TURN IT
AROUND!

How to

TURN IT AROUND! is a toolkit to help us radically reimagine education in response to the climate and ecological emergency.  There is no one right way to use them, but here are some ideas that may get you started in turning this emergency around.

 

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COOPERATION

Nature taught me about cooperation or gotong royong. Plants are related to each other and complement each other to create a balanced ecosystem. Sometimes a plant's life depends on other plants, such as the endangered Rafflesia flower. Rafflesia flowe...

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Common Worlds Research Collective

How might common worlding pedagogies foster new ways of learning and living on our damaged earth? Common worlding pedagogies refuse to separate us humans off from our fellow earthlings. Instead of thinking about the world ‘out there’ as something...

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DISAPPEARING GLACIERS

It pains me to see our glaciers – which for centuries fed rivers and lakes – disappearing so quickly. The mountains, once proud symbols of our country, now seem to cry out for help. Each year, the summers grow hotter, the rains come less often, a...

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EVERYTHING IS ALIVE!

Everything is alive! Every rock and mountain and tree and animal....

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Produced by CAPS Unlock in partnership with the UNESCO Almaty, and in collaboration with the Mary Lou Fulton College of Teaching and Learning Innovation at Arizona State University and the Artists’ Literacies Institute. Designers: Ilya Osipov, Matv...

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EARTH IS ALL WE HAVE

Earth is all we have and we must learn how to take care of her. Including climate education in today’s educational curriculum will bring the urgency of climate action, discouraging activities that lead to global heating and encouraging our collecti...

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LOAM: A fertile soil that nurtures growth

A good book has the power to change the global conversation, reshape social ecosystems, and heal our Earth. Print publishing is a sacred practice in building accessible blueprints for seeding equitable, liberatory, and just futures. How can we nurtur...

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MATERIAL OR SPIRITUAL VALUE?

It is through the development of spiritual values – not material ones – that we can truly preserve our planet: ‘In the traditions of nomadic culture, there has always been a deep reverence for Nature and its forces. Respectful and careful treat...

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FRAGILE LIKE A BALLOON

Today, Earth is as fragile as a balloon – yet the world treats it far too harshly....

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CHANGE OURSELVES

To change the world for a better planet we must change ourselves - our own behaviors, thoughts, and ways of being. And this can only be achieved through environmental education. We need to mentor the next generation by equipping them with ecological...

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CLIMATE CRISIS FUELS GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

Remember the women who are victims of gender-based violence due to climate crisis when you make decisions about their future. Remember the women who are being sold off into marriage because of a shortage of food in their house or during extreme droug...

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THE FRAGILE FABRIC OF LIFE

When we pollute nature, we’re not just leaving waste on the Earth’s surface – we’re tearing apart the fragile fabric of life. We poison rivers, destroy forests that give us clean air, and condemn future generations to struggle for survival in...

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TRANSFORM UNSUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS

We are living through a social and environmental crisis, which is rooted in systemic inequities. Young people are confronted with this every day. We can’t achieve the change necessary for our survival by using the same systems that got us here in t...

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THE PULSE OF LIFE IN YOUR BEING AND BODY

From Nature you can learn to feel the pulse of life in your being, in your body. You can remember and learn how to come into the sacred dance of creation that is happening all around you, you can learn to play your own instrument in the great...

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THE POWER OF WATER LIES IN RESPECT

‘He who respects water will rise, He who neglects it will fall.’ Zhenizhock (Ötö) Kökö uulu (1860–1918), ‘Flowing Water’....

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“Alam takambang jadi guru” (NATURE IS A TEACHER)

As the saying goes, "Alam takambang jadi guru" - nature is a teacher. There are many life lessons that nature teaches us, such as always being humble (the rice is getting fuller, the more it bends down), never give up (a river that continues to flow...

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SOMETIMES ANIMALS ARE MORE GENEROUS THAN PEOPLE

Humans can be arrogant and selfish. Sometimes, they refuse to do even what’s in their own best interest. Of course, human intelligence may surpass that of any other living being – but it’s essential for every creature – human, animal, or plan...

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INEVITABLE COLLAPSE

The fragile balance of our planet’s climate depends on many factors. Reckless, thoughtless human actions negatively impact environmental health and weaken its resilience – much like a game of Jenga. As we remove pieces from the tower, we destroy...

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LEGACY AND RESPONSIBILITY

If we borrow the Earth from future generations, then we must return it at least in the same condition. I don’t want my children to inherit an empty planet....

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