Join Erik and Jonathan as they discuss how to rethink education–and particularly the classroom experience–to prepare students for life on a changing planet. Erik will discuss the broader ideas and strategies that are part of the upcoming State of the World report: EarthEd: Rethinking Education on a Changing Planet. Jonathan will discuss his chapter in depth, exploring innovative ways to “bring the classroom back to life,” particularly at the university level.

Erik Assadourian is a Senior Fellow at the Worldwatch Institute. Over the past 15 years with Worldwatch, Erik has directed two editions of Vital Signs and five editions of State of the World, including the 2013 edition: Is Sustainability Still Possible? and the upcoming 2017 edition: EarthEd: Rethinking Education on a Changing Planet. Erik also directs Worldwatch’s Transforming Cultures project, and designed Catan: Oil Springs, an eco-educational scenario for the popular board game Settlers of Catan. Over the past few years, Erik has also been working to produce Yardfarmers, a reality TV show that follows six Millennial Americans as they exit the consumer economy to live with their parents and become sufficiency farmers.

Jonathan Dawson is a sustainability educator, currently working as Head of Economics at Schumacher College in Devon. Until recently a long-term resident at the Findhorn ecovillage and a former President of the Global Ecovillage Network, he has around 20 years experience as a researcher, author, consultant and project manager in the field of small enterprise development in Africa and South Asia. Jonathan is the principal author of the Gaia Education sustainable economy curriculum <www.gaiaeducation.org>, drawn from best practice within ecovillages worldwide, that has been endorsed by UNITAR and adopted by UNESCO as a valuable contribution to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

The video recording is available at: https://youtu.be/C4OZBg7RX-Y