Ecoliterate: How Educators Are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence

by Daniel Goleman, Lisa Bennett, Zenobia Barlow

Overview

A new integration of Goleman's emotional, social, and ecological intelligence 

Hopeful, eloquent, and bold, Ecoliterate offers inspiring stories, practical guidance, and an exciting new model of education that builds - in vitally important ways - on the success of social and emotional learning by addressing today's most important ecological issues.

This book shares stories of pioneering educators, students, and activists engaged in issues related to food, water, oil, and coal in communities from the mountains of Appalachia to a small village in the Arctic; the deserts of New Mexico to the coast of New Orleans; and the streets of Oakland, California to the hills of South Carolina. 

Ecoliterate marks a rich collaboration between Daniel Goleman and the Center for Ecoliteracy, an organization best known for its pioneering work with school gardens, school lunches, and integrating ecological principles and sustainability into school curricula. For nearly twenty years the Center has worked with schools and organizations in more than 400 communities across the United States and numerous other countries. 

Ecoliterate also presents five core practices of emotionally and socially engaged ecoliteracy and a professional development guide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781118104576
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	08/14/2012
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Daniel Goleman is an internationally known psychologist, former New York Times science reporter, and author of the classic Emotional Intelligence.

Lisa Bennett is the communications director of the Center for Ecoliteracy, a longtime writer about the environment, health, and education. She is also a former fellow at Harvard University's Center on Press, Politics, and Public Policy.

Zenobia Barlow is the executive director and cofounder of the Center for Ecoliteracy and coeditor of Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction: From Breakdown to Breakthrough 1

Five Practices of Emotionally and Socially Engaged Ecoliteracy 12

Section One: Stories From the Field

Part One Standing Strong on a Coal Mountain 21

1 Lessons from a Coal Miner’s Daughter 23
Teri Blanton and Wendell Berry, Kentucky

How to Mine a Mountain 25

Deconstructing the Meaning of “Cheap” 26

Why Can’t We Go Out and Play, Daddy? 30

2 Taking a Power Trip 35
Spartanburg Day School, South Carolina

Bringing “The Ecosphere” Down to Earth 36

What’s My Connection? 40

The Last Mountain 41

Part Two From Anger to Action in Oil Country 43

3 The Heart of the Caribou 45
Sarah James, Arctic Village, Alaska

Top Ten Oil Producers 48

United States Is Number One in Oil Consumption 53

4 Beyond Whining 55
Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools

The World’s Most Important Energy Source 59

Classroom Exercise: Where’s the Oil? 62

Part Three Shared Water: Moving Beyond Boundaries 63

5 Water Wars and Peace 65
Aaron Wolf, Mediator and Oregon State University Professor

The Biggest (Hidden) Use of Water 67

Ocean Water in a Glass? 68

The Resilience of Water 71

6 From Restoration to Resilience 77
Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed, Northern California

Freshwater Blues 81

The Rise of Dead Zones 82

The New Face of Water Pollution 84

Part Four Nourishing Communities with Food 87

7 Changing a Food System, One Seed at a Time 89
La Semilla Food Center, Anthony, New Mexico

How to Feed Nine Billion 92

Test Your “Food IQ” 94

8 Forging the Food Justice Path 99
Tony Smith, Superintendent of Schools, Oakland, California

The Rise of School Food Reform 100

The Curriculum Connection 105

Rethinking School Lunch 106

Section Two: Professional Development Strategies 111

9 Cultivating Ecoliterate Learning Communities 113
Guidelines for Engaging Colleagues

Using Circles to Cultivate Deep Listening 118

Transformation in the Classroom 120

10 Reflection and Practice 123
Conversation Strategies for Getting Started

Going on a Virtual Dive 127

Professional Development Sample Agendas 130

Conclusion: Hands-On Hope 133

Notes 135

Resources 155

Index 163

The Center for Ecoliteracy 171

The Authors 173

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“In this pioneering book, Dan Goleman and his collaborators demonstrate—in vivid and compelling fashion—how education can be transformed through a synthesis of these intelligences.”—Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education 

"In the 21st century, we need a new relationship with nature, a redefinition of both environmentalism and ecoliteracy. Ecoliterate offers a roadmap for educators—and the rest of us—to that future, one based on empathy, kinship, natural intelligence, and hope. We're in their debt for showing the way."— Richard Louv, author of The Nature Principle and Last Child in the Woods 

“Gutsy, eloquent, moving, Ecoliterate is a masterpiece of motivation and practical guidance. Yes, it is perfect for educators, but it is also perfect for students, parents, grandparents, and all of us yearning to contribute to life on our planet. Ecoliterate will help young people discover their own power—and that genie is impossible to get back in the bottle! I love this book.”—Frances Moore Lappé, author of EcoMind: Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want 

“Beautifully written, accessible, and urgently important, Ecoliterate introduces us to individuals and communities around the country who in very real, practical ways are demonstrating that a new world is possible. No harangue here; this is about hope, embodied in educating our children—head, heart, and hands—to deeply understand how to take care of themselves, their neighbors, and the natural world on which we all depend.”—Michael Ableman, farmer and author of From the Good Earth, On Good Land, and Fields of Plenty 

“To be Ecoliterate is to be equipped to be Earth Citizens, to reach our full potential as human beings. This important book shows us how."—Vandana Shiva, Founder, Navdanya International and author of Soil Not Oil 

“Timely, important, healing, and hopeful—Ecoliterate is a ‘must read, must implement’ guide to a healthy and sustainable present and future.”—Cheryl Charles, President and CEO, Children & Nature Network 

“The Center for Ecoliteracy has for years been a preeminent thought leader for how we can educate our children in a way that creates generations of earth-stewards. Ecoliterate is a much-needed guide for exactly how to accomplish this goal and includes great examples that demonstrate the success of their approach.”—Oran B. Hesterman, Ph.D., President and CEO, Fair Food Network