海角涩区

More than five years after the Mexico鈥揅anada Sustainable Campuses Initiative wrapped up in 2019, its impact and friendships continue to thrive. In June, 海角涩区 faculty member聽Gisela Frias (Geography)聽and聽Chris Adam (retired Head of Sustainability)聽traveled to Mexico to represent 海角涩区 at the聽5th Binational Forum on Institutional Memory and Sustainability: Seeds of Yesterday, Fruits of Tomorrow. Both played central roles in the original initiative, which fostered international collaboration on sustainability in higher education.

Reuniting and Reflecting

The Forum was an opportunity for former partners to reconnect, share lessons learned, and strengthen ties among institutions committed to transformative education and sustainability. Discussions centered on the role of institutional memory in shaping a sustainable future.

鈥淚n the face of policies that seek to defund or delegitimize their critical role, there is an urgency to defend what has been achieved and to move forward with even greater resolve,鈥� said Gisela on the Forum鈥檚 opening day.

She emphasized that 海角涩区鈥檚 involvement in the project underscored how sustainability is inseparable from equity: 鈥満＝巧�区 deepened its awareness of climate justice, recognizing how institutions in the Global North have a responsibility to build partnerships that acknowledge unequal impacts of climate change. Students at 海角涩区 gained perspectives and solutions from contexts beyond their own.鈥�

Building Bridges Since 2012

The Sustainable Campuses Initiative began in 2012, rooted in relationships Gisela had formed during her doctoral studies in Mexico with environmental educators. Together, 海角涩区 and several post-secondary institutions in the Mexican state of Morelos launched partnerships to share knowledge on making campuses more sustainable.

The initiative engaged students, professors, administrators, and communities, resulting in聽more than 30 campus sustainability projects. Highlights included:

• A聽board game聽that brings together members of an educational community to explore sustainability issues and find collective solutions.
• 础苍听聽sharing the perspectives of students, teachers, and administrators on advancing environmental and social change.

Over time, partners included聽Ciudades Verdes S.C.,聽Universidad Polit茅cnica del Estado de Morelos,聽Universidad Pedag贸gica Nacional, and the聽Preparatoria Comunitaria de Tres Mar铆as. The project was largely funded by international mobility and research programs, with major support from the聽Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Youth Perspectives and Community Roots

One of the Forum鈥檚 highlights was the panel聽Youth for Change: The Student Vision of Sustainability, where students and alumni from three schools discussed their experiences as change agents. Their testimonies demonstrated how participation in sustainability initiatives shaped their personal, professional, and political journeys.

The closing day was held at the聽Miguel Oth贸n de Mendiz谩bal Indigenous Elementary School聽in Cuentepec, a Nahua community. The celebration highlighted Indigenous traditions, literature, and collaboration. A bilingual Nahuatl鈥揝panish children鈥檚 book,聽A Vase with a Long History, which documents traditional pottery-making practices, was presented to a delighted audience of schoolchildren.

鈥淭heir curious eyes and active participation reminded everyone that education for sustainability takes root most deeply in childhood, nourished by stories that cultivate identity and belonging,鈥� Gisela said.

Continuing the Collaboration

The Forum underscored that sustainability is not confined to campuses or classrooms. It also grows through聽stories, relationships, traditional knowledge, and cultural practices.

鈥淎ll the institutional partners want to continue working together,鈥� Gisela explained. 鈥淲e would love to create opportunities for student exchanges and internships so students can share different visions of sustainability. While funding is a challenge in the current context, we are committed to finding ways to keep our partnerships alive.鈥�

Looking ahead, Gisela Frias and partner researcher Luisa Montes are preparing an academic article to share their findings from the initiative, focusing especially on how institutional memory shapes sustainability work across borders.