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

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.

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

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.