Earth School, aggregating the best environmental education lessons in one place

Interesting interview with Sam Barratt from the UN Environment Program.

What is your own background briefly?

I oversee UNEP’s work on youth, education and advocacy in the Ecosystems Division. It’s a mouthful, I know, but it includes working on everything from supporting the video gaming industry to integrate green activations in their games, to working with higher education and mainstreaming sustainability through their curriculum as well as working with partners like the Scouts and Girl Guides on initiatives such as the Tide Turners Plastic Challenge.

Prior to that, I used to work for different organisations such as Avaaz, Oxfam and the Global Campaign for Education. I feel privileged to be able to do this kind of work inside the UN.

In response to #COVID19, we are delighted to launch #EarthSchool today with the team @TED_ED @NatGeoEducation & @WWF to provide 30 inspiring lessons on nature. Check out the film here https://t.co/1vS8IsC3Fl & read all about the plans here: https://t.co/YCQYwkOK3A pic.twitter.com/e9njCnBW9e

— Sam Barratt (@samdbarratt) April 22, 2020

Does it seem like a logical background to what you do now?

I’d say so, yes.  Previously, I used to see how I could influence change from the outside, here at the UN I have a chance to work inside the system. I have been really impressed by the talent of the people at the UN, and while working with governments is often a delicate diplomatic dance, the state remains the most powerful tool in influencing change. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that good governance and global collaboration matters more than ever.

How was the last 12 months? What were your big wins?

The last twelve months have been pretty full-on. We recently launched Earth School with TED-Ed together with 50+ partners. We pulled this off in just two weeks as a response to the school closures caused by the Coronavirus. This is something that we’re all really proud of. The beauty of Earth School is the spirit that brought everyone together to try to aggregate the best environmental education lessons in one place.

There are some really great lessons covering a wide range of topics, including climate change, the nature of fashion and the impact of plastic pollution in the oceans. The most important proof point is that students are loving it.

The other initiative that deserves a mention is the Playing for the Planet Alliance, which we launched together with over 20 major video gaming companies. Here the aim is to support this sector – which reaches 2.6 billion people – to reduce their carbon footprint and integrate green nudges in games, which is coming together nicely.

What would you have done differently?

Interesting – I think that a well-lived life is regret-free and the odd mistakes are part of trying to make things happen. I try to keep an eye on the wing-mirrors when working on projects, but to be honest there aren’t many things I’d do that differently (other than trying to be more present when not working).

Why did you get involved with Earth School and why do you think it is such a powerful idea?

With over 1 billion children out of school and everything we had come to rely on no longer present, we saw Earth School as a chance to inspire teachers, students and parents with great content about the awe and wonder of nature. It was a chance to connect back to nature when it was cut off to so many as a result of lock-down and to remember the value that nature and the environment have in our lives

How can people find out more about you personally & your work?

I am an occasional user of Twitter (but it’s all a bit corporate to be honest) on @samdbarratt

Who and where do you get inspiration from?

Reading as much as I can – I try to get to 30 books a year – the FT on Saturday is brilliant and running unlocks my mind better than anything else.

Last year I really enjoyed Richard Powers’ book The Overstory, Leadership by Doris Kearns-Goodwin on lessons from four US presidents (this is exceptional( and Inside the Nudge Unit by David Halpern inspired me to work on a new report called the Little Book of Green Nudges for Universities that we will launch later this year. Also the FT on Saturday is brilliant and lock-down running helps to unlock my mind better than anything else.

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