On January 26, 2022, PAISBOA Sustainability Group members met virtually to discuss examples and benefits of getting students excited and thinking about sustainability within their classrooms.
PAISBOA Operations Manager Ron Hill and Boyer Sudduth’s Mary Ann Boyer welcomed a dozen faculty members from different schools before opening the floor to Moravian Academy’s History teacher and Sustainability lead, Katie Burd. Katie shared the ways Moravian has implemented sustainability in the 9th grade History curriculum and on campus.
Student Environmental Engagement Outdoors
Moravian Academy’s student-run “Green Club” consists of passionate, young environmentalists. The Green Club provides a platform for students to discuss ways they can make a difference in both their community and school. They host an annual student run conference called the Student Symposium on Sustainability, which invites students from public and private schools across the region to conversations related to sustainability.
Katie shared examples Moravian’s outdoor, hands-on sustainability initiatives, where students:
explore the school’s community gardens
plant seeds and observe plant growth
learn about the importance of pollinators
care for their school’s apiary program which includes 4 hives
Moravian Academy students at their community garden
Bee suits keep these “buzzy” students protected
Sustainability Taught in History Class
Katie then shared how she’s woven a culminating unit of sustainability in her 9th grade history class. See Katie’s sustainability curriculum overview which details a 3 part lesson: introduction to sustainability, application to communities, and how sustainability relates to climate.
Intro to Sustainability Through Nations & Governance
Katie begins her sustainability introduction through the lens of nations and how they govern. Students learn about sustainability concepts and which nations (the European Union, USA, China, India, Developing and Developed) are the most responsible for climate change. They also learn that various nations with different levels of resources lead to varying levels of power. They then unpack how nations can have more or less of an impact when it comes to decision making and movement in regard to climate change.
Students participate in a Climate Action Simulation role-playing game for groups “to explore different stakeholders and solutions that need to come together to take action on climate change.”
Climate Summit Excitement
The Climate Action Simulation provides the foundation for students to prepare for a mock Climate Summit. Students represent different countries with varying resources. They must collaborate with other countries to limit global warming to well below 2°C.
Students separate into groups of Nations, Climate Activists, and a Press Group. Each student group works under conditions that reflect the amount of resources and power available to their respective nations. For example, students who represent the “developing nations” group had little to no resources (represented by having no chairs or table space) while “developed nations” had chairs, water, table, snacks, etc. After rounds of negotiations, where students submit their pledges which are graphed in real time to show how the global temperature changes. See Moravian Academy’s video from a previous Climate Summit.
Student Takeaways
Through the Climate Summit students experienced the inequities of resources among various Nations. This exercise allowed students to gain a better global outlook to issues that affect each Nation differently. Notes one 9th grade student who represented the U.S.:
“It was very interesting to represent the U.S. because we were at the summit representing a country with a lot of negotiating power and resources compared to the rest of the countries here. This means that our choices and decisions hold more influence over the fate of the planet and this makes it especially nerve wracking and stressful and puts a lot of pressure on [us] as U.S. representatives.” (9th grade Moravian Student)
Moravian Students at last year’s Climate Summit acting as “Climate Lobbyists”
Sustainability Symposium: A Vision of a Sustainable Future
Next, Katie discussed another exciting initiative, Moravian Academy’s “Sustainability Symposium.” This is an annual conference run by students where participants examine a variety of issues related to sustainability.
Students at first Sustainability Symposium in 2019
At the Sustainability Symposium, students expand on their understanding of climate issues and learn more about sustainable practices from their peers. The Sustainability Symposium is free and open to high school students and anyone else interested in building their knowledge about sustainable practices in a collaborative, student-led environment.
This free, student-lead symposium is on Sat. April 23, 2022 at Moravian Academy in Bethlehem, PA. This year’s Sustainability Symposium will focus on envisioning a sustainable future. For more information contact kburd@mamail.net.
Student Takeaway
Katie shared the closing remarks from the 2021 Symposium given by a member of the Green Team, showing the power behind this immersive learning experience:
“With our current global situation, environmental stewardship is more important than ever to our generation. We face the daunting challenges of trying to repair the climate change and global warming that has rapidly distressed our planet. As we’ve grown up, we have watched the changes unfold in certain ecosystems and the dwindling diversity of species in these habitats. This is partly why being able to come together now to discuss these changes and encourage one another to take action, even if it is on a local scale, is so critical.” (Moravian Student, Member of the Green Team)
Jamboard Exercise
The meeting wrapped up a Q&A followed by an interactive Jamboard exercise. Participants were asked to list sustainable initiatives at their schools. Some highlights were climate change curriculum, environmental clubs, composting, and outdoor classroom spaces. Check out the virtual sticky notes below for specifics!
Jamboard exercise: Participants share sustainability initiatives at their schools
The next PAISBOA Sustainability meeting will be hopefully in person at Overbrook School for the Blind from 5:15-7:30 pm on Wed. April 27th. More details to come. Questions: contact Ron Hill at rhill@paisboa.org or Mary Ann Boyer at maryann@boyersudduth.com.
Link to Jan. 26, 2022 Slide Presentation on “Sustainability in the Classroom.”
Article by Boyer Sudduth Environmental Consultants’ Interns, Claire DuBois, Haverford College ‘22 and Olivia Katavolos, University of Vermont ‘21.
