by Marsha Rakestraw In mid-January, two boys, ages 12 and 13, killed more than 500,000 bees and destroyed tens of thousands of dollars of property. Allegedly just for kicks. In December 2017, a young Muslim woman was attacked on a transit train in Vancouver, Canada. Most people watched; only one young man intervened. Incidences of…
Read more »
by Marsha Rakestraw It’s true that the world is facing numerous grave challenges. And we’re exposed to many of them during our 24/7 omnipresent news cycles. Occasionally we’ll also find some positive stories about people doing good. But usually these stories are focused on small acts of kindness or Band-Aid solutions. And while every compassionate…
Read more »
by Marsha Rakestraw Plastic straws are one of those little things we don’t think much about. We pop them in our to-go drinks. Restaurants often automatically include them with our beverages. They’re readily available at restaurants, bars, cafeterias, special events, and so on. But ask this turtle and all the other sea animals, and they’ll…
Read more »
Humane educator Dr. Elizabeth Crawford helps teachers-in-training develop their competencies in helping their students become global citizens and solutionaries. Students in Elizabeth’s classes create “solutionary” units on a variety of global ethical issues, and then work with classroom teachers to pilot those units. Melinda Wiggins teaches 5th grade for an elementary school in the New…
Read more »
by Marsha Rakestraw I hate conflict. (Even the potential for conflict.) And I’m shy. And I’m not very good at knowing the right thing to say in the moment. Already I have three strikes against me when having in-the-moment conversations with others about global ethical issues. As a humane educator, I want to inspire others…
Read more »
Felice Clyne-Davis is an IHE grad student and a long-time teacher and humane educator in New York City. Recently her students, members of Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots program and piloters of our Solutionary Congress Program, were able to meet Jane and share about their solutionary work for a better world. Felice said: “My students…
Read more »
IHE M.Ed. grad, Neil Hornish, is co-founder of the Compassionate Living Project, a nonprofit humane education organization. He is also a humane educator for the Ethical Choices Program and a Systems Project Engineer at United Technologies Aerospace Systems. Neil and his wife, Annie, who live in Connecticut, have been vegan for more than 20 years…
Read more »
by Marsha Rakestraw Call it climate change, global warming, climate catastrophe, or the impending apocalypse, we’ve seen that it’s rampaging across our planet and affecting every being on earth. A 2020 poll from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication shows that nearly three quarters of Americans now believe global warming is happening, and 56% believe…
Read more »
by Elizabeth O. Crawford, Ph.D. with Claire Roehl, M.Ed. Speaking at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden declared: “For me, being a teacher isn’t just what I do — it’s who I am. These issues are personal to me.” Like Dr. Biden, I believe that the teacher’s role is not limited…
Read more »
How can we create a just, healthy, and humane world? What is the path to developing sustainable energy, food, transportation, production, and other systems? What’s the best strategy to end poverty and ensure that everyone has equal rights? How can we slow the rate of extinction and restore ecosystems? How can we learn to resolve…
Read more »
