In this first episode of Season 1 of CICE: The Podcast, Noa Urbach, a master’s student in the International Educational Development program at Teachers College, Columbia University, looks at the past, present, and future of climate activism in higher education institutions. Through interviews with Professor Michael Gerrard and Adjunct Professor Christina Torres, and her involvement in on-campus climate action, Noa compares climate activism through the three lenses of education, law, and ecology.
Host, co-producer: Noa Urbach
Co-producer: Tracie Jarrard
Media outreach and design: Nicole Ricci
Original music for CICE: The Podcast: Michael Bellamy
A special thanks to the entire CICE: The Podcast team who made this season possible.
CICE: The Podcast is part of Current Issues in Comparative Education, an open-access journal in the field of comparative education. CICE is the oldest open student-led journal in the field. All views expressed in this episode are those of the speakers and do not reflect the views of Teachers College or Columbia University.
Get Involved and Learn More
- Christina – cat2199@tc.columbia.edu
- Noa – neu2103@tc.columbia.edu
- Center for Sustainable Futures at TC
- Columbia University’s sustainability plan 2030
- The new Columbia Climate School
- Climate Change Enters the Therapy Room – a piece in the NYT
- First Earth Day, Columbia Spectator piece by Michael Gerrard
Host
Noa Urbach is a social entrepreneur, mother of Alex and wife of Ido. She is a first year masters student in International Education studies at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is also the founder of Helpi, a nonprofit micro-volunteering platform, and Pendulum, a creative changency. Forbes 30under30 shortlist for 2020.
Our guests
Michael Gerrard is the founder and faculty director of the groundbreaking Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and one of the foremost environmental lawyers in the nation. Before joining the Columbia faculty in 2009, he practiced environmental law in New York City for 30 years. He’s an advocate, litigator, teacher, and scholar who has pioneered cutting-edge legal tools and strategies for addressing climate change. He writes and teaches courses on environmental law, climate change law, and energy regulation. He was the chair of the Faculty of Columbia University’s renowned Earth Institute from 2015 to 2018.
Christina Torres – LinkedIn
Christina Torres is a doctoral student in the science education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She’s a 2020 2022 Zankel fellow for the Youth at the Center Project, which aims to engage New York City students in climate science and action. She’s also co-president of the Sustainability Task Force, a student organization at Teachers College. She’s an adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she teaches an ecology and environmental problems course to students who pursue sustainable fashion. Her research interests focus on utilizing local biodiversity to integrate ecology concepts and sustainable thinking into urban classrooms.