The 7th annual Sustainability Institute for Educators, a 3-day Institute that challenges participants to explore current issues in sustainability and understand how people and schools connect to these issues, will be held June 19-21 at Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School (MICDS). This year’s Institute will focus on exploring the connections between sustainability and curriculum, uncovering the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability education, and providing resources, tools, and insight into how we as educators can help support students that are sustainability literate and active stewards of the planet.
The Sustainability Institute Planning Committee is proud to announce that Jen Cirillo, Director of Professional Development of Shelburne Farms will be the 2018 Keynote Speaker. Shelburne Farms, a true leader in the education for sustainability movement, is a non-profit organization with a home campus that encompasses 1,400 acres of working farm, forest, and historical landmark in Vermont. The Farm is a place and institution that inspires, challenges, and supports students, families, and leaders to grapple with the big question of how to live responsibly in the 21st century.
Jen coordinates all the Farm’s offerings to educators, and develops and conducts workshops, institutes and credit-bearing courses at the local, national and international levels. As director of the Farms’ Sustainable Schools Project, she works to further develop and evaluate the model, document promising practices, and conduct outreach to additional schools and communities. She co-chairs the K-12 and Teacher Education Sector of the US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development and is a board member of Vermont Energy Education Program (VEEP). Jen’s favorite part of the job is working with teachers and helping them to find their passion and joy in teaching and how to share that with students of all ages. Other featured speakers for the 2018 Sustainability Institute for Educators include Bob Coulter, Director of Litszinger Road Ecology Center, and Lacy Cagle, Director of Learning at Northwest Earth Institute.
To learn more and keep up to date about this year’s Institute visit: www.webster.edu/sie