PART A: Design and description of a teaching resource
1. Write a detailed description of your design of a teaching resource.
The teaching resource that has been created is a simple vegetable garden, designed for children of all ages using a recycled bath tub, in particular a bath tub for optimal water drainage, but other recycled drums can also be used. The soil to fill the bath tub will be dirt with a mix of compost. The use of the bath tub gives a good amount of soil drainage required by the soil and also the plants, the bath tub also allows the vegetables to be off the ground and children can be standing rather than kneeling or sitting, they can easily move around and explore this way.
This resource was designed to fit with the ACARA (2016) cross curriculum sustainability priority which is future-oriented and calls on students to act sustainably as individuals and to participate in shared endeavours that are shared across local, regional and global communities. It emphasises the interdependence of environmental, social, cultural and economic systems.
2. Include drawings, design features, materials
Design features
Recycled
Ideal drainage for healthier plants
Compost for optimal nutrition
Materials
- Recycled bath or recycled drum
- Seeds or seedlings
- Compost/soil
- Recycled mesh fencing for stabilisation of vegetables
3. Environmental materials
The materials were chosen to have the lowest environmental impact as
In order for sustainable development to be achieved, humans need to reduce their effect on the environment by consuming less in terms of resources, and living more lightly on the planet. As difficult as this may sound, there are a number of ways in which this is easily achievable. One of the most effective ways to do this is to alter the way in which we function day-to-day, and to begin to change our homes to make them more efficient in terms of resources. In addition, sustainability is not only about ensuring a future in which we can sustain our society without impacting negatively on our environment, but also but ensuring that everyone can have access to this. Therefore we must look at the triple-bottom line approach and align our movement towards sustainable development with this.
Sustainability education is futures oriented, children must have systematized their ideas, then reflects the essential knowledge, understandings and skills for the priority (AusVELS 2015). By using the Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum we must integrated into student’s education such as:
“Many current discussions about sustainability focus on the ways in which human activity...can be maintained in the future without exhausting all of our current resources… there has been a close correlation between the growth of human society and environmental degradation - as communities grow, the environment often declines” (603).
Course Description This course focuses on the causes of, impacts of, and solutions to environmental issues. Students identify global environmental issues as well as develop and critique environmental action plans. Topics include ecosystems, energy, populations, resources, pollution, and sustainability. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • • University policies: You must be logged into the
Environmental sustainability is the ability to be able to continue a certain process or use a certain resource indefinitely (Mason). For example, if you’re using a certain resource and you know it’s going to run out one day, that resource is unsustainable. Sustainability is important because a lot of the practices that we do in modern society from agriculture, to energy source, and even development, are completely depleting our resources. This practices were also made to accommodate our fast pace lifestyle, everything is built and made to be fast and cheap, nothing is made to last anymore. Many people are realizing the importance of being sustainable and the world is slowly changing to sustainable practices like Renewable energy and sustainable agriculture, while also changing the fast and easy mind set to a more “reusable” one. Brevard College has boarded the sustainable train of the world by making several additions to the school like solar panels, alternative transportation options, a Fair trade and organic Coffee shop, and several environmental based clubs. Although they are heading in the right direction, many changes still need to be made in order to achieve a well-developed sustainable campus.
Environmental sustainability has become more of a concern than ever, and this trend will continue so long as people do not prioritize sustainability. Plenty of effort is necessary for sustainability, and to quote Lewis Carroll, “We must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place.” I have made lifestyle changes to try and attain individual sustainability, but this does not create change; the impact that I want to contribute to. With the skills that I hope to have an opportunity to cultivate at UBC, I aim to be a part of that change.
One of the most vigorously debated topics is the issue of sustainability. These include climate change, overpopulation, pollution, and ignorance to the damage being done to the environment. The climate that all living things have come to rely upon is changing because of global warming. Today, sustainability has become a focal point and a significant part of life. Sustainability is defined as the ability to meet current environmental, ecological, economics, social and cultural needs without risking the ability of future generations to meet those same needs. What does the Best American Science Wtg. 2014 teach us about sustainability, and what makes the paradigm shift to a sustainable planet? These different authors explain with example how sustainability can be achieved and also the different points of views that exist. “TV as birth control,” by Fred Pearce, “Why the brain prefers paper,” by Ferris Jabrs, “Bringing them back to life,” by Carl Zimmer and “A race to save the orange by altering its DNA”, by Amy Harmon’s – reveals that cultural sustainability involves efforts to preserve the actual and evasive cultural elements of sociality such as heritage, educational opportunities and public policies, in way that promote environmental, economic and social sustainability.
In this article “Enough For All Forever: A Handbook for Learning About Sustainability,” David Suzuki (2010) explains how the human beings see and understand the changing world, nature and sustainability.
Answer the following questions to the best of your abilities using the information covered in Chapters 1 – 6. Each response should be between 50-100 words. This is only a guide to your length and detail of your responses. Do not sacrifice quality for quantity in your response. External sources are not necessary to support your responses, but can be used if you wish. If you choose to use external sources, please remember to cite them in your response. You may answer directly underneath the existing questions below. This assignment is worth 35 marks.
The basis of my knowledge of sustainability begins with my cultural background. I was born in Colombia, a part of the world that has significant Latin American culture that varies greatly from North American culture.
The ethical perspectives of whether to teach children and students about environmental sustainability needs to be explored. Argument can be made that because of the environmental problems faced by the world today it is not fair to be placing the burden of repairing and managing this problem upon them. McFarlane and Ogazon state “challenges to sustainability education are both natural and socially-imposed because of our nature as individuals. On a collective or societal level, we are hampered by political economy and governmental policies and actions. On an individual level, we feel helpless when we think about the possibility of taking on problems at the global level” (2011,
Sustainability should be prioritised in order for students to “become socially responsible and show respect for the environment” (Early Years Learning Framework, 2009). As educators we should be leading by example through effective sustainability practices. The Early Years
In order to live sustainably in a world with limited resources and increasing environmental, social and economic inequity it is vital for institutions, individuals and companies to examine the way
This essay will review two significant environmental experiences I have encountered exploring the influences of these my life and how these have altered my view on what is environmental sustainability. An examination into these two experiences will follow into reviewing my perspectives on environmental sustainability and how these two experiences influenced this. To conclude a discussion on my role as a teacher and how this will impact myself when in the classroom.
Over the Past 30 years many steps have been taken to further understand, and develop our sustainability and the impact it has on us, our communities, economy, social lives and future. As our understanding and knowledge continues to grow, we continue to see just how important and closely tied our environment is to us. There have been policies made by governments all around the world in order to achieve a sustainable living style, as well as many smaller organizations in comparison to larger meetings by world governments to come up with ideas such as the Kyoto protocol. One such concept that has arisen is the “Triple Bottom Line” which is considered an accounting frame work that takes into consideration Social,