Green Economy – The FED has launched its National Education Consultation Report 2023 – Its title is: Towards a long-term plan for education. The report says this on page 8:
“The future of our young people is tied to the future of the planet. Not only is climate change the biggest priority for this generation, but it is also changing the make-up of our economy; the government currently predicts its Net Zero initiative will drive up to 440,000 jobs by 2030. Ensuring our future workforce is prepared to work in the green economy will be vital to our future success.”
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Fieldwork – The GA recently encouraged schools to take part in National Fieldwork Fortnight. This was designed to provide a focal point to encourage schools to take classes outside, whether in the school grounds, the local area or further afield. The common theme of environment was chosen to provide flexibility in deciding what to investigate to best advantage. Why only a fortnight …
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Community Science – Nature Overheard is a new community science programme of activities co-created by school students and scientists at London’s Natural History Museum. You can take part by recording audio on your street and observing insects. Simply choose a nearby road, look for insects along a short section of it, and make a five-minute sound recording of the surroundings.
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Adults in the Room – Its not the job of children to fix the climate crisis, says Cassy Polimeni in The Guardian; rather, we must show them that grown-ups are leading the way.
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Environmental Poetry – The Michael Marks Charitable Trust Environmental Poet of the Year prize 2023 – 2024 is open for entries. Details here. The deadline for Entries is Friday 1st September.
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Climate Action – The InterClimate Network says that its Climate Action Survey of schools has shown that “students across the country are concerned, involved and willing to do more, but ask for encouragement and structural change to enable sustainable actions. Their strong message is for leaders to get serious here and now about making climate solutions part of their daily lives.” The survey approach was designed to support 11 to 18 year-olds to carry out climate action and have a greater voice in decision-making. Details here.
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Sustainably Minded Citizens – Pearson has published its 2023 School Report. This takes an in-depth look at life in schools in 2023 from the collective perspective of over 6,000 educators and 1,000 students. Headline contents include:
- 9 in 10 schools are taking some action to help protect the planet
- 70% of teachers think the current education system is not developing sustainably-minded citizens of the future.
- Quality-assured, age-appropriate resources, and making climate education a legal requirement would most help teachers to drive positive environmental change through education
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Opportunity Costs – The Labour Party has announced its future [when in government] plans to break down the barriers to opportunity. Schoolsweek has the details. There is no mention of climate change or the ecological crisis. Of course, this is not an election manifesto.
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Locally and Globally – Registration is open for NAAEE 2023. Its theme is Together We Thrive: Through collaboration, creativity, and crossing boundaries we can address the environmental and social issues we face, locally and globally. You will find details here.
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Back Yard Food – A new scheme, Coronation Gardens for Food and Nature, aims to inspire millions to grow their own fruit and vegetables in wildlife-friendly gardens, window ledges and rooftops. The three-year project will help people grow healthy food at the same time as helping nature recover. Everyone can take part, whether they have a balcony, backyard or want to get together with others to create a new planter in a shared community greenspace. Coronation Gardens for Food and Natureseeks to enthuse people to get together to make a difference for local wildlife and reap the health and wellbeing benefits of gardening and fresh produce. People can find ideas, advice and pledge their garden on a map here.
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Primer Update – The School of Education, Communication & Society (ECS) at King’s College London has produced a research-informed primer book for teachers. It has been updated with latest educational issues.
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Build Back Beaver – The Times reports that conservationists claim that the government’s plan to “build back beaver” by releasing the animals into the wild is being blocked by DEFRA . The environment secretary said last week that beavers were not essential to meeting the global biodiversity targets the UK helped to set last year. Her view is at odds with some senior officials. For example, Tony Juniper, chair of the regulator Natural England, said the reintroduction of beavers in the “right catchments” would be “very helpful” for the recovery of wetlands.
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Heritage Habitats – The Government has launched a £25m Species Survival Fund to boost restoration of natural habitats. It says that this will help to safeguard the UK’s fragile ecosystems and create nature-rich landscapes. The money comes via the Heritage Fund.
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Focusing on Wildlife – A global study of 71,000 animal species finds 48% are declining. The major cause behind this current crisis is habitat destruction, says Daniel Pincheira-Donoso, senior lecturer of evolutionary biology and macroecology at Queen’s University, Belfast. He’s a co-author of a new study published in May in Biological Reviews. Researchers examined the state of more than 71,000 animal species, looking for both winners and losers and those with stable populations. They found erosion of species across the tree of life, which they called “one of the most alarming consequences of human impacts on the planet.”