Flipboard – EarthDay is now promoting its school resources on Flipboard.
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DfE Update – Here’s a link to the February Climate in Education Snapshot from the DfE’s Sustainability and Climate Change Unit. This includes features on: Sustainable drainage / Student-led climate action / Ground-source heat pumps in schools / Apps for Good
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COP28 Reflections – UNESCO’s latest newsletter is here. It includes a focus on COP28:
At COP28, UNESCO showcased its efforts and called for concrete commitments and actions from countries to equip learners and teachers with the knowledge and skills to tackle the climate crisis. The historic focus on education was marked by the introduction of the first-ever education pavilion, which hosted a high-level ministerial meeting, and a Greening Education Hub that featured over 200 side events. Participating members had the opportunity to share and hear about good practices on CCE implementation across various themes including climate displacement on the right to education, water security, net-zero emission, among others. A significant milestone was the signing of the Declaration on education and climate change by 42 countries.
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Post-COP28 – A new report published by the Climate Change Committee looks at progress after COP28 and identifies actions for the UK. It says that COP28 outcomes must lead to acceleration of effort in the UK.
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Festival of Nature 2024 – The festival is back this summer from the 1st – 9th June. You can get to hear about the festival announcements and opportunities by signing up to the mailing list and social media @festofnature for news, campaigns and other regional public engagement events.
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One Stop Hub – PECT is an environment charity based in Peterborough which has been working with local schools on sustainability for over 10 years. It has now launched a Climate Education platform as a one stop hub for schools to bring sustainability to their school. The focus is on a whole-school approach and it currently hosts lesson plans and resources, funding information, an event calendar, and an interactive action plan creator on the website to help schools measure and report their impact. The platform is centred around 5 key themes, and each aligns with the SDGs.
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Learning and Skills – Click here for a copy of Lord Blunket’s Learning and skills for economic recovery, social cohesion and a more equal Britain. This is how the Introduction begin:
If there is one thing that would transform the British economy, generating growth and accelerating productivity, it would be a transformational change in the investment – public and private – in the skills of the British people. Skills are the currency with which future opportunity will be bought by British companies. The speed and scope of change is greater than at any point in our history and an effective response requires wide ranging changes in the way we think about, plan and deliver skills training and education on a national, regional and local level. Not only are we presented with immediate challenges in meeting shifting skills requirements we are also faced with the need to decide the much broader question of the economic, social and cultural direction of our country.
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Greening teacher training and the education system’s capacities in Korea – The Korean National Teachers’ Society for the Protection of Life and the Environment (KNTPSLE) trains teachers through a variety of activities, placing a strong emphasis on the connection between nature and children. Read their story
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EAUC Resources – The Realigning Curricula series aims to provide subject specific case studies and support for the integration of sustainability into learning and teaching. Subjects covered include: Transport & Tourism, Retrofit, Medicine & Healthcare, and Professional Cookery. You can also have a look at previous episodes, including Business and Mathematics.
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Charging Schools – Schools in England will be able to apply for grants to cover up to 75% of costs to buy and install electric vehicle chargers, and then sell the energy back to drivers. The Standard has the details.
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No Agency in HE – Briony Latter is a researcher in Climate Change Engagement at Cardiff University. In The Conversation, she reports that university researchers feel powerless to take action about things they value.
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Carbin Insetting – This is the implementation of nature-based solutions to sustainability issues and focuses on doing more good rather than doing less bad. Here’s an exploration of the issue.
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Playing Away – Green Football Weekend is an annual event in the UK which highlights the ways teams could become more environmentally friendly. For professional clubs, a lot needs to happen says Leslie Mabon, a lecturer in environmental systems at The Open University in an article for The Conversation’s Imagine newsletter.
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Saving the Wildcat – Scottish wildcat tissue has been frozen as part of a biobank of rare species.
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Focusing on Wildlife – Humans may be responsible for the extinction of nearly 1,500 species of birds, the majority of which have been wiped out since the end of the last ice age. Nearly all these extinctions are thought to have occurred due to a number of human-driven factors, ranging from hunting and eating the birds to habitat destruction and introduction of invasive species. You can read more here.