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Green Light for Sustainability Starts
from Education
On June 26, 2010, the Green Schools
Alliance in partnering with the National
Conservation Training Center (NCTC)
of the U.S Wildlife Services held its second
annual student climate and conservation
congress (Sc3). Held in NCTC,
which is a government-owned forested
property on the Potomac River outside of
Washington DC with access to top-rate
national researchers, Sc3 empowers students
with the skills, knowledge and tools
necessary to plant the seeds of change in
their schools, homes and communities.
The 5 day conference included renowned
guest lectures, substantial group discussions,
and networking opportunities between
environmental and economic leaders
and students themselves. The last
year's keynote speakers were Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Douglas
Brinkley, Rob Watson and Andrew Revkin. The next Sc3 conference
keynote speakers were Dr. Sylvia Earle, Bill McKibben, Dr.
Robert Michael Pyle and Rob Watson. Prominent speakers such
as Dr. Sylvia Earle, who received the 2009 TED prize, talked
about the recent BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Leading discussions
regarding current environmental issues, many speakers
helped students to learn profound insights of these conflicts. After
the lecture, students were divided into different cohort groups to
discuss the lecture, current environmental issues and what activities
each student was involved in. Each cohort had to create a
proposal that the students were going to present on the last day of
camp. Interacting with other environmental leaders from all over
the nation, students gained broader perspective on leading the
global climate change movement.
Besides the lectures and group discussions, students at Sc3 also
had a balanced quality time for outdoor programs. Students were
involved in walkabouts, river hikes, campfire stories, star-gazing,
white-water rafting, archery and other outdoor activities to appreciate
the nature. Through outdoor activities such as white-water
rafting, students not only immersed themselves in the nature, but
also interacted with other students through team work and social
skills. The balance between quality outdoor programs, superb
96 KOREA IT TIMES | December 2010
The Student Climate and Conservation Congress
By Edward Lee
speakers and a prime faculty enabled the students to have a
greater understanding of the interrelation between human
economies and the natural environment, making them an even
stronger influence for sustainable change in their local community.
The Student Climate and Conservation congress was a visionary
inspiration from former President Theodore Roosevelt, who
envisioned a global conservation corps that would reach and motivate
every corner of society. To initiate Roosevelt's vision, the
graduating class of 2010 Sc3 will develop individual and collective
action plans to meet 21st century challenges. In order to support
and initiate students to lead their communities, the Green
Schools Alliance provided them with a Green Tools kit. The
Green Tools kit includes strategies to improve energy efficiency,
methods to calculate carbon emissions and an action checklist to
check its progress. From the knowledge and Green Tools the students
have acquired from the Sc3 congress, they will set sustainable,
energy-smart goals and have the ability to measure the
progress in their schools, homes or communities.