If I were teaching a class on business, I would absolutely include information on this protest. In my experience, it may come as a surprise to some students that the majority of Americans are not rich. This would fit in well with activities on the distribution of wealth. One of the groups involved in the protest, We Are the 99%, offers a powerful collection of photos and narratives by the poorer 99% of Americans. This would work well with graphs illustrating the fact that, while the wealthiest 1% have seen their real income more than double in the past few decades, the rest of America has seen little to no growth. And, of course, this problem is not uniquely American. Students could be invited to present information on the distribution of wealth in their countries, or in other countries that they research. It could also be fruitful to combine these with activities looking at the distribution of wealth between countries. Whatever the angle, articles on this protest would be a great addition to a unit on business, government or wealth and poverty.

Along the same lines, Yes Magazine has an article about 5 acts of performance-based protest. I’m not thrilled with the tone of the article (“laughtivism” seems overly reductive) but the events themselves are very interesting. For one thing, it is great to show students that activism has many different faces. I tend to emphasize the activism that we take in our everyday actions, and it is important show students the range of responses that are available.

The lessons ask students to look at their own role in these issues, which I think is an important thing to do when addressing global issues. The readings are interesting, and not overly long or complicated. There is also a good variety of activities.

The only criticism I have is an apparent lack of awareness about issues relating to animals. For example, the handout “Hamburger, Fries and a Coke” in Unit 2 details the resources used in creating this stereotypically American meal. We are told about the fertilizer and water used for the grain to feed the cow, the gas used to ship the patties, and even about the poor working conditions at the slaughterhouse. At the same time, no mention is made of animal cruelty, the pollution runoff from factory farms, or the chemicals like hormones and antibiotics that the cows are pumped full of. To me, this is a strange omission.

Overall, though, I think this is a really useful set of lesson plans, and I’m not sure if the plan is to keep it free forever, so be sure to download it soon.

I haven’t used any of these materials yet, so to get a better understanding, I took a look at one topic in particular. I chose the 9-12 unit on Microfinance. The lesson plan itself is 37 pages, with detailed descriptions of the standards met, and several page-long readings on women and microfinance. It starts with a set of visual aids, a collection of photos and maps that help introduce the issues.

Next, students watch a short (2 min.) video clip profiling a woman in Aceh, Indonesia who is rebuilding her business after the tsunami. There is also a reading that gives additional information on her story, and discussion prompts are included with the visual aids. Many ideas for extension activities are also given, including reading graphs, understanding laws, and learning about gender inequality in the US.

The second part of the lesson uses a 2 min. interview with a woman from the International Food Policy Research Institute. She discusses how improving the economic status of woman also benefits children. Slides in the visual aids take students through a summarizing activity and a discussion of the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals. Again, many extension activities are given.

Based on this lesson, I would absolutely look to use these materials in class. They are full of great vocabulary, and engaging activities. And I think the range in grade levels available would make it easy to find something that would work with a class at a variety of English proficiencies.

Via World727

I have to confess that I’m no expert on Cesar Chavez, but these resources seem like a great way to make issues of human rights and food production relevant.

Their website also features past issues of their newsletter, photos and videos, all of which are great ways to introduce a variety of issues. Dancing Rabbit was also featured on an episode of in the first season of 30 Days called “Off the Grid”.

They’re having a fundraising blogathon this Friday and Saturday. $5,000 in matching donations have already been pledged, so please join them on Sustainablog this Friday and Saturday and help raise $10,000 for sustainability education.

…here we are, too far into the new century to pretend any longer that a new age of awareness and responsibility will suddenly emerge, unless we can gather the resolve to drag it kicking and screaming from our imaginations and into reality.
…
We have paused in our centuries-long push to produce and consume ever more now, and the most optimistic might say that this is our chance to breathe deeply and consider the sort of future we want for ourselves and for our planet. Will consumption continue to rule the day, or will we find ways to do more good for humanity, with less harm to the Earth? Will we make our recovery merely fast, or can we make it smart as well?

In addition to the essays, there are photo galleries of environmental migration, political migration, urbanization and irrigation.

There is also a really great infographic that illustrates a variety of statistics (population growth, water footprint, meat consumption, etc.) in an accessible way, with further links to infographics about each of the statistics. These are purely environmental in focus, though. For example, the infographic comparing meat types doesn’t mention anything about animal welfare or health, just resource consumption and pollution.

There is also an interactive quiz and links to resources for the various statistics. Finally, you can check out the 2008 version.

Thanks Larry

(Thanks Larry!)

ACT Responsible is a Swiss non-profit that attempts to use the talents of advertisers to address environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Their gallery is full of images and short videos that could be great visual prompts for activities on a wide variety of issues. For starters, check out highlights in The Best Adverts to Save the Planet, a slideshow available from the Guardian.

Other resources that could be used in activities looking at alternatives economies are Freecycle and freeconomy.