Earth Day on April 22nd is around the corner and never in recent history has the sustainability of the planet been more under threat than today. This is why we want to share our RISE UP initiative, because it is all about and how you can help promote change.
As Einstein once said, if we want different results, we cannot continue doing the same thing. In the case of our planet, nothing is more valid because our development model means that we are on track to consume the resources of a planet and a half. And this, of course, is not a sustainable future because we generate more greenhouse gases than the planet can absorb and use more water from rivers and aquifers than can be regenerated.
The United Nations has recognized this problem and made it their objective to work towards the future we want for ourselves and for future generations via the Sustainable Development Goals. The goals include 17 targets ranging from major needs such as ending poverty to current issues such as climate change. In this video, Secretary General of United Nations Ban Ki-moon demonstrates how compliance with these goals would inevitably make us happier.
The Secretary is right that in addition to these goals being a priority for senior government officials, they should also be a priority for young people around the world because small actions can have a significant impact. We decided to start an initiative in the classroom to try to help students understand how our current development model affects our lives and the planet’s resources. In the process, we realized that there were very few educational materials aimed at teaching students about how to care for the environment, or simply to be more sustainable from a holistic perspective.
The IDB initiative RISE UP envisions schools as laboratories where teachers and students can create conditions for a small sustainable planet and provides information about how to adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change. This program teaches children how to contribute directly to 10 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals! It contains tools for educators to motivate the entire school community including a green kit that provides experiments related to sustainability issues, detailed class plans and inspiring videos covering 8 topics that have rarely been integrated into the classroom. These issues include Climate Change, Infrastructure, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Water, Solid Waste and Risk Management.
In addition to being useful for schools in Latin America, “Rise Up Against Climate Change” helps parents who want to educate their children and raise awareness about climate change and what we can do to create more sustainable future. Rise Up against Climate Change and help us spread these important messages to every corner of the planet!
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