Why should we educate our students about sustainability?

 

Sustainability is all about promoting life, health and happiness. It’s about people and creating a society where we take care of each other. It’s also about living in harmony and caring for our earth, our environment, and the plants and animals that we share our world with. Our world is currently in a state of crisis, with millions of people living in poverty, food and water shortages in many parts of the world, economic distress, endangered ecosystems and massive pollution disrupting our planet’s natural processes and thinning the ozone layer. In order to counteract these damages, we need to be educated about these issues and about alternatives for sustainable development. We need to equip the next generation to understand and take on the challenge of creating a world that is more and more sustainable. As teachers, we have a responsibility to educate the children in our classrooms. They are the next generation and they will be faced with a society in need of change and restoration. There cannot be any movement towards a world that is more equal, just, whole and healthy without sustainable education.

 

Believe it or not, bringing sustainable education into the classroom isn’t as difficult as it might seem. Our students need to be taught skills such as creative and critical thinking, problem-solving and communication in order to equip them for creating sustainable solutions. They also need to be informed about the issues impacting our environment and the human population and the simple ways to make a difference. This website provides several ideas that teachers can use to incorporate sustainability in classroom lesson plans, in a simple, easy-to-use format.

 

If you need further convincing, check out this YouTube video!