|
||||
|
||||
|
Imagine there is a shared understanding that schools have a responsibility to contribute to our individual and collective potential, and to that of the living systems upon which all life depends. And, also imagine the potential of having all our children in school with their teachers and mentors during the most favorable time for learning, and imagine that we honor our children through a paradigm shift in education that provides them with transformative learning experiences that prepare them to lead the shift toward a sustainable future. Schools are learning organizations where foundations are set for knowledge, skills and habits of mind, and we have to begin to focus our educational initiatives toward sustainability education and teach children how to live well in our places and to sustain the use over time for future generations. Education for sustainability must be a comprehensive effort. Formal and informal, public and private, as well as adult and youth educational efforts are well underway in assuring resources for learning are available in Santa Fe. As the Sustainable Santa Fe Plan calls for a comprehensive effort for sustainability education, the following are brief highlights of initiatives that are working toward achieving sustainability goals:
|
SANTA FE PUBLIC SCHOOLS by Bobby Gutierrez Currently, in Santa Fe Public Schools, our new school designed with sustainability in mind. The school is being built to LEED Silver II and includes a geothermal heat pump system for heating and cooling the building, recycling of gray water for such purposes as flushing the toilets, a special roof system to help support energy conservation, and a water catchment system. There will be a vast amount of day lighting, and the school is being built on an east/west plane – another import key feature in sustainable buildings. Additionally, the district has worked with the Santa Fe Children’s Museum to design the outdoor spaces into learning spaces, which will focus on environmental science. Two of our elementary schools, Alvord and Larragoite, are currently working on becoming magnet schools with a strong emphasis on the sciences and sustainability. As the Superintendent of the Santa Fe Public Schools, I believe it is important to provide teachers with the professional development and training they need to teach sustainability education, and I believe this would be a key element to add to our New Mexico Content Standards as revisions occur over the years. As an educator, I believe sustainability education is a common sense notion, as economic growth and prosperity, ecological health and a vibrant society depend on one another. When we are able to build our economy, environment and community all together, it is then we will achieve the quality of life all people deserve, and educators play a key role in making this happen. http://www.sfps.k12.nm.us |
|||
|
||||
