Windsor Wisdom – The first student consultation at St. George’s House Windsor Castle took place recently where students from Stoke-on-Trent and the London borough of Enfield debated the purpose of education, looked to the future and designed their perfect school. This was facilitated by The Inspiration Learning Group. Students presented ideas on schools for the future. Discussion themes included the importance of diversity, accessibility and inclusion, the role of the school as a safe haven, and the centrality of subjects like technology and engineering. Students also discussed different ways of assessing progress and skills for the future.
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SDG Progress – Measuring Up 2.0: Global Compact Network UK is a report that assesses the UK’s performance against each of the 17 SDGs and their 169 targets to try to understand how and where we should focus our efforts in the time left before 2030. NAEE was one of the organisations leading the work on Goal 4.7. The main finding is that the UK is only performing well on 17% of the targets relevant to the domestic delivery of the Goals. There are gaps or inadequate performance on 64% of the goals, and 11% where there is little to no policy in place to address the target, or where performance is poor or even declining. There are gaps in available or appropriate data for the remaining 8% of Targets that were assessed. More detail here.
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SDG Tools – The SDGs-in-the-Classroom Toolkit for the Interdisciplinary Infusion of the SDGs into Classrooms is produced by York University in Canada. It provides examples of cross-university interdisciplinary infusion of the sustainable development goals into classrooms which can reinforce the commitment to make positive change for students, campuses, and local and global communities.
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More Tools – Working with Leeds Trinity University, The Meteorological Society, SOS-UK, and others, the FED is convening experts to create a toolkit which maps climate change and sustainability education across the curriculum, including exam specifications.
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Students to Teachers – Mock COP’s Teach the Teacher is an international, youth-led campaign bringing students into their schools to talk to their educators about climate change. These workshops and associated resources explore what it is like to be a young person experiencing a climate emergency, what climate anxiety is, and how exploring climate action can help students turn their fear into power.
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The People’s Plan for Nature – RSPB, WWF & The Wildlife Trusts have initiated what they say is the UK’s biggest ever conversation about the future of nature. We’re invited to share our thoughts online to be part of the conversation. 100 people from those who shared will then be selected to form a people’s assembly who will come together to develop a plan on behalf of the UK public. You can read more here.
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Transforming Education – The World’s Largest Lesson has a Transforming Education Survey for youngsters over 10 to take part in. Their ideas with be shared with policy leaders. The survey and a lesson plan is here.
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Trees and Trust – Students Organising for Sustainability has set up Students For Trees. This is a student led network supported by SOS-UK and the Woodland Trust to help educate and mobilise students across the UK to learn about, and to take action for, woods and trees, to help fight the climate and nature crises. It brings together around 15 students from across the UK to deliver a programme of events, resources and campaigns to engage young people with trees and woodlands; for example by learning how to identify trees, organising tree planting days, and campaigning for the protection of woodlands.
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GT on the Southbank – On October 30th, Greta Thunberg will be in conversation with Samira Ahmed at the Southbank Centre for the global launch of The Climate Book, as part of the London Literature Festival. The publisher says that the book “brings together an unprecedented collective of over 100 experts, activists and witnesses to tell the biggest story in the world: how and why our planet is changing”.
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Communicating in Bristol – Here’s the latest from Communicate on its forthcoming conference (15 to 16 November). Speakers include Trewin Restorick, Marian Spain and Anjali Ramachandran.
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30 by 30 – The Wildlife Trusts say keep your eyes peeled for fungi when you’re taking part in the #BigWildWalk over half-term, between 24th and 30th October. They are asking us to support their mission to protect at least 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. In honour of this 30 by 30 goal, we’re all challenged to take on the Hedgehog Challenge and walk 3km across the week, or take on one of the following:
- 🥾 30km over the Big Wild Walk week
- 🥾 30km in three days
- 🥾 30km in one day
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Living ? Planet – Humans have wiped out 76% of animals from 1970 to 2018 says WWF in its latest Living Planet Report. Latin America suffered the biggest fall. An educational edition of the report is here.
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Nature Dependence – A new report finds that half of global trade is dependent on nature. With natural capital and biodiversity rising up the global agenda, Planet Tracker examines countries’ dependence on nature and the implications for financial markets.
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Dying Elms? – A consortium of environmental group says that there will be millions of fewer birds across the UK if the green Brexit farming scheme is cut. Environmental Land Management [ELM] arrangements have yet to be confirmed by DEFRA. The Green Alliance think tank estimates that bird populations would fall 7% by 2050, leading to 2.27 million fewer birds. Seven species would lose half their numbers, including Cetti’s warbler, corn bunting, grey partridge, linnet, quail, tree sparrow and turtle dove.