Conscience into action

22 October 2024 – On the 45th anniversary of the report No Limits to Learning, we are exploring the transformative power of learning. We talked to Mirian Vilela, member of The Club of Rome and Executive Director at Earth Charter International. She shared how she envisions turning the values and principles of a sustainable society into action. 

You’ve been working in the field of sustainability and education for a long time. What motivates you?  

I’m curious about people from different cultures and learning contexts, and I like to build bridges between them. Growing up in Brazil in the early 70s, I became concerned about the issues of social injustice, disparity, and poverty that I saw, and this led me to engage with sustainability work early on. I see my work with the Earth Charter as part of a much-needed paradigm shift towards a more sustainable and just future. I believe that it is possible to change mindsets and the system, and we have no choice but work towards that goal. Seeing others getting inspired by the Charter and the values it represents is my fuel to continue this work.  

How would you describe the Earth Charter?   

The Earth Charter is a comprehensive ethical framework that seeks to foster a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society. It consists of a collection of values and principles articulating a mindset of global interdependence and shared responsibility. It can be used as an ethical reference for decision-making, an educational instrument, or as some people refer to it, a lighthouse of hope. The Charter was finalised in 2000 following a multicultural and multi-sectoral dialogue lasting for about seven years. Since then, it has been used as an instrument to awaken our planetary consciousness and a sense of care and responsibility for the wellbeing of all.  

How can the principles presented in the Charter be turned into action? 

Since the launch of The Earth Charter, our efforts have focused on two key areas. One is engaging, empowering, and educating young people to become ethical leaders with a strong understanding of sustainability and systems thinking. The second is supporting educators in integrating sustainability values into their work. In 2003, we established the Earth Charter Education Center at the University for Peace in Costa Rica, where we offer both online and in-person workshops and courses for young leaders and educators. We also created the UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development with the Earth Charter, which works on bringing the values of sustainability into education in a transformative manner. In short, we see education as a key driver of social transformation and the Earth Charter as an instrument for that. 

As shown in the report No Limits to Learning, adopting these values requires humanity to learn in new ways. How do you approach this in your work? 

This is a question that has been on our minds for 20 years. How do we nurture the values and principles of an ethic of care? How do we encourage expanding our consciousness in a way that is not too imposing, abstract, or theoretical? It’s not a simple answer, but I think part of it is to be mindful that learning doesn’t only involve our cognitive self, but it involves our emotions, our hearts, and our hands. We believe in the use of experiential learning, the use of stories, art, self-reflection, and a recognition of our feelings—bringing the whole being into the process of learning. We always make an effort to contextualise the learning process and offer the opportunity to expand our views through system thinking and taking an interdisciplinary approach.  We also focus on asking questions about the decisions we make. We question their long-term impacts and the associated risks to foster a sense of responsibility and consciousness.  

Is there an example that you would like to highlight? 

I vividly remember the moment when a participant in one of our in-person courses shared how a principle of the Earth Charter was illustrated in an experience she lived. She shared a story of hope, inner peace, and the ability to look into the future while facing the hardship of trying to keep her younger sisters and brothers safe and calm while hiding in a bunker during a war. Listening to her was a transformative moment for everybody in the room. Nobody was analysing or going through theory; instead, we envisioned her experience together through her lived story and were able to connect it with the principles. Moments like this that touch our hearts, these ‘a-ha’ moments that emerge through deep sharing, aren’t something we can control. We can only offer the space and the opportunity for them to emerge through the process of connection, sharing and learning.  

This interview series is part of a collaboration between The Fifth Element initiative by The Club of Rome and the World Environmental Education Congress focusing on the regenerative power of learning. The report No Limits to Learning published in 1979 explores new forms of learning that are essential for addressing global issues and bridging the gap between the complexity of our world and our capacity to cope with it. 

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This article gives the views of the author(s), and not the position of The Club of Rome or its members.

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