7th RCE Americas on ESD, Conservation and Climate Change in Agenda 2030
Posadas, Misiones, Argentina, October 25- 27th, 2018
GPSEN Participation Report, Executive Director, Neeraja Havaligi
Summary
Travelling halfway down the world with flights that seem to go on forever, interspersed with stunning views of land and the sky and interesting incidents during layovers, the RCEs of the Americas conference was a rewarding experience, showing the collective energy that is working for Agenda 2030 through local, national and international collaborations for the SDGs. There are important opportunities for the RCEs of the Americas to network across common themes of interest such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, equity, justice and inclusion networking landscapes and communities through ESD.
The RCE’s meeting on ESD, conservation and climate change in Agenda 2030 was hosted by RCE Cuenca del Plata Institucional at Posadas, Argentina, in October 2018. Diego Adamson, with RCE Cuenca del Plata, and his team of ever-ready-to-help people hosted this well-planned and executed RCEs meeting, bringing together local leaders, acknowledging their work and arranging for field trips which gave insights to local people, their land and their history.
The participating RCEs included RCE Georgetown (Pamela Martin), RCE Greater Atlanta (Dr. Jennifer Hirsch, Lisa Smith, Garry Harris, Valerie Mac, Kris Charfield), RCE Saskatchewan (Roger Petry), RCE Curitiba-Parana’ (Patricia Charvez), RCE Greater Burlington, RCE Bogota (Prof. Maria Mercedes Callejas Restrepo), RCE Lima- Cailao (Dr. Teresa Salinas Garmero), RCE Western Jalisco (Dr. Carlos Garcia Palomera), RCE Portland (Neeraja Havaligi), RCE Saskatchewan (Dr. Roger Petry) and UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability Charles Hopkins.
Check out the overview of the RCE presentations and photos from the conference at the UNU Global RCE Network website.
Inspirations
Salto Encantado, the Cataratas
(Neeraja, Oct 28, 2018)
Water
flowing,
taking colors
flavours
tastes
of the earth, the forests, and
everything she passes.
Air
surrounding
all in
gentle breeze
swaying trees
lifting butterflies
lifting collective ooooos and aahhs.
Soil
red and stunning hues many
of minerals
microbes and many synergies
working together.
Water, air and soil……
The earth, its abundance
The sky, its boundary
Reminds me
all precious things are
intangible
yet tangible
if we take a
moment
to absorb
Its sounds
the colors
the flavours
the essentials
that make us
US.
=======================================
Sustainable Development Tour
(Thanks to Ornella for the Spanish translations. Written by Neeraja, Oct 28, 2018)
I walk the
path of my
ancestors,
Pumas
Butterflies/Mariposa
Yaguarete
Buo (owl)
Aves
Tegu (the golden one)
Pecca Pescado
Jabali….
They ask: Don’t you have enough?…
it makes me think, this question
as I walk the path of their painted faces
and pug marks on trail.
How, I ask myself
am I stepping on them,
as I do on the prints on trail.
Every plastic cup
every waste I create
I cover my elders, my ancestors
across species
with my footprint.
Every new molecule I make
and it stays…..
I cover my elders