As part of an overall push for an environmentally-conscious curriculum in the Oak Park Unified School District, students who complete three required classes will be honored at graduation with a green cord and sustainability seal. The award covers courses currently available as well as new courses focused on environmentalism.

“We hope to expand our students’ understanding of — and activism towards — environmental issues. Our district is known for its sustainable efforts related to our facilities and in our classroom instruction,” Director of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Jay Greenlinger wrote to the Talon. “We think that the green cord will allow us to recognize students who embody our mission of Educating Compassionate and Creative Global Citizens.”

According to Donald Cook, who will be teaching the new Geopolitics and the World Today class, educating students in this area is key to solving global issues.

“Even in the face of Covid-19, the biggest existential threat to humanity is the rapid deterioration of a livable global environment,” Cook wrote to the Talon. “We are well beyond crisis mode and this generation of high school students has to solve the problem or their children and grandchildren will experience suffering in every facet of their short, agonizing lives.”

The courses cover topics that many students are passionate about and want a future in, according to Greenlinger.

“It excites me to learn about achieving sustainability for all. If we can design products that are accessible to all income brackets, we can be better equipped to tackle climate issues and pollution,” junior Naomi Lin wrote.

This passion was a driving force behind the decision to implement the new courses.

“We also hear students loud and clear that climate change, the environment, and issues of equity are important to them, and these courses build on those interests,” Greenlinger wrote.

The district could have chosen to implement only courses that teach the science of environmentalism; instead, the district chose to implement multidisciplinary courses that focus on topics such as literature and politics and their connection to environmentalism.

“In order to solve a crisis like global climate change you must approach the problem from many different angles. We need economists, engineers, physicists, teachers, doctors, business leaders, energy producers, poets, et. al to solve this problem and we’re already fifty years behind the curve,” Cook wrote.

OPUSD hopes to set an example for other districts according to Cook.

“We would also like to start a trend of global awareness that continues across the country. Imagine being the first nurses to bring Florence Nightingale’s cleanliness awareness to hospitals. It was met with resistance at first, but has saved countless lives since,” Cook wrote. “We need big changes and we needed them yesterday. The entire process starts with awareness and education.”

The decision to give qualified students a green cord and a sustainability seal at graduation was made in order to honor students and encourage them to take an active role in their education surrounding environmental sustainability.

“The green cord is a way for us to recognize the students who not only have a passion for these topics, but who have pursued an education on these topics and have taken action in the community to educate others,” Greenlinger wrote.