Voices Heard – In an article for The Conversation, Aoife Daly from University College Cork, says that given how much young people have achieved in the fight against climate crisis it was crucial that their voices were really heard at COP27.
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Creative Solutions – In a guest blog for IIED, Vanesa Castán Broto, Professor of climate urbanism at the University of Sheffield, describes how young people’s needs and priorities are often ignored, as is their potential to contribute creative solutions, and their role in stimulating green growth.
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Nature Park – London’s Natural History Museum has announced that it is working with the Department for Education on the new National Nature Education Park and climate action awards scheme. This partnership is led by the Museum, with the Royal Horticultural Society, and is supported by the Royal Society, the Royal Geographical Society, Manchester Metropolitan University, Learning through Landscapes, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the National Biodiversity Network Trust. The aim is to support students in transforming the green space at their place of education into their own Nature Park. With England’s primary and secondary schools covering an area twice the size of Birmingham, this is an opportunity for students to make a huge difference in enhancing biodiversity and building climate resilience across the country. Students will play a lead role in studying, managing and taking action to protect nature. Get in touch on educationnaturepark@nhm.ac.uk if you would like to discuss any opportunities to collaborate.
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Wild Learning – This autumn, the John Muir Trust’s key resource for educators in Scotland has been refreshed to highlight the benefits of wild places in young people’s learning. It is designed to help teachers connect wild places with school priorities, including health and wellbeing, creativity and STEM, literacy and numeracy, inclusion, equity and attainment, employability skills, learning for sustainability and outdoor learning. Details here.
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EE not ESD? – UNESCO Champions Environmental Education … at COP27 was the headline on a recent Lab Manager report. It said that in the coming year, UNESCO will be highlighting three key issues: protecting biodiversity, cultivating a better relationship with nature, and supporting scientific efforts to find solutions to current environmental challenges, with education being a key feature. This is quite a change from an organisation that usually champions ESD.
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No FEE No Win – If you are a teacher who has been involved in any of FEE’s three educational programmes ( Eco-Schools / EcoCampus / LEAF / YRE ) for at least 5 years, and your institution has received either a Green Flag Award, LEAF Award or has produced a YRE competition finalist / winner at the national level, then you are eligible to apply for a FEE Teacher Award. Details here.
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Net Zero 50 – The UK Schools Sustainability Network won the #NetZero50 People’s Choice with over 5000 votes in 24 hours. This was the only education initiative amongst the 50 projects that made it onto the shortlist. Here’s some of the social media coverage on: Twitter Instagram LinkedIn
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Sustaining Futures – WWF’s new Sustainable Futures programme will be launched later this month. It will offer teacher training and courses for 14-18 year olds. Educators can get involved in this programme by delivering the course in school, attending CPD and student inspiration webinars from November, and booking sustainability business encounters and work experience from Founders4Schools.
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NAAEE – Our North American cousins have a new website with reorganised contents, clear insights into North American environmental education, and the usual fine pictures. You can read what Judy Braus, NAAEE CEO, had to say at the end of their recent conference.
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Teen Births Downs – Thanks to Future Crunch for the news that fewer teenage girls as a proportion of the global population are giving birth today than at any point in human history. Global adolescent birth rates have decreased from 64.5 births per 1,000 women at the beginning of the 21st century, to 42.5 births per 1,000 women in 2021. Every region of the world has seen declines during this period. There’s more detail c/o the WHO.
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Marvellous Moths – Butterfly Conservation has been celebrating some of the UK’s moths, including the mysterious story of the Tiree Twist. It wants to inspire more people into wanting to protect and conserve these creatures. Take a look at the Moths Matter webpage where there’s a free to download #MothsMatter guide. More details here.
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Focus on Wildlife – Farmers in England will be allowed to shoot beavers if they threaten their crops, the government has said. Conservationists oppose this, saying the animals are an “ally to farmers”, helping conserve water in times of drought, and are an endangered species that should be treasured. After beavers were found on the River Otter in 2013, the government allowed them to stay to test their impact on wildlife and the environment. A study in 2019 found they had enhanced biodiversity in the area and increased fish stocks. There’s more about this on the Focusing on Wildlife website.
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Green Trains – The UK Government has announced investment into cleaner and greener self-charging trains.
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And to End – You can watch the closing plenary session of COP27 here. The President of the COP said that the draft text is a “delicate balance … of the interests of all of us” and also “a manifestation of the highest ambition that can be reached at this point in time”. Required viewing, perhaps.