LFS – In Scotland, Learning for Sustainability (LfS) is a cross-curricular approach which sets out to enable learners, educators, schools and their wider communities to build a socially-just, sustainable and equitable society. Where effective, it weaves together global citizenship, sustainable development education and outdoor learning to create coherent, rewarding and transformative learning experiences. LfS is an important component of Curriculum for Excellence, which is an entitlement for Scottish learners and a core part of teachers’ professional standards. It supports the development of knowledge, skills and the values at the heart of the curriculum’s four capacities and provides a mechanism for promoting and working towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The LFS action plan is now being refreshed.
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Overcoming Barriers – The UN World Day of Social Justice, is on February 20th. Its theme this year is Overcoming Barriers and Unleashing Opportunities for Social Justice. Its organisers say that this is an opportunity to foster dialogue with member states, youth, social partners, civil society, UN organisations and other stakeholders on actions needed to strengthen the social contract that has been fractured by rising inequalities, conflicts and weakened institutions that are meant to protect the rights of workers.
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Our Shared World – The OSW coalition has a new (and simplified) operating structure which you can read about here, and also hear about OSW’s latest activities. This new structure will have a number of working groups. The initial ones are:
- Coordination
- Transformative Learning
- Policy
- Social Movement
- Communications
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30 30 Vision – NAAEE says, can we help it to recognize the incredible work of young people around the world by nominating someone for a global cohort of inspiring young leaders in environmental education. They want to hear from changemakers in any position, from community organizers to teachers to artists. They’re seeking nominees who use education to reach a wide range of audiences, such as schools, businesses, communities, religious groups, or any other group that has a stake in building a sustainable and equitable future. The EE 30 Under 30 Class of 2023 will receive global recognition, join a growing community of inspiring environmental education leaders, and receive ongoing opportunities for professional development and networking. The deadline is March 29th. There are details here.
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#SchoolsForNature – What should the relationship be between schools and nature? WWF, RSPB, the National Trust and others are working on programmes and initiatives to close the green gap and to ensure all young people in the UK have the chance to learn about and experience nature during school time, regardless of the barriers that may restrict the amount of nature contact they have outside of school. There is a short survey to help shape the first #SchoolsForNature report. It is aimed at teachers, school management, governors, students and parent volunteers.
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Citizen City Science – You can take part in the City Nature Challenge this spring and help record wildlife in your local area. Join residents in 450+ cities across the world in a mission to record nature sightings. It runs from Friday 28 April to Monday 1 May 2023. You can share your observations using the iNaturalist app. Recordings uploaded to the app go towards local, national and global conservation efforts. Ways to get involved in City Nature Challenge include:
- Sign up to iNaturalist and take part in the challenge alongside friends, family, colleagues, or solo! Find out all you need to know about taking part here
- Volunteer at a BioBlitz event happening near you. Look out for events on the National BioBlitz Network Facebook page popping up into the spring. Maybe organise your own BioBlitz.
You can find out more about how to organise an event during City Nature Challenge here.
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Student Research – DERC is the Development Education Research Centre at UCL. Its next webinar focuses on new research on Global Education & Learning. This online event on 8 March (1630) brings together 3 students of DERC’s MA in Global Learning to present dissertation projects that they are conducting as part of their studies. You’ll hear bitesize summaries of new research on global education and learning, with a chance to put questions to the presenters. You can register here.
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Higher Carbon – Universities are coming under increased pressure to monitor and reduce their carbon footprints. As the world continues its mission to reach net zero, this area is only likely to grow in importance in the coming years. Yet many institutions – particularly smaller, more specialist sites – lack the knowledge and ability to get a grasp on their environmental impact. A new report identifies ways in which the UK higher and further education sectors can work together to accelerate progress. It includes an attempt to quantify the carbon emissions of the whole of UK FE / HE, as well as outlining how exactly these could be reduced over the coming decades. The Royal Anniversary Trust – which oversaw the project – believes tertiary education is uniquely placed to play a leading role in carbon reduction. The challenge remains daunting.
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Harvesting Metals – This resource on phytomining is an example of the kind of classroom materials that the Royal Society of Chemistry produces. It is linked to a feature article within the Education in Chemistry magazine.
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5% Plus – Race for Nature is supporting over a hundred young people from diverse backgrounds across the UK through placements in environmental organisations across the country. Currently, fewer than 5% of the people currently working in the UK environmental sector come from ethnic minorities.
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Gone with the Wind – If your students are wondering about the size of energy company profits, Karl Matikonis, from Queen’s University Belfast, offers some insights in an article for The Conversation. He argues that the UK windfall tax has barely made a dent in surging energy profits this year.
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Corporate Responsibility – Some of the world’s biggest companies are making “misleading” claims about their plans to combat global warming, a report claims. The Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor looked at 24 companies with links to the Race to Zero campaign, meaning they have committed to reducing the carbon they emit in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C targets. Only the shipping company Maersk was judged to have a climate plan with “reasonable integrity”, while others were inadequate or relied far too heavily on carbon offsetting schemes.
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Bye-Bye Black Fever – Health officials in India are reporting a 99% decline in cases of visceral leishmaniasis between 2007 and 2022 – from 44,533 to just 834 last year. The disease, also known as Kala-Azar or Black Fever, is the second deadliest parasitic killer in the world after malaria. India says it might eliminate it this year. The disease is characterized by irregular bouts of fever, unexplained weight loss, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anaemia. About 90% of global cases of Kala-azar have been reported from eight countries – Brazil, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan in 2021, with India contributing 12% of total cases reported across the world. Times Now has more details.
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Felis silvestris – Wildcats are set to be released in Devon and Cornwall. Although present in Scotland, this means that the cats will be wild in the English countryside for the first time in more than two centuries. As part of a rewilding project, between 40 and 60 wildcats will be set free to prey on vermin and rabbits – and on ground-nesting birds of course. They are the UK’s rarest mammal, are nocturnal and much more reclusive than the ubiquitous domestic cat (with which there is a constant risk of cross-breeding). There are details here from the Devon Wildlife Trust.