The Solution to Every Problem That Impacts People, Animals, and the Planet

Posted on April 30, 2012 by zoeweil
Image courtesy of CERTs via Creative Commons.

For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for One Green Planet, a website dedicated to ethical choices. Here’s an excerpt from “The Solution to Every Problem That Impacts People, Animals, and the Planet”:

“About 25 years ago I submitted a question to a local newspaper contest about what I perceived as a largely unaddressed quandary: Since we measure the health and well-being of our nation primarily as growth in the GDP; and since unlimited growth is destructive (and ultimately impossible) because of the negative consequences that arise with more people, more resource depletion, more pollution, etc.; our primary indicator for health and well-being was ultimately one that led to numerous dangerous systems. Given the negative repercussions of such growth, why was (and is) our national conversation about how well our nation is doing limited to the growth of GDP?”

Read the complete essay.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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Zoe Weil Interview in Forbes Magazine: The Heart of Education

Posted on April 26, 2012 by zoeweil
Image courtesy Amy Wilton Photography.

I’m delighted to share this interview of me that Michael Tobias did for Forbes Magazine! Here’s an excerpt from “The Heart of Education: A Discussion with Zoe Weil”:

Michael Tobias: In your opinion, why is humane education so important?

Zoe Weil: While there are many ways in which humanity is becoming less violent, less prejudiced, and less cruel, the reality of a warming planet with over 7 billion people and limited resources means we face potential economic, social, and environmental catastrophes. While every generation has faced its challenges, only in this century do we confront the possible loss of half of all species on earth, with the simultaneous breakdown of the ecosystems which sustain us all. At the same time, through the Internet, only in this century do we now have the capacity to work together across every border, and collaborate and innovate so quickly and powerfully. There is great and realistic hope that we can solve the challenges we face and transform dysfunctional, inhumane, and destructive systems, but we’ll be hard-pressed to succeed if children in school continue to be taught under centuries-old models, and if our grand purpose for schooling remains to “compete in the global economy,” which is the buzz phrase of our time regarding education reform.

Read the complete interview.

I’d love it if you could please share widely!

~ Zoe

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Curiosity and Care: The Core Necessity for Learning

Posted on April 25, 2012 by zoeweil
Image copyright Edwin Barkdoll.

For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for Care2.com, an online community for people passionate about creating a better world. Here’s an excerpt from “Curiosity and Care: The Core Necessity for Learning“:

“Yesterday afternoon my husband and I went out to Otter Bog, where we stumbled upon a vernal pool filled with salamander and Wood Frog egg masses. It was marvelous. We had decided to go to Otter Bog instead of attending a vernal pool conservation talk that evening. We didn’t think we had time for both, and attending a presentation didn’t seem as exciting as heading outdoors with our dogs on a beautiful spring afternoon. But once we saw the vernal pool and realized how much we didn’t know about it we decided to head back in time to attend the talk.

…We humans love to learn. We are endlessly curious and eager gatherers of new knowledge. But we do need motivation to learn new things, and that motivation comes from our enlivening experiences and our ability to care. Most people have no reason to get excited or care about vernal pools and their ecology or conservation, because vernal pools mean nothing to them. Even if they stumbled upon a vernal pool in the woods, they would be as likely to find it mucky and gross as they would to find it amazing and compelling. There’s a positive feedback loop that occurs with curiosity. It is fed by care and some knowledge, which then inspires the desire to gain more knowledge and which makes us care even more.”

Read the complete post.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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“I have to return these because I’m having a girl”: Beyond Gender Identity

Posted on April 23, 2012 by zoeweil
Image courtesy of [F]oxymoron via Creative Commons.

I was with a friend who was exchanging some clothes at Target, and I overheard the person ahead of us in the returns and exchanges line explaining that she had to exchange a bunch of items because she found out that the baby she was carrying was a girl, not a boy, as she’d first been told.

She said she needed to get pink now instead of blue. She had purchased a big navy blue plastic bucket, a small turquoise throw rug, and a toy truck. Her new items were the same big plastic bucket, now in pink, a pink throw rug, and a tiny dress.

Although this woman’s actions were not unusual, I found myself startled by the attachment we still have to forced gender identification. Her baby won’t likely care much about the color of the throw rug and bucket for some time, if ever. Nor will she care one whit about the dress, which she will outgrow by 6 months old. And she might well have liked that truck in the years to come, but she probably won’t ever get one now.

I remember when my son was four, and we were going to paint his room. We let him choose the color. At the time, his favorite color was pink – bubblegum pink. Pink hasn’t been his favorite color for 13 years, but somehow, we never got around to repainting his room. It didn’t matter.

What does matter is whether this woman’s baby will be loved and cherished; whether her curiosity and wonder will be nourished; whether the world she grows up in will be fair and healthy and just and humane; whether she will be able to discern good from bad and become wise and generous; whether stores like Target will be filled with products and clothes that come at the expense of other children, other species, and the environment. And so much more.

I wish that mom-to-be had just kept her blue bucket and turquoise throw rug and truck and allowed the child she bears to lead her toward choices that reflect that child’s individuality, proclivities, and interests, and not those dictated by silly social norms.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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In Praise of Wonder, Uncertainty, and Possibility

Posted on April 20, 2012 by zoeweil

Neuroscientist David Eagleman gives a powerful and provocative TEDx talk about the importance of relinquishing dogma in favor of celebrating possibility. Watch it here:


By inviting us to ponder all that we don’t know, Dr. Eagleman reminds us that the best possible response to the mysteries that surround us is a combination of awe, wonder, curiosity, and a thoughtful search for understanding, rather than the dogmatism that pervades so much of society.

What I love most about this talk is its implicit message for education. If we cultivate the innate curiosity of our children and foster their creative and critical thinking capacities, while nurturing their wonder and reverence, we will be laying the groundwork for their open and eager search for new and better ideas that will lead us toward greater understanding, connection, collaboration, and truth-seeking.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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Egg-Laying Hens in the News…At Last!

Posted on April 18, 2012 by zoeweil
Image courtesy of Farm Sanctuary via Creative Commons.

When Nicholas Kristof, columnist for The New York Times and co-author of Half the Sky, uses his platform to tell the world about institutionalized – and profoundly cruel – egg production, one realizes that things have changed. For the better.  

Half the Sky, which documents the exploitation and abuse of women and girls around the world, is a fantastic and important book – one that’s required reading for the students in our graduate programs at the Institute for Humane Education. But one of my frustrations with the book was the dismissive tone that periodically crept into its pages regarding nonhuman animals. It saddened me that Kristof felt compelled to diminish the plight of animals in a book that was about the oppression of those without power.

But just a couple of years after writing Half the Sky, Kristof is now condemning the abuse of chickens in egg production. Compassion, it seems, can be extended when we acknowledge that pain and abuse is pain and abuse. Comparisons between humans and animals are not necessary. We can address all forms of cruelty and in doing so increase the overall measure of compassion and kindness in the world. Thank you Nicholas Kristof, and thank you to the anonymous worker at Kreider Farms who willingly endured your own hell to bring to light the unimaginable hell endured by those hens whose eggs millions of people eat.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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50 Words You Should NOT Say on a Standardized Test

Posted on April 16, 2012 by zoeweil
Image courtesy of Paul G via Creative Commons.

For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for Common Dreams, a progressive news site. Here’s an excerpt from “50 Words You Should NOT Say on a Standardized Test”:

“… when I first read about the New York City’s department of education effort to ban 50 words from city-wide tests, I thought that I’d better corroborate the source. It sounded too much like a satirical piece in The Onion. I thought that this couldn’t possibly be true – my home town, New York City, banning words? Alas, it was not satire. Here is the list of words that NYC Department of Education chancellor, Dennis Walcott, believes should be banned….”

Read the complete essay.

For a world full of critical thinkers,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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Banning “Pink Slime” Would Do More Harm

Posted on April 12, 2012 by zoeweil

When “pink slime” hit the media, outrage ensued. Many were disgusted and appalled that their meat was full of cow parts that were grosser than other cow parts, necessitating ammonia treatment to kill bacteria (a practice that has been occurring for over 40 years).

But now an analysis in the Washington Post of the effects of banning “pink slime” (could there be a grosser name?) reveals the negative impact such a ban would have both on cows (between 300,000 and 1.5 million more would be killed) and the environment (because of the impact raising cows for consumption has on the environment.)

Sometimes what seems obvious – that “pink slime” shouldn’t be in food – turns out not to be so obvious. When considering what does the most good and the least harm (the MOGO principle), “pink slime” comes out ahead of a ban; yet there’s another obvious choice (less encouraged in the media) that is MOGO. By reducing consumption of animals and animal products in general, there’s less pink slime, less slaughter of animals, less global warming, and less pollution.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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Debut of My 1-Woman Show: My Ongoing Problems with Kindness: Confessions of MOGO Girl

Posted on April 10, 2012 by zoeweil

On Friday, April 13th, I’ll be debuting my new 1-woman show, My Ongoing Problems with Kindness: Confessions of MOGO Girl, in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.

For some time now I’ve been thinking about new ways to share humane education issues with different and larger audiences than typically come out to hear a talk or attend a workshop. It occurred to me that everyone likes to laugh and be entertained (especially me!), so I created this show to bring important and serious global issues to audiences in an entertaining format. I’m eager to debut the show next week and to bring it on the road in the coming year.

Let me know if you’d like to bring the show to your community!

Zoe

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Creating a Generation of Solutionaries

Posted on April 4, 2012 by zoeweil

For my blog post today, I wanted to share a recent article I wrote for Educational Horizons Magazine. Here’s an excerpt from “Creating a Generation of Solutionaries”:

“In June, approximately three million students will graduate from public U.S. high schools, and even though they will have all passed their No Child Left Behind tests year after year, most will not be ready for what awaits them. While they may be verbally, mathematically, and technologically literate and successful at meeting the requirements of our educational system, even our highest-performing graduates will be unprepared for the important roles they must play in today’s world.

This generation of graduates will be confronted with escalating, interrelated, global problems, such as climate change, growing extinction rates, economic instability, a looming energy crisis, human trafficking, slavery, poverty, institutionalized systems of cruelty toward one trillion animals annually, and the oppression and abuse of women and girls across the globe, to name just some. Yet few will have learned in school how to approach and solve such systemic problems, and even though there are plenty of people already working on these and other issues, the systems in place that perpetuate them are entrenched. We need to create better, sustainable, and restorative systems in a host of arenas from food production and energy to transportation and financial markets.

… Whether or not we would have wished this on them, our children must grow up understanding how to solve pressing challenges. Yet, they are still memorizing names and dates of battles. They’re told to “do their best” at school, but what would be best is if we engaged their loving hearts and brilliant minds so that they yearned to play their important roles in the great tasks ahead. Core competencies in core subjects are simply tools. We must make sure that we’re providing our children with the knowledge, skills, and commitment to participate in the creation of a peaceful, sustainable, and humane world for all. And if we embrace such a vision for the purpose of schooling, we will watch our graduates quickly and inexorably solve the pressing, persistent, and systemic problems we face.”

Read the complete article.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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