WHAT CONDITIONS ENHANCE LIFE? "Cutting one tree is never about just cutting one tree," writes Frances Moore Lappé. In this excerpt from her latest book, EcoMind: Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want (Nation Books, 2011), she argues that thinking like an ecosystem - attending carefully to patterns of interconnection, change, and context - is necessary in order to answer the question, "What conditions enhance life?" What is good in one context may bring disaster in another, she demonstrates, and what might be perceived as a single change in one community can profoundly change the lives of people around the planet. Lappé is the author of 17 other books, including Diet for a Small Planet, and cofounder of several noteworthy organizations, including Food First and the Small Planet Institute. more >

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ECOLITERACY EDUCATION GROWING WORLDWIDEIn June, Maryland became the first state to require multi-disciplinary environmental literacy education as a high school graduation requirement. Governor Martin O'Malley called the law a "defining moment for education" in his state. In Turkey, the Ministry of Education and the NGO Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats have launched a program to certify hundreds of teachers across the country as ecoliteracy instructors. Trainees will learn four major principles: everything depends on one another; everything is going somewhere; nothing is eternal; and nature has the last word. learn about the Center for Ecoliteracy's principles for Smart by Nature education >

The Center for Ecoliteracy has identified a five-step process for schools becoming Smart by Nature, based on how living systems change. Change is most likely to last if it involves whole schools. Children learn from everything the school does: school food, gardens, building design and maintenance, as well as curriculum in the classroom. We discuss several of the most important areas of school practice, and strategies for making changes in them.

The best hope for learning to live sustainably lies in schooling that is "smart by nature." It includes experiencing the natural world; learning how nature sustains life; nurturing healthy communities; recognizing the implications of the ways we feed and provision ourselves; and knowing well the places where we live, work, and learn. Teachers are in a prime position to be able to weave these basics throughout the curriculum at every grade level. Whether they start with an environmental issue or with fundamental ecological principles, teachers can nurture the knowledge, skills, and values essential to sustainable living.

A variety of teaching strategies are particularly appropriate for fostering sustainable living. We promote interdisciplinary instructional methods that are age-level appropriate; actively engage students in learning in and out of the classroom; involve them in long-term projects; and create an atmosphere of purposeful conversation and reflection about complex issues.

There is no blueprint for schooling for sustainability. This movement, which is growing in school systems across North America and around the world, is characterized by its diversity. The Center for Ecoliteracy has identified some recurring goals and practices, and reasons the movement is important to educators, students, and parents. It has articulated competencies needed for sustainable living, and described the work of a variety of successful schools and programs.

On the basis of its work with thousands of educators, the Center for Ecoliteracy has developed a framework for schooling for sustainability that we call “Smart by Nature™.”

Smart by Nature™ is based on four guiding principles: Nature is our teacher; Sustainability is a community practice; The real world is the optimal learning environment; Sustainable living is rooted in a deep knowledge of place.

As part of its Smart by Nature™ program, the Center for Ecoliteracy supports the schooling for sustainability movement by presenting the inspiring stories of school communities and organizations engaged in this vital work. You can help others who want to do schooling for sustainability by sharing your ideas, experiences, and lessons learned. And you can learn from others by reading stories submitted by a wide variety of schools below.

The story can describe your whole school or organization, or can describe a particular project within it. What is your goal? How are you doing it? What have you learned — and are continuing to learn — along the way? After we receive your story, we will invite you to submit pictures to accompany it. You will have the opportunity to edit or update your story at any time.

Five Steps to Becoming Smart by Nature

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There is no one-size-fits-all plan for schooling for sustainability. The Center for Ecoliteracy has identified a five-step process from its work with hundreds of educators. Schools can adapt the process to fit their own circumstances. The steps mirror the Center's principles of Smart by Nature education: learning from nature, community collaboration, immersion in the real world, and deep knowledge of particular places.