Teaching Sustainability and Social Justice: A Resource for High School Teachers (Poster)

Teaching Sustainability and Social Justice: A Resource for High School Teachers (Poster)

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  Teaching and PreachingSustainability and Social Justice: A Resource for Catholic High School Teachers By: John W. Eppensteiner III University of Pennsylvania Master of Environmental Studies, Spring 2015 Primary Reader: James R. Hagan, Ph.D., P.E. Advisor & Lecturer, Master of Environmental Studies Secondary Reader: Dan Misleh Executive Director, Catholic Climate Covenant Thematic Areas Sample Lesson PlanOverview Lesson 10: Corporate Responsibility Grade Level: 11-12 Class Size: Approx. 20 students Time: 50 minutes Setting: Classroom Background Information: • Business and industry have a significant impact on sustainability and we as consumers of their products and services are indirectly responsible for these impacts. However, we as consumers and investors can demand that companies improve their sustainability performance. By becoming more transparent, setting ambitious goals, and incorporating sustainability concepts into their operations, businesses can help develop a more sustainable and socially just world. Guiding Questions: • How can business and industry help create a more sustainable world? Learning Objectives: As a result of this lesson, students will be able to... • Describe the three components of Triple Bottom Line accounting. • Describe three examples of negative environmental impacts and two examples of social impacts by business and industry. • Describe why companies should factor sustainability into their business (i.e., the risk/opportunity lens). • Describe two examples of commitments that companies have made to being more sustainable. • Describe two concepts companies can implement to become more sustainable. Vocabulary: • Triple Bottom Line • Corporate Social Responsibility • Industrial Ecology • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) • Design for Environment and Sustainability (DfES) Personal Exploration Questions: • Am I supporting any companies through my patronage that are not operating sustainably? Suggested Assignments Activity / Homework • Identify products and/or services that you use on a daily basis that you feel you “could not live without.” Investigate the sustainability record of these companies. Do they produce an annual sustainability report? Do they report their performance to any third-party sustainability evaluators? What opportunities exist for these companies to improve their sustainability performance? Capstone • Investigate a business and report on their sustainability performance. Benchmark their sustainability performance compared to top performers in their industry. Identify opportunities for them to incorporate concepts like industrial ecology and design for environment and sustainability into their operations. If a business or industry does not report their sustainability performance discuss why not, and develop a business case as to why they should. Lesson 7: Consumption & Waste • Conduct a waste audit of your school for one month. What percentage of the materials are recycled, composted, or landfilled? Develop a plan to reduce the percentage of waste that is landfilled. How can you make your plan permanent? Lesson 9: Ecosystem Services • Identify an ecosystem in your area and develop a plan to quantify the services that ecosystem provides. Consider the four core services as part of your evaluation: supporting; regulating; supporting; and cultural services. What risks does this ecosystem face, now and into the future? What could be done to invest in the protection of this ecosystem? • At his inauguration mass on March 19, 2013, Pope Francis made this request during his homily: “Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment.” • This resource will provide a framework for Catholic high school teachers to educate their students on the concept of sustainability, emphasizing the moral imperative to act. It is designed to impart an understanding of current and future environmental issues and the implications those issues have on human health and well-being. • As of 2014, there were an estimated 76.7 million self- identified Catholics in the United States and 2.8 million students enrolled in Catholic elementary schools, secondary schools, and college/universities. These numbers present a sizable opportunity to motivate a generation of young people to work toward a more sustainable future. Lesson 8 – Biodiversity Lesson 9 – Ecological Economics Lesson 10 – Corporate Responsibility Lesson 11 – Professional Speaker Lesson 12 – Taking Action Lesson 13 – Effective Communications Lesson 14 – Innovations & Future Considerations Lesson 15 – Capstone Presentations Lesson 1 – Course Introduction Lesson 2 – Global Changes Lesson 3 – Catholicism & Sustainability Lesson 4 – Water Lesson 5 – Food Systems Lesson 6 – Energy Systems Lesson 7 – Consumption & Waste Sample Presentation Future ConsiderationsSuggested Capstone Projects • The resource we be made available to the public through the website of the Catholic Climate Covenant (http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/) • The author hopes to deliver the course as designed to Catholic high schools in the Philadelphia area on a voluntary basis – just in time for Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment and his visit to Philadelphia in September 2015. The Approach • The resource is comprised of a syllabus – detailing course objectives, readings, and assignments – as well as weekly lesson plans and PowerPoint slides. There are 15 lessons in total. • Each lesson includes a lesson plan – which provides an overview of the topic, guiding questions, measurable learning objectives, suggested assignments, and resources – and PowerPoint slides – which allows the presenter to cover the selected thematic area in a 50 minute class period. The class is designed to be taught one day per week over the period of one semester, with the primary audience being high school juniors or seniors. • The resource also suggests projects that students can undertake to support their learning of the subject matter. The project, referred to as a Capstone, is a way for students to demonstrate their passions and professional promise, while having a concrete impact on the advancement of sustainability. The Capstone incorporates many of the skills students will need to be successful in college and in their post-collegiate careers. Pope Francis on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. Stefano Spaziani. February 13, 2014