A Centre for Climate Change Education & Sustainable Development

Overview

Around the world, climate change is starting to touch people’s lives. The magnitude and seriousness of its impacts varies greatly, but without a doubt it is the poor and vulnerable – primarily in developing countries – that are being affected first and hardest. One of the sad realties of climate change is that the majority of these people are not even aware that climate change exists: while their future is being hotly debated on the world’s political stage, they continue on with the struggle of their day-to-day lives – a struggle which is becoming increasingly more difficult every day. When we consider this, we realize that climate change is not just an environmental issue, it is a social injustice. Project Seres fights against this injustice, working at a grass-roots level with at-risk groups where need is greatest to create social and environmental equality for all.

Our mission is to help at-risk groups in developing countries build resistance to climate change threats using knowledge, tools and resources that are environmentally ethical, ecologically sustainable, and economically affordable.

Seres College

Project Seres will carry out its mission through the Seres College – a centre for climate change education and sustainable development based in Guatemala and serving communities throughout Central America. The college itself will be a working example of sustainable living, showcasing a range of technologies, techniques and alternative agricultural practices that are being used around the world to help people in developing countries adapt and build resistance to climate change. Included among these will be appropriate and affordable renewable energy technology (such as micro-hydro, solar and wind), natural building techniques, and alternative agriculture methods such as permaculture, organic agriculture and agro-forestry.

Straw-bale Housing

The college will also provide much needed education and information about climate change and global warming, focusing on the impact that it will have on the communities, lives and futures of people living in the region.

Students

The students of the college (all of which will be full-scholarship students) will be farmers, workers, laborers, mothers and fathers from poor and vulnerable communities across Central America. The material taught in the college will not require any previous education or literacy levels. It will be taught using a hands-on, practical approach that is sensitive to cultural differences and incorporates traditional methods of learning. Training will be provided in intensive three month periods, during which time students will live on-site, participating in the daily running and up-keep of the college grounds and by doing so developing an appreciation of the technologies and methodologies used.

Education and Sustainable Development

“THOUGH THE PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD ARE INCREASINGLY MORE COMPLEX, THE SOLUTIONS REMAIN EMBARRASSINGLY SIMPLE…”
- Bill Mollison, co-founder of the world-wide permaculture movement

During their three months at the Seres College students will learn about climate change and global warming, focusing on the particular threats in their region and identifying associated at-risk areas for their community. Using the sustainable development tools and methods demonstrated in the college, students will be encouraged (and assisted) to develop a Climate Change Adaptation plan for their community, which will be designed to build resilience and reduce the community’s risk in the at-risk areas.

For example (note that names used are fictional):

-       The community of Nueva Allianza – a subsistance farming community – is dependent on rain-fed corn for their livelihoods. In recent years, changing climatic conditions – particularly drought and plant disease – have seriously reduced corn production, putting many families livelihoods at stake. Climatic predictions indicate that these conditions will only worsen in the coming years, exacerbating the problems that the community is already facing.  The community’s Climate Change Adaptation plan includes soil enrichment techniques including crop diversification, companion planting, organic composting and the use of greenhouses – thereby reducing the risk to the community of single-crop failure.

-         The community of La Esperanza gets its drinking water from a spring located 5km up the valley. Deforestation of the surrounding valley and the encroachment of neighbouring communities is causing contamination of the water supply, which is already under stress from a season of low rainfall . The community’s Climate Change Adaptation plan will involve community building of Slow Sand Water Filters for each household, and education for the community around use of the filters, and the importance of clean drinking water and sanitary hygiene.

-         The community of San Cristobal El Bajo relies heavily on water from the Rio Polochic during the dry season for agricultural and domestic uses. Climatic predictions for the area show that the river – which has been getting smaller over the years – will be seriously reduced in capacity by over 80% in the coming years. The community’s Climate Change Adaptation plan will provide rainwater harvest and storage systems for the community, storing water from the wet season to carry over into the dry season.

Climate Change Adaptation

Projects will be implemented as a joint effort between the community, Project Seres, and a partner NGO/organization. As a Centre for Sustainable Development, the Seres College will maintain strong networks with other groups working in the field, helping to connect those groups looking to implement specific projects, solutions or technologies with communities that are ready for them. Acting as a networking hub between the community and other philanthropic/aid organizations, the Seres College will help improve communications and information sharing, and also help the existing resources working in the field to be more efficient and effective in their work. Equally as importantly, by implementing projects in which the community (rather than the organization) has identified the need ensures a greater level of community engagement, buy-in, commitment and long-term viability for the project.

International Outreach

The college will run three 3-month sessions each year. During the time when students are not in attendance, the college will be opened up for short-term courses for international, paying participants (such as Permaculture, Climate Change Education and Awareness and Straw-bale Building workshops). Income generated from these courses will be used to help finance the scholarships for the local students studying at the college.

You can view full details of the Project Seres Prospectus online by clicking here.