Recently, Houston’s Cedar Bayou suburb had 52 inches of rain in less that a week, courtesy of Tropical Storm Harvey; a new record for the US mainland. Meanwhile, a hemisphere away, and much less reported, more than 1,000 people died in this year’s monsoon with almost 700,000 homes destroyed in Bangladesh. As the Times reminded us (and chemists everywhere…
1. Communicate 2017 takes place on November 1 and 2 at Bristol Zoo. This is an annual environmental communication conference bringing together over 150 delegates each year to develop their skills, share best practice and debate latest issues in science communication, nature conservation and engaging people with the natural world. Its 2017 theme is Navigating Change: “In…
The Centre for Youth Impact is hosting its third annual gathering on 11th September in London. This follows two previous events that each brought together over 100 participants from across the youth and evidence sectors. It is a day for practitioners, researchers and funders with an interest in learning, evidence and evaluation in work with young people,…
From the Nepal Himalayas, to the Cambridgeshire Chalk Marl, to the Italian lakes In the winter of 2013/14, an environmentally orientated communication between schools in Italy, England and Nepal began. To initiate the connection, several steps had to be taken. First of all, while collaborators introduced the idea into the European schools, four volunteers began making their…
This image of a Bornean orang-utan in the Gunung Palung National Park is by photographer Tim Laman. He spent three days rope-climbing the 30-metre tree to set camera traps he could trigger remotely. This image won him the Grand Title in the 52nd Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. Tim says, Protecting their remaining habitat is critical…
Here is a link to David Hick’s blog – Teaching for a Better World: learning for sustainability, and this is the link to his latest posting on sustainable schools. This begins: A sustainable future The notion of ‘sustainability’ emerged in the 1980s and has become the key concept for exploring the impact of human activity on…
This link will take you to lesson plans from the Monterey Bay Aquarium research institute. The foci are: Underwater gliders – used by scientists are the future of oceanic exploration. Follow the steps in this mini-unit to learn about data collected off the coast of Antarctica and how science and technology blend to collect data where humans…
For several years in newsletters and other publicity our local Cumbria association has used the strapline: Varied, valuable but vulnerable. So much change is underway both nationally and locally at the moment with many important decisions to be made that the implications for the many special areas of the UK risk being ignored. Last Saturday I…
Natural England’s recent update on research identified a number of books. Here is a selection: 1. Children Learning Outside the Classroom: From Birth to Eleven edited by Sue Waite. Learning outside the classroom is increasingly seen as beneficial in both early years and primary settings, and it is becoming embedded in the curriculum, but what are…
1. A new book, The Living Forest: A Visual Journey into the Heart of the Woods, by Robert Llewellyn and Joan Maloof encourages readers to study forests and not just walk in them. The Mother Nature Network [MNN] has a review of the book by Angela Nelson. She begins: “You might think that after 50 years of…