As the Director of the Center for Sustainable Futures, Oren shares what events and developments caused him to take more action on climate issues (4:15), and how he holds his concern alongside a renewable hope (5:39).

We ask him to go deep on what keeps him going (8:59). He leads us in an exercise to see what the climate crisis brings up for Jen and Joe, and then shares the results from young activists whose answers deliver a powerful message. He addresses structural barriers to sustainability education (17:42) and a new vision for environmental education (19:07). He and Jen talk about lying down and watching TV as a coping strategy (23:10) and then he shares about elevating the climate concerns and voices of young people in New York’s City Department of Education (24:00).

You can find the full transcript of the episode, along with links to Oren’s work, on the episode website.

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This series is created, hosted and produced by Joe Riina-Ferrie and Jen Lee, with audio production and original music by Billy Collins. "How's School?" is a production of The Digital Futures Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the speaker to whom they are attributed. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the faculty, administration, staff or Trustees either of Teachers College or of Columbia University.