Urgency and Opportunity: Preparing a Generation of Solutionaries 

(A Call to Action by Steve Cochrane, Executive Director of the Institute for Humane Education) Over the past two years, life as we know it has changed. We have seen the entire world impacted by disease. We are watching the atrocities of war through our daily news feeds. We are facing a climate crisis, a crisis…

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Be a Solutionary, Make a Difference, and Find Meaning in Your Life

When I observe our dogs, I often envy their seeming ease in the world. Sure, Pippin gets anxious when we leave the house (and the couch cover gets a wee bit more torn up as a result); Poppy cringes when treats are tossed her way (perhaps because she was abused before we rescued her); and Hershel has a pillow…

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Widening Our Circle of Compassion: An Interview With Animal Rights Photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur

Jo-Anne McArthur’s love of animals began when she was a child. She says, “The neighbour had a backyard dog who didn’t live a very exciting life so I would take him for walks, despite his enormous size and my small stature.” In her 20’s, Jo-Anne realized that she could combine her empathy with her photography…

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Moving Beyond “It’s a Personal Choice”

by Marsha  Rakestraw “It’s a personal choice.” If you’ve been a humane educator or changemaker for any length of time, you’ve probably heard those words frequently. You may even have said them yourself. We use them when we want to justify the choices we’re making and remove any sort of ethical consideration or right-or-wrong-ness from…

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Resources: Dead Zone header

Solutionary Unit: Dead Zones in Gulf of Mexico

What Do the Primary Causes of Death in the US Have to Do With the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico? What are the biggest killers of people in the U.S. today? What is the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico? How can these two seemingly disparate problems possibly be connected? This unit…

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Resources: Behind the Scenes

Behind the Scenes

Participants explore the hidden lives of their everyday stuff by investigating how ordinary products come into existence & who/what has been helped or harmed in the creation & distribution of that product. Recommended for grades 6 and up. Time: 45 minutes to several weeks   Common Core Standards for this activity (pdf): Download Common Core…

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