The Chestnut Tree Ecological School
The goal is to establish a global community of learners and collaborators for sustainable and ecological education.
Gaia Education Sustainable Curriculum
The GAIA Education model for sustainable living is a program recognized by UNESCO. It is structured in the form of a mandala, which is called the sustainability wheel. The sustainability wheel includes what we believe to be the four primary dimensions of human experience, which are Worldview, Ecological, Social, and Economic aspects. Each of these four dimensions comprises of five modules, making it a total of twenty subject areas. While we anticipate that the four dimensions will remain constant, the actual titles and contents of the individual modules may evolve over time. The curriculum is designed to be inherently flexible and adaptable to unique local needs and circumstances, making it a roadmap for sustainable living.
Social Key
Beyond You and Me Inspiration and Wisdom for Building Community.
Include participation by all, expressing that we are a “communion of subjects.” And the right to define how we want to live with nature and each other, as human and environmental rights.
Economics Key
Gaian Economics Living well within planetary limits.
Include local economies and the integration of our local rural communities as part of an educational learning. The subservience of economics to ecology rather than the reverse.
Ecological Key
Designing Ecological Habitats Creating a Sense of Place.
Include clean soil, air and water, shelter and fresh local food in abundance while living in a diverse ecosystem, within a permissible “ecological footprint.”
Worldview Key
The Song of the Earth The Emerging Synthesis of the Scientific and Spiritual Worldviews.
The goal is diversity rather than homogeneity; and sustainability, rather than depletion caused by the violent raping of the Earth.