Open Letter to the IB
Dear Mr Heinonen,
We write to you today to ask for your help in accelerating the changes needed in international education, if it is to respond to the actuality of the climate crisis with the urgency it requires. We are referring notably to the fact that most schools and, it would seem, the IB, are settling for the status quo, given the many uncertainties that the future holds and the complexities of their operations as things stand. This includes their operations and day-to-day running. Whereas we trust that schools are shifting to renewable energy sources and reduce their carbon footprint at the rate their geographical and economic circumstances allow, we are deeply concerned that flying to teacher training and conferences still appears to be considered normal.
Building Bioregional groups is an important strategy for a regenerative future (see work of Daniel Christian Wahl). Strategic planning is required by the IB in their planning of the locations of events. An example is the IBAEM conference in Dublin: There are five IB schools in Ireland and the rest of the region are flying in for the event. When it was held in The Hague there were notably large numbers of people who chose to travel by train to the event. We feel this to be deeply problematic and emblematic of the behaviour that makes schools less credible to their students, which, in turn, will aggravate the experiences of climate anxiety and depression in the youth we are here to serve and educate. Instead, cluster workshops could be organised in local areas, which would have the benefits of meeting colleagues outside the regular school environment and having the opportunity to network with other schools. It would allow participants to travel by public transport and thus the carbon footprint of the event would be dramatically reduced.
The status quo is no longer an option, if we are serious about the climate facts that we have been presented, both by the scientific community behind the IPCC reports and the daily deluge of disasters in the news. We must act now, if we are to fulfil our mission as schools: we cannot educate our youth if we lack credibility because we fail to act, as communities, when circumstances clearly demand it. Changing the curriculum, so the students are given the best facts about climate change and the state of our planet, is an absolute requirement if the relevance of education is to be maintained. The need to act as school communities, however, on the very facts that we are committed to teach is also essential. Anything short of this, amounts to hypocrisy and undermines our effectiveness as educators, as well as our potential contribution to bring about the societal changes our times so desperately require.
We know that you are passionate about education and about creating the best possible learning systems for students around the world. We are inspired by your innovative leadership and the direction you are taking the IB, but we need your support in addressing the distressing carbon footprint many schools have, in part because of teacher training. It seems only appropriate that the IB would expect their schools to organise their operations in line with the facts that they are educating their students on. This, of course, would also require the IB to reflect on its own operations and carbon footprint. Your leadership would inspire schools, students and teachers around the world to change their day-to-day practices. This would address the well-being issues that have been rising among our students and would make schools into regenerative hubs where young people can live and shape their futures, together. The potential collective impact of IB schools around the world is formidable. We count on your support. You can count on ours.
Sincerely,
Signatories
Zoe Badcock | Sustainability Lead | International School of Zug and Luzern | Switzerland
Jan Dijkstra | Sustainability Lead | International School of Geneva | Switzerland
Conrad Hughes | Director General | International School of Geneva | Switzerland
Barry Dequanne | Director | International School of Zug and Luzern | Switzerland
Jennifer Brandsberg-Engelmann | Freelance educator in regenerative economics (former IB teacher and examiner) | Germany
Melissa George | PhD Student (former IS Leader) | Fielding Graduate University | United States
Dr Krishna Shivhare | Associate Academic Director | MLZ Group Of Schools Gujarat | India
Diya Kanoria | Founder | Make The Change | Switzerland
Ranjana Rai | IB DP History and TOK teacher | Individual | India
Heidy Chavarria | Teacher | International School Altdorf | Switzerland
Tim van den Biggelaar | MSc Student | Esade | Switzerland
Tim Logan | Co-Lead Festival of Hope | International Baccalaureate | France
Bradley M Kremer | MYP Coordinator | Australian International School Phnom Penh | Cambodia
Isaac Quist | Founder Director | IMMERSE Education Ltd | Ghana
Ali Mohamed Ali | ESS Teacher | UWC Changshu | China
Nathalie Azzopardi | Board Chair | Western Academy of Beijing | China
David Fairweather | Teacher of Physics and TOK | Aiglon College | Switzerland
Paul Lennon | IB Diploma Program Coordinator | American School of Warsaw | Poland
Kate Reeler | DP Coordinator | Harare International School | Zimbabwe
Paul Fochtman | Head of School | Frankfurt International School | Germany
Lina Al-Khaled | Tourism Sustainability Consultant | CBI - Government of the Netherlands | Jordan
Giulia Postal | Sustainability Coordinator | UWC Adriatic | Italy
Eleanor Parry | Social Media Executive | IB Alumni | United Kingdom
Jayu Ganesh | Head of School | CPS Global School | India
Theo Wyne | IB English and TOK instructor | UWC Costa Rica | Costa Rica
Anamika Sharma | TOK Facilitator | D Y Patil International School | India
Paula Dias Leite | STEM CENTRE Coordinator | International School of Geneva | Switzerland
Tassos Anastasiades | Principal | Genesis Global School | India
John Switzer | 6-12 Principal | Frankfurt International School | Germany
Alan Perkins | IB Diploma Coordinator | Regents International School, Bangkok | Thailand
Adrian Palmer | TOK coordinator, ESS and Biology teacher | St Julian's School | Portugal
Charmaine Jesudoss | Educational Consultant & Online Teacher | Freelance | India
Adrian von Wrede-Jervis | MYP Coordinator | Windhoek International School | Namibia
Rebecca Gillman | IBDP Teacher of English Lang&Lit | ICS Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
Santina Micali | Programme Leader, tutor, CAS coordinator, IB administrator | Exeter College | United Kingdom
Matt Baker | Head of Science | Bangkok Patana School | Thailand
Anna Phillips | Subject Area Leader for Individuals and Societies | International School of Berne | Switzerland
Matthew J. Manfredi | Head of School/Director | Sandnes International School | Norway
Marla Beimer | Teacher - ESS, Biology | Eerde International Boarding School | Netherlands
Helen White | Director of Student Life | UWC Robert Bosch College | Germany
David Tarrason | IBDP teacher | Voramón | Spain
Alan Wrafter | General Director | Pan-American School | Costa Rica
Cat Ho | Global Citizen Sustainability Lead | Dulwich College Beijing | China
Keba Joseph Xavier. J | Head of Second Languages and Global citizenship coordinator | Ambassador School Sharjah UAE | United Arab Emirates
Stefan Dittli | Director of Operations | International School of Zug and Luzern | Switzerland
Stephen Budd | Citizenship Coordinator | International School of Aberdeen | United Kingdom
Laura Hamilton | Assistant Head (IB) | Aiglon College | Switzerland
Dr Nigel J Winnard | Head of School | Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro | Brazil
Mr. Olli Pekka Heinonen’s response to the letter.
Mr. Olli Pekka Heinonen’s original response
Dear Signatories,
Thank you for your letter addressing your concerns about the environmental impact of our operations at the IB. We greatly appreciate your dedication to accelerating the necessary changes to respond urgently to the climate crisis.
At the International Baccalaureate (IB), we are committed to sustainability and acknowledge the need to align our practices with our educational mission.
Here are some key items we have been focusing our efforts on to confront the global climate change crisis:
We have committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050.
In pursuit of this ambitious target, we have formed a collaborative working group that will work together to collect emissions data, establish an emissions tracking process, and craft a comprehensive strategy to propel us towards our Net Zero objective.
We actively seek to keep all our other international travel to a minimum and also publish specific sustainability efforts for each individual Global Conference, including the upcoming gathering in Dublin.
Our scheduled events are planned to ensure they are as sustainable as possible. We prioritize event destinations based on the size and location of the IB market, reducing the need for extensive travel. At our face-to-face events, we have implemented numerous sustainable practices, including the use of local staffing, green hotel contracts, easily accessible venues, and the elimination of plastic and printed materials.
We understand the importance of reducing travel-related emissions, and to address this concern, we offer online workshops. In FY23, more than 37 thousand teachers attended these virtual workshops, significantly reducing their carbon footprint.
Combatting the climate crisis is central to the IB's mission. We have a long-standing commitment to reducing our environmental impact and fostering environmental responsibility in IB World Schools and students worldwide. Shifting from paper exams to digital exams is part of this. Our global community of dedicated educators actively seeks to minimize international travel, while recognizing the value of coming together occasionally to connect, learn, and share insights for the betterment of education and the planet.
Your engagement and advocacy for sustainability are instrumental as we collectively work towards a more sustainable future. We are grateful for your support, and encourage signing the letter.
With best wishes,
Olli-Pekka Heinonen