Category: education

Kitzmiller v. Dover: A Trial Reveals a Plan to Transform American Life

November 28, 2024

This entry begins my journey back through what’s motivated me to explore “The Mindful Ecological Citizen.” In 2004, Tammy Kitzmiller and 10 other parents filed a lawsuit against the Dover School District for passing an “intelligent design” policy that called the Theory of Evolution into question. Covering the story for a small paper, I came … More Kitzmiller v. Dover: A Trial Reveals a Plan to Transform American Life

Fifteen years of sustainable design for our schools

November 3, 2024

The State College Area School District has been pursuing building excellence for over 15 years. The first push for more sustainable design and construction came when the Board passed a resolution in 2008 committing the District to a minimum LEED Silver standard. Ever since, the District has incorporated sustainable design, energy, and procurement in its … More Fifteen years of sustainable design for our schools

A call from an intern reminds me that I’ve been teaching for more than 20 years.

October 26, 2024

On Thursday, my first intern, Rick, called me. It was wonderful. I was in my second semester back at Penn State, co-teaching Foundations of Leadership in Sustainability. Rick was an Engineering student who was eager to be more than engineer by challenging himself with ethics and education. We did this by diving into the ethics … More A call from an intern reminds me that I’ve been teaching for more than 20 years.

Local Climate Action Program wins national recognition and we are so grateful.

October 11, 2024

On Thursday, the Local Climate Action Program was awarded the Ryan Moser Reilly Award from the Engagement Scholarship Consortium. The Award “recognizes a campus or an entity on campuses (e.g. college, department, school, unit, program) that has made a significant contribution to transforming institutional culture that promotes community-engaged scholarship…[lifting up] institutions or units within that … More Local Climate Action Program wins national recognition and we are so grateful.

Working on climate action in Pennsylvania inspires climate action in a California

September 23, 2024

Last week, our Local Climate Action Program (LCAP) graduate Joe Thompson accepted an award on behalf of the Orange Sustainability Plan. Joe has taken a remarkable step that we hope for and dream of: applying the skills he learned in the LCAP and in his Energy & Sustainability Policy degree to his civic and professional … More Working on climate action in Pennsylvania inspires climate action in a California

Schools are not and should not be apolitical.

June 24, 2024

“Schools should be apolitical.” I hear this a lot. Most recently, this has come up because Louisiana’s governor has signed a law that requires schools place the Ten Commandments in schools. Last year and the year before, it was the Moms for Liberty trying to ban books based on their religious hopes for indoctrinating your … More Schools are not and should not be apolitical.

The Local Climate Action Program goes to Harrisburg

May 2, 2024

Tuesday was a big day for the Local Climate Action Program in Harrisburg! In addition to partnering with municipalities this year, Omar Padilla, Kathy Cappelli Breier, and Vijay Bhaskar Chiluveru worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to develop the Department’s first operational emissions greenhouse gas inventory. We owe a huge debt … More The Local Climate Action Program goes to Harrisburg

Learn about climate change. Talk about climate change. Do something together about climate change.

April 7, 2024

Last week, WPSU kicked off Earth Month with a day for high school students on climate change & environmental education. They brought a myriad of organizations together, showing how we are capable of living, learning, & playing in better harmony with the creation. … More Learn about climate change. Talk about climate change. Do something together about climate change.

Delta will survive. Delta will thrive.

March 31, 2024

Delta, founded as the Alternative Program in 1974, has been a community focused on democracy, imagination, and inclusivity for 50 years. Last year, the idea of turning Delta into a school sparked controversy. As the decision looms, questions about the program’s unique identity have emerged. The community’s deep ties to Delta and concerns about potential changes have led to robust discussions. Despite this, Delta’s future remains uncertain, with the possibility of becoming a school being carefully considered. The community’s commitment to maintaining Delta’s essence remains strong. … More Delta will survive. Delta will thrive.

It’s time for higher education to engage democracy and climate change.

October 21, 2019

Join members of the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium to deliberate about climate change and build our capacity for citizenship on November 9th. All over the country, citizens are concerned about climate change. And young people, as the Climate Strikes show clearly, are most concerned of all. But what can we as citizens do about it? … More It’s time for higher education to engage democracy and climate change.