This article contains the content from the 10/01/2020 Bioneers Pulse newsletter. Sign up here to get the newsletter straight to your inbox!

As school systems re-open, online or in-person, the rapidly changing nature of our world is more evident than ever before. The American education system is totally old school, and communities are demanding a 21st century makeover. That includes a more comprehensive education about our nation’s history — the good AND the ugly — and preparing our students to be better stewards of the Earth.

This week, we highlight solutions to building a more impactful and equitable curriculum, so the next generation can learn from the past to lead a better future.

Virtual Learning Resources: Indigeneity Curriculum

The Bioneers Indigeneity Program is the go-to source for accurate and contemporary information about Indigenous science, media, and curriculum for social change.

To support the use of Bioneers’ original content in the classroom, we’ve developed thematic discussion guides and curriculum bundles aligned with national standards for grades 9-12+. Our curriculum offers educators an invaluable toolkit for optimizing the educational potential of evergreen Bioneers media.

Each bundle teacher instructions, activities, assessment, and additional materials for a week of instruction around a set of themes. All lesson plan objectives and activities are aligned to high school standards for science, social studies/history, and English.

Read more here.

October 12th is Indigenous Peoples’ Day!

Celebrate by learning more about the Indigenous activists, writers and
culture bearers who are leading efforts to preserve traditional Indigenous knowledge.

Click here to browse the Bioneers Indigeneity media collection!

Outdoor Education and COVID-19

Earlier this summer Bioneers featured an interview with the founders of the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative, Why Outdoor Education May Be the Key to Reopening Schools Safely. The article went viral, leading to a huge increase in inquiries to the initiative and was likely responsible for national coverage from PBS, The Atlantic and others.

Thank you, readers, for your action — when you read, share and reach out to those featured in our articles, real change can result. We encourage you to learn more about the Initiative and how you and your school can get involved.

“Composting Self-Limiting Patterns: Facing Shadow to Turn Towards Our Full Flourishing” with Nina Simons

Bioneers co-founder Nina Simons will be teaching this Guest Master Class on Monday, October 19th, 2020, at 10am PST. This session is part of the Beautiful Leadership Immersion, which takes us into an embodied learning and unlearning adventure. Sign up for this experience now to gain the skills, tools and practices for navigating the relationship between our inner transformation and systemic change.

Register now!

Eco Schools: Educating for Sustainable Communities | Fritjof Capra, Cheryl Charles, and David Orr

Most American schools are flunking out when it comes to how well they integrate ecological literacy across the curriculum. Many others are doing no better than a C average with the idea that schools should be actively engaged in sustaining the natural and social communities in which schools exist.

In this Bioneers podcast episode, Fritjof Capra, co-founder of the Center for Ecoliteracy, and leading environmental educators Cheryl Charles and David Orr explore what’s working for the A+ schools that are successfully integrating ecological awareness, understanding and practices through the curriculum and the community.

Listen to the full episode here.

Ecological Literacy: Teaching the Next Generation About Sustainable Development

As societies search for ways to become more sustainable, Fritjof Capra suggests incorporating the same principles on which nature’s ecosystems operate. In this essay, “Speaking Nature’s Language: Principles for Sustainability” from the book Ecological Literacy, he leaves a blueprint for building a more resilient world on the foundation of natural concepts, such as interdependence and diversity.

Read more here.

CIIS Public Programs: Fall 2020 Digital Brochure

The California Institute of Integral Studies, a nonprofit dedicated to personal and social transformation, is hosting their 2020 Fall season of virtual discussions and workshops. These events will touch on a broad range of topics, such as compassion, psychedelics, spirituality and more.

Browse the full brochure here.

What We’re Tracking:

• From the Biomimicry Institute: The Youth Design Challenge (YDC) is a free, hands-on, project-based learning experience that provides classroom and informal educators with a new framework to introduce biomimicry and an interdisciplinary approach to science and environmental literacy. Working in teams with an adult coach, students explore the wonders of the natural world and apply what they learn to create innovations that support a healthier planet.
• From Bullfrog Films: The film Symbiotic Earth explores the life and ideas of Lynn Margulis, a brilliant and radical scientist, whose unconventional theories challenged the male-dominated scientific community and are today fundamentally changing how we look at ourselves, evolution, and the environment. In appreciation for teachers’ dedication during these unsettled times, Bullfrog Films is offering educators a 20% discount on licensing Symbiotic Earth for their institutions. With each purchase, educators will receive the bound, hard copy version of the Symbiotic Earth Study Guide.
• From Iconic Leaders Rise: Bioneers co-founder Nina Simons is speaking at this free virtual event alongside other renowned leaders from all over the world. They’ll be sharing wisdom on how to align with your soul purpose, shift the world through your own personal awakening, and use your voice to inspire and motivate others. Reserve your spot today!

The Latest from Bioneers.org:

• “Frank Kanawha Lake: Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge Can Save Our Ecosystems” | Frank Kanawha Lake, an Indigenous research ecologist, discusses how traditional ecological knowledge about fire and watershed ecology can guide government agencies toward more regenerative land stewardship practices.
• “Regenerative Agriculture: Nourishing the Soil, Healing the Planet” | This short video highlights regenerative ranchers and farmers who are bringing life back to working landscapes by mimicking the creative forces of nature. By sequestering carbon from the atmosphere back into the soil, this approach to agriculture is a key solution to mitigating climate change.
• “An Apocalyptic Shade of Orange” | Dr. Rupa Marya, co-founder and Faculty Director of the Do No Harm Coalition, writes about how colonialism has fostered unsustainable and destructive relations with the land. In light of the California wildfires, she argues that returning land to its original Indigenous caretakers could provide a pathway to restoring balance.
• “State of American Democracy Project to Premiere “Democracy Unchained: A Conversation Series” | Bioneers is serving as a Project Partner with David Orr’s State of American Democracy Project, which has launched a series of video conversations that feature political thought leaders, such as Van Jones and David Brooks, as they discuss the convergence of crises facing democracy — and how to fix them.
• “No More Stolen Sisters: Stopping the Abuse and Murder of Native Women and Girls” | In this Bioneers podcast episode, powerful Native women leaders reveal the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, and describe how they are taking action and building growing movements, including with non-Native allies.
• “Oklahoma Tribes Under Attack from State” | While Native American tribes in Oklahoma celebrate the recent McGirt v. Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling, which defends tribal sovereignty, this breaking press release reveals Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt’s attempts to override this ruling and force fracking and drilling on their territories.
• “The Sacred Forest: an Online Art Exhibit and Interview with AWA Gallery Founder, Patsy Craig” | Patsy Craig is an art curator, producer, and Indigenous rights activist. In this interview, she reflects on the recent opening of her new gallery, AWA Galería in Cusco, Peru, as a platform to amplify Indigenous worldviews.

This article contains the content from the 10/01/2020 Bioneers Pulse newsletter. Sign up here to get the newsletter straight to your inbox!