With work happening all over the world, webinars are a helpful (if flawed) way to stay up-to-date. Aspect Works Director Jason Petrait reports out on 3 from this week.

On Monday the European Trade Unions Institute (ETUI) hosted “Bridging the gap between climate policy and social justice.” Attendees heard from ETUI staff, and hosted two experts in the field, Emma River-Roberts, Director of the Working Class Climate Alliance and Dimitris Stevis, Professor at Colorado State University. 

River-Roberts defined three main issues facing the movement in growing working-class involvement:

• Some people feel they won’t be impacted by climate change
• The notion of environmental action comes into conflict with free markets
• Some feel there is nothing they can do to improve their lives

How does the movement overcome that? River-Roberts pointed to legislative change, workers rights, a green jobs guarantee and encouraging sustainable consumption (with affordable alternatives).  There is a continued need to provide the working class with material resources and support. 

Dimitris Stevis, professor at Colorado State University spoke later. “Unions and environmentalists must have a broad vision of the working people and must move beyond tactics and strategies into coalitions,’ he said, capturing the overall tenor of the webinar. 

On Tuesday Jason attended ENCORE: Open Educational Resources for Teachers & Educators. Hosted by university professors Ioannis Paliokas and Alexandros Tzallas, the pair talked through their project of creating and disseminating free, openly available educational materials like videos, quizzes, textbooks, courses and tools.

The resources can be adapted without cost or restriction, and often result in more engaging and flexible lessons, with practical materials helping in all kinds of learning environments. All of these resources support teaching and learning by making education more accessible and more flexible, removing barriers and tailoring content to specific populations.

Later Tuesday Jason attended the dotEDU Live: More Policy Shifts, More Uncertainty for Colleges webinar, focusing on how the new administration in the U.S. is changing education for the worse at the Department of Education.

If you’re interested in the ongoing catastrophe in higher education in the United States, especially around compliance and funding, signing up the American Council on Education’s webinars is recommended.