Welcome, from Founder Dr. Haley Penny

Though originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Haley has spent over five years living in the Basque Country, Spain, where she earned her Ph.D. in Language Acquisition in Multilingual Settings (LAMS) from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Under the mentorship of Dr. Yolanda Ruiz de Zarobe, her doctoral research explored the intersection of sustainability and language acquisition in CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) classrooms, focusing on how sustainability education can be enhanced through multilingual learning spaces. Her dissertation, Sustainability and Language Acquisition in CLIL Contexts: A Pedagogical Assessment of Learning Materials, examined the pedagogical impact of integrated content-language instruction, emphasizing how sustainability education can cultivate linguistic competence, critical thinking, and cross-cultural awareness.

Haley’s academic background is rooted in systems thinking and interdisciplinary learning. She graduated with distinction from Arizona State University (ASU), earning a B.S. in Sustainability and a B.A. in Spanish, along with a TESOL certification. At ASU, she developed a systems-based approach to sustainability, studying how environmental, economic, and social factors interconnect at both micro and macro levels. Her studies also introduced her to the role of language in sustainability discourse, adding to her lifelong interest in multilingualism and sociolinguistics. She later earned a Master’s in Multilingual Education from the University of the Basque Country, where she specialized in CLIL learning spaces, sociolinguistic pedagogy, and materials development, under the guidance of Dr. Jasone Cenoz. Haley has also contributed to international research initiatives on multilingualism and education, including her involvement with Project MINECO: Multilingualism and Integrated Language Learning. Her research has been presented at international conferences, and she has authored publications on CLIL sustainability materials design, music fandoms as linguistic communities of practice, and holistic teacher support. Her work has been recognized for its innovative approach to integrating sustainability literacy into language education, making her a leading voice in the field of holistic, interdisciplinary learning.

Beyond her academic work, Haley has spent over a decade teaching and designing educational learning materials across diverse learning environments. She has worked in both formal and non-formal learning spaces, developing curriculum and instructional resources that bridge language learning with real-world sustainability challenges. She has taught gardening and sustainability programs in Arizona elementary schools, worked as a university instructor, and led CLIL-based language courses for students ranging from preschoolers to professional soccer players. Haley also has experience with educational program development, specifically focusing on bilingual character education and, her newest learning endeavor, neurodivergence in the classroom. She has both written content and managed a team of content writers to create SEL activities, diversity lessons, teacher resources, and multilingual classroom materials. Haley enjoys writing scripts for short and long form videos, as well as creating storyboards and conceptualizing engaging educational videos. Her expertise in materials development and instructional design has made her a valuable teammate in curriculum innovation, teacher training, and educational program development.

At the core of Haley’s work is a belief in the power of education to transform how we understand and engage with sustainability. She envisions a future where students from all backgrounds have access to high-quality, interdisciplinary learning experiences that help them connect knowledge across disciplines, develop a sense of agency, and take meaningful action in their communities. Through The Sustainability Classroom, she continues to create innovative learning materials that bridge multilingualism and sustainability education, fostering global competence, critical thinking, and environmental stewardship.

When she’s not developing classroom materials or conducting research, Haley enjoys hiking, cooking, building legos, playing piano, and learning languages. She loves working on her Spanish, Italian, Basque, French, and Korean, and she is always looking for new ways to connect language, culture, and sustainability education in meaningful ways.

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