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.