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This lesson introduces students to “green businesses” and “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)”. We break down the types of businesses and products to identify and categorize the service and ratings of how “green” they are. The lesson includes identifying potential greenwashing practices to attract consumers. Students are then encouraged to explore their neighborhood for local businesses and identify any green practices, and then collect and identify local green businesses, services, and products.

According to the United Nations, the fashion industry produces 20 percent of global wastewater and 10 percent of global carbon emissions - more than all international flights and maritime shipping. Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally and it takes around 2,000 gallons of water to make a typical pair of jeans. Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned. If nothing changes, by 2050 the fashion industry will use up a quarter of the world’s carbon budget. Washing clothes also releases half a million tons of microfibers into the ocean every year. Through this lesson, students will learn about the production of clothes, conduct a self-inventory, and experiment with alternative dyes.

Students will watch a film, Barrio de Paz, about peace worker Nelsa Libertad Curbelo from Guayaquil, Ecuador and the city’s gang youth, who have left behind a life of crime to come together and provide services to their struggling community and explore themes of conflict resolution, youth empowerment, and the power of love versus violence.

Students will watch a film, Mr. Happy Man, about 88-year-old Bermudian Johnny Barnes, who devotes six hours each day to an endearing traffic ritual, and will identify what things in life aid in creating a positive attitude.

Increasing noise pollution and the loss of silence in our modern world significantly impacts people as well as the environment. Learning how to listen may be one solution.

Students will watch a VR/360 film, Sanctuaries of Silence, about acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton as he takes them on an immersive journey into the Hoh Rain Forest in Washington State, one of the quietest places in North America. Students will explore themes of listening, human connection to the environment, and the effects of modernization.

Students will watch a film, Soleá, about Spanish flamenco guitarist Juan Ramírez and explore the themes of creative expression and dedication and commitment.