NAAEE Conference 23 – Registration will be opening this week for the 2023 NAAEE conference which will be on-line and will focus on the importance of collaboration, creativity, and crossing boundaries to address the environmental and social issues we face. NAAEE says: “We can’t address the systemic injustices that have marginalized so many unless we understand the shared roots of social and ecological crises and collectively work with intention toward justice. Together, we can build a sustainable future where everyone thrives.” NAAEE will be adding further details to the conference website.
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Penpont Project – Action for Conservation is hiring a new Learning Coordinator to deliver on-site learning and environmental action with young people and the wider community at the Penpont Project, a flagship inter-generational nature recovery project in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. It’s a role for an early to mid-career nature educator/youth worker. The deadline for applications is July 9th 2023. This is the recruitment pack.
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Tom’s Dilemma – On the 28th July [ 0930 to 1500 ], the Big Brum theatre in education is holding its Standing Conference on the Arts, Education & the Environment which will explore Tom’s dilemma & considers the needs of the present & future child. NAEE is pleased to be able to support this. The standing conference aspires to bring arts educators and environmental educators (including teachers and school leaders) together on an annual basis to [i] develop creative and innovative practice; [ii] share key debates and examples of practice; and [iii] explore synergies and new syntheses and enable new partnership opportunities. Conference booking information is now ‘live’.
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Count that Carbon – In the next academic year, Eco-Schools, supported by Let’s Go Zero, will be launching a free online carbon footprint calculator built specifically for schools. The Count Your Carbon Tool will, for the first time, allow schools to count their carbon across all three ‘emission scopes’, as defined by the GHG Protocol. Schools can input information which will then be used to produce a bespoke carbon emissions report, revealing where the school’s biggest carbon burden lies, and provide a personalised Climate Action Plan to help students drive change.
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Regional Nature Park Teams – The National Education Nature Park partnership (led by the Natural History Museum, RHS and Learning through Landscapes, is developing regional teams. The roles will focus on supporting schools and settings to participate in NENP through existing networks and build networks that enhance the offer by working with the wider sector. They will also aid the continuous learning and evolution of the programme development by collecting stories and best practice examples. By 2025 the NENP will be in all English regions. Please share with anyone may be interested and on social media: Tweet and Linkedin.
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I Will – The Green Schools Revolution is a new #iWill funded project to create opportunities for secondary school students to transform their schools by implementing key aspects of the DfE’s Climate Change and Sustainability Strategy. SOS-UK is looking for schools to register their interest and take part in the project:
- Climate Action Plans (CAPs) – developing a holistic school Climate Action Plan through a student-led approach, working with sustainability professionals
- Wilding Schools – supporting students to wild 30% of their school grounds by 2030
- Teach the Teacher – providing free training and resources to support young people to deliver 1 hour workshops on climate change to their teachers.
You can find out more here.
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Reading the Climate – Last week we mentioned the new report from the Royal Meteorological Society on opportunities for schools to develop climate literacy through the curriculum. Here’s our Chair of Trustees’ personal take on the contested idea of climate literacy.
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DfE Snapshot – The DfE’s latest climate education snapshot is now available. DfE says:
- We celebrate the success of Outdoor Classroom Day with the pathfinder event at RHS Bridgewater.
- We share more information about sustainability leadership following the publication of non-statutory guidance on Gov.UK to support settings develop, lead and implement climate action plans.
- SCCU’s Juanita Shepherd shares experience of her recent visit to High Hazels Academy in Sheffield.
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Climate Adapted Pathways for Education – This is a new alliance of researchers, educators, schools and partners across the UK who are working “to change today’s education for tomorrow’s climate”. The alliance is working with school federations and trusts to equip teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to help children and young people take climate action and protect the environment. This is done through the integration of effective teaching and learning into schools’ existing curricula. It is piloting its 5-month Professional Development Programme with 30 school leaders from across the country for the remainder of this year. Details here.
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Climate Action Plans – Students Organising for Sustainability UK (SOS-UK) are offering a free opportunity for schools to work with them to develop a Climate Action Plan (CAP). The approach will empower pupils and give them the confidence to lead on the development of a CAP for their school in collaboration with staff, governors, and the wider school community. Schools will also have the opportunity to work with sustainability professionals such as energy auditors, nature and wildlife experts and climate scientists. The CAP developed with SOS-UK will have a holistic perspective of sustainability and encompass all areas of school life such as: building infrastructure, waste & water management, biodiversity, energy, procurement and consumption, social justice, community and more. Schools will be supported throughout their CAP journey by a designated SOS-UK CAPs staff team. If you register your interest online a member of the CAPs team will be in touch.
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Plastic Free? – Plastic Free July aims to help millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution leaving cleaner streets, oceans, and communities. The Plastic Free July website contains information alongside case studies that will help you reduce plastic in the school canteen, the classroom, and at home.
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EENEE – A new analytical report from the European Expert Network on Economics of Education – Teacher education for the green transition and sustainable development – reviews documented research and good practices in relation to effective teacher education for sustainability; with the purpose of informing policy decision-making and frameworks in this area.
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Slow Currents – In an article in The Conversation, Alessandro Silvano, University of Southampton; Andrew Meijers, British Antarctic Survey; and Shenjie Zhou, British Antarctic Survey, say that freshening seawater around Antarctica is disrupting a global ocean conveyor which regulates the climate, and that slowing deep Southern Ocean current may be linked to natural climate cycle – but that’s no reason to stop worrying about melting Antarctic ice.
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Please note that there will be no mailing of this news round up next week, but you will still be able to find in via the website’s front page.