The Roots & Shoots program, founded by Jane Goodall, has over 8,000 sub-groups in 140 countries, empowering young people to create community change.

The program promotes environmental education and civil discourse, inspiring environmental care and community-led conservation.

Teachers can adapt the Roots & Shoots program for high school students by partnering with conservation organizations for hands-on learning.

Student-directed conservation and outdoor education promote environmental stewardship and increase student engagement.

The Ministry of Education can integrate climate education into school curricula using models like the Roots & Shoots program.

Climate education empowers students to take action on conservation and environmental issues, contributing to sustainable development.

To facilitate respectful discussions on controversial environmental topics in a high school classroom, setting parameters is essential.

Modeling respectful dialogue and presenting unbiased conflicts respects students' diverse backgrounds.

The Roots & Shoots program teaches holistic thinking and empowers young people to create community change.

The program emphasizes that individuals can make a difference in conservation, motivating high school students.

Incorporating the Roots & Shoots program into a high school curriculum empowers students to address global environmental challenges.

Environmental education and climate change should be integrated into various subjects to drive conservation action.

Outdoor learning and hands-on activities can foster a connection to nature, promoting conservation and environmental action.

The Roots & Shoots program can empower high school students to take action on conservation and environmental issues.

The Ministry of Education aims to achieve sustainable development through education on conservation and environmental issues.

The Roots & Shoots program, founded by Jane Goodall, has over 8,000 sub-groups in 140 countries, empowering young people to create community change.

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Environmental scientist Jane Goodall visits Korea with message on peace and environment
# Panorama Korean news l 2023-07-11
Seoul Panorama
GYEONGGI PROVINCE
Dr. Jane Goodall, a world-renowned zoologist and environmental activist, recently visited Korea, where she delivered a message on the environment and peace near the demilitarized zone to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement.
She expressed the hope that the Korean peninsula would return to a state of peace and that the day would come when the North Koreans could be met in the demilitarized zone.
She was accompanied by a senior professor at the Lihua University for Girls, Chih Ji Chun.
The organizing committee of the open festival of the demilitarized zone said that the "Declaration of Environmental Peace in the Zone" event took place on the 8th of this month at the Jang San Observatory in Baju city, Kyung-ki province.
Dr. Goodall has been dedicated to studying chimpanzees, protecting the wild environment and improving animal processing for more than six decades, while Professor Chea is one of Korea ’ s leading experts in animal biology and behavior.
About 50 members of the international environmental protection group Roots and Shoots participated in the festival for dialogue and a number of activities aimed at promoting the value of global environmental peace.
Founded in 1901, Dr. Goodall has been visiting countries around the world to convey a message about the environment and peace, and currently has more than 8,000 sub-groups in about 140 countries.
The participants flew a large dove made of cloth symbolizing peace to express a message of environmental peace on the Korean peninsula at the Jang San Observatory.
They also stressed the value of preserving wildlife in the demilitarized zone by organizing a march accompanied by the sound of the drums.
For his part, Prof. Cheh said that the demilitarized zone is a valuable human property with rich biodiversity, hoping that this event will provide an opportunity to convey the environmental, peaceful and cultural values of the region and mutual sympathy.
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How far has Dr. Goodall's Roots & Shoots program spread?

The program promotes environmental education and civil discourse, inspiring environmental care and community-led conservation.

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The work of legendary ethnobiologist, conservationist and activist Jane Goodall has already inspired people to care for endangered species and the environment for decades — but the doctor’s latest endeavor continues her work in motivating the next generation.

Apple TV+’s mission-driven children’s series “Jane” harnesses the power of TV, with Emmy-winning creator J.J. Johnson (“Endlings,” “Ghostwriter”) using Goodall’s teachings to motivate kids to take a stand for endangered species and care for the environment. “Jane,” from the Jane Goodall Institute and Johnson’s company Sinking Ship Entertainment, premiered on April 14, with 10 episodes now available on Apple TV+.

“Jane” features eager 9-year-old environmentalist Jane Garcia (Ava Louise Murchison) — who is inspired to help save the planet, following in the footsteps of her role model, Goodall — along with her friends David (Mason Blomberg) and a chimpanzee named Greybeard. Each episode focuses on a different endangered species, such as Apis mellifera (Western honey bee) and Panthera tigris (tiger). Blending live action and CGI — and featuring an epic theme song “One Step Closer” written by Diane Warren, and sung by Leona Lewis — the show depicts the friends taking a stand for the species and the environment, and getting into occasional trouble along the way. The episodes all end with the friends video-chatting with real-life animal experts, particularly highlighting women and people of color.

While Goodall’s years of dedication to great apes research and advocacy have made her a household name in the 21st century, she began her work at age 26 in 1960 studying chimpanzees. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, which fosters research, advocacy as well as community-led conservation, and it empowers children — particularly through its youth program Roots and Shoots, which was founded in 1991.

A United Nations Messenger of Peace and a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE), Goodall’s research on chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania helped change scientists’ understanding of humans’ relationship to animals. The research continues in Tanzania through the Jane Goodall Institute Gombe Stream Research Center, and it is the world’s longest-running chimpanzee study.

Also a prolific author, Goodall has adult and children’s literary works such as “The Book of Hope,” “In the Shadow of Man” and “Rickie and Henri: A True Story.”

Goodall is no stranger to the screen, however, as the subject of dozens of films including “Chimps, So Like Us,” “Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees” and “Jane Goodall: The Hope” — as well as Brett Morgen’s 2017 Emmy-nominated documentary, also called “Jane.” While Goodall did not create this “Jane” for Apple TV+, her life’s work and teachings inspire the show’s protagonist who idolizes her, and if Goodall had not approved the show’s concept when it was in development, it would not have moved forward.

Goodall, who turned 89 earlier this month, spoke with Variety over Zoom about how she hopes “Jane” inspires the youngest generation, and what she hopes to accomplish next in her career.

How do you hope viewers, especially children, react when they see “Jane”?

I hope that it will encourage them to actually think more about endangered species — to think about the fact that if we’re not careful, many of these species will disappear. I hope it also will encourage young people to join our Roots and Shoots program, which is in 68 countries. It’s about young people choosing projects to help — animals, people and the environment — deciding what they want to do, working out what they can do, rolling up their sleeves and taking action.

So if this Jane Garcia encourages real-life activities, it’ll be great. I hope it will encourage young people to join in the effort to make this a better world, to choose projects that will help to save the environment before it’s too late.

Talk about environmental issues often creates anxiety in children and young adults, but it is still obviously important to learn about — how do you, through this show or beyond, hope to inspire the next generation without causing anxiety?

That’s my entire program Roots and Shoots, it’s all about taking action. If young people get together and work on projects, which is the same sort of thing with Sinking Ship Entertainment, then it’s all about positive change. We need to know that many species are close to extinction, but that we have to stop that from happening. And therefore we have to work together to find out ways of saving the animals that are moving toward extinction. We need to know about the doom and gloom — I talk about it all the time. But at the same time, it’s desperately important to give people hope, especially young people, because, yes, we can make a difference.

So “Jane” shows young people how they can get together and solve the “doom and gloom” effectively?

Yeah, hopefully. The goal is to try and get young people involved and taking action, and stepping on beyond that to do more. It’s young people getting really worried, but then working together with older people who are also wanting to try to save the species. So it’s a complete mixture.

How do we inspire the next generation to create change, without placing blame on children for a situation they didn’t create?

There are major problems and, yes, all sorts of things have led to unfortunate decreases in numbers of endangered species. But the whole emphasis is on working together to create change. Let’s get young people involved, talk about what can be done to make a difference and then, as I say, roll up their sleeves and work out what they can do. And taking action is going to be different with different species. And, basically, I hope that this program will have enough fun in it, as well as understanding the problem, that young people will be pushing toward saving a lot of these animals. Many animals on the very brink of extinction have been given another chance.

What’s an example of a species that was pushed toward extinction, but human intervention reversed the course?

My favorite one is that little black robin that was reduced to just two individuals, one male and one female. That was it. And through some very clever work, there are now about 500 of them. They’re all genetically identical, of course, but they’re being spread into four different islands. So, hopefully, there will be some genetic change so they’re not all identical, since that’s not very healthy. There are many, many stories like that.

What message do you have for people who feel hopeless, or that they alone cannot make a difference?

People have to realize that every single one of us can make a difference. We could just say, “Oh well, I know that animals are becoming extinct. There’s nothing I can do about it.” That’s really going to be the end of us. But if you decide, “I will try and make a difference, I will do something every single day,” then we can make a difference. We can choose what we can do: Some of us can help animals, some of us can help planting trees, some of us can help whatever it is that we care about. And if we all choose projects to make the world better, then it’s going to make a major difference. We don’t all give up and say, “Well, it’s just me, there’s nothing I can do.” If we give up, then the future is not very good, is it? We all have to do our bit to try and persuade other people. We’re in the middle of a pretty bad, dark space. So for young people to join in and feel, “Gosh, if I do this, I will be making the world a better place,” that’s really important.

You’ve done so much in your life and in your career — what else do you look forward to accomplishing?

I want our Roots and Shoots program to be in every school in every country. But I always say, “If you try and aim for the stars, you might reach the moon. If you aim for the moon, you might reach the head of Mount Everest,” for example. So that’s the same for the stars — and at least we can reach the moon and help to protect the various animals and plants that are facing tremendous danger. The young and old alike in different countries need to really, really work hard to save these creatures. We’ve got to do it now.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Dr. Goodall believed what steps would slow population growth?

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

ecological literacy
drive to protect the earth

Teachers can adapt the Roots & Shoots program for high school students by partnering with conservation organizations for hands-on learning.

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Content: Saskatchewan

Trading homework for hip waders: Regina students become stewards of conservation park

Students from a Regina high school will get to take class outside, while helping the environment.

High school students partner with Ducks Unlimited to create wetland centre of excellence

Science has always been a big part of Mireya Zigler's life.

Zigler's dad was an environmental science teacher at Martin Collegiate in Regina, and she admits to having a bit of a dinosaur obsession as a kid.

Now, Zigler and her Grade 10 classmates at Dr. Martin LeBoldus High School will get to explore their passion for science further, as they become environmental stewards at McKell Wascana Conservation Park.

The project is a partnership between the school and Ducks Unlimited to make the roughly 70-hectare (171-acre) park in east Regina a wetland centre of excellence — part of a national network of schools and community partners for the conservation organization.

The centres give students an opportunity to lead conservation projects and community outreach at their local wetland through the school year, while learning about its importance to the environment.

McKell Wascana is the third such centre in Saskatchewan, and the 27th in Canada.

"As a student, I've just found that everybody's kind of a kinesthetic learner," said Zigler.

"If you're actually going to go out and experience what you're doing, everybody is going to be able to absorb that information ... significantly more than just memorizing text in a classroom."

How these high school students are becoming advocates for the environment

18 hours ago
Duration 2:01
Grade 10 science students from Dr. Martin LeBoldus High School in Regina are taking the classroom outside. They've partnered with Ducks Unlimited to be stewards of the McKell Wascana Conservation Park, which was recently named a Wetland Centre of Excellence.

Her classmate Kaylee Lawrence agrees. It's a great way to get out of the school to learn, says Lawrence.

"We spend a lot of time in there and it can get really boring at times," she said. "This is a great new experience and a way to get us into nature."

Student-directed activities

The 47 students involved in the project will get to choose which conservation activities they want to do.

Those include building nesting boxes for birds, and even getting waist-deep in Wascana Creek to filter the water and improve its quality downstream.

Mariane Bolla, head of national education with Ducks Unlimited, said the McKell Wascana site was chosen for the project because Ducks Unlimited helped establish the park.

Wetlands like McKell Wascana are well known for their environmental benefits — serving as natural water filters and a home for numerous species of animals. They can also store carbon, instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.

Bolla said this particular project requires teachers who show leadership and are willing to put a bit more effort into their lessons.

LeBoldus science teacher Desmond Hartney was already doing some outdoor education, so the Ducks Unlimited project was a good match.

Hartney said his students are eager to start working at the site.

"They kind of feel a responsibility for maintaining it," he said. "They become advocates for the environment — not just necessarily this wetland but also other areas around the city and the province."

Hartney hopes to implement the project into other classes at LeBoldus in the future.

Zigler is hopeful her classmates will become better citizens after the year-long partnership.

"I just hope that people are going to learn to actually care about the environment," she said. "I really hope that this is going to impact them."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ethan Williams

Weather and climate journalist

Ethan Williams is a weather and climate reporter and presenter for CBC News in Saskatchewan, based in Regina. Catch CBC Saskatchewan News with Sam Maciag and Ethan Williams weeknights at 6 p.m. CST for your local news and weather. Get in touch with him: Ethan.Williams@cbc.ca

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Student-directed conservation and outdoor education promote environmental stewardship and increase student engagement.

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

ecological literacy
drive to protect the earth

The Ministry of Education can integrate climate education into school curricula using models like the Roots & Shoots program.

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Content: Sunday, 31 December 2023 04: 11 GMT
“Education ” integrates“ climate education ” into school curricula
(MENAFN- Al-Bayan)
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has revealed the integration of “climate education ” into the curricula of all educational levels. This is an important step taken by the Ministry to promote environmental awareness and sustainability among future generations. It targets all educational levels and all public and private schools with 17 curricula at the state level. Sustainable development goals, and the inclusion of the climate agenda in the educational system in the country, which lasts for 3 years.
The integration of climate education (Green Curriculum) aims to adopt and integrate the climate education framework in all schools, through which students will be introduced to the concepts of sustainable development and the importance of environmental sustainability.
4 Areas
The Ministry has developed a comprehensive curriculum framework on environmental sustainability in collaboration with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure in Abu Dhabi. The framework equips students with knowledge, skills and values that promote environmental sustainability through four key knowledge areas. Climate, innovation for sustainability.
In detail, students in the field of energy will learn about different types of energy sources and how to use them effectively and sustainably, the importance of the world ’ s transition to clean energy sources, and the promotion of renewable energy such as sun, wind and water.
In the field of Earth ’ s biosphere, students are introduced to biodiversity and different ecosystems, and learn the importance of preserving forests, oceans and water resources, as well as how to influence the biosphere and protect it from degradation.
In the Resource Consumption and Climate Programme, understanding of the impact of human activities on natural resources and climate change is enhanced, students learn about the importance of reducing overconsumption, recycling and using resources sustainably, and learn about the challenges of climate change and how to adapt human systems to these challenges.
Innovation
In the field of Innovation for Sustainability, students learn the importance of innovation and technology in achieving environmental sustainability, learn about examples of sustainable innovations in various fields such as agriculture, energy and transportation, and are encouraged to think creatively and develop new solutions to environmental challenges.
The Ministry of Education hopes that the integration of climate education in the school curriculum will contribute to building a conscious and responsible generation that understands the importance of protecting the environment and contributing to achieving sustainable development.
This step will be a cornerstone in preparing future generations to meet the environmental and climate challenges of the future.
Empowering
Through the implementation of this initiative, students are empowered to develop a deep understanding of environmental and climate challenges and develop the necessary capabilities to move towards sustainability, and contribute to building a generation ready to make responsible decisions and work effectively to achieve a sustainable future for the planet and communities.
The Ministry seeks to adopt a life-long learning approach through climate education in the curriculum, vocational and technical education and the development of teaching skills, teaching materials and evaluation.
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Climate education empowers students to take action on conservation and environmental issues, contributing to sustainable development.

What does Dr. Goodall hope the Jane Goodall Barbie doll will encourage?

What does Dr. Goodall say about the youth climate movement?

"They're taking action. And they're saying, 'This is our future, and we're going to do something about it.'"

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

ecological literacy
drive to protect the earth

To facilitate respectful discussions on controversial environmental topics in a high school classroom, setting parameters is essential.

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How classrooms foster discussions about the Israel-Hamas war

Professors teaching politics and ethics classes have been teaching about the Israel-Hamas War in ways that encourage productive conversations. Photo by Veronica Meiss | Web Editor

Hamas’ attack against Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel’s deadly retaliation has caused world leaders to rethink how they approach the conflict, but it has also changed the environment in school settings.

Israel’s retaliation after Hamas’ attack has caused several ethical questions in classrooms about the treatment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Knowing students would have questions and want to discuss the events since Oct. 7, political science professor Mary McCarthy changed her curriculum.

“It was necessary, even though we did not have a section in the syllabus on Israel and Hamas, to begin to collect information,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy teaches world politics, an introductory Areas of Inquiry class geared towards understanding the tools foreign powers use to interact with each other. This class already covers conflicts between nations, not just between Israel and Palestine. She says the hardest part of covering these wars is being respectful of the students.

“We want to understand the issues and we want to discuss [them], but we always want to do it in a way that is sensitive and respectful of the lived experiences of our students,” McCarthy said. “This has come up probably most explicitly with this conflict, Israel and Hamas, but it is true of any conflict in the world: Russia and Ukraine, and the United States and China.”

Because of the personal aspects of the conflict, as well as moral and ethical concerns, classroom debates around the events began, with professors unsure of how to keep the discussions civil and productive.

“I think, first of all, you have to set up certain parameters for discussion, making students aware of this, even if it hasn’t been verbalized by their classmates,” McCarthy said. “You have to say, ‘Okay, be aware of this set of parameters for discussion.’”

In political science professor Debra DeLaet’s classes, students expressed a wide range of interest in the topic.

“Some students are just purely curious and until Oct. 7 maybe hadn’t paid much attention at all to politics in the Middle East,” DeLaet said. “We have students of various racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds whose lives are more directly impacted by what is happening. I think some of the students who were just curious because they want to be informed citizens didn’t initially think about the fact that this was closer to some of our students’ real lives.”

DeLaet tries to present the conflict in an unbiased way that is respectful to students.

“I really try to model respectful dialogue for the students, and I think [they] are good at it, in my experience,” DeLaet said. “I’ve been really, really pleased.”

The Israel-Hamas war was used as an example in Harkin Institute Fellow Adam Shriver’s class on ethical theory last semester, but Shriver doesn’t believe the ethical theories themselves “shed much light” on the situation.

“It seems to me that most of the claims that are actively disputed in the debate are not claims that relate to which moral theory is correct, but rather claims about what historical facts are true and relevant to the conflict, as well as claims about contemporary facts,” Shriver said.

As the bombings of the Gaza Strip continue, with over 30,000 dead according to the Gaza Health Ministry, professors will continue altering their classrooms to foster productive conversations and learning environments.

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Modeling respectful dialogue and presenting unbiased conflicts respects students' diverse backgrounds.

The Roots & Shoots program teaches holistic thinking and empowers young people to create community change.

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Content: World-famous for her research with chimpanzees, Jane Goodall now focuses on the human condition

Apr 21, 2024 | 0 comments

By Michelle Cohan

In 1960, on the banks of Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania, one young British woman would set out to change what we know about primates forever.

Jane Goodall, in 1960, searching an African forest for chimpanzees.

Jane Goodall defied conventional scientific methods by immersing herself in the jungle, which led to groundbreaking discoveries about chimpanzees; most notably that they use tools, are omnivores and that they are socially complex beings.

More than six decades later, her unorthodox field work – and her conservation efforts – are still celebrated around the world.

Today, the recently-turned 90-year-old’s work looks a little different – taking place mostly indoors, and with a different crowd. Through her program called “Roots & Shoots,” Goodall empowers young people to create change within their communities. And for her, this work is just as significant.

CNN spoke with Goodall recently during a trip to South Africa, where she observed some of the projects local Johannesburg students are heading up as part of Roots & Shoots.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

CNN: The younger generation has so much they can learn from elders. Who made an impact on your life?

Goodall: I think it’s really important, this exchange of information from the elders to the youngers. I was really lucky; I had an amazing mother. I was born loving animals, and she supported that love of animals. I was one-and-a-half years old, and she came into my room and she found I’d taken a whole handful of wriggling earthworms into my bed. Most mothers would’ve [said], ‘Oh, throw these dirty things [away].’ She just said, ‘Jane, I think they might die without the Earth, you better take them into the garden.’ And so she nurtured this inherent love I had … in all the insects, the birds, the animals, everybody around me.

Jane Goodall

CNN: Roots & Shoots is active in 70 countries, where hundreds of thousands of young people are making an impact within their communities. How did the program come about?

Goodall: When I began Roots & Shoots in Tanzania in 1991, it was because I was meeting young people then who had lost hope. Young people who felt we’d compromised their future. And the reason they’re losing hope, it’s obvious: climate change, loss of biodiversity. I could go on listing, listing, listing … but when they said there was nothing they could do about it, then I thought, ‘No, that’s not true.’

We worked out that Roots & Shoots’ main message [would be that] every individual has a role to play. And that we needed to think holistically in terms of helping the environment, people and animals, because we are all interrelated. That’s where it began.

CNN: What is the most important message to convey to the younger generation?

Goodall: The goal that I have is helping young people understand that there is a window of time [to save the planet]. Unfortunately, today I [still] meet more and more people who are losing hope. So many people feel helpless and hopeless because [they question] what can they can do as an individual.

But what people have to understand is when it’s 2 million, 1 billion, 2 billion, 3 billion, all taking small actions to make the world a better place, that is changing the world. What matters is people understanding that as an individual, what they do makes a difference. Not because it’s just them, but because they are not alone.

CNN: Does climate innovation and technology give you hope?

Goodall: Yeah, I think that if we look around at what’s happening to the planet, we need to grab onto every single thing we can that will help us to move forward out of the disaster that we have created. And if we look at solar energy, if we look at wind energy and the power of tide energy, then these things are good.

The problem has been to get government support. So governments tend to put money into the fossil fuel industry, rather than to support the new emerging technologies that will enable us to live in a more harmonious way with the natural world. If we don’t do that, our future is doomed. And unfortunately, it’s not only our future, but so many of the other animals that so many of us love. We have to take action now.

CNN: What message do you have for the world?

Goodall: A message to the world would be, don’t forget that you as an individual make an impact on the environment every single day. And it’s up to you to choose what sort of impact you make. I think once everybody understands the role that they play, whoever they are, is so desperately important, then we move towards a better world.

Editor’s note: At one of Goodall’s recent presentations in California, 93-year-old movie actor and director Clint Eastwood was in the audience. Asked why he was there, Eastwood said he supported Goodall’s work and added that he was a big fan of 90-year-olds.
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The program emphasizes that individuals can make a difference in conservation, motivating high school students.

What difference does Dr. Goodall believe every individual is capable of?

What does Dr. Goodall hope the Jane Goodall Barbie doll will encourage?

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

Incorporating the Roots & Shoots program into a high school curriculum empowers students to address global environmental challenges.

Title:

Content: Knowledge alone won’t drive action on climate change

Education should empower children to think about solutions

Rosalind Skillen

Two weeks ago I attended the Youth Environmental Education Congress in Prague. The World Environmental Education Conference has taken place every year since 2003, and this year marked its first youth equivalent.

Some 120 young people from 22 countries met to discuss how to better integrate climate change into education pathways.

We talked about what education should look like in the 21st century and presented policy recommendations to decision-makers. We also learnt from one another, discussed ongoing projects in our respective countries, and participated in workshops led by academics and policy-makers.

The theme of the conference was ‘building bridges’. The question we therefore sought to answer was how to successfully bridge the gap between environmental knowledge and environmental participation.

The science behind climate change is well researched and well documented. A significant proportion of the population already know about this science. However, what we are not seeing is this knowledge or awareness being turned into meaningful environmental action.

While our current education systems operate on the basis that ‘knowledge is power’, it is quite clear that knowledge alone is not enough. We cannot continue along this false premise that knowledge alone will drive change.

Even when people have environmental knowledge, this does not always translate to pro-environmental behaviour.

It is therefore not enough to equip people with knowledge. We need to change their behaviour. The role of our education system, then, needs to shift from one of transfer to one of transformation.

When people think about integrating environmental education in the curriculum, the following question emerges: How can we do this successfully?

Naturally, incorporating topics like sustainability and biodiversity into subjects like science and geography seems like an appropriate fit. This provides students with a rigorous understanding of the science behind climate change, and with evidence and practical examples to explain what is happening to our planet – and to the people living on it.

However, I would argue that it is not enough to simply teach children about the environment. Instead, we need to teach them how to love and care for the environment. We therefore need to see environmental education being mainstreamed and incorporated into a range of subjects, including art, music and English.

Linking climate change to multiple subject areas in interesting and innovative ways will not only improve children’s understanding of how climate change relates to society, but it will also empower children to think about climate solutions.

From writing poems on climate change to painting natural landscapes, there are multiple ways to integrate environmental education into arts and humanities subjects. By doing this, we move beyond the mere transmission of environmental knowledge. We ‘humanise’ the climate crisis.

A recent conversation with an English teacher reminded me of this. She explained how she took students to read Seamus Heaney poetry in the same bogs and peatlands detailed in his work.

This made the lessons more memorable for the students, further engaging them in the content of the poetry, but it also invited them to re-connect with the environment surrounding them. They also spoke with the local community, asking them about how the landscape had changed over time, and such community engagement is another way to make education meaningful.

The aim of environmental education is therefore not to simply flood children with reams of information on climate change. It is to foster children’s critical thinking and further connect them with the natural world – allowing them to understand that we are not apart from nature: we are a part of nature.

One way in which schools can do this is by implementing outdoor learning. Outdoor learning connects students to nature, helping them to develop a duty of care to the environment. Outdoor learning also deconstructs the very notion of ‘learning’, showing us that learning can take place in many different settings.

While some people may be unsure what to think about outdoor learning – especially in not-so-sunny Northern Ireland – growing research demonstrates how outdoor learning significantly improves and accelerates children’s learning and development. For example, children’s motor development, co-ordination and balance hugely improve when they learn outdoors.

Symptoms of children with Attention Deficit Disorder improve when they are outside, and nature also supports children’s language development, particularly for those learning a second language.

Of course, many schools in built-up, urban areas of Belfast may not have easy access to an allotment or a community garden. However, research demonstrates that students’ performance increases even when they see greenery in the classroom. Simply installing window boxes outside the classroom or decorating the room with potted plants are therefore two viable suggestions for schools lacking green space.

In many ways, thinking about the role of environmental education opens an interesting conversation about the role of our education systems more broadly. Exam-based learning has meant that education has become more about making people employable rather than making people better citizens. Beyond serving as an instrument for employability, we must also ensure that education fulfils a more purposeful role.

If education refuses to change and evolve to meet the social and environmental challenges that students face, the system is not learning itself. Environmental education therefore reminds us of the imperative to educate for change. To educate for the future.

Finally, it reminds us that education should empower us and learning should inspire us. These are truths we seem to have forgotten.

What will decrease anxiety according to Dr. Goodall?

young people working together on conservation projects

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

Environmental education and climate change should be integrated into various subjects to drive conservation action.

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

ecological literacy
drive to protect the earth

Outdoor learning and hands-on activities can foster a connection to nature, promoting conservation and environmental action.

What does Dr. Goodall hope the Jane Goodall Barbie doll will encourage?

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

ecological literacy
drive to protect the earth

The Roots & Shoots program can empower high school students to take action on conservation and environmental issues.

Title:

Content: Jane Goodall wants University of Wisconsin-Madison students to walk away with one message Sunday: Do not give up hope.

It’s a strategy the world-renowned ethologist and conservationist has found effective in spurring action, even as headlines catastrophizing climate change inundate people with a sense of doom.

“I don't agree with scientists who say the tipping point has already reached the point of no return with climate change and loss of biodiversity,” Goodall told the Cap Times. “We still have a window of time. But if we lose hope, fall into apathy and don't take action, then we're doomed.”

Goodall is best known for her groundbreaking work in the early ‘60s as a primatologist. At 26, she began studying chimpanzees in Tanzania, becoming the first to observe that the animals make and use tools. Now part of the world’s longest-running study of wild chimpanzees, her findings have forever changed scientific understanding of primates and humans’ relationship to them.

Goodall’s legacy also endures through her activism. In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute, a global conservation nonprofit. One of the organization’s programs, Roots & Shoots, educates young people in over 60 countries to work on environmental, conservation and humanitarian issues.

In 2021, Goodall additionally published “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times,” which details her hope in the world’s ability to make change despite its environmental challenges.

Goodall will speak Sunday at 7 p.m. in UW-Madison’s Memorial Union for the Wisconsin Union’s Distinguished Lecture Series. Tickets for the event sold out among students within 90 minutes, but the public can still register to watch the online livestream.

In a virtual interview with the Cap Times, Goodall spoke from the Edgewater Hotel about climate deniers, how she remains optimistic and what the audience can expect from her on Sunday.

Will you have time to explore Madison this weekend, or will you mostly be working?

It’s all working. Not mostly — all. But the hotel has a lovely view overlooking the lake with all the ice. My life turns out to be work, meeting lovely people and just having an occasional moment to walk in a bit of nature.

What can people expect to learn from you on Sunday?

I hope they take away the message that every single one of them makes a difference every single day of their lives, and they can choose what sort of difference they make. I think that’s the most important message that anybody can have — that they, as an individual, matter and have a role to play.

Your platform revolves around this message of hope. What might be the harm in catastrophizing?

It makes people lose hope. If you’re told that nothing you can do will avert the planet heating up to a point where life is no longer possible and that we’re destroying the ecosystems on which we depend, then why bother doing anything?

The important thing is to realize we still have time, but we have to take action. We have to each do our bit. It may seem small, but billions of small, ethical actions make change.

Much of your work focuses on involving young people within conservation efforts. What inspires you about the attitudes of younger generations toward animals and the environment?

They are much more aware, which isn’t surprising. When I was young, "environmentalism" wasn’t even a word.

Young people are surrounded by doom and gloom. The radio’s full of it, the internet's full of it, the television's full of it, the press is full of it, and so they're much more aware. Fortunately, there are enough people saying it's not too late, and that inspires them and galvanizes them into action.

Do you think those attitudes are much different from older generations?

They are different because older generations either didn't understand what was happening because of ignorance, or they don't want to understand because they want to carry on with business as usual. They want to go on making money in the short term at the expense of future generations.

Sometimes I don’t think they’re thinking like that. I don't think they're deliberately understanding that they're harming the future for their children and grandchildren. But they're simply not thinking in the way that we should be thinking today.

Is it still worth trying to change their minds?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! How to change the minds of the older people? Through storytelling, not through pointing fingers, not through making people angry, not by telling them they're bad, but by reaching into the heart. I’ll give you one example.

This CEO of a huge international corporation told me he was working to get his company ethical for three reasons. One, because we're using our nature's finite natural resources faster than nature can replenish them. Second, consumer pressure — people are beginning to demand ethically produced products.

But what really tipped the balance, he said, was his little girl of 8. She came back from school one day and said, “Daddy, they're telling me that what you're doing is hurting the planet. That's not true, is it, Daddy? Because it's my planet.” That reached his heart. That's the way you change people.

When did you realize this approach of storytelling could persuade people?

I think it was probably part of my nature. I'm not confrontational. I'm fighting for change, yes, but not by confronting. People must change from within. I don't believe you can change them by hammering them with facts that they don't want to listen to.

When I first went to the medical research labs where the scientists kept chimps in 5-foot by 5-foot cages, it was one of the worst experiences of my life. I came out shaken, trying not to cry. I was taken into a room with the top people from the National Institute of Health in the department of animal experimentation. I realized they were waiting for me to speak.

I said, “I imagine all of you are caring and compassionate people, and maybe feel just as I did about what's going on in there.” When you think of it, that was very clever. They couldn’t admit they weren’t caring and compassionate, could they?

Instead of telling them they were bad people, I showed them pictures of the chimpanzees in the wild, making their nests, playing, lying around. In their minds, they could contrast it with the cages where these very social beings were kept for 30 to 40 years. I know it did get into some of their hearts because they told me so. It made some labs completely change the way that they operated.

When you meet somebody, or a group of people, you may not realize that you've made a difference — but you may have planted seeds that will grow and cause change in some of the hearts.

What mistakes did you make early on in your career that emerging activists and young people can learn from?

I was saved from making mistakes in the early days. Before I went to Africa to study chimps, I was working at London Zoo. The chimps were in terrible conditions. So when I got back from my first stint in Africa, the zoo arranged a press conference. I thought now I could really tell the world how bad the chimps were treated!

I happened to be having dinner that night with a very powerful man that I met in Tanzania, and I told him about my plan with great excitement. There was dead silence. He said, “Do you realize that the head of the London Zoo is Solly Zuckerman, Winston Churchill's wartime adviser? A very, very powerful man. Do you think he's going to take it lying down when you criticize his zoo?”

He said, “Just tell me three things that are the most important to change.” I told him, and within two weeks, they were all done. There was no confrontation. That was a lesson that came just in time for me not to make that mistake.

So it’s about activists getting rid of their own personal egos.

Exactly. What people want is to have their name out there and to say, “I did it. I changed this.” It’s learning to not want to be recognized for change. The main thing is to make the change. Not “me” making the change.

This powerful man obviously didn't want me to say that the chimps were being treated badly. He immediately agreed, but didn’t want it out in the press. Give Solly Zuckerman the credit. That’s fine — as long as it changes.

This is a lesson I talk about with our youth. I tell them not to be confrontational. Your goal: Is it to glorify yourself? To be the champion? Or do you really want change?

What do people still not understand about your work and its relevance today?

Climate change deniers, people who don’t want to make a difference, probably don’t understand. What they really think is hard to tell. But are there really people who deny that climate change is happening? Probably not. When they admit it’s real, they say it’s natural and that it’s not manmade. Do they really believe that? I can’t believe they do — but that’s what they say. They don’t want to lose face, and making people lose face isn’t a good way to make change.

What makes you think they don’t really believe what they’re saying?

Well, I can't think of anybody with any ounce of intelligence could believe it. That's why.

How often do you come across those kinds of people?

Not very often. They tend to avoid me.

Kayla Huynh joined the Cap Times in 2021 and covers higher education. She graduated from Northwestern University with a master's degree in journalism after attending UW-Madison.

Support Kayla's work and local journalism by becoming a Cap Times member.

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Dr. Goodall believed what steps would slow population growth?

What will decrease anxiety according to Dr. Goodall?

young people working together on conservation projects

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

The Ministry of Education aims to achieve sustainable development through education on conservation and environmental issues.

Title:

Content: Education: Educating students and changing their correct environmental practices
Monday ، 27 June 2022 04: 54 PM
Ministry of Education and Technical Education
Books - Mahmoud Taha Hussein
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The Ministry of Education and Technical Education confirmed that in preparation for participating in the 27th session of the Conference on Climate Change COP 27 for 2022, the ministry held a meeting with the directors of general technical education to discuss the preparation of an art exhibition to be held on the sidelines of the conference, which is scheduled to be hosted in November.
Dr. Reda Hegazy, Deputy Minister for Teachers Affairs, stressed the importance of educating students and training them to participate in art education competitions, provided that the winning works participate in the conference exhibition and that the works send a message through the students of Egypt to the world within three axes: climate change, environmental sustainability and biodiversity.
He pointed out that the portfolio includes several topics, including sustainable development versus economic growth, unlimited needs versus limited resources, green economy and revolving economy, water scarcity and virtual water, water pollution, desalination, renewable energy sources versus non-renewable energy sources, clean energy sources, desertification, endangered species, environmental balance and the role of soils, and the role of protected areas in preserving biodiversity.
The Vice Minister said that the students of STEM schools will participate in the exhibition with projects on climate change that they have won in competitions globally, stressing the importance of teacher training to integrate the concepts of climate change, environmental sustainability and biodiversity into students ’ artistic work and students ’ projects in schools.
The ministry also held another meeting with training managers in a number of governorates to discuss the mechanisms of developing the training bag to build the capacity of teachers in developing students ’ awareness of climate change and their correct environmental practices to achieve sustainable development.
The Deputy Minister for Teachers Affairs stressed the importance of preparing a training package that explains in a simplified way the environmental concepts and includes instructions for teachers to develop the awareness of students and change their behaviors and practices towards preserving the environment, provided that a plan is developed, and the need to follow up the plans and performance of teachers.
Dr. Reza Hijazi pointed to the importance of teachers identifying topics in their respective disciplines that address the concepts of climate change, environmental sustainability and biodiversity, and employing them through the course materials.
This came in the presence of Dr. Mohammed Gad, Director of the Professional Academy for Teachers, Dr. Rabab, Director General of Technical Education Development, Dr. Massad Mustafa Abdo, Director General of Environmental and Population Education, and a number of managers of training departments in the governorates.
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Dr. Goodall believed what steps would slow population growth?

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

ecological literacy
drive to protect the earth