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THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
192 |
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TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO REVIEW AND MODIFY BOARD POLICY NO. 6710 TO IDENTIFY WAYS TO INCORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AT THE CLASSROOM LEVEL.
WHEREAS, the ability to support and sustain ourselves in today's world requires an ability to adapt to global changes and educate ourselves about the need to find the right balance of growing our economy, keeping our land healthy, and preserving our natural resources; and
WHEREAS, sustainable use of resources and clean energy are essential to Hawaii given its location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean; and
WHEREAS, Hawaii's current dependence on foreign oil and non-domestic food threatens our ability to provide for ourselves; and
WHEREAS, approximately seventy-seven per cent of the electricity consumed in Hawaii is generated by burning imported oil and ninety per cent of the food consumed in the State is imported; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill No. 937 (2013), currently being considered by the Legislature, would establish a new program in the Department of Agriculture to increase food resiliency in the State to address the risk of food shortages in the event of natural disasters, economic disruptions, and other external factors; and
WHEREAS, the United States is falling behind in the rapidly growing clean energy industry, and its educational system and workforce are not prepared to compete on a global scale; and
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Energy and Department of Education, the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, and the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan, call for the values, activities, and principles inherently linked to sustainability to be integrated into the educational endeavors of our schools; and
WHEREAS, sustainability education must incorporate the four main areas of sustainability: food, waste, energy, and water; and
WHEREAS, the current science curriculum for public high school students includes physical science, biological science, earth and space science, physics, chemistry, environmental science, marine science, plants and animals in Hawaii, human physiology, zoology, and botany; and
WHEREAS, the unique character and traditions of the State, including the ahupua‘a system, provide meaningful opportunities to study and implement a sustainability education approach to promote the Hawaiian culture while providing security for generations of residents to come; and
WHEREAS, Board Policy No. 6710 addresses the issue of sustainability but limits it to the Department of Education's facilities; and
WHEREAS, sustainability education should be incorporated into the current science courses and made available to all public school students in Hawaii; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Board of Education is requested to review and modify Board Policy No. 6710 to identify ways to incorporate sustainability education and environmental stewardship at the classroom level, specifically identifying the common core and/or content areas that may incorporate such classes; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Education and Department of Education identify and encourage, as appropriate, opportunities to engage students, classes, and schools in activities including but not limited to project-based learning, mentorships, and data collection in connection with Board Policy No. 6710 at the complex area support level; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Education is requested to report its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2014; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Education.
Curriculum; Sustainability