Institute for Humane Education

06/06/2026

In celebration of Higher Education Day today, we're excited to share IHE alum Tracey Windsor's recently published open access chapter, 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗻, as part of Springer Nature's 'Natural Resource Management and Policy' series.

About this work, Tracey writes: "I co-authored a chapter in a new book edited by IMF macroeconomist Nicoletta Batini. It’s about a market shift 99.9% of economic models don’t account for.

I first discovered the term for this shift in the groundbreaking 2019 book 𝙁𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨 by Joshua Katcher.

It is circumfauna: the global structural move away from animal‑derived inputs across industries.

When I encountered it in Katcher’s work, I was floored by the void this term exposes and the misconceptions it settles, especially the story that individual behavior is the primary driver of this phenomenon.

In reality, the same macro pressures that disrupted manufacturing and energy and reshaped supply chains are moving through fashion, materials and beyond. Most economists aren’t modeling how animals and other living systems fit into this disruption.

This gap is what this new volume directly addresses.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙉𝙤𝙣-𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨: 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙩 brings animals into the models, the discourse, and the policies that shape markets.

Joshua and I co-authored the chapter on circumfauna through the lens of the too‑often‑dismissed, 1.8‑trillion‑dollar global fashion industry."

This chapter is fully open access, free to read or download here:
https://lnkd.in/ebjCrkgd

01/06/2026

At IHE, we’re closing out the month celebrating connection—across classrooms, communities, and continents. From a global conversation about the language of our work to educators integrating solutionary teaching into IB programmes around the world, there’s a lot to share. Read on to learn more and find out about upcoming opportunities to connect—including our first-ever Worldwide Solutionary Teacher Showcase on June 13th!

Read all about it in our May issue of Humane Edge: https://mailchi.mp/humaneeducation.org/humaneedge-may?e=0c0a255927

19/05/2026

There's only one week to go before our next Humane Education Check-In! Join us next Wednesday, 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟳 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟮 𝗽.𝗺. 𝗘𝗧 to discuss the term "humane education," the implications it may carry, and what it means for the work we share.

RSVP here: https://bit.ly/4ueeAFK

We want to talk about the term "humane education."

What does it convey to people? How is it being perceived? Who's using it—and how?

At IHE, we’ve been defining humane education as a field of study that explores the connections between human rights, animal protection, and ecological sustainability. We’ve long appreciated one of the Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary definitions of the word humane as having what are considered the best qualities of being human. What that implies is that humane education can help people identify humanity’s best qualities and live accordingly – in relationship to other people, to animals, and to the ecosystems that sustain life.

But the term humane education has a complicated history. While the originators of humane education at the turn of the 20th century focused on issues related to both children and animals, in the latter half of the 20th century it was more narrowly associated with animals, specially those considered pets. And as IHE alum Jesika Keener, Ed.D. shared at our last community gathering, the term humane education can unintentionally reinforce the very separation it aims to challenge because the word humane – human with an e on the end – may inadvertently suggest human-centered and even hierarchical.

As an organization, we've grappled with questions around the term for three decades—and we'd love to hear how others are thinking about it.

So, we hope you'll join us on 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟳 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟮 𝗽.𝗺. 𝗘𝗧 for our next Humane Education Check-In: What's In A Name? to discuss the language we use, the implications it carries, and what it means for the work we share.

RSVP here: https://bit.ly/4ueeAFK

18/05/2026

Are you an IB educator looking to support student-led action and community engagement within your existing programme?

Join IB educators from around the world to explore meaningful alignment between the IB framework and solutionary teaching and learning. Together, we’ll examine connections across inquiry, agency, community engagement and reciprocal partnerships, while sharing practical entry points for integration.

Open to SMC graduates and newcomers alike. Whether you’re beginning the conversation or deepening your practice, we hope you’ll join us!

RSVP here: https://bit.ly/43kCROI

This call will be hosted by Shei Ascencio, Julie Meltzer, and Gitanjali Paul, and will include a panel discussion by Alfonso Rivera, Joana Valeiro, Crystal Pottebaum, and Kyle Shahan who will share how they're weaving solutionary teaching and learning into their IB programmes.

See you there!

12/05/2026

We want to talk about the term "humane education."

What does it convey to people? How is it being perceived? Who's using it—and how?

At IHE, we’ve been defining humane education as a field of study that explores the connections between human rights, animal protection, and ecological sustainability. We’ve long appreciated one of the Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary definitions of the word humane as having what are considered the best qualities of being human. What that implies is that humane education can help people identify humanity’s best qualities and live accordingly – in relationship to other people, to animals, and to the ecosystems that sustain life.

But the term humane education has a complicated history. While the originators of humane education at the turn of the 20th century focused on issues related to both children and animals, in the latter half of the 20th century it was more narrowly associated with animals, specially those considered pets. And as IHE alum Jesika Keener, Ed.D. shared at our last community gathering, the term humane education can unintentionally reinforce the very separation it aims to challenge because the word humane – human with an e on the end – may inadvertently suggest human-centered and even hierarchical.

As an organization, we've grappled with questions around the term for three decades—and we'd love to hear how others are thinking about it.

So, we hope you'll join us on 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟳 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟮 𝗽.𝗺. 𝗘𝗧 for our next Humane Education Check-In: What's In A Name? to discuss the language we use, the implications it carries, and what it means for the work we share.

RSVP here: https://bit.ly/4ueeAFK

05/05/2026

If you see a problem in your community that you want to fix, where should you start?

The first step is to identify the root and systemic causes of the issue using a tool like the systems iceberg model.

Learn all about this tool by following Theo, a young animal lover who notices that his local shelter is becoming overcrowded and decides to find out why.

The Systems Iceberg is part of Step 5 in the Solutionary Framework, which anyone can use to assess local and global problems and create ethical, actionable solutions.

Learn more about the Solutionary Framework and how to incorporate it into your teaching: https://humaneeducation.org/teach-the-solutionary-framework/

If you see a problem in your community that you want to fix, where should you start? The first step is to identify the root and systemic causes of the issue ...

04/05/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟭,𝟬𝟬𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹!

When we launched the pilot for the Solutionary Micro-credential Course (SMC) with 12 teachers in 2021, 1,000+ completers felt very far away. Just five years later, thanks to these SMC graduates, tens of thousands of students around the world are using solutionary thinking to address problems they care about and learning that they can make positive change.

These students are tackling a wide range of challenges, from bullying, food waste, animal cruelty, and deforestation, to infrastructure challenges, single-use plastics, high carbon footprints, loneliness, and fast fashion.

Here are a few details about the SMC grads preparing this solutionary generation:

🌍 42.5% are from 26 states across the U.S., with Maine leading the count.
🌍 30% teach in Central/South America and Mexico—many took the course in Spanish thanks to our LATAM facilitation team.
🌍 130 are from 18 African countries, with 60+ currently enrolled in cohorts based in Kenya, Uganda, and Malawi.
🌍 They are supporting students to implement solutionary projects in all types of schools—rural and urban, public and private, well-resourced and under-resourced.

Check out the map below to see how far solutionary thinking has spread, and stay tuned for more details on the worldwide celebratory showcase of solutionary teachers and students we’re planning for June.

Learn more about the SMC here: https://lnkd.in/d2cUgP7v