5 Reasons Why Teachers are Not Teaching Kids about Climate Change

More than half of American teachers are not talking about climate change in their classrooms and of those that do almost a third incorrectly tell their students that climate change is a natural phenomenon.

According to a recent poll climate change is a very low priority for teachers in the U.S. Almost two thirds of educators who are not teaching it say they see global warming as outside of their subject area. However, science-based training is only part of the problem, parental attitudes are also a concern. Almost a third of educators are worried that parents may complain if they teach their kids about climate change.

Who is Preventing Kids from Learning about Climate Change?

Kids are not getting the climate education they need but this is not because of their parents or their teachers. Climate education has become a front-line issue in the battle against truth and kids are being used as pawns in an economically motivated war against reality. As reported by NPR, polls show that climate education has the support of parents (80%) and teachers (85%). Yet children are not getting the facts about climate change in public schools. A growing number of American adults (75%) acknowledge that the climate is changing but this message not being disseminated to kids.

Program - 2018 Institute for CSR Certificate

The 2018 Institute for CSR program will take place Mar. 15 – 16, May 10 – 11, July 26 – 27, Sept. 20 – 21 in Washington, DC. Over the course of four, two-day sessions, participants learn from some of the field’s most innovative thinkers, authors, and practitioners, expand their professional networks learning alongside CSR peers from across the country, all while earning a Professional Certificate in CSR from Johns Hopkins University.  Coursework will focus on a wide range of topics, including CSR strategy, trends in philanthropy, employee engagement, ethics and sustainability, measurement, and communications.

Graduate Certificate - CSR/Sustainability at St Michael's College (Video)

The Graduate Certificate in CSR/Sustainability at the University of St. Michael's (University of Toronto) is a program that accommodates people who are working full time.

There are already 200 graduates of this program from around the world. They work for a wide range of organizations including for-profit, not-for-profit and government organizations.  The personal and professional benefits of education are numerous. A strong business case that can be made for higher learning. Click here for a business case presentation (PDF) or here for a program impact assessment as described by program graduates.

Course Certificate - Leading Organizations & Change at MIT Sloan School of Management

MIT Sloan School of Management is collaborating with world renowned faculty to offer instruction in the prescient realm of organizational change. In today's complex interconnected world an organization's strategies and tactics must be encouraged to evolve. Course alterations are essential in response to changing business environments. In the face a barrage of unprecedented challenges, an organizations ability to pivot on a dime has become critical.

Comprehensive Green School Information and Resources 2010 - 2016

In 2017 the Green Market Oracle (GMO) is reprising its annual Green School Series. Over the course of the last seven years the GMO has published more than 350 articles related to environmentally oriented academics, sustainable infrastructure and green initiatives in pedagogical settings. In the coming weeks we will post articles on a daily basis related to the green schools and sustainability focused academics. These efforts contribute to the growth of a well informed population, a sustainable economy and ultimately a healthier planet. This focus is a key part of the GMO's mission to help facilitate the convergence of sustainability and the global environment.

GMO's Annual Green Schools Posts in 2016

Each summer and fall the Green Market Oracle (GMO) publishes a series of posts focused on the growing green schools movement. In 2016 this comprised both buildings and academics, it also includes best practices and information useful to sustainability professionals, students, instructors and other stakeholders. In addition to green buildings, this series reviews hundreds of sustainability-focused schools and accreditation. Last year GMO published 32 articles in this series bringing the total to more than 350.  In 2016 the predominant themes included early education, tools, resources and awards.

Event - Green California Schools & Community Colleges Summit and Exposition

The 9th annual Green California Schools & Community Colleges Summit and Exposition will be held October 29 - 31, 2015, at the Pasadena Convention Center 300 East Green Street in Pasadena California. The Green Market Oracle is once again proud to be an outreach partner for this important event.

This is the first and largest green schools event in California it offers insights into achieving the full range of benefits associated with a high performance green school. Among the benefits are cost savings that can free up funds for core needs and improved student performance. Districts that have made a strong commitment to sustainability have also earned respect and gratitude from the communities they serve.

Middlebury Institute’s IEP Program: Focused on Today’s Sustainability Issues (Video)

Middlebury Institute’s International Environmental Policy degree program is designed to attract students who want to play a part in setting international agendas for worldwide sustainability issues and initiatives.

Event - Colorado Green Schools Initiative September Meeting

This meeting will take place on September 16, 2015, from 7:30 AM MDT to 9:00 AM MDT at The Alliance Center, 1536 Wynkoop St, Denver, Colorado CO 80202. This is one of several meetings planned, these meetings are free for all to attend.

Agenda

Educational Tool Assesses Scientific Veracity of Online Content

An educational tool has been developed that can assess the veracity of climate related online content. The resource helps to separate fact from fiction in the complex world of climate science to the general public. This tool is an ideal companion for those engaged in climate education. The resource was developed by Dr. Emmanuel Vincent, a tropical cyclone expert at the University of California.

Colorado Parents Support Green Initiatives in Schools

Parents in Colorado support green values and want to support environmental initiatives in their children's schools. This was the finding in a 2014 survey by the Colorado Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

In addition to support for a range of green school initiatives the results of this study indicate that there is also strong support for the teaching of sustainability.

key findings from the survey

Sustainability Ranking of US Colleges and Universities Reveal the West is the Best

Sierra magazine's much anticipated annual ranking of colleges and universities is now in its ninth year. This year the Cool Schools top ten ratings known as the "Eco-Valedictorians" is dominated by west coast schools and the state of California in particular. Two campuses of the University of California (Irvine and Davis) are at the top of the list. A total of five campuses belonging to the UofC have won half of the 10 best spots. When you add Seattle's University of Washington and Portland Oregon's Lewis and Clarke, a total of seven of the ten top schools are located on the west coast.

Video - Marylhurst Online MBA in Sustainable Business

Marylhurst University's online MBA in Sustainable Business which is ideal fro people from a wide array of industries who wish to pursue higher education in sustainable business practices. These individuals are scientists who seek a business background, builders and architects who focus on sustainable practices, and government and policy analysts. What they all have in common: a passion for sustainability.

Savings from LED Retrofits in the Surry School District

The Surry County School District in North Carolina has installed LEDs that save the school money, improve lighting and reduce energy. As part of the school districts energy education program, they have converted from metal halide fixtures to LEDs. According to the school's own projection they will reap an annual savings of nearly $1,350. The ten LED's also improved foot-candle levels in Dobson Elementary School’s 5,400 sq-foot gymnasium by more than 50 percent.

Savings from LED Lighting at the University of Rhode Island

Schools are always looking for ways of reducing their expenditures and one of the easiest ways they can do so is through replacing their existing lighting with LED technology. Not only do these types of retrofits save money and energy, they can also improve the lighting, in effect getting more for less.

The University of Rhode Island’s Thomas M. Ryan Center for college basketball will be illuminated by a new LED lighting system from Ephesus Lighting, replacing a metal halide lighting system that was installed when The Ryan Center was built in 2002.

USGBC's Green Schools Challenge in Louisiana

Competitions between educational establishments are a great way to advance awareness around sustainability while reducing a school's footprints at the same time. Louisiana's Green Schools Challenge is an example of such a program.

Launched by the U.S. Green Building Council's Louisiana chapter, the Green Schools Challenge, encourages students across the state to develop sustainability projects for their schools in the name of friendly competition.

US Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools Program 2014 Sustainability Awardees

The US Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools program is an innovative approach that entices schools to improve their eco-attributes.

The program recognizes schools that work to reduce environmental impact and costs, provide a better environment for student and staff health and educate students on environmental and sustainability issues. Schools that do well in these three areas, also known as Pillars, are recognized by the Department of Education.

The Greening of the US Public Schools

The US public school system is getting greener. Public schools across the US are beginning to adopt green policies and build more sustainable infrastructure. Together these efforts reduce environmental impacts while offering a valuable ecological lesson to students.

School districts are spending hundreds of millions on new green schools. Some are even getting LEED certified. Almost half of all new school construction contains green elements which is up from only 15 percent in 2008. According to McGraw-Hill, by 2025, all new school construction will be green.

Innovation in Sustainability Education

Universities that focus on sustainability are increasingly seeing the value of embedding innovative approaches into their curriculum. Schools who seek to be leaders in environmental education provide a tremendous benefit to their students through the incorporation of innovation. Such innovation serves as both a teaching tool and a real world example of the practice of sustainability. Here are two examples of such innovation from the world leading Haas school of business and Cornell University's S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management.