Ava the Bird Girl – Generation Wild is a free nature connection programme for schools in economically disadvantaged areas. Children follow the story of Ava the bird girl, a character who is brought to life during a visit to the wetland centre. They then complete activities back at school and at home to connect with nature and receive their certificates and membership badges as they become ‘Guardians of the Wild’. Over 14,000 children have already taken part with over 25,000 nature connection activities completed at home and at school. The project includes free school visits (including free transport) as well as free return visits enabling children to share the magic with their families. There are also curriculum resource packs to tie the project in with class topics. To find out more and see if your school qualifies click here.
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Future Learn – UCL has announced the launch of a new online short course for educators. Educating for Sustainable Development in Schools and Universities runs for 3 weeks and aims to provide educators with an introduction to key ideas and practices related to education, learning and sustainable development, including issues such as climate change. It is intended for higher education and schools, so that participants can talk to one another about their practice and share ideas with peers about how education for sustainable development might link across various levels of education. Participants also have an opportunity to reflect on how their learning from the course can be applied to their practice. To enrol or find out more click here. The first run of the course will begin on 14th November and can be joined at any time.
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Mobile Experts – Here’s an update on Reading University’s Climate Ambassador scheme for schools. Working with UKRI and STEM Learning the scheme sets out to mobilise experts within the climate sector and support them with engaging with young people and educators.
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Nature Education – A webinar on Monday 21st November [1200 to 1300] will focus on Nature Education for Sustainability which is one of the IUCN Commission’s top four priorities for Western Europe. Speakers include Mary Colwell and Erin Threllfall. You can book here.
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Post-COP27 – The final seminar in UNESCO’s climate change education for social transformation initiative and its On the road to COP 27 webinar series is on November 29th . The focus is post-COP27 climate change education: Where do we go from here? This looks back at COP27 and its key takeaways, achievements, and commitments made related to climate change education. You can find out more here.
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Global Learning – The Academic Network on Global Education & Learning has confirmed a date and location for its biannual conference: 15 & 16 June 2023 at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris.
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A People’s Plan – Its organisers say that the People’s Plan for Nature is the UK’s biggest ever conversation about the future of nature. This is a collaboration between the National Trust, RSPB and WWF, which have come together to make sure the public’s voices are heard, and together create a plan to protect and restore nature that no one can ignore.
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Doing the Impossible – The finalists of the 2022 Earthshot prize can be seen here where more details of the projects can be found. The Earthshot Prize was designed to find and grow the solutions that will repair our planet this decade; to regenerate the place we all call home in the next ten years. The organisers believe in the power of human ingenuity to prove to us all that the seemingly impossible is possible.
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Cycle Right – Frecycle is launching an app to change the way users can manage their recycling, making sure it ends up in the right hands – and not landfill like a lot of the UK’s waste. This app is the first of its kind, helping people help the environment and lower their carbon footprint. More information and images can be found here.
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Future Food – Kew says that the future is botanic. You can catch up with what the gardens are doing here. This includes a feature on five foods of the future.
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Mild and Wet – 20% of Britain’s rainforest could be restored according to the Lost Rainforests of Britain campaign. Atlantic temperate rainforest once covered most of the west coasts of Britain and Ireland, thriving in wet, mild conditions, which support rainforest indicator species such as lichens, mosses and liverworts. Today, it covers less than 1% of land, having been cleared over thousands of years by humans and is only found in isolated pockets, such as the waterfalls region in the Brecon Beacons and Ausewell Wood on Dartmoor. More detail c/o The Guardian.
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Wild Europe – A new and updated Wildlife Comeback Report commissioned by Rewilding Europe has been launched. This provides the latest and state-of-the-art insights, opportunities and challenges for wildlife comeback at a European scale. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), BirdLife International and the European Bird Census Council worked on this review of a range of European wildlife species. The report presents changes in numbers and distribution and aims to enable a better understanding of why some European animals are faring better than others.
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Human Waste – November 19th is World Toilet Day. 3.6 billion people are still living with poor quality toilet facilities that ruin their health and pollute their environment. Inadequate sanitation systems spread human waste into rivers, lakes and soil, contaminating the water resources under our feet. Safely managed sanitation protects groundwater from human waste pollution. World Toilet Day highlights the issues and the strategies being used to improve matters.
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November 26th – Don’t forget NAEE’s AGM on November 26th (1000). As well as receiving a report on the last 12 months of our work, there will be a presentation by Stephen Scoffham and Steve Rawlinson about the issues raised in their new book:Sustainability Education A Classroom Guide. If you’re planning to join us, please contact info@naee.org.uk to ensure that an agenda and papers are sent to you. We’ll look forward to welcoming you.