Pathway 13:
Innovation Pathway
* Also U.N. Sustainable Development Goal SDG #17 Partnership for the Goals Read More
Guides and Curricula
Weaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge into Biological Education – A recent innovation in sustainability is incorporating traditional ecological knowledge into conservation efforts. This guide provides ideas for how to incorporate lessons on blending scientific and traditional knowledge regarding environmental care into the classroom.
Regenerative Landscape Design – Although many people assume that monocultures, or growing just one crop in an area, is the most effective way to grow food, long-term monocultures lead to a reduction in soil health, biodiversity, and yield, as well as an increase in pesticide use. Regenerative landscape design is based on polycultures, or planting different kinds of plants in an area. This guide helps show how regenerative landscape design can be applied, whether in fields or gardens.
Foodways: Sustainable Food Systems – Although the average American eats three meals a day, most people do not consider how their food choices affect the environment. This curricula shows ways to incorporate diet into sustainability lessons.
Apps
Oroeco – Tracks users’ environmental footprint, including analyzing eating and traveling habits, to give customized advice to reduce pollution while saving money.
Climate Action Now – Run by the Climate Reality Project, this app makes users rethink what environmental activism means by regularly offering new petitions to sign for environmental protection and with sustained use leading to trees being planted.
Pollinator Partnership’s Find Your Roots Tool – This tool helps you plant native species for pollinators, like bees.
SoilLife Analyzer – Using USDA data, this app offers customized advice on plants based on your soil.
CommunityCrop – Network to swap seeds and knowledge.
Games
Salvage – This free online game explores the effects of e-waste.
Recycle the Runway – Most people do not think about how their clothes shopping affects the environment. This game helps players think about how buying less can reduce waste, including the benefits of rewearing clothes and buying used clothes or clothes made from sustainable materials.
Three Sisters – This board game delves into the three sisters planting method of the Haudenosaunee, an Indigenous group which has traditionally planted corn, beans, and squash together. Polyculture, or growing different crops in the same area, is a traditional form of agriculture in most cultures which is being reinvigorated due to its positive ecological impacts, including increasing biodiversity, mimicking relationships in ecosystems, reduced pesticide use, and reducing the spread of disease.
Useful Links
Is Technology Bad for the Environment? – This article questions the assumption that technological solutions can protect the environment. From mining for minerals used in phones leading to water pollution, to the greenhouse gases emitted from technological use, to the issue of e-waste, it is much better to buy less than to invest in high-tech solutions, which often contribute to the problems they are meant to solve. In your personal life, you can reduce waste related to technology when you turn off lights and devices you are not using, as well as use your old phone, laptop, and other electronics for as long as they function instead of “upgrading.”
Integrating Indigenous Knowledge And Traditional Practices For Biodiversity Conservation In A Modern World – Although conservation has been accused of being overly top-down and ignoring the local knowledge of the people affected, this article explores the growing trend of scientists and Indigenous communities working together to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge into sustainability. Returning to traditions and reinterpreting traditional practices leads to time-tested environmental management.
Interfaith Power & Light – This nonprofit organization has innovated by directing their environmental work towards religious communities, helping congregations of different religious affiliations implement sustainability initiatives.
Climate and Environmental Justice – Environmental justice is a form of environmentalism that focuses on helping the people most impacted by environmental degradation, furthering both sustainability and social justice at the same time.
Buying Less is Better than Buying Green – This article challenges assumptions that environmental protection can be achieved simply by buying products marketed as sustainable. This false assumption has been a main reason why many people have dismissed environmentalism as only something that people who are financially well-off can do. By consuming less, anyone can reduce their environmental footprint as less resources are used to make, package, and ship products. Minimalism helps the environment and your budget!
Polyculture Farming: An Old Solution to a New Problem – This article explores the growing number of people returning to polyculture farming.