ARMONK, N.Y., Dec. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE:
IBM) today announced its working with the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and World Wide Fund for Nature
to launch the Sustainability Teacher Resources Channel on Open
P-TECH.
Environmental sustainability is a business imperative and drives
a company's success in today's competitive marketplace. A recent
study by IBM found that nearly 80 percent of consumers surveyed
indicate that sustainability is important to them, and 60 percent
reported they are willing to change their shopping habits to reduce
environmental impact.
"Open P-TECH's sustainability resources will help bring much
needed digital and professional skills that are critical to work in
sustainability and beyond, like data analysis or design."
said Michael Jacobs, IBM Offering
Manager, Sustainability. "In doing so, it will help grow a new
generation of leaders who understand environmental challenges and
pursue sustainable solutions for supply chains, energy, and
waste."
Through this new alliance, the Open P-TECH platform also now
aggregates sustainability education lesson plans and activities.
For example, one course shows how to help students identify the
realities of e-waste, how it fits into waste management, and the
danger it poses to the environment while developing and
implementing an e-waste collection and disposal campaign.
Also in the "Understanding Climate Change" course
students can explore their local weather and historical climate
information by visiting IBM's weatherunderground.com or
Weather Underground app and weather.com or The Weather
Channel app. This can help inform students' learning about climate
and how it impacts their day to day lives. Also included in the
platform are the virtual career fair as well as professional
planning experiences.
"The Nature Conservancy is delighted to work together with IBM
to connect more students with the skills and knowledge that will
help them embark on careers focused on a green, sustainable
future," stated Kate Ireland,
Director of Youth Engagement, The Nature Conservancy. "As an
organization, The Nature Conservancy works every day to create a
world where people and nature thrive; we know that to be
successful, we must engage and arm young people with the tools
necessary to continue and expand this work in the decades
ahead. The new Open P-TECH Sustainability Teacher Resources
Channel will provide an exciting new pathway for educators and
youth alike to begin this important work."
"Educators and schools can play a vital role in shaping a
sustainable future, by equipping young people to drive – and thrive
in – a green economy, and by leading by example and driving good
practice in communities," said Matt
Larsen-Daw, Education Manager, World Wide Fund for Nature.
"World Wide Fund for Nature welcomes IBM's new platform, which will
be an invaluable resource for teachers and students looking to play
their part in tackling the environmental crisis."
"Students are naturally excited to learn about their environment
and studies have shown that environmental education improves
academic performance, increases civic engagement, and instills a
belief that individuals can make a difference. Beyond that,
sustainability education is now a critical component of 21st
century job skills and citizenship for everyone. Our most pressing
problems and our greatest opportunities will be solved by the next
generation," said Tom Ackerman, Vice
President for Education, Chesapeake Bay Foundation. "The Open
P-TECH Sustainability Teacher Resources Channel provides an
engaging new platform to support students and teachers. CBF has
invested in sustainability education for 50 years and is proud to
contribute to this powerful new learning tool,"
Open P-TECH is a free digital learning platform for students
(grades 9-14), parents, and educators designed to help
learners develop soft skills and hard skills (including education
on emerging technologies such as cloud computing, artificial
intelligence, blockchain, among others) for jobs of the
future. Currently, it has more than 143,000 registered
members in 130 countries and is available in nine
languages.
If an educator, volunteer or student you know is interested in
teaching students about what green business is and the skills
needed to succeed in it, please visit here.
Katie Leasor
IBM Media Relations
kleasor@us.ibm.com
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SOURCE IBM