International Day of Education
2024

Graduate Women International (GWI)
Discussion Network Publication© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

2024 International Day of EducationGWI Discussion Network Topic: Green Education
To mark International Day of Education, celebrated annually on 24 January, GWI
held an open member’s Discussions Network dialogue within its global
community of graduate women during 22 December 2023 to 19 January 2024.
The initiative fostered exchange of ideas and insights among GWI members
about green education, an approach to education that focuses on teaching andlearning practices that aim to develop environmental awareness, sustainability
standards, and ecological literacy.
Below, you will find a compilation of the valuable contributions posted by GWIBoard of Officers, members, and interns. The collective wisdom and passionate
youth visions underscore the importance of education in empowering women
worldwide while aiming for sustainable societies and education.
The discussion aimed to provide more information about about the integration ofsustainable practices, teachings, or any related initiatives within educational
systems in GWI national federation and association countries and cultures.
Given how crucial this is for the future, the question was posed:
What further proactive, action-based solutions do you envision in tacklinginterconnected global challenges including climate change in education?
Considering the disproportionate negative impact of the climate crisis on women,
especially in the context of agriculture as the primary employment sector for womenin low and middle-income countries, they already face increased vulnerabilities andburdens:
How can educational programs actively ensure that green education efforts.
contribute to supporting and empowering women rather than placing additionalburdens on them?
Are these adverse effects already observable in your country? Alternatively, isthere evidence of positive effects?

© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

1

Patrice Wellesley-Cole
GWI, President

In England the Government has set a target for all education settings to have asustainability lead and climate action plan in place by 2025.
The seven areas outlined in the National Climate change action plan include,
Disaster risk management, Food and Nutrition security, Water, the blue economy
and Forestry, Wildlife and Tourism, Health Sanitation and Human Settlements
and Manufacturing, Energy and Transport.

This year, 2024, schools
and colleges will be able toaccess a new support
service to help developthese plans.

The National curriculum requires
students to learn about the potential
effects of human generated greenhousegases and the Earth’s climate.

The Government has set an ambitious target. By 2050 the Climate
Change Act commits the government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by at least 100% of 1990 levels (i.e . net zero by 2050)

Shirley Randell (Australia)
opined that Green learning
is an alternative paradigm
to address low carbon
footprints. They have Greenschools and green -starratings in Australia.
see page 19-20

RachelMarsh(Scotland)
highlighted the vulnerability ofclimate refugees and green
education in the online education
syllabus. How would a quality,
affordable green education berolled out in remote areas andhow would that be accessible?
Tech is not always green friendly.
This is one of the challenges of
Sustainable Development Goal
(SDG) 4 - quality, inclusive
education.
see page 13-14© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

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Shirley Gillett
GWI, VP Education
New Zealand's natural and social environment is unique and as New
Zealanders, we value our environment for recreational, aesthetic, economic,
cultural, and spiritual reasons.

A key factor in achieving this environmental vision is education. A major outcome of
the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro was to advocate for environmental
education to be available to people of all ages. Education, training, and publicawareness were identified as key factors in responding to global concern about thestate of the environment.
Environmental education is a lifelong process. The focus is on planning andimplementing environmental education programmes as part of the New ZealandCurriculum in primary and secondary schools. The New Zealand Curriculum details
the essential learning areas, skills, and attitudes and values that will enable students
to develop the qualities needed to successfully create, contribute to, and participate
in a sustainable future. Together with consistent policies and practices, theframework provides a means of meeting the aims of environmental education.

Aim 1:
awareness andsensitivity to theenvironment andrelated issues

Aim 2:
knowledge andunderstanding of
the environment
and the impact ofpeople on it

The Government's educational goals
requireprogrammes
thatenablestudents to respect for the diverse ethnic
and cultural heritage of New Zealandpeople, with acknowledgment of thespecial place of Māori and of New
Zealand's role in the Pacific and as amember of the international communityof nations.The aims of Environmental
education are for students to develop:

Aim 3: attitudes andvalues that reflect feelingsof concern for theenvironment

Aim 5: a sense of
responsibility throughparticipation andaction as individuals,
or members ofgroups, whānau, oriwi, in addressing
environmental issues.

Aim 4: skills involved in
identifying, investigating,and problem solving
associated withenvironmental issues© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

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Shaila Rao Mistry
GWI, VP Advocacy
I recently witnessed the launch of the space
shuttle at the Kennedy Space Center, Orlando,
Florida. I also viewed in awe the Atlantis
Spaceship, 1985-2011 which made 33 manned
missions into space. It was inspiring to see thewomen astronauts who pioneered in the space
program. I am proud also to state that my
Aerospace company innovates for aerospaceand our innovations have been part of the
program.

Our recently launched
GWI Advocacy Influencers
GlobalandAdvocacy
Without Borders AIG-AWB
aims to address these andother critical issues. Pleasewatch for details on how tojoin AIG.

This is the context of the early pioneering of green education and opportunity for
women. In the US Green education refers to an educational approach focusing on
environmental sustainability, conservation, and addressing climate change. The
aim is to equip students with knowledge, skills, and values necessary to addressenvironmental challenges. Green education contributes to facilitating better education
for women and girls as follows.

Green education provides women andgirls with the knowledge and tools toactively participate in sustainability efforts,
particularly in science and artificial
intelligence.
By
understanding
environmental issues and solutions andcontributing to leadership and decisionmaking roles in addressing climatechange.

Green education opens up diverse
career opportunities in fields such as
renewableenergy,environmental
science, conservation, and sustainable
development. By recognizing the genderbias and barriers, we can provide womenand girls opportunity to education andcareers in these fields and contribute a
more sustainable future.

Green education addresses embedded
gender bias and inequalities by promoting
equal access to education, resources, andopportunities and challenge genderstereotypes bias in artificial intelligence,
exposing male dominated coding- 93 %coding by males.

Green
educationemphasizes
theintersectionality of economics, education,and environment to health both physicalandmentalwell-being.
Promotingsustainable practices, improves access toclean air, water, and food, benefiting womenand girls.

© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

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“Ultimately, green education is crucial for building a sustainable and resilient
future for all. Climate change affects every aspect of our lives, including foodsecurity, water availability, health, and economic stability. By integrating green
education into the curriculum, educational institutions and in theworkplace, can equip students with the knowledge and skills needed tounderstand and address climate change with ownership and responsibility.
As GWI leadership and members we can encourage green education at all
schools and education institutions, universities and workplaces in theprivate and government sector. Our role is to influence the decision makers.
Let us encourage sustainable practices to promote development of innovative
solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change.”-Shaila Rao Mistry

Meera Bondre
GWI, VP Membership
The United Nations, for the last fifty years, has been consistently bringing to thenotice of the world, the dire need of making development projects and practices
more and more sustainable. The 1972 Conference on Human Environment was
the first world event to do so, followed by another important Conference
popularly called the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 (the UNCED). This Conference
brought out the first action plan in the form of Agenda 21, for different
stakeholders, to systematically think globally and act locally. And then, 10 years
later in the Johannesburg Conference of Rio+10 the crucial importance of
Education for Sustainable Development was given its due place. Today, what wecall Green Education, in essence, is Education for Sustainable Development
made more elaborative.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India launched theEnvironment Education, Awareness and Training Scheme in 1983-84. In 2003, as
per the orders of the Supreme Court of India, the subject of Environmental
Studies was introduced as a compulsory subject not only in schools, but also at
the college level in all streams. Today there are many schools which can becalled green Schools in India.

But here I take this opportunity to share with our Discussion group members
what I have been doing for the past so many years in the area of Green Education.
© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

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Meera’s own NGO Arbutus, has been actively
working in Green Education since 1976. It is myconviction that the greening of education should
not just be an add-on but should always be an
integral part of the educational process. Equallyimportantly it should not be one way traffic - theteachers teaching and the children listing- butshould be a process of learning and exploring
together.

The main thrust of the NGO
Arbutus is on Education, Culture,
Research, Training and NetworkingforSustainable
Development.
Registered as a non-profit publiccharitable trust, Arbutus is listed on
page 8 in the Directory of NGOs in
Environment, published by theGovernment of India in 1984.

Additionally, it should be an enjoyable
process with a stress on hands-on learning .
Then alone Green Education will be a part ofthe personality of the students when they
grow
up
into
sociallyaware
andenvironmentally responsible citizens of theworld. Incidentally, for us in India the sacred
Mantra Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam meaning thewhole Earth is my home- my family, and it is
my duty to take care of it.

Arbutus works with school children, graduate and post-graduate students,
parents, teachers, lecturers, teacher-trainers, management trainees, budding
corporators, traders, shopkeepers, hoteliers etc.
In order to supplement and complement formal education, it organizes special
orientation and participatory programmes like group discussions, workshops,
actual hands-on-projects, essay, elocution and drawing competitions, visits toenvironment sensitive areas in and around Pune. Round-Tables are organisedfrom time to time, which offer a forum for exchange of ideas and collective
action, and handbills are produced to disseminate correct scientific informationin simple language. Production of educational support material in the form of
booklets, work-books, worksheets, plays and games is yet another activity
Arbutus is engaged in. I myself have designed several games and creative
activities to explain difficult ecological concepts.

Really, as a result of all these efforts, if ‘Education’ and ‘Green Education’ stop
being two independent words, but become completely synonymous with eachother in the near future, Arbutus will consider its contribution successful in its
own way.
- Meera Bondre© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

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Sudha Srivastava
GWI, Treasurer &Young Member Network, President
Creating an environment from an early age where we are able to connect to natureis essential for self-enforcement in protecting and valuing nature. Education is
the key!

Climate change is the heartof education in the UK.
There are multiple policies
and projects running acrossthe country and efforts bytheDepartment
for
Education (DfE) to integrate
climate education at alllevels–pre-school,
primary, secondary, sixth
form,
colleges
anduniversities. Multiple ways
toencourage
learning
through competitions andcelebrations for example
National Education Nature
Park and Climate LeadersAward.

From 2022, to assess the impact of action, thegovernment introduced an annual climate literacy
survey to benchmark progress in improving theclimate knowledge of school leavers.
Children should be exposed to sustainable foodchoices, recycling, adaptation projects or weather
and energy monitoring. One of the successfulprogrammes to explore opportunities to increase
access to outdoor learning is DfE’s – Holiday
Activities and Food (HAF) programme. Children
participate in activities that improve theirknowledge and awareness of affordable, healthyeating and sustainable practice – for example,
through taking part in activities such as foodpreparation, cooking, discussing food and foodsources, growing their own fruit and vegetables.

As SDGs Ambassador, I have been directly working with local schools,
conducting workshops and helping schools to move towards green education forsustainable development. Many of them are certified Eco Schools.

Green Skills for Green Careers/Jobs:
A real progress is in reducing carbon footprint and most importantly incorporating
green skills into education provision to assist students to enter jobs that improve theenvironment. Green education prepares for the future jobs that do not exist. Green jobs
increased by 8% from 2021- 2022 compared to total UK employment which increased by
0.5%. Sustainability is not a department rather it is a fundamentally a cultural change.

© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

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There are various ways to engage ingreen learning:

In one my schools, we have Eco Warriors withspecific duties: communicating eco messages
to the school, litter picking, monitoring waterand energy usage, promoting reusing andrecycling across school, encouraging others towalk to school, promoting local shopping andgrowing our own food.

Picture books: engaging children in
discussions about issues such as climatechange, ocean pollution, poverty andgender equality through stories told inbeautiful picture books.
There are weekly gardening and eco
clubs
Another initiative is Junior Journalists –producing climate editions ‘by students forstudents’.

Green Education and Gender Equality:
In the race to net zero, green jobs struggle with thegender gap! That lack of female talent could evenhold back our progress to net zero. It has long beenrecognised that diversity of perspective is essential
for innovation, which the energy transition willcertainly need. Women have a different approach –it’s not better or worse than men! The way thatwomen are socialised, we are taught toaccommodate, to facilitate in a more equal way, tohave a lot more dialogue… therefore, we havedifferent solutions. Creating a green talent pipeline:
Many companies now have gender-based targets inplace but may struggle to attract qualified
applicants. That has roots that begin long before theworkplace. Women are underrepresented in many
university courses related to engineering andscience, while trade apprentices are overwhelmingly
male. Fewer women enroll in environment andenergy related courses! STEM Women estimates theUK will not see equal gender representation in STEM
careers until 2070.

One of the powerful
mediums is books fromearly years education. I havebeen working on thisproject for a few years.

Addressing climate and environmental change and delivering girls’ education are
essential to poverty reduction and building prosperous, resilient economies andpeaceful, stable societies. Too often these issues are viewed in isolation, when in fact
they are inextricably linked. Young women play a crucial role in achieving gendersensitive education for sustainable development.
- Sudha Srivastava© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

8

Patricia Mathabe
Lecturer
I’m grateful to Dr. Patricia Mathabe, Senior Lecturer at the Royal Agriculturecollege and former Fulbright scholar, referred to me by Professor Carrie de Silva,
former BFWG Vice - President and Trustee of BFWG Scholarships for her
documented responses below to this Discussion Network.
- Patrice Wellesley-Cole , GWI President

What further proactive, action-based solutions do you envision in tacklinginterconnected global challenges including climate change in education?
Institutions of learning need to integrate climate education which is aligned totheir surroundings, environment. It should be backed by action. This should
happen from elementary school all the way to university.
There should be an increase in hands on climate education projects for learners.
This should form part of the curriculum.
Educators should also be trained.
Governments need to increase funding to invest in green infrastructure.
Communities need to educated on issues of climate change. Women specifictraining need to be designed and offered by local and national governments.

How can educational programs actively ensure that green education efforts
contribute to supporting and empowering women rather than placing additionalburdens on them?
It is clear that without women, there would be no future generations. The direct link
between sustainability and womanhood holds more impact that it does with men.
Education programs need to include:
Family planning and birth control in both rural areas and urban cities. This isnecessary because they will be able to control and limit the number of children
they can have. This will have the potential to slow down the population rate andlessens the pressure on ecosystems and overuse of natural resources.
Sexual and women rights education need to be heightened. Women need to havecontrol of their bodies and have a voice to speak out against cultural practices
where men control the size of the family.
Women should be encouraged to study Agriculture.
More women need to be encouraged to follow careers in Agriculture.
© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

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Are these adverse effects already observable in your country? Alternatively, isthere evidence of positive effects?
The effects in the UK are not dire. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth andDevelopment Office published a new policy paper, with the aim of bringing therelationship between girls’ education and climate and environmental change. We
are increasingly seeing incorporation of Climate change and its effect in the
curricula at universities, colleges and schools. For years, the UK has recognizedthat Girls’ education is a human right and a game changer for driving the
reduction of poverty, build resilient economies and stable and healthy societies.

Alison Hobbs
Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW)
There are 328 dedicated sustainability and climate-focused programsof study at 51 universities in Canada. There are a total of 70 Climate
Research Centres and Institutes in Canada. Finally, 76% of Universities
Canada members have dedicated sustainability strategies.
- Pat Reavy, CFUW

What proactive, action-based solutions do you envision in tacklinginterconnected global challenges including climate change in education?
In future elections, informed young people are more likely to vote forrepresentatives who take climate change seriously. Education at all levels is
crucial to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Teachers needprofessional training and better resources — up-to-date information on
climate science, national/provincial curricula, and a better grasp of theeconomics and politics of climate change. Educators need to engage theirstudents in specific environmental action, so they feel less helpless orhopeless; action can give them a sense of empowerment. Adults of all ages
also need further education and encouragement to involve themselves inlocal action.

© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

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Most teachers show support for climate change education that focuseson behavioural change. However, only 32% -55% of teachers feel they
have the relevant knowledge and skills to do this. According to the
feedback, the top barriers for integrating climate change education intoclassrooms are a lack of time during class, a lack of classroom resources
and a lack of professional knowledge.
- Universities Canada Survey of Members on Climate Strategies, 2023

How can educational programs actively ensure that green education efforts
contribute to supporting and empowering women rather than placing additionalburdens on them?
Nagging and fear-mongering are counterproductive — people then feeloverwhelmed and will give up trying rather than comply. It is important to take asolutions-oriented approach, giving recommendations for specific actions.
Hands-on demonstrations and information about access to eco-friendly
products / resources / tools are the best ways forward. Men and boys must also
be engaged and kept informed. Young boys need male role models as well as
motherly educators!

Climate change education is uneven from province to province, mostly foundin Grade 11 and 12 elective courses. Some provinces include climate change inmandatory science or social studies courses, but it is not well integrated invarious subjects or in the different grades. The focus tends to be onunderstanding the science, rather than on climate solutions or on taking
climate actions.
- Pat Reavy, CFUWAre these adverse effects already observable in your country?
Alternatively, is there evidence of positive effects?
If not taught carefully, lessons about climate change can instill
confusion and “eco-anxiety” in children. Young people are often
traumatized by talk of global warming, and their parents andteachers have to deal with this. Individual action is key (e.g. byplanting “tiny forests,” vegetable- or pollinator-gardens on
school premises). In Canada, the For Our Kids organization
deliberately involves children in their actions and Fridays For
Future groups in Canadian universities participate in rallies,
which gives them a sense of purpose, resilience and solidarity.

© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

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Opinions about the value of green
education differ across Canada. According
to a recent survey Quebec (69%) andBritish Columbia (66%) have the highest
percentage of people who see this as a highpriority, while in Saskatchewan only about
one-third of respondents agree that it is ahigh priority.
- EdCan Network

In every province, morethan two thirds (2/3) of
Canadian educators
are women.

Rachel Marsh
Graduate Women Scotland

What further proactive, action-based
solutions do you envision in tacklinginterconnected global challenges including
climate change in education?
With more people (including women)
migrating due to climate change, but visa
restrictions tightening around the world(including the UK), more people will use
international study as a vehicle for
migration. While this is in no way an issue
in itself, there are entities which abuse thedesperate by enticing people into humanslavery in return for a student visa. As to
not waste word count in this survey, here’sa Guardian article on the topic. Yet, more
substantial information can be foundelsewhere. I worry that as climate refuges
increase, this issue will only become
exacerbated.

Indian students were [...] found living in squalid conditions with up to 12
people to a three-bed flat, and were working “up to 80 hours a week,sometimes double-shifting”, for “way below” minimum wage. - The Guardian© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

12

How can educational programs actively ensure that green education efforts
contribute to supporting and empowering women rather than placing additionalburdens on them?
One of the biggest conundrums is online education. This allows educational accessto those with caring responsibilities and those in areas where education is limited.
However, appropriate tech is required, which in itself is a limitation. Additionally,tech is not green friendly, as server farms take greenspace and energy, and the partsand labour used to make computers is less than environmentally friendly. Adding to
the issue, those who would often most benefit from online education, live in areasthat are being poisoned by the production of the very equipment they need toaccess education.

Therefore, the question arises, how can governments provide further
online access to those who need education, without further destroying
their environment?
- Rachel Marsh

Ursula Bolli-Schaffner
Association Suisse des Femmes
Diplômées des Universités
Despite the news of neverending violence in the areas of war overshadowing any
discourse on the future, the issue of the survival of our earth from the ecologicalpoint of view must be kept up.

What further proactive, action-based solutions doyou envision in tackling interconnected global
challenges including climate change in education?
Contents and methods of bringing it into schooland education generally may vary depending on
the level and place it is being discussed, underlying
all efforts and theoretical exemplification, in myopinion, it is first and foremost important todevelop the esteem and appreciation for all
creation - not in a narrow religiously
anthropocentric understanding but in secularly
holistic view.

Thisisespecially
important for educationin Europe and North
America, where people
often live far apart fromnature. For areas where
natureisoften
experienced as hostile,
the discussion is ofcourse different.

© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

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Keeping this in mind it is still necessary that students, particularly inEurope and the USA have the experience of nature, i.e. have the opportunityof experiencing the cycle of life, be it in the simple example of observing
how a whole plant grows out of one seed.

There are many other possibilities (one particularly spectacular one is to watch
the movie “Frankenstein”) in order to see/feel/learn that "the whole is morethan the sum of its parts" the goal being not less than perhaps areconceptualization of what life means - it is not only humans and animals, it isplants, it is all of the geological world, it is humans together with all thatsurrounds us (“Mitwelt”).
Breaking this down to contents for students of different levels is quite achallenge, but then there is plenty of didactic material to illustrate what our
ecological footprint is and what this means for survival (films of glaciersmelting / „how many worlds do we need with our lifestyle“, etc., etc.).

The goal being notless than perhaps areconceptualization of whatlife means.

For the sake of thesurvival of future
generations of/with ourworld the effort
is worth it!

It is also important that despite the importance of our message we donot tactlessly criticize the lifestyle of the students and their families(although of course we at least partly do so and this intentionally).
- Ursula Bolli-Schaffner© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

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Sophia Schaaper, Intern
Graduate Women International
As the new spring intern at the GWI Office in Geneva, having followed this
discussion, I wanted to take the time to address the points that have beenbrought up so far. So here is my contribution as a means of response to theprevious inputs.

On Interconnected Global Challenges: Climate Refugees Vulnerability andExploitation (brought up by Rachel Marsh):

I want to address the point on entities exploiting climate refugees enteringcountries on student visas made by Rachel Marsh. Thank you so much forbringing this point up, this is the first I am hearing of it. Indeed universities
should be on high alert for this phenomenon, such schemes and abuses are
possible due to the vulnerability of these students. This vulnerability means
heightened protective measures should be implemented, such as monitoring
and check ups to ensure these students are not being targeted. Raisingawareness to these issues is crucial as it opens communication channels forthese students and can help prevent the exacerbation of this problem, so,again, thank you for addressing this point. I wonder if this issue is moremainstream in some other countries, and whether ‘solutions’ have been put
forth already?

According to the Guardian article: “Despite the increased risks, it said
there was limited recognition of vulnerable students, with only 7.7% of
universities it examined providing specific training to staff in pastoral
roles”, this imperatively needs to change as increased awareness andmonitoring from universities could already protect these students muchmore.

© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

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On Online Education (question by Rachel Marsh): How can governments
provide further online access to those who need education, without further
destroying their environment?
This question is very interesting, , and, as setup by her, incredibly tricky andcomplex. Better access to eco-friendly products, whether digital technology or
not is a very prominent problem everywhere. In the context of women’s
education, the gender digital divide is a huge obstacle. As women hold adisproportionate amount of the caring responsibilities, they would benefit themost from online education. Yet, those in developing countries not only facerestrictions due to climate vulnerabilities but also lack access to computers,internet and all other sorts of digital technologies.

With increasing genderdisaggregatedanalyses
and the gender gap being
addressed, these insights
must be incorporated into
governments’prioritysetting. The role andimpact of NGOs such as
GWI and others in their
network needs to beassessed to understand towhat extent they can
influencethegovernment’s priorities.

On that note I would like to add onto this question: how can NGOs
pressure governments to increase access of digital technologies for those
who have such obstacles (climate and care burdens) to education? How canthis be done while still emphasizing clean and green practices?
© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

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Teachers arerole models,when they do
not engage with
their student’s
passion forsaving theenvironment it
can lead todefiance

On Teacher’s Education and Young People (brought up
by Alison Hobbs):

an emphasis shouldbe put on positive
climate news to avoid‘eco-anxiety’

I agree with this point, I think there is even a
generational gap arising more and more, making teacher
education crucial! It is quite demoralizing when
students are more aware and passionate about issues
than their teachers. Teachers are role models, when
they do not engage with their student’s passion forsaving the environment it can lead to defiance fromthese students and them undermining their own
education which would be a shame! I also think in thecontext of this, an emphasis should be put on positive
news (especially in the context of the climate to avoid
this ‘eco-anxiety’) as that is more inspiring rather thandemoralizing, and is a perspective that teachers, suchan authoritative figure, should help bring to the table inthese discussions.

Creating ‘green’ areas in school courtyards where children are enticed to plant
vegetables, flowers, plants, creates a sense of responsibility from a young age
to look after our environment and care for nature.

On Our relationship to Nature (brought up by Ursula Bolli-Schaffner):
On Our relationship to Nature (brought up by Ursula Bolli-Schaffner):I grew up in Canada and near Geneva, both places I had nature very nearby, I
wasa scout
I wasand thentransitioned
simplytakinga a
I grew
up inwhen
Canadaandyounger
near Geneva,
bothlater
places
I had naturetovery
nearby,I waslotscoutof walks
theyounger
forest. andI thinkdefinitely
nurtureda veryspecific
wheninI wasthenthislatertransitioned
to simply
takinga lot ofandwalks
personal
relationshipmakingme afeelmoreconnected,
butin the forest.
I thinkwith
this nature,definitely
nurturedvery
specific
and personal
especially
responsiblefor itsmaking‘fate’. My
being
so closelytorelationshipwith nature,mechildhood
feel moreconnected,
butrelated
especiallynatureis definitely
madepassionbeing
and emphasis
nature toin nature
my life isresponsiblefor itswhat‘fate’.
My thischildhoodso closelyonrelated
definitely
what made this passion and emphasis on nature in my life now possible.
now
possible.

Climate education is not just learning about the devastation of nature, nor isit simply teaching what to do to prevent further devastation or attempt tomend these damages, it is also nurturing a healthy connection with natureallowing everybody to learn to be responsible for it, to want to change theway we have treated it.
- Sophia Schaaper© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

17

Shirley Randell
Australian Graduate Women Inc.

Green Education in Australia, the Green-StarRating tool:"Green education" in Australia is the same
concept being used worldwide to bring
together formal and non-formal education,awareness raising and communication tools inareas such as environmental protection,conservation of biodiversity, and climatechange. Green learning offers energy-efficientsolutions that can be used as an alternative
paradigm to address these areas and ischaracterised by low carbon footprints, low
computational
complexity,
andlogicaltransparency.
The Green Building Council of Australia hasoutlined the benefits of green schools and its
report shares the practical experiences of
Ministers of Education and Education
Departments, principals and teachers acrossall states and territories in embracing a'Green-Star-Rating' tool. In Australia, someschools have already received Green-Star
ratings, and others are currently going throughthe process. However, GBCA is calling all
governments to embrace the concept of green
schools, and commit to achieving Green-Star
ratings for all new schools, as well as for newbuildings and refurbishments at existing
schools.

At Williamstown
High School in
Victoria, theschool’s green
design andprinciples create aunique learning
setting and help
students to develop
a greater
appreciation for
their environment.

Australia’s first Green
Star–Education
Designschool, Peregian Springs
State
Schoolon
Queensland’s
Sunshine
Coast,
isattracting
students
fromneighbouring
schools,
who visit to gain a handson lesson in sustainability.

A green school provides a daily lesson in the importance of environmental
sustainability to Australia’s future; the building itself can be the best learning
resource of all.

© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

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On Our relationship to Nature (brought up by Ursula Bolli-Schaffner):

The Bond
School of
Sustainable
Development
one of Isix
I grew
up in University
Canada andMirvac
near Geneva,
bothplaces I had
nature veryisnearby,
education
facilities
in Australia
thatthenpilotlater
the Green
Star–Education
wasa scout when
I wasyounger andtransitioned
to simplyratingtakingtool.
aA‘livinglaboratory’andself-guided
building
tour
that
has
13
different
stations
lot of walks in the forest. I think this definitely nurtured a very specific anddescribing
an environmental
initiativeor featureincludedin the design
haspersonal
relationshipwith nature,makingme feelmore connected,
butbeen createdto teachand being
the community
about totheespecially
responsiblefor itsstudents,‘fate’. My staff
childhoodso closely related
environmental
attributesof theas the building’s
solarpassivenatureis definitely
what madethis facility,
passion suchand emphasison nature
in my
life
designandorientation,building
services,
cyclingamenities,
water
treatment
now possible.
systems, and energy regeneration.

Other schools around Australia are recognising the learning opportunities
that green schools present for students., such as learning about renewableenergy, emphasising water conservation, taking responsibility for their school’s
carbon footprint, growing organic vegetables, understanding biodiversity andtheir local ecosystems, and taking responsibility for reducing, reusing, andrecycling waste.
- Shirley Randell

Marie Mihalcea, Intern
Graduate Women International

What further proactive, action-based solutions do you envision in tacklinginterconnected global challenges including climate change in education?
A recent statistics published by UNESCO states 70% of young people cannot
explain climate change. For the years to come it is crucial that governments,
inter-governmental organisations, civil society and even academia support
teachers and policy makers by integrating climate into the curriculum andteachers’ training. It is with such knowledge and through acquiring thenecessary skills that learners can gain insight into the fact that challenges weface nowadays are interconnected: climate change does and will go hand inhand with inequality and only then will younger generations be able tocontribute to finding solutions in daily contexts.

I think we need to bear in mind that to address the complexity of the climate
crises, green education can serve as a global project but actions will
ultimately remain local and thereby different societies will contribute indifferent ways depending on context and culture.
- Marie Mihalcea© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

19

Sahar Gamal
Independent Member, Egypt
The integration of sustainable practices, teachings, or any related initiatives
within educational systems in my country or culture:
The Egyptian Ministry of Education has a strategic plan to raise the awarenessof students and teachers of climate change issues, and to integrate the climatechange factor and the environmental dimension in all its projects andcurricula. This takes place through implementing training and awarenessprograms (ToT) for teachers and school managers.
This training package includes a discussion of environmental concepts and key
climate issues, such as climate changes, biodiversity, and environmental
sustainability. It also aims at developing the skills of teachers and managers inbuilding group activities associated with the curricular topics they teach or
supervise. The end result is to provide students with positive attitudes towards
environmental issues and its protection. Students are encouraged to discover
innovative ways to achieve this through means that are appropriate to theiracademic stages, abilities, skills, and ages, while applying them on the ground,and spreading awareness among peers, the family, and the surrounding
community.
For example, there is an entire chapter in the curriculum of the third grade ofprimary school on the effects of environmental changes where such changes
are described and compared to the natural environment. Another example isthe social studies curriculum where there are many lessons that deal with
pollution and the most important environmental problems facing Egypt’s
natural resources, such as air, soil and water pollution, the causes andconsequences of its occurrence, of which climate change is one of its
consequences.

Language classes, initiatives and campaigns arealso utilized by the Egyptian Ministry of Education
to raise awareness and help change the mindset of
future generations. For example, the Arabic
language curriculum for the first grade of primaryschool urges students to plant trees as part of the“Be Green” campaign. This project introduces theconcept of a sustainable healthy environment andraises the students’ awareness of how planting
trees preserves the environment and helps faceclimate change.
- Sahar Gamal© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

20

What further proactive, action-based solutions do you envision in tacklinginterconnected global challenges including climate change in education?
To tackle interconnected global challenges including climate change ineducation, the proactive and action-based solutions should be the result ofintegration and comprehensiveness on different levels; nationally, regionallyand internationally; and among various entities; social, governmental, nongovernmental and legislative. Yet individual actions can make a difference that
could extend far and beyond. To achieve that, targets should be set and theyshould be smart (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound).
The first target needs to be the globalization of climate related vocabulary andterminology. The second target should be the training of educators to integrate
climate issues in their classes even if they don’t have them as part of theirofficial curricula. The third target could be partnerships with investors and nongovernmental organizations to face local challenges. Believing that targets andsolutions are achievable, having a positive optimistic perspective and taking thefirst step is a must and the only way to go.

Individual actions can make a difference that could extend far and beyond. To
achieve that, targets should be set and they should be smart (Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound).

How can educational programs actively ensurethat green education efforts contribute tosupporting and empowering women rather
than placing additional burdens on them?
Educational programs that address green
education need to be gender-sensitive andrealistic. They have to respect the cultural,
economic and social variety of environmentsof women and girls around the globe. Green
education can help in providing solutions totheir everyday challenges and be a source of
their economic empowerment.

Are these adverse effects
already observable in yourcountry? Alternatively, isthere evidence of positiveeffects?
Positive effects are seenamong younger generations.
They tend to choose Ecofriendly products and care
more
about
the
environment. -Sahar Gamal© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

21

Elise Russo
Women Graduates - USA

Thank you, All, for your contributions to thistimely topic - advancing green education. But whatis "green education"? I am a science educator andcurriculum developer by training. I have been ineducation long enough to realize that when weapply terms to movements - terms that seem soclear and well understood by all, they never are.

As examples, I'm thinkingof "whole language","balanced literacy", healtheducation, sex education,
civics (we don't even offer"civics" here in New YorkState but we do have arequired course called"Participation in
Government" - is that thesame?)

From the previous discussions, I think we are mostly on the same page about"green education"; that is, teaching about the environment, how to protect it, how
to combat climate change, maintaining biodiversity, all the while allowing humans
to prosper in healthy, fulfilling ways. Addressing these areas will require muchdiscussion, many guidelines to make the work manageable, and support forteachers and school administrators in order to provide evidence-based quality
curricula and effective instructional practices that are inclusive. Quality educationis never easy. We should look to SDG 15 for guidance to identify and then teachabout ways to: protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial
ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt andreverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

Permit me, please, to add more components to "green education" - topics which I
have not seen mentioned to a great extent in the discussions thus far. I suggestthat along with the mountain of areas already listed, we ensure that this holistic
approach includes increasing knowledge about the importance of the rights andpractices of Indigenous Peoples around the globe as well as the geopoliticalissues that drive governments (and big business) to the decisions they make.
Decisions which may not always be in the best interests of our Earth. In 2022,
during the UN Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP15) most countries
agreed to "30x30" which was a pledge to preserve 30 percent of the land andwater by 2030, to ensure continued biodiversity.

© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

22

While there was a pledge to honor the sovereignty of
Tribal nations and Indigenous communities, this has notalways been the case. In fact, while Indigenous
populations make up 5 percent of the world's people
their practices, carried out over thousands of years, areprotecting 80 percent of the remaining biodiversity.

In the Amazon basin, for example, preserving 30 percent of the rain forest
allows for encroachment on Indigenous land which, currently, far exceeds the
30 percent outlined in the COP15 agreement. Clearly, an unintended
consequence - or was it an intended consequence?

Back to "green education". In the US, most educational
decisions are made at the state level, with only the broadest
mandates and some funding coming from the Federal
government. This leads to not only each state having theopportunity to create its own requirements and suggestions
for education but, further, for each school district within thatstate to do the same.
Our charge, then, is to raise the awareness of educationalists
locally, nationally, and internationally to ensure that we sharean equitable and inclusive vision for nature conservation and,further, ensuring that these efforts are guided by science,
appreciation and acknowledgement of successful pastpractices towards biodiversity, and not largely by businessinterests or questionable government practices.

Our chargethen is to [...]
ensure that weshare an equitableandinclusive
vision for nature
conservation [...]

We owe it to future generations to provide our students with theknowledge to make broad-based, informed decisions to preserve the healthof our planet.
- Elise Russo© 2024 Graduate Women International. All rights reserved.

23

Stacy Dry Lara
GWI, Executive Director
I extend heartfelt gratitude to each GWI member who dedicated their time and expertise tocontribute to our enlightening discussion on the International Day of Education, focusing on
Green Education. Your active involvement in this GWI Discussion Network discussion
represents the strength of our global network.
Your thoughtful and valuable contributions enriched our discussion, providing insights that
resonate with the core values of environmental awareness, sustainability, and GWI missionof education for all.
With sincere thanks for your unwavering support and dedication the safe access ofeducation for all women and girls.
-Stacy Dry Lara, GWI Executive Director

This discussion was created,
moderated, designed, and publishedby the GWI office, consisting of:
Stacy Dry Lara, Executive Director
and, interns, Marie Mihalcea, andSophia Schaaper.

Stacy Dry Lara

Marie Mihalcea

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Sophia Schaaper