Humanity is creating problems faster than it is creating solutions to solve them..”

“Man, on different scales, has become a geological power, [he] is capable of transforming the Earth, and this is what we call, in a way, the Anthropocene.”This is how Gaëll Mainguy, CRI's Director of Development and International Relations, describes the inadequacy of yesterday's solutions to the challenges we face today. Beyond our own actions, we need to train the “Anthropocene” generation, which is growing up at the heart of climate issues, and give it all the tools it needs to shape a sustainable future.

From then on, how can we rethink learning to enable everyone to have an impact on the environment and society?

Rethinking the way we learn to meet tomorrow's challenges

You must “encourage learners to be collaborative and open rather than competitive” (Alison Bellwood, Creator and Director of the World's Largest Lesson, Project Everyone). This is what we have been working towards at CRI since its creation. We encourage students to co-construct projects whose impact must be both environmental and societal.

Since 2016, this commitment has been formalized by the inclusion of CRI's strategy in favor of Sustainable Development Objectives defined by the United Nations. This commitment begins with the training of CRI students in the LMD curriculum. (Bachelor's, Master's, Doctoral School) the’University of Paris.

We know that we have to constantly adapt our positioning to ensure that our commitment is in line with the evolution of global challenges.

Study while acting on the world

CRI has therefore decided to create an innovative approach to teaching that contributes both in form and substance to our sustainability objectives. To this end, we teach students that the complexity and interdependence of the global challenges of sustainable development requires a a systemic, integrated and interdisciplinary approach.
This year, the program models have been modified to reinforce our commitment to the environment. They now fully integrate this approach to teaching. by and for Sustainable Development Goals.

For example, when learning thermodynamics in license, In the AIRE master's program, examples and applications are focused on sustainability-related projects. The same transformation is taking place in the AIRE master's program, where the use of energy-efficient algorithms will be taught.

A semester dedicated to sustainable development has been launched for undergraduates. The aim is to enable them to grasp the challenges of sustainable development and to create projects based on a sustainable approach. Each project must respond to one or more of the sustainable development objectives defined by the UN.

Each year, undergraduates also take part in the “Aquathon”an event created around two SDGs : “access to clean, healthy water”and “protecting aquatic life“. In collaboration with the University of Brest, a European leader in marine sciences, its Open Factory, l’IFREMER and the Astrolabe Expeditions association, students receive initial training in sustainable development issues and participatory science. This is an opportunity for them to discover the design thinking, prototype tools and test them in the field.

Education geared towards the SDGs continues at the Master as part of a free UE (a teaching unit complementary to the initial training that the student chooses to follow). The students' final project is to raise public awareness of an environmental issue by finding the most appropriate channel and format for effective outreach.

As for the’Doctoral School, CRI is preparing a series of conferences on sustainable practices in research. These will enable thesis students to examine and calculate the carbon footprint of their research and their laboratory. They will also be able to work on the environmental impact of research expeditions.

The aim of these program transformations is to develop a way of thinking that integrates the challenges of sustainable development, and to develop a common base of knowledge and acquire the skills to be able to pass on and take action.

Opening up education to all for a collective response

CRI was born out of a desire to design a new type of learning environment focused on individuals who want to take up the challenges facing themselves, their communities and the planet. This is why, in addition to overhauling university curricula, we are opening up our teaching to all those concerned by sustainable development, without distinction.

We invite you to discover Gaël Manguy's latest courses, researcher and director of development and international relations at CRI. This course is available free of charge on Youtube. It invites us to explore, together, the paths towards a sustainable world.

We want to give everyone the tools they need to influence their immediate environment and thus contribute to the sustainability of our planet.

To find out more ...

Education for a sustainable world“ was the subject of a panel discussion at the #LearningPlanet Festival. Speakers explored how learning must evolve to enable everyone to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to collectively build sustainable solutions.
Discover their presentation (in English)

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Tackling the Sustainable Development Goals through Education

CRI is forging its own innovative approach to education that seeks to address the Sustainable Development Goals and adopt a sustainable-development mentality.

“Humanity creates problems faster than it can devise solutions to fix them.”

“At varying scales, humans have come to be able to influence geological phenomena and transform the earth-that's essentially what the Anthropocene is.”These are words from Gaëll Mainguy, CRI's Director of Development and International Relations, commenting on the inadequacy of yesterday's solutions to today's problems. At CRI, we feel changes in habits aren't enough; we need to educate the “Anthropocene generation”That is coming of age as climate issues reach a fever pitch. This upcoming generation must be endowed with all the tools necessary to create a sustainable future.

So, how do we rethink education so that every one of us can make a positive impact on society and the environment?

Rethinking education to meet tomorrow's challenges

First of all, we need to “encourage learners to be collaborative and open rather than competitive,” says Alison Bellwood, creator and director of the World's Largest Lesson and Project Everyone. That's precisely what we've been doing at the CRI since its inception, encouraging students to work together to develop projects that have a positive impact on society and the environment.

In 2016, we made this commitment official when we adopted the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into our education strategy. Students at every level-Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral-will focus on the SDGs in CRI's programs offered through the University of Paris.

As today's global landscape can shift in the blink of an eye, we're aware that we must continually evolve to make sure our commitments remain relevant.

Study while making an impact

The CRI is developing an innovative approach to education that tackles the SDGs and adopts a sustainability mindset. Students learn the complexity and interdependency of today's global sustainable-development challenges and the systemic, integrated and interdisciplinary solutions they require.

This year, our curricula have been reoriented to place more emphasis on ecological sustainability, designing courses around SDGs to find ways to address them.

Take Bachelor’s-level thermodynamics, for example. In-class examples and applied-science initiatives will focus on sustainability, and the same goes for the AIRE Master’s, in which students will learn, among other things, to develop algorithms that consume less energy.

Starting this year, all undergraduate students will spend a semester learning about sustainable development so they can grasp the seriousness of the issues and develop projects through the lens of sustainable development. Every project must attempt to tackle at least one of the SDGs.

Likewise every year, undergraduate students will now also take part in the “Aquathon,an event that focuses of two SDGs, ”ensuring universal access to clean and healthy water“ and ”sustainable use of oceans, seas, and marine resources“. For this annual event, we partner with the University of Brest, home to one of Europe's forerunning marine-science programs with its innovative Open Factory, IFREMER, and Astrolabe Expeditions initiatives. The Aquathon provides students with an introductory crash course in both tackling marine sustainable development and integrating citizen science. It gives students the opportunity to discover “design thinking” as well as prototype tools to then test in the field.

We're pivoting toward SDGs in our Master's program by offering the option of an elective course toward their major that focuses on a particular goal. Similarly, final projects in the program must raise awareness about an environmental issue and will be graded on both the practicality and effectiveness of the method chosen.

CRI's Doctoral School is currently preparing a series of lectures on sustainable practices in research. These conferences will allow PhD students to reflect on the carbon footprint of their research and lab work while providing them with tools to reduce it. This includes ways to lessen the environmental impacts of going abroad to conduct research.

The purpose of reorienting our programs in this way is to instill in students a sustainability mindset, to see all issues through the lens of sustainable development. We likewise want to provide students with a common base of knowledge surrounding sustainability so they'll be fully prepared in the future to both share knowledge and take action.

Programs open to the general public to accelerate collective action

The CRI was born out of a desire to design a new kind of learning environment in which individuals can take on the challenges in their personal lives and well as those of their communities and their planet. This is why we've gone beyond rethinking degree curricula to offer courses to anyone and everyone interested in sustainable development.

We invite you in particular to check out the latest courses offered by Gaëll Mainguy, researcher as well as Director of Development and International Relations at the CRI. Watch his courses for free on YouTube to discover alongside fellow learners the path to a sustainable world.

We want to provide everyone with the tools they need to make an impact on their immediate environments in order to contribute to the sustainability of our planet.

Digging deeper...

“Education for a Sustainable World” was the subject of a panel discussion at the #LearningPlanet Festival. Speakers explored how education must evolve to allow everyone to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to come together to create sustainable solutions.

Watch the presentation (in English)