The Problem

In Zapopan, Mexico, rapid urban and population growth have intensified environmental challenges, creating an urgent need to strengthen environmental education for primary school students.

Limited municipal capacity and support for environmental education, often overseen by only a few government officials, have made it difficult to address current environmental problems such as deforestation, pollution, and wastewater management. 

In a community shaped by diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, officials and educators recognized that environmental education materials must be inclusive and adaptable, regardless of a student’s socioeconomic background.

The Opportunity

Building upon continued collaboration with the municipality of Zapopan on social projects, the University Center for Economic and Administrative Sciences (CUCEA) of the University of Guadalajara (UDG) saw an opportunity to improve sustainable education while promoting long-term public policy in Zapopan, beginning at a primary school level.

In 2023, the CUCEA of UDG signed a letter of intent with �鶹��Ƶ (Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities) to strengthen the connection between academia and municipal involvement in environmental education. 

The initiative brought together university faculty and undergraduate students studying environmental management and economics to evaluate preexisting sustainability efforts and propose new ways to expand environmental education in local communities. 

Our Partnership

Dr. Antonio Sánchez Bernal and Dr. Beatriz Adriana Venegas Sahagún led the proposal as part of the IMPACTO UDG project, working alongside �鶹��Ƶ and the municipality to strengthen existing environmental education with student involvement.

Dr. Sahagún Sánchez and Dr. Venegas Sahagún integrated the �鶹��Ƶ model into their environmental management courses, assigning students to assess the effectiveness of preexisting environmental materials. Students conducted Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analyses and contributed hands-on material proposals across seven existing thematic areas of environmental education. 

The project also aligned with all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, fostering international sustainability and development.

After working with the municipality, Venegas Sahagún said implementing the �鶹��Ƶ model provided students with the structural framework to analyze public policy within Zapopan.

“Before, we were only professors working with the government, but with �鶹��Ƶ, we checked that we can do it with the students, as part of the class,” Venegas Sahagún said.

The Result

The collaboration among the municipality of Zapopan, CUCEA, and �鶹��Ƶ produced a comprehensive report on Zapopan’s primary school environmental education, including recommendations to strengthen the existing curriculum. 

The seven existing thematic areas of environmental education included updated proposals and engaging activities to help students learn more about sustainability opportunities in their community. 

Venegas Sahagún said the project and the collaboration between government and academia demonstrate the municipality’s willingness to rethink public policy, marking a shift from traditional approaches in Mexico.

“With Zapopan, we are working pretty well now; they are innovating their public policy, and they want to move beyond traditional politics in Mexico,”  Sahagún said.

Looking Ahead

Project organizers will deliver the environmental education suggestions to the municipality of Zapopan. Professors within the UDG are continuing to work alongside the municipality of Zapopan in designing the “Care policy of the municipality of Zapopan, Jalisco.” The professors working on this project are Dr. Jarumy Rosas Arellano and Dr. Edith Yolanda Gutiérrez Vázquez.

Collaboration Drives New Approach to Environmental Education in Zapopan

El Contexto

En Zapopan, México, el rápido crecimiento urbano y poblacional ha intensificado los desafíos ambientales, lo que ha creado una necesidad urgente de fortalecer la educación ambiental para estudiantes de primaria.

La limitada capacidad municipal y el apoyo a la educación ambiental, a menudo supervisados por solo unos pocos funcionarios gubernamentales, han dificultado abordar problemas ambientales actuales como la deforestación, la contaminación y la gestión de aguas residuales.

En una comunidad con diversos orígenes socioeconómicos, funcionarios y educadores reconocieron que los materiales de educación ambiental deben ser inclusivos y adaptables, independientemente del origen socioeconómico de cada estudiante.

La Oportunidad

A partir de la colaboración continua con el municipio de Zapopan en proyectos sociales, el Centro Universitario de Ciencias Económicas y Administrativas (CUCEA) de la Universidad de Guadalajara (UDG) vio la oportunidad de mejorar la educación sostenible y, al mismo tiempo, promover políticas públicas a largo plazo en Zapopan, comenzando por la primaria.

En 2023, el CUCEA de la UDG firmó una carta de intención con la Red �鶹��Ƶ (Alianzas Educativas para la Innovación en Comunidades) para fortalecer la conexión entre la academia y la participación municipal en educación ambiental. La iniciativa reunió a profesores y estudiantes universitarios de gestión ambiental y economía para evaluar los esfuerzos de sostenibilidad preexistentes y proponer nuevas formas de ampliar la educación ambiental en las comunidades locales.

Nuestra Alianza

El Dr. Antonio Sánchez Bernal y la Dra. Beatriz Adriana Venegas Sahagún lideraron la propuesta como parte del proyecto IMPACTO UDG, trabajando junto con la Red �鶹��Ƶ y la municipalidad para fortalecer la educación ambiental existente mediante la participación estudiantil.

El Dr. Sahagún Sánchez y la Dra. Venegas Sahagún integraron el modelo �鶹��Ƶ en sus cursos de gestión ambiental, asignando a los estudiantes la tarea de evaluar la eficacia de los materiales ambientales preexistentes. Los estudiantes realizaron análisis de Fortalezas, Debilidades, Oportunidades y Amenazas (FODA) y aportaron propuestas de materiales prácticos en siete áreas temáticas existentes de educación ambiental.

El proyecto también se alineó con los 17 Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible de las Naciones Unidas, fomentando la sostenibilidad y el desarrollo internacional.

Tras trabajar con el municipio, Venegas Sahagún afirmó que la implementación del modelo �鶹��Ƶ proporcionó a los estudiantes un marco estructural para analizar las políticas públicas en Zapopan.

“Antes, solo éramos profesores y trabajábamos con el gobierno, pero con �鶹��Ƶ comprobamos que podemos hacerlo con los estudiantes, como parte de la clase”, afirmó Venegas Sahagún.

El Resultado

La colaboración entre el municipio de Zapopan, CUCEA y �鶹��Ƶ produjo un informe exhaustivo sobre la educación ambiental en la escuela primaria de Zapopan, que incluye recomendaciones para fortalecer el currículo existente.

Las siete áreas temáticas de educación ambiental existentes incluyeron propuestas actualizadas y actividades atractivas para ayudar a los estudiantes a aprender más sobre las oportunidades de sostenibilidad en su comunidad.

La doctora Venegas Sahagún afirmó que el proyecto y la colaboración entre el gobierno y la academia demuestran la disposición del municipio a repensar las políticas públicas, lo que marca un cambio respecto de los enfoques tradicionales en México.

“Con Zapopan, estamos trabajando muy bien ahora; están innovando en sus políticas públicas y quieren ir más allá de la política tradicional en México”, afirmó Sahagún.

Mirando hacia el Futuro

Los organizadores del proyecto entregarán las sugerencias de educación ambiental al municipio de Zapopan. Profesores de la UDG continúan trabajando con el municipio de Zapopan en el diseño de la “Política de Cuidado del Municipio de Zapopan, Jalisco”. Las profesoras que trabajan en este proyecto son la Dra. Jarumy Rosas Arellano y la Dra. Edith Yolanda Gutiérrez Vázquez.

Lusaka already has a history of using the �鶹��Ƶ model on a smaller scale as the city signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Zambia to institutionalize the �鶹��Ƶ model in Lusaka. For the past four years, the model has been implemented on a small scale and has resulted in significant gains for the city. Currently, the City Council of Lusaka and the University of Zambia are looking to expand the �鶹��Ƶ model to create city-wide positive change to locally relevant issues such as climate change adaptation, waste management, and urban planning. This project will look to begin in August of 2023 and end by August 2024. 

In taking steps to expand the model, the City hopes to build capacity among all �鶹��Ƶ model actors in Lusaka through training, sensitization, and community engagement so that skills are created for upscaling deployment of the �鶹��Ƶ model in Lusaka. The City would also like to collaborate with other entities to identify community development interventions that are in line with the principles of the �鶹��Ƶ model and make investments to support urban climate adaptation, social and gender inclusion in city development plans, and support learning and innovation at a community level. Finally, the city would also like to undertake capacity development actions that look to build sustainability in all future �鶹��Ƶ interventions in Lusaka through expanded partnerships for �鶹��Ƶ innovations. 

In support of the goals, the project will look to sensitize at least 20 Departments at the University of Zambia to adopt the �鶹��Ƶ model in teaching and research. To increase the application of the �鶹��Ƶ model and principles in the community, the project will increase the capacity of all nine Departments at the Lusaka City Council. This research will work to accelerate the implementation and expansion of the �鶹��Ƶ model by expanding the agreement to build sustainability. Over 500 students are planned to be involved in the �鶹��Ƶ model beginning with graduate courses in Economics, Geography, Urban Planning, Development Studies, Environmental Management, Public Health, Geomatics, GIS, Environmental Education, Civil Engineering, and Education. 

There will be many actors involved throughout this project to meet as many goals as possible. The project will be implemented as a collaboration between the Lusaka City Council, the University of Zambia, and selected communities with each party holding a very specific role in the project. For instance, the Lusaka City Council will provide a specific policy framework for community interventions to take place. Communities will anchor and support all activities in the collaboration while the University of Zambia will provide the students and research capacity needed to expand the Epic model in the city. Members of the community will also take the lead in identifying key problems in the communities and in respective wards. Community members will be represented within each project by community leaders, Community-Based Organizations, Ward Development Committees, and residents. 

The University of Zambia will undertake capacity development activities to increase capacity on �鶹��Ƶ model implementation and raise awareness among the MoU actors. This includes training for students, Course conveners, Deans of Schools, and Heads of Departments at the University of Zambia and the Lusaka City Council. In terms of providing knowledge, university students will provide time and a technical understanding of selected topics and community members will supply time and local knowledge. Students will also take time to engage with communities to define priority interventions through the �鶹��Ƶ model. 

Through this research, the relationship between communities, the Lusaka City Council, and the University of Zambia will be strengthened. There will additionally, be  improved community service and a better understanding of development actions in communities particularly those focused on strengthening climate resilience in flood-prone areas, aligning with SDG 13. This �鶹��Ƶ project will bring improved governance and civic awareness in communities where �鶹��Ƶ projects will take place and see increased accountability from all parties involved in community development in Lusaka.  

This project is ongoing and will be finished in 2024.

The purpose of this project, titled: Equity and Urban Forest: A Sustainable Model for Green Regional Growth, is to provide recommendations for the City of Tacoma’s approach to community outreach and green infrastructure development for the Tacoma Mall Neighborhood Sub area. The UW LCY formed, in cooperation with City of Tacoma staff, to develop a communications strategy, a set of outreach tools, and an
implementation plan for demonstration projects. The team’s objective is to assist the City of Tacoma in gaining broad support from its constituents, including residents and business owners, for meeting the green development goals outlined for the Tacoma Mall Neighborhood Sub area within the City of Tacoma’s Vision 2040 Plan. The team has included, within its recommendations, strategies to create effective partnerships with diverse stakeholders.

Livable City Year Contact Info
Teri Thomson Randall
Program Manager
terir@uw.edu
206.221.9240

University Faculty Contact
Clare Ryan
Environmental and Forest Sciences
Professor
cmryan@uw.edu
206-616-3987

Local Government / Community Contact
Michael Cary

Office of Environmental Policy and Sustainbility