We  speak with Tom Roderick, founding executive director of the Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility; Jan Zuckerman, Co-founder of Sunnyside Environmental School in Portland, Oregon; and Graham Klag, an alumnus of Sunnyside Environmental School. We discuss Tom's book, Teach for Climate Justice: A Vision for Transforming Education. Tom explains that climate chaos and social justice are inextricably linked, and proposes a program for addressing both. He centers the concept of the beloved community.

Overview

00:00-01:07 Intros

01:07-03:57 Why “Climate Justice?’

03:57-06:00 Connection between climate change and social justice

06:00-07:34 The book’s primary audience

07:34-09:30 Teaching for climate justice and SEL

09:30-11:51 Sunnyside Environmental School

11:51-15:37 Meshing hands-on learning with Oregon’s state testing requirements

15:37-16:43 Storyline

16:43-19:24 Creating a “beloved community”

19:24-21:23 Impact on Graham Klag’s life as an alum

21:23-30:10 Wolf education project with ranchers’ families

30:10-34:37 Encouraging students to be hopeful

34:37-37:22 Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST, Brazil) and “contentious co-governance)

37:22-40:00 Teach for Climate Justice Project

40:00-41:27 Civil resistance

41:27-43:13 SEL in Phoenix Talent schools in Eastern Oregon

43:13- Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcription of this episode.

References

• Book "Teach for Climate Justice: A Vision for Transforming Education" by Tom Roderick 


• Sunnyside Environmental School in Portland


• Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility

Soundtrack by Poddington Bear

Photo teachforclimatejustice.org