The Intersection of Climate Justice and Digital Innovation: Raising Awareness of Technologies Environmental Footprint

Dr. Keri Ewart is the Master of Educational Technology Program Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Decolonization, and Anti-Racism (EDIDA) and Community Outreach Coordinator at the University of British Columbia. She is also a dedicated educator and MET’s Practicum Instructor, Lecturer, and course developer. Specializing in EDIDA, Dr. Ewart's courses emphasize crucial topics such as environmental racism, environmental sustainability, social inequities, curriculum issues in cultural and new media studies, and advanced critical thinking. Through grant-funded, supervisory roles, International training projects, and passion projects, she is committed to creating inclusive in-person and online learning spaces that eliminate racism and address systemic inequalities.
Collaborating with government ministries, including the Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Education, she integrates environmental sustainability into educational frameworks. Dr. Ewart's transformative approach is evident in her work with ETEC 531, empowering students to address environmental racism and injustices by advocating for inclusive curricula in British Columbia's schools. Her research aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of challenges posed by climate change, promoting learning, decolonization, and transformative practices to contribute meaningfully to global efforts. Dr. Ewart has a strong and lengthy background in K-12 education where she occupied the roles as a K-12 teacher, ELL, special education, and gifted resource teacher, board-level Modern Learning Resource teacher, and district-level Modern Learning Coordinator. Dr. Ewart’s previous roles also included the Director of Curriculum Development for education, government, and corporate sectors at York University and the Faculty Advisor and faculty teaching member at Brock University. In all roles, Dr.Keri Ewart has emphasized equity, diversity, and inclusion in globally.

My work is guided by Wonder as the Heart of Inquiry and Eco Pedagogy, which I view as learning in, from, and alongside nature with Nature as Companion, Teacher, Mentor, and Guide. Science education is my home, and my experiences developing relationships, teaching, and learning alongside my students provide the foundation for all my pedagogical pursuits. I welcome and guide students on a journey to wonder, whether it be through courses in Inquiry, Science Methods, Environmental Education, Research Methods, and beyond UBC in community. My teaching centres joy, evidence-based hope and optimism and follows a constructivist approach guided by collective noticings and wonderings.

Dr. Derek Gladwin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Faculty of Education, at the University of British Columbia (UBC). In addition to co-founding the Systems Beings Lab and Collaborative PhD for Climate Action at UBC, Gladwin has also served as a Sustainability Fellow and Wall Catalyst Scholar in Climate and Nature Emergency. Gladwin’s work explores approaches to education that create societal impact, including building literacy for energy transition, fostering literacy for socio-ecological awareness and action, prototyping regenerative learning models in higher education, and cultivating conditions for arts-based education. Gladwin has published dozens of articles and authored or co-edited many books, including Ecological Exile (2018) and Rewriting Our Stories (2021).

With over a decade of experience in sustainability learning and teaching, curriculum design and program management, Kshamta Hunter holds a PhD in sustainability curriculum and pedagogy, and teaches in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Kshamta’s research explores the intersections of sustainability learning and leadership, using Transformative Learning and social innovation frameworks. She is interested in designing responsive and relevant integrative curriculum and pedagogical approaches for the 21st century, through understanding the development of competencies for innovation toward sustainability. She is the Manager of Transformative Learning & Student Engagement with the UBC Sustainability Hub, where she is able to shape a lot of her research ideas into practice. She is an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, member of the executive team for the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies and member of the editorial advisory board for the Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies. She is also the recipient of the 2023 President’s Service Award for Excellence.