering number, a generation denied the very foundation of knowledge and opportunity. As we plant trees and pledge green initiatives, we must also sow the seeds of education, for it is through knowledge that we empower the future stewards of our planet. Imagine a world where every child has access to quality education. It's not just a dream; it's a necessity. Education isn't just about textbooks and exams; it's about nurturing minds, fostering critical thinking, and igniting curiosity. It's about equipping our youth with the tools they need to address global challenges, including climate change. We cannot truly protect the Earth by relying solely on a few enlightened individuals. Sustainability and environmental stewardship must be ingrained in the fabric of education, reaching every corner of the globe. It's not just about teaching environmental science; it's about instilling values of responsibility, empathy, and action. The future of our planet rests in the hands of today's children. What kind of Earth are we leaving for them? Can we truly celebrate Earth Day when millions of young minds are deprived of the light of education? Let's turn this Earth Day into a rallying cry for educational equity. Let's advocate for policies that prioritize access to quality education for all. Let's support initiatives that bridge the gap between privilege and deprivation, knowledge and ignorance. As we plant trees, let's also plant the seeds of knowledge. Let's cultivate a generation of thinkers, innovators, and change-makers who will not just inherit the Earth but also safeguard it for generations to come. So, as you reflect on Earth Day, I invite you to share your thoughts. How can we ensure that every child receives a quality education? How can education and environmental sustainability go hand in hand? Let's start a conversation that leads to action, for the sake of our planet and the future of humanity. Himannshu Sharma, COSCU #HimannshuSharma #COSCU #EarthDay #EducationForAll #Sustainability #ClimateAction #FutureGeneration #QualityEducation #GlobalImpact #Empowerment #ChangeMakers #YouthEmpowerment #EnvironmentalAwareness #JoinTheConversation