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Global Issues & Perspective Students Share EcoPoem
11 February 2025

STUDENTS OF GLOBAL ISSUES AND PERSPECTIVE SHARE THEIR POETRY ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Students of the Global Issues and Perspective Class, led by Professor Brindusa Burrows over a number of years, encouraged students to explore class topics through creative outlets. Notably, the students were able to engage with the class material and their level of emotions with environmental issues through poetry. Seven Students provide us with their poetry, shedding light on the diverse nature of discussion and creative regard the programme encourages in the classroom.

Brindusa Burrows
Brindusa Burrows
Chargée d'enseignement Invitée/Visiting lecturer
MINT209 - Financing the SDG Agenda: Unpacking the Trillion Dollar Opportunity

« Me » and the World

Brindusa Burrows

"This is not our world with trees in it. It’s a world of trees, where humans have just arrived.” Richard Powers

What is sustainability? Ask the textbooks and they will tell you that “this planet on which we rely for our subsistence is facing immense and unprecedented crises, both known and unknown, both foreseeable and unforeseeable. Whether human civilization can survive these has become an existential issue that must be squarely faced  ”. Seen from this perspective, things are grim and hopeless. So much to fix, so little one can do about it.

But what if, instead, we changed our point of view? Literally. Rise above the Earth, like philosopher Bruno Latour asked us to do, and look down at the thin “critical zone” that sustains life  . See ourselves as humans among nonhumans and allow ourselves to break out of the long-standing western belief that culture (human subjectivity) is not nature. Making and interpreting art offers powerful ways of engaging our emotional core and re-imagining solutions, even as we do our toughest work in the world. It offers practical tools such as eco-poetry, painting, drawing, critical analysis and, equally important, a feeling of being present and truthfully, always engaged.

Jogging the right side of the brain ignites the appetite to reimagine a sustainable world. As one of the students said, “Art gives voice to communities, to different solutions and perspectives, it can transform public spaces […] art being an explorative tool without any borders and rules different problem-solving approaches can be imagined and experienced by combining different disciplines, such as the arts, scientists, policymakers, and technology. "


The wisdom and the tools are out there, all the time, available to take. Practicing a change of point of view can address what Baptiste Morizot calls “a crisis of our sensitivity to the living”  and widen our perception of what life is and our role in it. And what can be more powerful than aligning with life?

So, what is sustainability to you, personally?

Bhavya Goel

There is much to be said about the world at this point in the history of the world – and I’m certain ours isn't the first generation to find itself in a flux which appears to be an uncertain whirlwind. However, of the many things I'd like to put in this time capsule at the beginning of my journey in Geneva and at the Geneva Graduate Institute: is the positive reminder that we circled back at, during our weekly sessions in Global Issues and Perspectives — the significance of the historical lens in moving towards our future(s). From where we get to see the world, here at the Institute in Geneva, it truly seems plausible to understand the years that this city has lived, the momentous timelines which have its name stamped on them and it seems — especially today — the one place where I can do my bit for the world and make sure the echo resounds to the farthest of countries and people, and returns to me as a collective voice of the world it seeks to represent. But I believe that the way we have had the opportunity to learn, question and further develop our understanding of concepts like racism — something said quite often, known and felt more so — or diplomacy and multilateralism 2.0, the gravitas of these concepts, the intricacies of their movement in the real world: it allows me to foster the ideal version of our future. One which has a rational anatomy and an emotional rhythm. Professor Rodogno’s lectures have made one lesson quite implicit for me: as long as we don’t let ourselves be tempted by the false security of passivity or despair, there is a certainly a positive future for conflict resolution, for eliminating discrimination, to essentially elevate the human conscience to the place where this utopian future can be almost realised. It's definitely possible to hold hope. 

 

I see you move

when you see me move: 

you know I don't always just rustle, right?

I ferociously try to fall sometimes; I am tired of staying still

the raindrop is not always beautiful, dear.

it hurts at times, 

the pellets have become stronger this monsoon

my sides are folding and 

your autumn has grown warmer now: 

it's time for me to wither

and phoenix out of my cycle

but it's not happening this time, I'm afraid:

you took my last breath with you

in your acrylic box

Does anyone come to visit the museum of your death?

 

Evangelos Athansiadis

My experience at MINT has been wonderful so far. I really enjoy the diversity and broadness of the programme, I find the quality of discussions to be exceptional and I feel grateful for certain professors I have. I also find that the programme is friendly to students and has a good balance between work and free time.

 

 

Athena's Sacred Tree

My roots, ingrained in the Mediterranean soil

Ancient like the Minoans, the Phoenicians

My oil, a source of life since the start

Ancient, like humanity itself

Since we didn’t have borders

Borders

My sisters don’t know borders

My sisters have one home

This eternal, deep blue sea

 

Nicholas Kimble

The Graduate Institute of Geneva's Global Issues and Perspectives class is a transformative academic experience that equips students with the tools to navigate and address complex global challenges. One of the defining features of the class is its diverse student body, representing countries from across the globe. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the course examines pressing topics such as climate change and sustainability, global health governance, international security, migration and refugee crises, and the role of international institutions in shaping global policies. Students gain practical knowledge of policy frameworks and critical thinking skills essential for navigating today’s interconnected world.

 

The Last Odaa Tree

In 1991, when silence broke the air,  

The Odaa Tree stood, wounded, yet still there.  

For years I was torn from the soil I knew,  

Where stories were shared and the elders grew.   

Once my language, my name, all were banned,  

As the winds of oppression swept through the land.  

But that year, the chains of silence were gone,  

And whispers of justice began to dawn.   

My limbs were scarred, but I stood tall and proud,  

A silent pillar, unbroken, unbowed.  

For refugees, warriors, for all seeking shade,  

I became their shelter, their refuge, their aid.   

From Oromia’s heart, my roots ran deep,  

Where wisdom and freedom in silence sleep.  

They painted my memory, their hearts full of grace,  

A symbol of hope, of strength, and of place.   

Though broken and battered, my voice still rings clear,  

I carry the stories that echo each year.   

The fight for justice, the battle to be free—  

I will not be the last Odaa Tree.

Lure, Florian Hoppe
Meet Me in the Middle, Yu Long
My True Core, Yuki Sasazuki

 

Andrew Travis

As for my experience in the global issues class, it has been an invaluable experience for me. It has opened my eyes to my fellow students' perspectives and experiences that have changed how I see my place in the world.

 

The Alley Ivy

Today I watch the passersby

on my endless journey to the sky

My branches growing ever slow

the alley walls are all I know

on and on I make my way

to one day see the light of day

 

Jaclyn Lee

I found this class and assignment to be very intriguing. Although I don't consider myself to be a creative person, nor have I studied very many topics about sustainability, this activity seemed interesting and easy to get excited about. Thinking about something beautiful in the environment and then writing from its perspective felt "natural" in a way. I truly enjoyed it. 

 

The Hills and Valleys of Lesotho

I am vast, wide, lush, beautiful and inviting

The bright sun warms my surface by day

And the cool night brings quiet, peace and the stars

I am a part of the "Kingdom in the Sky"

And from there I see it, the sky, perfectly

 

 

Maximilian Kessler

Brindusa's class on "Me and the World" led me to reflect not only on my own position and positionality with regard to others but more importantly on my and everybody else's connection to nature. I believe that our dependency on healthy ecosystems is still too often underappreciated, even within fora dealing with sustainability and sustainable development. Ecopoetry, as introduced by Brindusa, is a nice creative way to become aware of our place in nature and also a source to draw strength to tackle the many policy challenges that we face."

 

 

Walk on me, but walk on me

crawl, walk, run, sprint, rush, 

but feel that you are moving

feel me, feel me moving.

look at me. see me.

don't hurt me.

yours, 

the soil

 

Renato Llontop Calosi 

I’ve enjoyed spending time with classmates from all over the world, particularly learning how issues intrinsic to our realities are deeply connected to the global challenges we face today. We all need to care for our common home; it’s not a matter of reinventing the wheel but rather of not forgetting in every action we perform — independently of its size — about our origins in and the importance of mother nature. 

 

1 Oh Nature, Full of Gifts Untold

2 Tiny from afar, but so immense from within

3 There'd be one day where we all come together one last time

4 To love you and hug you with that care you provided us for so long

5 A care for our common home 

DEPENDENCIES --

1 Food  2 Electricity 

3 Water 4 Fresh Air

 5 Human Love