UN Sustainable Development Goals

Introducing Our New Resource "Learning Locally, Transforming Globally"

aestey — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 19:14:40 +0000

Introducing Our New Resource "Learning Locally, Transforming Globally" aestey Wed, 04/03/2024 - 15:14

Plastic pollution and trash burning are big problems in rural Nepal. Middle schoolers at the Kopila Valley School in Nepal’s Surkhet District decided to try and help; they learned about the harmful effects of pollution, developed an educational campaign, researched alternatives to plastic, and created and distributed cloth bags in their community.

This is just one example of ways students from Nepal to Vermont have used the same framework for addressing global challenges in their own communities. These steps are laid out in a new resource from Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools, Learning Locally, Transforming Globally.

Above: Activities in Learning Locally have been used from Nepal (left) to Nigeria, Ukraine to Vermont (right).

“We’ve seen over and over again that by teaching toward sustainability with a focus on making community connections, we can truly change the world, one community at a time,” says Jen Cirillo, Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools director of professional learning and a co-author of the resource.

Step by step, Learning Locally engages learners in making change on a local or regional level via a school or community action project. It’s an Education for Sustainability approach that is paired with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, so along the way, learners develop the sense of agency they will need throughout their lives to tackle the challenges we face as a global community.

In 2015, the United Nations established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as “a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.” The SDGs provide a blueprint toward sustainability by setting targets for economic, social, and ecological systems improvement with a deadline of 2030.

“Tackling complex, global issues like climate change, poverty, food insecurity, and racial inequities can be overwhelming for young people. The SDGs give young learners a place to start,” explains Cirillo. “Actively engaging youth as leaders in implementing local solutions to global challenges demonstrates that they have the power to make a difference, encouraging a lifelong commitment to service and creating sustainable communities.”

Learning Locally is designed for K–12 educators in formal and informal education settings.

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Andrea Estey

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Activity: Introducing the Sustainable Development Goals

admin — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 15:17:49 +0000

Activity: Introducing the Sustainable Development Goals admin Sat, 04/01/2023 - 11:17

Photo by Andrea Estey.

We’re sharing activities for educators from the “Learning Locally, Transforming Globally” guide, coming Summer 2023. In this guide, you’ll find a step-by-step process for engaging learners in exploring the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in their community, beginning with inquiry and leading to local action.

Sign up to be notified when the Learning Locally, Transforming Globally guide is available.

Tackling complex global issues like climate change, poverty, food insecurity, and racial inequities can be overwhelming for young people. Where do you start? One way to begin is by focusing on some of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

What are the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? In 2015, the United Nations established 17 SDGs as "a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity." The SDGs provide a blueprint toward sustainability by setting targets for economic, social, and ecological systems improvement with a deadline of 2030. These goals have been universally adopted by every country around the globe and measure our collective progress against the world’s most pressing challenges.

The Global Goals provide a powerful frame for helping students understand how their local actions can have a global impact. We use the SDGs as part of the framework in our forthcoming guide, “Learning Locally, Transforming Globally,” which engages learners in making change and taking action on a local or regional level and helps them develop the sense of agency that they will need to tackle the challenges we face as a global community.

Here are two activities to introduce the SDGs to your students as they work to define who and what contributes to a safe and healthy life for all.

Activity: Define Quality of Life

What does your community need for every living thing to have a safe and healthy life? Students will develop a definition of “quality of life” for their own community.

Open with a visualization activity. Ask learners to imagine themselves living in an ideal future, where every community resident and living thing has what they need to live a safe and healthy life. Give learners some time to picture what this future life might look like.
After completing the visualization, pose the question: What does our community need for every living thing to have a safe and healthy life? To prompt discussion, share some broad features of a good quality of life, such as a secure home and surroundings, a secure family, good health, and a healthy environment.
Break out in small groups and have learners brainstorm and record 5–7 quality-of-life features.
Invite groups to share their lists and compile responses in a master quality-of-life features list that learners can refer to on chart paper, sticky notes, or whiteboards. (In a digital setting, quality-of-life features can be shared in a chat or recorded on a Jamboard, Google Slide, or Google Doc.) Together, notice any elements that appear more than once. Record any missing features.
As groups share their quality-of-life features lists, invite curiosity about what is different among the lists. What contributes to these different perspectives? How might these lists look different from the perspective of different community members? What is our responsibility to create the conditions for all living things, human and non-human alike, to be healthy and safe?

Left: Burlington High School students prioritize the SDGs. Right: JFK Elementary School students in Winooski, Vermont, developed their quality-of-life features list by creating drawings in response to the question, "What does our community need for every living thing to have a safe and healthy life?" The drawings were combined to create a paper quilt and students then connected their drawings to the SDGs, realizing the drawings touched on nearly all of the goals.

Activity: Introduce and Prioritize the SDGs

Students reflect on quality of life, then expand their thinking more broadly to the globe and their community.

To prepare for this activity, make copies of the Sustainable Development Goals poster (download ZIP file), one for each student group. We recommend printing on an 11x17 sheet of paper. Next, cut out each goal on individual cards. (This activity can also be done virtually using a copy of this Jamboard template.)

Play one (or more) of these videos to introduce your students to the global goals: "Sustainable Development Goals: Improve Life All Around The Globe" (video) or "The World's Largest Lesson | Global Goals" (video)
After viewing one of these videos, invite learners to discuss what they saw, heard, and think.
Now, learners will engage with the SDGs and sort them based on personal, community, and global significance. To begin, select a few of the SDGs at random and discuss them: What is this goal about? What does it mean? What features of a community would connect to this goal? How would a community know if they are meeting this goal? Ask learners to consider which goals are personally significant to them. Why? Which goals are most significant for the local community? For the world?
Working in small groups or individually, have learners sort and prioritize the SDGs in three categories: by self, community, and world. Ask them to discuss, What goals would you prioritize to help you achieve your vision of an ideal future?

These activities were adapted from the forthcoming publication, “Learning Locally, Transforming Globally.” Sign up to be notified when the guide is available.

Andrea Estey

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Hopeful Stories from Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability

admin — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 19:17:24 +0000

Hopeful Stories from Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability admin Mon, 06/06/2022 - 15:17

Supporting refugees. Combating climate change. Creating more inclusive communities. Among this year’s Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability projects, you’ll find youth and educators striving to make positive change and address some of our world’s biggest challenges.

In Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability, youth-adult teams develop and implement projects to address the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals in their own communities. The yearlong program pairs these students and educators with coaches from the Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools and UP for Learning.

Last month, 2021-22 teams gathered to celebrate the progress they’ve made, and for many, to discuss the changemaking that will continue long after the school year ends. Read on for more about a few of these inspiring projects.

The Piney Woods School

The Piney Woods School, Piney Woods, Mississippi

Project: Campus beautification, including flower plantings. “Piney Woods recently had a setback in faculty and resources due to COVID,” which sparked the idea for a landscaping team, explained Ceasar, a sophomore. Said student Gloria, “Being a part of [Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability] made me feel like I made a difference on our campus.”

How they addressed sustainable development goals: “We managed to help create a sustainable community within our school by adding more plants to the environment; increased life on land by giving animals more room for habitats; and we created a youth-adult partnership with our staff, faculty, and the Mississippi Boy Scouts organization,” said Ceasar. “We wanted to sustain a youth-adult partnership, not only with this beautification, but with other projects as well.”

What they learned: “There were a lot of roadblocks. We combatted that with positivity, by remembering that we were doing this for our community and to build that youth-adult partnership,” said Tayla, a junior. “We still brought community and love to our campus,” said sophomore Arianna. Shared sophomore Savannah, “I feel like I’ve grown leading throughout this work. This work has molded me into a leader.”

Crossett Brook Middle School, Duxbury, Vermont

Project: This sixth-grade team – 33 youth and two teachers – embarked on six different projects, including a bake sale to support refugees coming to Vermont, a school-wide reduction in plastic spoons, and an educational initiative around menstruation called the Period Project.

What the Period Project learned: The team conducted a survey to learn more about student needs and attitudes: Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they would feel more relaxed if they knew there were free products in the bathrooms in case of emergency. Said student Robin on the Period Project team, “Our mission is to get products in the bathrooms at our school, educate future students, and normalize periods.”

On their motivation to make a difference: “Our hope was that at the end of this Period Project, all people who need menstruation products could have equal and fair access,” said student Ella. “That way their families can focus on things like paying rent, health care, food, and education.” The group also created an educational slideshow, which they hope will be shown to students down the road. “I’m proud that we’ll help future generations at Crossett Brook feel more comfortable,” said student Nick.

Georgia Elementary and Middle School. Photo by Andrea Estey.

Georgia Elementary and Middle School, Georgia, Vermont

Project: Launched the first annual school-wide day of service. For their inaugural day of service, the team embarked on two projects: a stream clean-up and the re-establishment of a school garden.

What impact they hope to make: “We hope that more kids take the opportunity to learn outside by the stream,” and that it’s safer to do so, said student Anna. The team will also install signs with QR codes that identify surrounding trees and plants. “With the garden, we hope that school lunches are healthier and fresher. We also want to see that food scraps go into composting in the garden.”

On youth-adult partnership: “I’m proud that you all were open to having challenging conversations and saying what you wanted to be improved,” said GEMS Director of Teaching and Learning Karen Lehning. “The fact that you really want to make your school better, you’ve shown me how important it is to listen to students and use that to make a difference.” Added one student, “At the beginning we were scared to take charge. But we felt more comfortable as time went on. It was cool how students and adults worked as equals. We respected each other as equals.”

Kopila Valley School

Kopila Valley School, Surkhet, Nepal

Project: Interpretive signage for campus trails and local plants.

How they addressed sustainable development: “We didn’t know much about the plants on campus,” shared one student. New signage will help future classes better understand what’s growing there, supporting quality education. Added team coach Jen Cirillo, director of professional learning with Shelburne Farms, identifying the plants will “build a sense of what’s there for fellow students so that they can take better care of it.”

How they tackled this project: There is an incredible array of beautiful plants on Kopila’s campus; there are more than 100 species of trees alone, from mango and papaya to jackfruit. Students interviewed local elders to gather information, building partnerships with the local community along the way. “Every single one of you has made a huge impact on something you care about,” said Sarah Popwicz, UP for Learning program director. “That deserves recognition and applause.”

Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability is a partnership project of Shelburne Farms and UP for Learning. Thank you to all of this year’s participating teams: Crossett Brook Middle School (Duxbury, VT); Georgia Elementary and Middle School (VT); Harwood Union Middle and High School (Moretown, VT); Kopila Valley School (Surket, Nepal); Main Street Middle School (Montpelier, VT); and The Piney Woods School (Piney Woods, Mississippi).

Join us! We’re now accepting applications for 2022-23 Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability.

Andrea Estey

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Sustainable Schools At Work: Georgia Middle School Kicks Off Year-Long Project

admin — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 15:43:11 +0000

Sustainable Schools At Work: Georgia Middle School Kicks Off Year-Long Project admin Wed, 10/13/2021 - 11:43

Georgia Middle School students hit the ground running on day one of a year-long sustainable development project. Small groups worked together to share and design their ideal communities, inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Picture your ideal community. What would it look like? What would stay the same, what might change -- and what ripple effects might those changes have?

All students in Vermont’s Georgia Middle School (GMS), grades 5-8, are digging into these and other big questions surrounding sustainability in a first-ever, year-long project. Educators at Shelburne Farms, together with partners at UP for Learning, launched the program with GMS in September. In the coming school year, students will explore the UN Sustainable Development Goals and what they mean for their town, then develop recommendations and implement action projects to help achieve those goals in their community, addressing global issues on a local scale.

Students hit the ground running on day one. The kickoff began with a large group game, pictured below, a kinesthetic representation of a system. Students observed and unpacked what happens when parts of a system start to change.

“I don’t know why after so many years of working with students that I’m surprised by their ability to deeply understand big concepts like systems, but they really seemed to get it,” says Shelburne Farms educator Courtney Mulcahy, who helped lead the day’s events. “They easily caught on to how they not only are a part of a large ecosystem, but also that their actions – regardless of how small – have an effect on other parts of the system in some way. I’m looking forward to seeing where they go with their work.”

Using drawings and brainstorms of their ideal communities, students then dug into which Sustainable Development Goals were their biggest priorities.

As part of rich and layered programming this year, Shelburne Farms and UP for Learning will lead three experiences for students, and more than half a dozen after-school sessions for classroom teachers as they design program curricula. Community events are in the works, too. “Students are doing the heavy lifting – the projects,” says Shelburne Farms’ Director of Professional Learning Jen Cirillo. The GMS collaboration builds on other Shelburne Farms projects – Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability and the program Local Action, Global Impact: the Sustainable Development Goals in my Neighborhood – scaled school-wide.

“It’s the age where kids come into recognizing the things that are going on in the world and wanting to have an opportunity to create a voice and create change,” GMS principal Julie Conrad told the Saint Albans Messenger. “For them to be able to see and be given a license to create some local changes that could potentially have a bigger impact is really exciting.” Read more in the Saint Albans Messenger.

See programs and resources for educators and schools.

Andrea Estey

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What's Taught and What's Learned

admin — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 20:34:50 +0000

What's Taught and What's Learned admin Thu, 09/16/2021 - 16:34

Winooski high school students immerse themselves in learning at Shelburne Farms

It’s Monday, July 26th, 8:30 AM, and students from Winooski High School are getting off the bus for the first day of a nine-day program at the farm. It's designed to be part of their “capstone experiences” to demonstrate graduation proficiencies. We've been welcoming K-12 students here for years, but this format is new to us.

Over the first few days, each learner develops a guiding question to shape their exploration. Some ask about how we care for the land (“How do you rest the soil in the market garden?”), while others focus on the Big Ideas of Sustainability (“How do all the systems work together to create healthy agriculture?”). Through their inquiry, I’m hopeful that students will discover some facet of the farm that ignites their passion and curiosity.

A student records a chicken; capturing soundscapes was a part of documenting their experience (photo: Courtney Mulcahy)

On our first outing, we visit the dairy, where we discover one of the calves shares a birthday with a student (June 30)! Dairy farmer Sam Dixon chats with us about working within biological systems to foster the health of the cows and of the many other creatures here. Soon after, chef John Patterson drops by to make veggie enchiladas with students. As he introduces each ingredient, he talks about working with the Market Garden to grow most of what he needs, and sourcing the rest from local farms and businesses. Down at the garden, the students hand-harvest all the ingredients for salsa, guided by gardener Lynn Wolfe. As they enjoy the salsa, they reflect on the fact that they have picked almost everything that went into their food.

Simon introduces Executive Chef John Patterson, just before students make veggie enchiladas and learn about the connections between food, agriculture, and sustainability (photo: Courtney Mulcahy)

Students work with the UNâs Sustainable Development Goals in the Market Garden Pavilion (photo: Courtney Mulcahy)

As the days rolled by, I thought of a saying from School Programs Coordinator Courtney Mulcahy—one she picked up while working with the Burlington City and Lake Semester Program—“We know what we’ve taught you, but only you can tell us what you’ve learned.” On our last day together, students told us.

We all assembled in the education center: students, their school teachers, and many of the Shelburne Farms staff they had met over the previous days. Every student briefly recollected their farm journey through pictures, stories, and sound-bites, and in doing so demonstrated just how fun and thought-provoking their time here had been.

For some, learning on the farm felt easier: “what we do on the farm is fun… I feel like my time at Shelburne Farms has been very interactive.” Others spoke about taking risks and embracing new experiences. One student began the program apprehensive about interacting with animals. By the end, they were picking up chickens and vigorously scratching sheep. The consensus was that the farm was an excellent place for learning. As one participant shared, “this is one of the most exciting things I did over the summer!”

One student's presentation clearly expresses how their experience at the farm defied expectations.

Students also demonstrated their grasp of the Big Ideas of Sustainability and systems thinking. One girl raised the issues of the plastic used on the farm, and the challenging economics of growing food in an ecologically friendly way. Other students identified how the use of non-carbon energy sources—like solar panels—can help the farm confront climate change. Each student revealed not only what they had learned, but also how they had connected concepts and experiences in creative, emergent ways.

The concluding presentation slide from a student whose guiding question was, âWhat are the limits of sustainability?â

A student celebrates outside the Farm Barn turret! (photo: Winooski student)

This new program was a challenge and a joy. I am grateful to the students, who contributed so much of their humor, personality, and curiosity to this experience. I am also thankful for the Winooski School District educators, coordinators, and administrators, without whom none of this could have happened. And a big “thank you” to the dozens of Shelburne Farms staff who facilitated this experience, from making sure the right forms were signed, to helping students collect eggs. I appreciate the far-reaching community that supported this work, and I’m excited to see how it might continue to evolve and grow.

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Unpacking Education for Sustainability: Webinar Recording

admin — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 13:46:49 +0000

Unpacking Education for Sustainability: Webinar Recording admin Mon, 06/07/2021 - 09:46

Have you ever wondered how sustainability goes beyond reduce, reuse, recycle? Watch below! Shelburne Farms and the University of Vermont Tarrant Institute unpack how education for sustainability encompasses multiple areas around place-based education, environmental studies, and natural resource monitoring. How can you build education for sustainability into your practice as an educator? And what do you need to know to make it student-centered, meaningful, and engaging? Educators Jen Cirillo, Aimee Arandia Østensen, and Emily Hoyler invite you to join this powerful discussion of upcoming and longer term opportunities.

Learn more about our upcoming summer programs for educators.

Download the webinar slides.

This workshop originally took place on May 19, 2021 in the global effort to promote Education for Sustainable Development in the month of May in parallel with the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development.

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Charting the Future: Burlington City & Lake Semester

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 18:53:28 +0000

Charting the Future: Burlington City & Lake Semester admin Wed, 11/11/2020 - 13:53

The Burlington City & Lake Semester (BCL) is an immersive semester program for Burlington High School students. Using the city as our classroom, students explore the people, places, problems and possibilities of their community, including themes of social justice and sustainability. We work with many community partners on our program and curriculum, including Shelburne Farms and its faculty (Jen Cirillo shared the lesson on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals showcased in this blog). Project-based learning is at the center of what we do: amplifying student voice as they choose topics and engage in authentic, real-world learning by consulting and collaborating with local adult professionals. BCL5 wrapped up last week; one highlight was that we were able to meet in person with students every day outside, while other high schoolers were learning online. We are now embarking on a mini, part-time version of BCL, Burlington Experience, and Shelburne Farms educator Courney Mulcahey is joining our faculty. Check out our BCL Blog and stay tuned for more blog posts from BE1.

— Signe Daly, Faculty of Burlington City and Lake Semester

This blog was originally published by Burlington City and Lake, as part of its ongoing series chronicling student learning and experiences.

OCTOBER 16, 2020

Scientists and policy-makers agree that we are at a tipping point in human history, and it is up to us to determine whether it is business-as-usual, or a moment of conscious redirection. Facing these questions isn’t easy, since they are existential and abstract, but also deeply practical and concrete. As students continue to lean into this complex territory, their level of engagement and critical thinking is a ray of hope in a darkening sky.

Together with Jen Cirillo from Shelburne Farms, students dug into the U.N.âs Sustainability Goalsâ¦

sorting...

prioritizing...

and making sense of a complex, interdependent global system.

Safiya participates in a planning session for the U.N. University sponsored gathering of the Regional Centers for Expertise [RCEs] in Sustainability Education â which brings together sustainability educators and policymakers from across the Americas.

"A highly interconnected set of systems that I experienced and learned about this week was connected to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Each of these 17 goals were all extremely important, but also very tied to one another. For example, we had to put the goals in order of highest importance, but I noticed that goals such as gender equality, ending poverty and hunger were a direct result of the goal of reduced inequalities. If we as a nation and world are able to accomplish some of the UN’s goals, then many other systems will be fixed. Climate action truly has the possibility to create so many chances to improve the current systems. Of course there are many barriers, such as money, time, and access, but in a perfect world, if we were able to fix some of the systems, the others would follow."

— Elle

“Why haven’t I made changes in my own life to live more sustainably?

Simply convenience, I’m a pampered person. When I’m out with friends the last thing to cross my mind is the environment. Whether I’m at a store, driving, or something else I’m rarely thinking about my impact.”

When I wrote this in my journal, it was a major “aha moment.” It was me realizing I had become part of the problem. By becoming an absent minded person I had been ignoring the right choices. It takes little effort to make even the smallest changes that can benefit the environment. Choosing not to use a bag, biking instead of driving, not buying the aerosol spray, all little changes that over time can make a big difference. As consumers we all have a responsibility to be conscious of what we buy when possible. It may not always be possible to buy environmental friendly products, but it still is important to when we can. Tweaks to how we function as a society are important for the preservation of this planet and I’m a prime example of how all too often it’s overlooked.

— Adam

The conversation we had about climate change really stuck with me. When reading the book review, 130 Degrees, by Bill McKibben, I was left feeling hopeless. It basically showed how screwed we were. But when the discussion was finished, I was motivated to start making change, and I’m trying to do my best…. Still, this is not something that’s going to be an easy fix, and we should have started a while ago–so why don’t we start now?

How we reacted to COVID gives me a little bit of hope. During the discussion someone mentioned climate change is abstract and how if you’re not educated you wouldn’t really know what’s going on. With COVID the impacts were right there, and when we needed to make urgent changes people reacted quickly. [Climate change] is something that’s going to affect all of us and sometimes it feels like there’s nothing I’m able to do. I think that something I need to work on in my end is undermining this feeling, because who else is going to do something? The people in power? Our president who doesn’t even believe in climate change?

— Safiya

Students investigated watershed maps to understand the unique features of Lake Champlain.

Then, students walked to Texaco Beach, to collaborate with Lauren Sopher from the Lake Champlain Committee, to scout for invasive Asian clams in the lake.

We did find invasive zebra mussels, which arrived in Lake Champlain in the 1990s, but happily, no Asian clams.

It was amazing to engage in real researchâ¦

â¦ and make our own discoveries!

Something that was new to me was hearing from Robin Wall Kimmerer about plants and wild things as something other than scientific. Nature and everything within it has so many wonders that are so complex they need multiple fields of study to be explained. It was interesting to me that she was told to go to art school to talk about colors when the way different wild things go together is such a rich and fascinating scientific concept. It was also new to me to hear about the descriptions of plants beyond just the scientific names. Just because there is an explanation for what they are, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be studied further. There is intrigue and beauty that goes much deeper than that. One of my favorite lines was, “attention is the doorway to gratitude.” I think this is so simple, so beautiful and so very true. I also loved hearing about how in her language, no living thing is ever referred to as “it.” Everything is treated with respect, unlike in English. It was also new to me, this idea of life being at a pace different from only human life. We are living in a world that is not completely our own, that is in fact ruled by great spirits and pillars of the natural world, and we should have a greater appreciation for those.

Lila

Every other living creature but ourselves, we call “it,” not “they/them.” We think nothing of the millions of years that they have survived to get here, or the special characteristics they have. Science made it clear that they weren’t human, but we did not stop to think that they are still their own. Although a plant is not human, it is still alive, and has the qualities of a plant. It can never be human, just as we can never be a plant. We think of only the relationship we have with the world, not of how other creatures need to thrive as well.

Max

Another day, another classroom.

When the weight of the future felt like it was too much, students invested in the present. Once they realized how many musicians there are in our group, BCL organized a jam session.

In the past week, the BCL community has really begun to thrive. I’m not entirely sure why this has happened but I do have some hypotheses. We are a social species but we tend to spend most of our time with people we already know. We trust our good friends because we have spent time with them. This is where the problems arise. When people are closed into their individual groups they end up socially shutting out everyone else. Recently, after separating into different groups without our control we have realized how much other people have to offer. Branching out seems like an obvious step to a thriving community but it’s difficult. I recently started to do so. I have had different, challenging conversations that have pushed me. I have learned a lot and I feel closer to the rest of my peers.

— Kiran

Looking over my journal, one quote stands out to me: “I missed an experience, not work.” Last Friday, October 29th, I had a Driver’s Ed drive so I was an hour and a half late to BCL. Normally at Burlington High school if you are late you can pick up work that you missed, and talk with the teacher after school to learn what you missed. With BCL, however, It was harder for me to hop back in because at BCL we learn from experiences and in-the-moment learning. This can only be taught when you are there. With BCL you aren’t able to pick up a packet or ask your friend for notes because it was an experience that you missed. This goes to show how regular school such as BHS is so uniform and not personal to each person. Actual learning happens when you are present and engaged, whereas memorization is something you can do anywhere. I couldn’t imagine BCL online because of how engaged we are with one another and with community partners.

— Peter

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A new tool for exploring the UN Sustainable Development Goals

admin — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 19:07:01 +0000

A new tool for exploring the UN Sustainable Development Goals admin Tue, 06/23/2020 - 15:07

UP for Learning and Shelburne Farms are excited to offer this new tool, "Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability." This resource will guide your students through a deep dive into the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and opportunities for local action to address them. It includes resources for educators, too. This tool is especially useful in a virtual context or for remote learning, and captures the work of our annual partnership program, Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability.

Download tool.
Join us for the Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability Program.

Jen Cirillo

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What world do YOU want in 2030?

admin — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 13:03:02 +0000

What world do YOU want in 2030? admin Wed, 10/30/2019 - 09:03

On the morning of October 10, 2019, more than 175 students from twelve schools across Vermont arrived at the Coach Barn to participate in the annual Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability Program. The program challenges teams of students to make a difference in their communities by tackling a project to address one of the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals at the local level.

As students arrived, they were encouraged to participate in a "Chalk Talk" -- silent written responses to one question, "What world do YOU want in 2030?" (The U.N. has set 2030 as the deadline for achieving its global goals.) This one question was the guiding theme of the day.

To set the tone and inspire creative thinking, they watched this video introducing the goals, and two teams from previous years of the program shared the projects that they'd accomplished in their towns. Here, students from Williston Central School present.

Then it was time to dig in! Students spent time grappling with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, presented at each table in small squares of paper. Which ones are most important to the planet? Which one is most important to you? Sorting through the goals, students quickly realized how interrelated the goals are -- an important message in and of itself. At the end of the session, each team prioritized one goal that would be the focus of their year-long community project. Some of the goals that rose to the top were: Climate Action (#13), Gender Equality (#5), Zero Hunger (#1), and Good Health and Well-Being (#3)

With a beautiful fall day on offer, it was then time for the students to get outside for some team-building and systems thinking exercises! This got them ready for a local lunch prepared with food from the Farm, including mac 'n' cheese made from our raw farmstead cheddar!

In the afternoon, students again split up into their school teams to begin brainstorming ideas and planning for their year-long project. Adult community partners were on hand to help teams think about what was possible, and where they might find adult support in executing a project. Over the course of the coming academic year, teams will finalize and implement their projects, supporting each other along the way. Then they will return to Shelburne Farms next May to report out on their accomplishments.

What world do YOU want in 2030?

Sarah Webb

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Representatives from the Americas meet to address education for human health and the environment

admin — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 13:00:56 +0000

Representatives from the Americas meet to address education for human health and the environment admin Mon, 10/07/2019 - 09:00

While climate rallies were occurring in New York and across the globe, Shelburne Farms--together with the University of Vermont and the City of Burlington--was honored to host representatives from North, Central, and South America to address issues at the cross-section of human health and climate change.

Held September 22-25, 2019, it was the 8th annual gathering of Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) on Education for Sustainable Development, a United Nations distinction for regions known to be conducting innovative initiatives in this area. This particular gathering was for the 16 RCEs located in the Americas, of which the Burlington area is one. The work in our region is coordinated by the Greater Burlington Sustainability Education Network (GBSEN). RCEs across the globe are collectively working to achieve the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) in their regions.

Hosting the international event allowed us to elevate and highlight the Greater Burlington region’s work in Education for Sustainability. This included visits with students in the Burlington City & Lake Semester at Burlington High School, an exploration of Shelburne Farms’ Cultivating Pathways project at the Coach Barn, and more.

Like most annual gatherings, the focus is on networking, discussing, and sharing the work that everyone has been doing to advance the SDGs. It’s the less glamorous, but critical work that Shelburne Farms is deeply committed to: working in relationships and partnerships to educate for a sustainable future.

Here are some photos capturing the RCE event.

Jen Cirillo, Shelburne Farms; Signe Daly, teacher with Burlington City and Lake Semester; Diego Adamson, RCE Cuenca del Plata, Argentina; Pablo Llerandi Roman, Candidate RCE, Puerto Rico -- at Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center. Photo: Brian Jenkins

Students in the Burlington City and Lake Semester Program at Burlington High School share a few of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that they focus on in their studies. Photo: Brian Jenkins

Students from Crosset Brook Elementary School in Waterbury, VT presented their student-created, student-run coop project. The idea for this project emerged out of Shelburne Farms' Cultivating Pathways event. Photo: Sarah Webb.

RCE delegates at their session at the Coach Barn. Photo: Sarah Webb.

Holly Brough

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