|
25.1.2012 In Search of the Green
Gold
This week pupils from all over Norway are gathering in
Trondheim to compete in making the best proposals for
renewable energy futures. This is the “National
Trailblazers’ Camp” (Text in
Norwegian).
LINK |
24.1.2012
World Neighbors, Communities, and
Sustainable Agriculture
TV: In this week's episode, Nourishing the Planet TV
discuss World Neighbors, a non-profit that works in
farming communities around the world to teach
sustainable agricultural practices, including drip
irrigation and terracing techniques. With help from
World Neighbors, these farmers are learning how to
overcome challenges, including drought and poor soil, to
feed their families, while conserving valuable natural
resources (Worldwatch).
LINK |
|
23.1.2012
Youth Deserve Gold Medals for Sustainability
Starting this past weekend, over
1,000 young athletes from 70 nations will compete in the
first ever Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck,
Austria. As we prepare to cheer the young athletes of
the Winter Youth Olympics, Nourishing the Planet would
also like to applaud the young leaders of sustainability
efforts across the globe. In this post, we honour 10
medal-worthy organizations and their youth-focused
sustainability efforts (Worldwatch)
LINK
|
|
18.1.2012 Nature the best
engineer
Film: Since life so mysteriously emerged from the
chemistry of a new planet billions of years ago, nature
has been experimenting. Humankind has profited from
copying, but only recently have our scientists begun to
develop the know-how and technology to utilise aeons of
trial and error for commercial benefit. Mercedes, for
instance, is adapting the design of the box-fish, writes
Nature Inc. about their series on BBC World
LINK |
|
17.1.2012
Going Green:
12 Simple Steps for 2012
As we head in
to the new year, many of us will be resolving to lose
those few extra pounds, save more money, or spend a few
more hours with our families and friends. But there are
also some resolutions we can make to make our lives a
little greener. Each of us can make a commitment to
reducing our environmental impacts. Today, Nourishing
the Planet provides you with 12 simple steps that you
can take to go green in 2012 (Worldwatch)
LINK |
|
17.1.2012
Rio+20
Zero Draft now available
The Rio+20 zero draft
document has now been published by the UNCSD
secretariat.
LINK (pdf) |
|
17.1.2012 Five Innovations that
are Working to Empower Women
Although women
comprise 43 percent of the agricultural labor force in
developing countries, they typically aren't able to own
land. Cultural barriers also limit women's ability to
obtain credit and insurance. According to the World Food
Programme, allowing women farmers access to more
resources could reduce the number of hungry people in
the world by 100-150 million people. Here are five
innovations that are working to empower women around the
world by improving their access to credit, education,
and land (Worldwatch)
LINK |
|
10.1.2012 Green pioneer
Film: Here you can meet Søren Hermansen, the green
pioneer from Samsø, in a video from Denmark/EU.
LINK |
|
5.1.2012
Learning for local democracy. A study of Local Citizen
Participation in Europe
– this is a comprehensive
mapping of citizens participation and local democracy in
Europe just launched by the Central and Eastern European
Citizens Network (CEE CN). 8 country cases hint at a
fascinating variety of citizens’ participation, civil
society work and new forms of democracy that has emerged
at the local level across Europe. Members of the network
and other European partners have long called for a more
systematic mapping of local participation in Europe, in
order to build intellectual and experiential resources
for network members, local activists and interested
citizens, and to provide an advocacy tool for better
communicating the need for local citizen participation.
LINK |
|
3.1.2012
Youth creates
powerful messages on climate change
Film:
When young minds travel half way around the globe and
collaborate with their peers from another country,
creativity thrives to produce powerful new ideas.
Graduates from the world’s top animation schools, French
Gobelins and Chinese Communication University, created
five extraordinary animated films to help people
understand the causes and the risks associated with the
changing climate of the planet.
LINK |
|
3.1.2012
Fairly Good
Success Story Hits a Snag
Fair trade Cities: In this Citywatch
post, food policy analyst Wayne Roberts discuss the
emergence of Fair Trade Cities, which improve city
dwellers' access to fair trade goods, without having to
visit specialty stores. Fair Trade has inspired the rise
of ethical students and ethical citizens who want their
university campuses, towns, and cities to show support
for ethical products from afar.
LINK |
|
2.1.2012 Nourishing the Planet
TV: Making a Week's Worth of Rain Last the Whole Year
In this episode, we discussed how
AquaPro's Groasis is working to improve reforestation
efforts in arid climates by utilizing nature's simplest
and most effective examples. The Groasis uses incubation
to deliver water over a time-period in tune with a
seedling's demand for water. Any precipitation from
rainfall or evening condensation is collected from the
fan-shaped roof of the device and stored in
evaporation-proof containers (Worldwatch).
LINK |
|
21.12.2011 National Strategy on
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for Ireland
The National Steering Committee on Education for
Sustainable Development has appointed ECO-UNESCO as
consultants for the development of a National Strategy
on Education for Sustainable Development. This is an
important commitment from the Irish Government on the
development of Education for Sustainable Development in
Ireland.
LINK |
|
15.12.2011 Campus Farming and
Environmental Sustainability
Environment: According to the 2011 Princeton Review, 69
percent of college applicants say that having
information about a college's commitment to
environmental issues would contribute to their decision
to apply to or attend the school. This is up from 64
percent in 2008 and reflects a growing trend in higher
education across North America. As awareness of the
importance of protecting our planet's resources grows,
many colleges and universities are seeking to establish
or promote their school's environmentally-friendly
programs (Worldwatch).
LINK |
|
15.12.2011 Welcome to CO2nnect!
Web/tool: The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) states in its reports that the
planet earth is getting warmer because of human
activity. Pupils need wide competencies to meet the
challenges of sustainable development - including
climate change. The CO2nnect activities are designed to
support learning that can provide pupils with abilities,
skills, attitudes and awareness as well as knowledge and
understanding of the issues, writes co2nnect.org.
LINK |
|
13.12.2011 New EU program for
education, training, youth and sport
The European Commission has just published its proposal
for the Life Long Learning (LLP) program for the period
2014-2020.
LINK |
|
12.12.2011 Nordic
countries keen on involving youth in climate change
issues
The Nordic Council: The Swedish Environment Minister
does teleconference from COP17 with students back home.
The Norwegian government sets up an exhibition in Durban
to engage children in climate issues. And the Nordic
Council of Ministers sponsors teaching materials in six
languages to empower youth to take a stand in the
climate debate. The Nordic countries reach out to the
younger generations to solve tomorrow’s challenges.
LINK |
|
30.11.2011 Regional Centres of
Expertise (RCE)
New web: An RCE is a network of existing formal,
non-formal and informal education organisations,
mobilised to deliver education for sustainable
development (ESD) to local and regional communities. A
network of RCEs worldwide will constitute the Global
Learning Space for Sustainable Development. RCEs aspire
to achieve the goals of the UN Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005-2014), by
translating its global objectives into the context of
the local communities in which they operate.
LINK |
|
23.11.2011 6th Global RCE
Conference
Effecting learning for sustainable development,
entrepreneurship and world citizenship. Netherlands –
November 20th-25th
LINK |
|
23.11.2011 Simple technology for
lighting!
Film: Here is a fascinating
film clip from YouTube,
and here is
another. Simple
solutions are often best, even more so when
sophisticated ones are not attainable. |
|
23.11.2011
The Climate Caravan is coming
Youth on the move: 160 young people in Norway and
Africa, of whom nearly half are from the organizations
KFUK-KFUM have started mobilizing for a new, equitable
and binding climate agreement. Theyt recently
participated in a big concert in Nairobi and then headed
south through six African countries on their way to the
climate summit in Durban.
LINK
(Norwegian) |
|
22/11-2011
Youth Xchange Climate Change and
Lifestyles Guidebook
The UNESCO/UNEP
YouthXchange guidebook on climate change and lifestyles
is the first in a series of thematic guidebooks
supporting the YouthXchange Initiative. The thematic
guidebooks take into account challenges, opportunities,
good practices and case studies on global challenges
LINK |
|
1/11-2011
Messages From One Rice Farmer to Another
In this episode we discussed the Africa Rice Center's
knowledge sharing "Farmer to Farmer" videos, a video
series that seeks to educate and instruct rice farmers
on new production and storage techniques being developed
by smallholder rice farmers around the world
(Worldwatch).
LINK |
|
31.10.2011
”The Green Generation” goes on tour in Norway
Environment Minister Erik Solheim is sending six young
eco-ambassadors on a tour of schools in Norway, armed
with a talk entitled “The Green Generation”. During the
autumn they will visit 120 secondary and high schools,
in all counties(Text in Norwegian)
LINK |
|
5/10-2011
Climate Change
in the Classroom – a role playing game
Education:
At the UN climate
summit in South Africa in December 2011, the world's
leaders will meet to find a solution for the challenges
to our climate. The Nordic Council of Ministers is
funding the project “Climate Change in the Classroom”,
where Nordic
school children
will role play as delegates at the climate conference in
Durban 2011.
LINK |
|
5/10-2011
Open Source Software for
Agriculture and Nutrition
Innovation:
This week we looked at how open
source software, or software that is available for free
to the public, is helping organizations reach small
farmers and rural communities. Organizations can use
this software not only to get in touch with people in
places without Internet access but also to take surveys,
hold competitions, coordinate with other staff members,
and run campaigns (Worldwatch).
LINK |
|
28/9-2011
Student
competition for a new Energy Plant in Bergen
A competition has
been announced for students at the three Norwegian
schools of architecture for design of an attractive and
efficient energy producing plant using heat pumps,
renewable energy etc., at the former industrial site of
Hegrenes in Bergen. The sponsors are Bergen City of the
Future, Hordaland County and the Coastal Forests
Association (Text in
Norwegian).
LINK |
|
28/9-2011
Education: Building a Sustainable
School and Teaching the World's Future
Dan Schitzer,
the Director of Sustainability and Operations at the
Academy for Global Leadership (AGC), discussed how this
Chicago Public Charter School is engaging the local
community and empowering its students. In addition to
regular classes, students at AGC receive environmental
education, wellness instruction, and lessons in organic
gardening, which allows them to interact with their
environment and learn about the entire process of
growing food (Worldwatch).
LINK |
|
22/9-2011
Natural and enjoyable learning
The
”O-Fagspatruljen” (O-class patrol) is an internet site
for all who remember how Orientation, usually called
O-class, was the coolest subject at school. And for
those too young to have experienced it, since it is no
longer on the curriculum, but who can see they would
have enjoyed it. The class was about nature studies and
social topics including history and geography
The site presents the subject in a
simple and joyful way.
LINK
(Text in Norwegian) |
|
19/9-2011
30 Project Dinner
kicks-off in San Francisco
Eat and talk (Video):
Ellen Gustafson and her colleagues brought together food
advocates from a variety of organizations, including
California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA), CoFed, and the
Jamie Oliver Foundation, to eat and talk about the best
ways to change the global food system. This is the first
of 30 dinners that Gustafson will host in 30 states,
where she plans to bring policy makers and other
important stakeholders to the table to discuss the
future of domestic food policies (Worldwatch)
LINK |
|
15/9-2011
Ways to Cook Up
a Sustainable Diet
Learning: Last
year, Vicki Robin lived for a month eating only food
from within a 10-mile radius. She’s back with tips for a
planet-friendly diet (yesmagazine.org).
LINK |
|
19/8-2011
Creating a sustainable world: An
interview with Barton Seaver
Interview: In
this interview, National Geographic fellow and chef,
Barton Seaver, discusses the role that a chef can play
in creating a sustainable food system. He believes that
chefs can act as advocates and educators and can be an
important part of changing people's food habits and food
choices (Worldwatch)
LINK |
|
17/8-2011
Nourishing the Planet TV: Feeding
Cities
In this week's
Nourishing the Planet TV episode, we discuss the
importance of urban agriculture in the fight to reduce
global food insecurity. Urban farmers, around the world,
are turning backyards, schoolyards, and even sacks of
dirt, into gardens to feed their families, the cities,
and beyond (Worldwatch)
LINK |
|
17/8-2011
Adult Education
Special Rio+20 Newsletter
The
International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) has
produced a special edition of its newsletter "voices
rising" on Rio+20. The issue includes interviews with
ICAE's Secretary General, Celita Eccher, as well as
Monica Simons, of the Center for Environmental Education
of Guarulhos (CEAG), Brazil (earthsummit2012.org)
LINK |
|
11/8-2011
Sustainable clothing
Education: The design school in Kolding, Denmark,
has engaged three designers to make sustainable clothes
based on knowledge produced by the schools own research.
The key words are sustainable production and consumption
(Forskning.no)
LINK (text in Nordic
languages) |
|
11/8-2011 Share and
create!
Sustain.no is an educational tool for
sustainable development. The site includes activities
complete with guidelines for how the pupils can
investigate, discuss and communicate their results. When
the results are submitted to the network, they are made
available for others to view.
LINK |
|
10/8-2011
School food
gardens support food security and education in the Cape
Flats
Education: In South Africa, the
School's Environmental Education and Development (SEED)
organization has established an Organic Classroom
Programme to improve food security in the Cape Flats
region. Through the use of permaculture - a holistic
agriculture system that mimics relationships found in
nature, SEED's program is engaging students in
environmental sustainability and better food production
(Worldwatch).
LINK |
|
10/8-2011
International
Society for Ecological Economics Call for Papers
Science: President-elect of the
International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE),
Dr. Bina Agarwal, has issued a call for papers to be
presented at the12th Biennial Conference of ISEE in
2012. ISEE is a nonprofit organization "dedicated to
advancing understanding of the relationships between the
economy, ecology and society, for the mutual well-being
of people and nature." The themes of the conferences,
based on the Rio+20 summit, will be greening the
economy, the political economy of green development,
environmental justice and methodological challenges
(Worldwatch).
LINK |
|
4/8-2011
Sustainable consumption policies
Workshop: The second of three
workshops on sustainable mobility held in Szentendre
(Hungary) will give participants the opportunity to
network with researchers and policy-makers from all over
Europe, including the EU Commission. The workshop takes
place from 6-7 October 2011 and is run by CORPUS, a
project that aims to translate scientific evidence and
research into effective environmental policy-making. The
workshop will also focus on practical assistance for
drafting sustainable consumption policies (CORPUS).
LINK |
|
4/8-2011 Food
Systems: An Academic Discipline at UVM
Education: Obesity, global hunger,
climate change, food-borne illness, pollution, and
environmental degradation are all symptoms of a broken
food system. University of Vermont (UVM) Dean of
Continuing Education Dr. Cynthia Belliveau believes the
solutions to these problems start with transdisciplinary
education that emphasizes regionally-scaled food systems
(Worldwatch). LINK |
|
4/8-2011
Nourishing the Planet TV: Agriculture Education in
School
TV: In this episode, we highlight
some of the many organizations that are working to help
young students develop a respect-and an excitement-about
farming, preparing them with the skills they will need
to feed their families while protecting the environment
(Worldwatch).
LINK |
|
28/6-2011 A world
worth living in
Conference: 700
delegates from all over the world joined the 8th World
Assembly arranged by the International Council for Adult
Learning (ICAE).
One of four main themes addressed the importance of
education for sustainable development. The city of Malmö
hosted the conference. The welcoming by Mayor Ilmar
Reepalu and other presentations of the sustainable city
development was one of many concrete and inspiring
examples for learning, bringing hope for the future.
LINK |
|
27/6-2011 Looking to Women to Chart a
New Course for Environmental Conservation
Project: New Course, a Seattle-based organization, is
working with the Tanzanian Forest Conservation Group, to
provide farmers with the right resources to integrate
their farming practices with reforestation efforts. This
is helping farmers improve their harvest, as well as
repair the damage in the surrounding forests
LINK |
|
8/6-2011 Tomorrow today
Book: A book by Irina Bokova, UNESCO’s Director-General
and a round table featuring award-winning students on 4
November 2010 followed UNESCO’s presentation of a
mid-decade review of the Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development (DESD) at the sixty-fifth
session of the UN General Assembly.
LINK (PDF). More tools
here
LINK |
|
8/6-2011 Educating Entrepreneurs the
Smart Way
Training: Incorporating design/creative, innovative and
sustainable thinking across all curricula – from primary
to tertiary - will have a far-reaching impact on
developing sustainable lifestyles and environments, that
will set the stage for a growing economy, more
entrepreneurs and the development of intellectual
property (CSCP)
LINK |
|
8/6-2011 Sow your own
bread
Project: In Uppsala, Sweden, you can sow your own
field of rye - and follow up all the way to the bread
baked during the autumn
LINK (site in Swedish) |
|
8/6-2011 Eco-ambassadors
to inspire young people
Project: Norway's minister of
Environment and Development, Erik Solheim, introduced
the six young eco-ambassadors who have been appointed to
spread environmental awareness and inspire
schoolchildren. In the autumn they will be
undertaking a nationwide lecture tour to primary and
secondary schools
LINK (Norwegian text) |
|
3/6-2011 FUTUREPERFECT –
Festival for new sustainable living
Festival: FUTUREPERFECT Festival is the Scandinavian
festival for new sustainable living. They introduce
themselves like this: A new way of animating issues of
sustainability with world-class contributors. For a new
generation of networked young people, and creative
professionals. In a new event offering amazing fun,
music from the best artists, and deep personal
inspiration.
LINK |
|
1/6-2011 What is your Idea to Help
Make Sustainable Consumption and Lifestyles Happen?
Discussion: A family trip by bike instead of by car,
turning old furniture into new designs instead of it
ending up collected for disposal or preparing dinner
using vegetables of seasoned with a group of friends
instead of putting convenience food into a microwave...
Sustainable consumption and future lifestyles can lead
to a better life that also reduces negative
environmental impacts (CSCP)
LINK |
|
1/6-2011 SPREADing Sustainable
Lifestyles – Now and in the Future
Project: Think of the year 2050. How will our
sustainable lives look forty years from now? How will we
be living, consuming, moving, communicating, and caring
for our young and elderly? How will we be maintaining or
improving the quality of life of our ageing European
society while at the same time reducing our levels of
energy, transport and resource consumption? CSCP asks.
LINK |
|
10/5-2011 Outdoor schools in
northern Europe
This site (Danish text) is
building up a register of persons and institutions
working with outdoor schools and open air education in
Scandinavia, Russia and the Baltic countries.
LINK |
|
10/5-2011 Global
Action Week
“Global Action Week” is an
annual event organised by the Global Campaign for
Education. The focus of the event this year is to
raise awareness about the situation of millions of women
and children in developing countries.
LINK |
|
10/5-2011 Awarded for educating
citizens on climate change
News: 17 local authorities have been awarded as 12 Star
Cities for their activities during European Local
Democracy Week (ELDW) 2010. The week focused on the role
local authorities and citizens can play in addressing
challenges posed by climate change
LINK |
|
29/4-2011
Children’s views on sustainable development
Project: The World Organization for Early Childhood
Education (OMEP) has launched a project to promote
understanding of sustainable development among children
and teachers. Last time we checked, some 10 000 had been
interviewed.
LINK |
|
29/4-2011 Greening
shops
New website: Green Retailers, which
is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers and run by
the Danish EPA, provides environmental guidance for
retailers. As the link between producers and consumers,
they have a vital role in promoting sustainable
production and consumption.
LINK |
|
29/4-2011
Schoolchildren put worms on the map
Science: A science
campaign in schools has produced hundreds of new
official finds of worm species in various regions of
Norway. Many of the finds surprised zoologists
(Norwegian text).
LINK |
|
29/4-2011 Youth
learn about past and present
Project: The Norwegian NGO ”Nature
and Youth” together with Oppland County Council and
their Youth Council have received a grant of NOK 428 182
(€ 55.000) from the EU ”Youth in Action” programme for
their project ”Climate Park 2469”.
LINK |
|
29/4-2011 Learning
to create vibrant communities
Article: Gustavo Esteva became a wonderboy in spite of
his own values. Then he turned right around and started
a university for poor Mexicans. Unitierra gives people
the knowledge and self-confidence they need to enrich
local communities. Norwegian article on Flux website -
with link to article in English at yesmagazine.org.
LINK |
|
23/3-2011 What is
democratic Education?
Article: What is
Democratic Education? And what must education be to
become democratic? Let us listen to some voices from the
USA, in yes!
LINK |
23/3-2011
The PERL
conference
Conference: Deputy minister Kirsti Bergstø opened the
international consumption conference PERL in Istanbul,
under the heading "Enabling Responsible Living".
LINK |
23/3-2011
Regional
Center of Expertise
News: RCE
Denmark is an open network of researchers,
administrators, NGO’s, educators and others whose goal
is to develop and implement Education for Sustainable
Development in Denmark, as a key activity within the UN
Decade for Education for Sustainable Development
(2005-14). RCE stands for Regional Center of Expertise;
the network is now formally recognized by the United
Nations University.
All
organizations and institutions involved in the Decade
are welcome to apply for membership as partners. The
intention is that the network should grow and create
cooperation across all sectors of education and public
outreach in Denmark.
LINK |
 16/3-2011
News every other week
News: Every other week you will get news here on
thebalancingact.info. We will give you news about ESD10,
and also about the nordic campaign The Balancing act. |
14/3 -2011
Thebalancingact.info
- ESD10 news from around the world
News: We
are starting this news section again. |
2009-10-12 (MANUAL)
Education for Sustainability
manual
This manual explores how the five dimensions of
sustainable development; environmental, educational,
social, economical and political, are connected in order
to address, provoke and promote sustainable living.
LINK |
2009-10-12 (WEBSITE)
Teacherscop15.dk, an
international teachers’ website.
The Danish Ministry of Education
has launched
Teacherscop15.dk.
Teacherscop15.dk is the teachers' website on climate
issues. The website is part of the Ministry's project
Teaching Climate Issues
2009.
LINK |
|
11 December
2009
(Conference)
On the agenda during
COP15:
Can
Education Change the Climate?
International conference at the
Danish School of Education, Aarhus University The Danish
School of Education and Aarhus University’s Climate
Secretariat are hosting a conference on the role of
education in addressing the climate crisis. The
conference will be held at the Danish School of
Education on 11 December 2009, during the COP15 climate
summit.LINK
|
|
1 December
2009
(REPORT)
Review of
Contexts and Structures
UNESCO has just published a review of Contexts
and Structures for Education for Sustainable
Development 2009.
By Arjen Wals
The UNESCO Global Report on ESD
-2009 |
1
October
2009
(Conference)
EU as Global Actor - Lund
Calling 2009,
an
international event in association with the Swedish
Presidency of the European Union, will be a unique arena
for policy makers, experts and practitioners in
education and training, wants to bring the imperative
implementation of Education for sustainable development
into both the European context of lifelong learning and
the European expression of key competencies.The
conference address these critical questions in an
interactive, holistic, cross-sectored and hands-on way.
With the local and regional perspectives as point of
departure and “The
Gothenburg Recommendations on ESD”
as a guiding star.
LINK |
2009-31/3-2/4 (Conference)
"Moving
into the Second Half of the UN Decade”
Five
years into the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development, for which UNESCO is the lead agency, the
conference aimed to highlight the relevance of ESD to
all of education; promote international exchange on ESD,
especially between countries of the North and the South;
carry out a stock-taking of the implementation of the UN
Decade, and develop strategies for the way ahead.
Bonn, Germany.
LINK
|
2005-01-18 (EVENTS)
"We must learn, if earth shall
sustain"
The opening of the Danish
programme for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development March 10-11, Copenhagen, Denmark
LINK(from EAEA) |
|
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