NAEE Journal – The latest edition of NAEE’s Environmental Education is now available for members. It has a particular focus on insects: Small Wonders; Big Opportunities. It is available on the member page of the website. All other editions of the journal dating back to 1971 can be read via the website’s journal page. To become a member and get the journal right away, click here.
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ESD in Action – Click here to read UNESCO’s latest ESD Newsletter. There are features on the UNESCO-UNFCCC webinar series on greening teacher training and education systems’ capacities, the ESD-Net 2030 learning webinar on whole school and whole institution approaches in ESD, connecting people and planet through education, ESD in Action, and more.
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Pioneer the Way! – This is the slogan for the launch of the FED’s Climate & Sustainability Toolkit. The launch is on June 3rd [1400 to 1530] when you’ll be able to hear from education experts and leaders who will “explore the wealth of resources, curriculum mapping tools, case studies, evidence, and so much more that this first of its kind online one-stop-shop has to offer”. You can enrol here.
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COP28 and Education – There’s a recording of a workshop The Schumacher Institute held back in March in which Vasiliki Kioupi and Ana Romero talk about the general outcomes of COP28 in relation to education, and what these might mean for the future of action for climate empowerment. More details here.
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Super Vision – A new website by ESD:SuperVision 4.0, an Erasmus+ project, includes a curriculum framework, teacher education resources and policy recommendations for education for sustainable development in schools.
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May 23rd – This is Outdoor Classroom Day, 23 May which is a global movement to make time outdoors part of every child’s everyday.
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Harmony Insights – The Harmony Project have been gathering the thoughts and experiences of the teachers and educators involved in its network and showcasing them in a video. You can watch here.
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Global Environmental Education – If you work in a country outside North America and want to connect to other Environmental Education professionals, then the eePRO Global EE Group is for you as it’s a way to connect with colleagues around the globe. The Group is the professional development and resource sharing space of the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) which is a partnership between the Environmental Protection Administration of Taiwan, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and NAAEE. Its mission is to create a vibrant learning network designed to strengthen environmental education globally to create a more sustainable future for all. There’s a quarterly GEEP newsletter. Details here.
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The Bloated GCSE – Yet another group is arguing that the “bloated” GCSE curriculum must be reduced. In a new report, the cross-party Social Market Foundation argues that:
- there is an excessive amount of content in the national curriculum, leading to rote learning and teachers skipping through content too quickly.
- this issue isn’t caused by the curriculum, but is due to the GCSE assessment regime.
- there is scope to slim down the curriculum, but this will have minimal effect without significantly reducing the extent and importance of assessment at 16.
- the process by which curriculum reforms are carried out is critical. Effective reform needs to be expert-led, impartial and carried out on a predetermined cyclical basis
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No to Devastation – The High Seas Treaty has been ratified by the European Parliament, marking a boost for landmark marine legislation. The United Nations treaty is designed to conserve two thirds of the world’s waters that are not based within national jurisdictions. A lack of regulation in these areas has left them vulnerable to exploitation such as deep-sea mining and oil extraction.
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Rockström – In an interview with Earth.Org, Professor Johan Rockström, the lead scientist behind the planetary boundaries framework, discusses recent climate trends and the idea of adopting a new global governance approach that protects and preserves the regulating functions of the Earth system. You can read the full interview here.
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Wicken Fen at 125 – The BBC reports that the National Trust’s Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire is marking its 125thanniversary with a £1.8m peat restoration project. The Trust acquired 0.8ha of land at Wicken Fen in 1899 and it now extends across more than 830ha. It plans to restore 531 acres (215ha) of land at the site to retain rainwater and manage water tables to create saturated, healthy peat.
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Green Finance – A new report by the Green Finance Institute says that damage to the natural environment is slowing the UK economy and could have a bigger impact on GDP than the global financial crisis or Covid-19. The report warns that the farming sector is facing higher levels of nature-related financial risk and labels the declining health of soils which are vital for food production as a “chronic” and “ongoing” risk. It also warns of the impact of declining pollinator numbers. The report is here.
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Dispersals: Plants, Borders, and Belonging – This is the title of Jessica J. Lee’s collection of essays on plants considered ‘out of place’ in one way or another. It’s an exploration of histories little spoken of, taking the reader through laboratories, kitchens, libraries, gardens, and wilder places beyond.
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Planned Behaviour Theory – An article in Conservation Biology reports on a systematic review of the effect of zoo-led interventions on knowledge, beliefs (attitudes, intentions, self-efficacy, and social norms), and behaviour among zoo visitors. These outcomes were identified using the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a theoretical lens. The paper describes the nature of zoo-led interventions in 56 studies, and says that behaviour change frameworks can be used to describe zoo-led interventions and supports the assertion that zoos and aquariums can promote changes in beliefs and behaviours that may help protect biodiversity. In plainer English: visiting zoos and aquariums can have a positive effect on visitors; people are more likely to act for conservation after a zoo visit.