Transcript teaching sustainability - SEE

Teaching Sustainability
Professional Development
Workshop
Years K – 6
Peter Miller
Bob Douglas
Anne Quinn
Program
4.00 – 4.10pm
Introduction
Anne Quinn
4.10 – 4.35pm
Unit of Work: Energy
Peter Miller
4.35 – 4.50pm
A broader perspective on
sustainability and climate
change
Bob Douglas
4.50 – 4.55pm
ENERGY BREAK
4.55 – 5.05pm
Unit of Work: Changing the Peter Miller
Way We Do Things
5.05 – 5.15pm
Small group discussion –
Sharing ideas for the
classroom
5.15 – 5.25pm
Group discussion – Share a
great idea; Q&A
5.25 – 5.30pm
Wrap Up
Teaching sustainability
Aim – provide practical ideas/material for teaching sustainability
in the classroom
Sustainability
• part of new national curriculum
• now a cross-curriculum priority – broader than just science
English Maths Science History
Geography The Arts
Economics Business
Languages
Civics and Citizenship
Health and PE Technologies
ACT Government targets
Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act 2010
6
ACT greenhouse gas emissions target
(1) The principal target … is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the
ACT to achieve zero net emissions by 30 June 2060.
7
Interim greenhouse gas emissions targets
(1) The interim targets are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the
ACT to—
(a) 40% less than 1990 emissions by 30 June 2020; and
(b) 80% less than 1990 emissions by 30 June 2050.
Find the Act at: www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/2010-41/default.asp
SEE-Change’s Role
SEE-Change 2020 Vision project
To get our young people thinking about how we reach the 2020
target, and how are lives might be different when we do
2020 Vision Centenary competition,
Festival of Young Ideas and Parliament of Youth
To provide a goal and a chance to showcase the work of your
students, your school and you!
To generate discussion in the broader community
SEE-Change teaching resources
Teaching modules and lesson plans; discussion modules
Unit of Work: Energy
Lesson 1: Energy for your body – How much energy
is in a chocolate cupcake?
Lesson 2: Electrical energy in the world
Lesson 3: Where does the electrical energy for our
appliances and machines come from?
Lesson 4: Reducing our CO2 emissions
Lesson 5: 100 years of energy in the ACT – 1913 to
2013
Lesson 6: Where to from here?
A broader perspective on
sustainability and climate change
• A perfect storm of ‘wicked problems’ is brewing
• Each one is serious, together they threaten survival
of our species
– Human numbers quadrupled in the past century
– Consumption driven growth economy
– Demand for land and water increasing while
supply decreasing
– Energy generation driving greenhouse gases
– Political and governance systems cannot cope
So where is the hope in that?
• We are hurtling at breakneck speed down
‘Anthropo-centric Highway’ towards a brick wall of
impossibility
• Fork in the road – Track to ‘Eco-centric survival’
• Most don’t see the track and we don’t know where
it will lead us
• U-turn or catastrophe at the brick wall
• We have already moved beyond the safe limits of
physics, biology and chemistry and our planet is
decompensating
• Our best hope lies on the Eco-centric survival track
Global change – Crossing the safe
boundaries of sustainability
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Climate change (boundary already crossed)
Ocean acidification
Atmospheric ozone depletion
Nitrogen and phosphorus cycles (boundary already
crossed)
Global freshwater use
Land use change
Loss of biodiversity (boundary already crossed)
Atmospheric particulates
Chemical pollution
Shifting from an anthropo-centric to
an eco-centric mindset
• Three things stand in way of positive outcome:
economy, governance and our mindset
• Harder for those over 25
• We are conditioned to believe that humans are
in control and that the earth is infinitely
exploitable
• Reinforced by our jobs, TV and the economy
• Kids come fresh and without our baggage
• Our task is to give them the tools of eco-centrism
What is eco-centrism?
• Recognition of our utter dependence on healthy
ecosystems
• Making their nurture central to our culture
• Designing a steady state economy
• A governance system that respects communities,
environment and operates on democratic
principles
• Caring, sharing and nurture > competition,
winning, dominating and controlling
• Transformation when enough take the new track
The ecological footprint
• Per capita use of biologically active land and
water in global hectares
• Can calculate from the ACF atlas for families,
individuals, suburbs
• The vital role of CO2
• Derived from an analysis of household expenditure
• Our life choices in food, drink, travel, leisure
activity, clothing and buildings, all have ecological
implications
• Modules in the SEE-Change curriculum materials
Footprints vary in size
• Enough land and water to support sustainably 7 billion
people with 1.8 hectares per person. We are using 2.7
• 9.2 global hectares: size of the average ACT resident’s
ecological footprint in 2008-09. The footprint has
increased 25% in 10 years
• 13% above the Australian average and nearly 3.4 times
the global average.
• People in developing countries have footprints ranging
from 0.8 to 1.8 hectares.
• Biologically active land has been declining, while
humanity’s footprint has increased.
Five discussion modules
• Intended for senior students, teachers, parents
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Hope and action in a difficult decade
The environmental challenge
Population, the economy and inequality
A new road to a good future
A 2020 Vision of caring and hope
Why am I hopeful?
• Humans slow but not dumb
• We still don’t ‘get’ eco-centrism, but we will
• Massive stirring of young people networks across
the world
• When the episteme shifts
our entire economy and
mode of thinking will change
• Back to a new deep respect
and utter dependency on
land and nature
Founder of Get-Up as a child
Jeremy Heimans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OGK4Q6PKUI
Unit of Work
Changing the Way We Do Things
Small group discussion
Sharing ideas for the classroom
In pairs or small groups:
1. Discuss how you might use the lessons, modules
presented today – What would work immediately?
What would you modify?
2. Discuss sustainability units or lessons you have
taught – What worked well? What lessons have you
learnt?
Group discussion
Share a great idea you’ve just discussed in your
smaller group – perhaps tell us something you have
learnt from someone in your group
Questions?
Thanks and evaluation
Thanks for coming!
Please fill in the evaluation form