The DoE goes Green – Young people doing their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award can work with Young Climate Warriors’ on the ‘Skills Section’ of the award. Details here.
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Change the Curriculum – Teach the Future has launched 5 new subjects in its Curriculum for a Changing Climate project. If you didn’t see the launch webinar last week, you can catch up on the recording and also access some of the webinar slides. You can view all Teach the Future’s subject documents on its website, along with other key documents from the project.
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Climate Ambassadors – Climate Action at University of Bath has launched a new partnership initiative to connect climate experts with schools and colleges to empower them and their students with skills to fight climate change. This is a volunteering opportunity for students and postgrads to work with local schools and support them in responding to climate change, and for students to develop their skills in communicating research with a younger audience. More details here.
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Outside Northampton – Northampton University is running an Outdoor Learning Conference on 13th June. This sets out to provide an opportunity to think about educating outside and to explore how teachers can develop active learning approaches. There are online webinars and pre-recorded presentations from academics and other specialists. Details here.
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Generation Wild – WWT is currently advertising for an Environmental Education Project Manager to lead Generation Wild, its Nature Connection project for schools, children and families in disadvantaged areas. Full details here and on social media: LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
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Earth Overshoot Day – This is the date each year when it’s said that we have used more resources than the planet can regenerate within that year. This year it will be July 28th. For information about the day, and a range of classroom activities, see this.
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Nature Festivities – The Natural History Consortium and partners have published the programme for this year’s Festival of Nature, taking place from June 9th to 18th. There are more than 60 events across Bristol and Bath. There will be family nature parties, wildlife workshops, walks and talks, film screenings, performances and digital activities across the week.
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Green Skills – Aimhi.earth has a blog exploring 15 ‘green skills’. However, the author, Matthew Shribman, says, none of them clearly defines what they are. He goes on:
“In 2022, World Skills UK published a report called the Green Skills Report. According to its survey of young people in the UK (ages 16 – 24), at least nine in ten didn’t feel that they knew what green skills were. Needless to say, the report didn’t clearly define what green skills are either (aside from some specific technical skills around heat pump engineering and insulation retrofitting). A more recent report by WSP found that, whilst 39% of students had some confidence in what “green jobs” are, only 23% had some confidence in what “green skills” are. Personally, everyone I’ve spoken to, from CEOs of top companies to Oxbridge academics to elected officials, also has little to no clarity on what green skills are. …”
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Is it really Green? – Is carbon offsetting merely a form of greenwashing? – This blog from student Claudia Goodman explores some of the controversy around the practice. You can read it here c/o the boar.org which is the University of Warwick’s student newspaper.
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No more Cattle – A federal court in Brazil (the world’s fifth largest exporter of live cattle) has banned the export of live animals from all the country’s ports, a ruling hailed as historic by animal welfare activists. More details from Reuters and there are more positive stories c/o Future Crunch.
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Breathing Free – Global Action Plan is promoting Clean Air Day which is the UK’s largest air pollution campaign. Every year, it’s reported that air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK. The World Health Organisation and the UK Government recognise that air pollution is the largest environmental health risk we face today. The campaign is focusing on the fact that cleaning up our air is good for us in many ways: it not only benefits our physical health and the environment, but can also protect our psychological wellbeing. You can take part on Thursday 15th June, and help spread the message in schools and elsewhere by downloading GAP’s learning session pack [here] to access educational resources, including an assembly and lesson designed for Key Stages 1, 2 and 3.
Young People aged 4 to 14 in London can also celebrate Clean Air Day by taking part in The Mayor of London’s Clean Air Day challenge! Design an A4 poster on the theme: ‘what clean air means to me’, and your artwork could feature in the Mayor’s Clean Air Day celebration. Further information on this can be found by clicking here.
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Finding Nature – A feature story in Finding Nature News contains exclusive excerpts from “Naturally Inclusive,” a new book by Amelia Rhodeland about connecting young children with diverse needs to the natural world. These are framed by stories and practical tips from parents, practitioners and educators who have first-hand experience. The story is bolstered by a new toolkit offering research, resources and recommended readings on outdoor play for children of all abilities.
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Debt & Nature – Ecuador has announced the biggest debt-for-nature swap in history. This is a $1.6-billion deal that will reduce its debt burden and free up hundreds of millions of dollars to fund marine conservation around the Galápagos Islands. Ecuador says that it is as wealthy as any of the richest countries in the world, except that its currency is biodiversity. There are more details c/o the NYT and more positive stories c/o Future Crunch.
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We shall Overcome – Politico has a special report on how the climate movement learned to win in Washington. It’s said to be a story of campaigning and collaboration, and grit and determination.