To create a sustainable planet through education, we must collectively embrace a vision centered around protecting the Earth’s five foundational elements: soil, water, air, fire/energy, and space. This shared vision, along with a scrutiny on structural reform, creates a sense of heightened awareness at the grassroots level to see the interconnectedness between all disciplines, and a commitment to achieving a common goal – a regenerative world where education thrives harmoniously with the planet’s well-being.
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In today’s modern world, the educational landscape stands fragmented, often confining itself within rigid disciplinary boundaries that overlook the interconnectedness between various subjects and degree programs. The lack of holistic wisdom and a linear approach to problem-solving has resulted in pervasive issues such as plastic waste, depleted soils, contaminated air, polluted water, and biodiversity loss. To address these challenges, we must champion a comprehensive and interconnected educational approach from early schooling to university levels.
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The ancient seers of India foresaw the vital relationship between our inner and outer worlds. They emphasized that genuine education entails the harmonious development of body, mind, and soul. For instance, nurturing the body seamlessly influences the mind and soul, and vice versa. This integrated philosophy prioritized a focus on the inner essence of humans, profoundly shaping their interactions with the outer world.
However, our current educational paradigm often prioritizes specialized degrees without considering their ecological impacts or their contributions to the degradation of our planet and loss of biodiversity. While it is impossible to rewind time, we can construct a framework that fosters an organic evolution towards a circular economy and environmental rehabilitation.
This article aims to outline a sustainable educational framework that rejuvenates our planet while fostering an inclusive and prosperous global economy, benefiting all life forms. The emphasis here is not on holistic education of the body, mind, and soul but specifically on an education system that shapes humanity’s livelihood without undermining the fabric of our planet – a crucial initial step towards a longer term nobler, harmonious world.
Science and Technology Education
Schools should educate on the five foundational elements – soil, water, air, rire/energy, and space – highlighting their roles in Earth’s constitution, sustenance, and biodiverse vitality. Addressing these elements automatically fosters a circular economy, representing a sincere bottoms-up approach.
Universities should categorize science and technology degrees under these elemental umbrellas, emphasizing minimizing harm while enriching these elements. Academicians should scrutinize inter-disciplinary impacts, refining degrees to minimize adverse effects. For instance, mining degrees offered under the elemental umbrella “soil” should pivot toward growing diamonds in labs rather than mining, while energy programs under the umbrella should focus on renewable technologies.
Similarly, material science programs should scrutinize materials that degrade any element and find alternative uses. For example, material scientists could convert human waste into permeable materials for roads and highways, simultaneously replenishing depleted groundwater levels and constructing houses with biodegradable materials to minimize energy needs. The possibilities of fine tuning every discipline under each of the elemental umbrellas are endless.
This structured approach hastens collaboration between academic divisions. For instance, the “air” and “soil” divisions can collaborate to mitigate natural disasters while enriching both elements. Industry-academia partnerships driven by a unified vision of preserving Earth’s fundamental elements form the bedrock for a circular economy. Economic planning around these foundational elements, measured and managed by a single environmental health index, could yield significant progress and embellish existing measures such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Vocational and Technical Education
Technical schools should adopt this thematic approach. Post-tenth grade, students should receive hands-on, specialized education focused on preserving the elements. Certificates in wastewater treatment, water body conservation and so on should fall under the “water” umbrella. Skill-based programs must embrace both indigenous and modern concepts as appropriate to the local region.
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Health, Social Sciences, and Beyond
Degrees not aligning with elemental categories should still be influenced by this ideology. All foundational elements fundamentally impact human well-being, revolutionizing public health perspectives. For example, the quality of soil can impact health, mining the moon may impact one or more of its positive influences of life on Earth, and so on.
The suggested framework allows all disciplines to see the interconnectedness between the elements. Social sciences will also benefit from this evolved educational approach, influencing our understanding of world events, such as the relationship between climate change, conflicts, and migration patterns. Awareness could also be created on the unfettered growth in artificial intelligence and cryptos, and their high energy use.
Sustainable Structural Reforms
Escalating costs, duration time for some degrees, ballooning student debts, unnecessary capital investments, and emphasis on degrees rather than skills, necessitate reform. Streamlining US degree programs like the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) to its original Bachelor’s, Masters, and PhD levels or allowing students to enter medical school after high school similar to most other countries could lower the debt burden for American students. Rethinking capital investments and utilizing shared infrastructures including stadiums could make education more affordable. Public perception on a degree versus skills can also influence debt.
Fortunately, some companies are disrupting the model on academic credentials, Google in the US, for example, offers specialized shorter duration certificates that are highly sought after versus a degree. India-based Zoho Corporation started its own Zoho University that recruits bright students from impoverished backgrounds and offers free skill based education with a stipend to cover basic living expenses.
In both examples, company employees tutor the students. Such disruptive models are affordable while providing quality education. However, these models need to expand beyond the sphere of information technology. A systematic review of unnecessary expenditure in education could significantly reduce costs for students. Finally, social scientists need to shed light on the relationship between high student debt, delayed marriage, purchase of a house, or even having children – obstacles to sustainability and a rejuvenating world.
