A Shared Vision for the Future. – The Manifesto for Education for Environmental Sustainability website is now live, and UK-based teachers and 16 to 18 year olds are able to sign up for online, free workshops which will form the basis for the creation of the Manifesto. This is part of the BERA research commission on education for environmental sustainability that will report to coincide with COP26 in 2021. In May and June 2021 there will be a series of workshops where young people and teachers will co-create a manifesto for education for environmental education in the UK. Click here for more details.
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Teacher Attitudes to Climate Education – Teach the Future has surveyed UK teacher attitudes to climate education in order that we can better understand the problems with current climate education and the solutions needed to fix them. The results of the research will take place on Zoom at 1700 on Tuesday March 16th with a chance to hear from young people about what it means for their campaign. You can register for the free event here.
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Interconnection and Interdependence – The on-line re-launch of Our Shared World took place last week. One of the strong themes to emerge from the facilitated discussions was that of our interconnection and interdependence: human to the rest of nature; human to human; nature to nature. This is at the heart of the notion of shared and is why so many groups (around 100 we were told) are involved in the OSW coalition. Coincidentally, the NAAEE website currently carries a feature on connecting thoughts to nature with a number of quotes exemplifying this ideal of interconnection and interdependence.
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Natural History in the Field – The Running Hare is currently being serialised on BBC Radio 4Extra in five 15 minute slots. You’ll find them all here and on BBC Sounds. Written by the acclaimed author of Meadowland, John Lewis-Stempel, it’s the story of an attempt to restore wild life to a 4 acre field in Herefordshire by growing wheat in a traditional way. It’s read with feeling by Bernard Hill.
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Off the Streets? – Fridays for Future’s weekly climate strikes have been on hold during the past year, but the organisers are hoping it will be safe enough to get things going on the streets again on March 19th when 2021’s first global strike has been called. There is no sign that this is being promoted in the UK by UKSCN. Given that students are only just back in school, this is perhaps unsurprising. Some do wonder, however, whether it might represent a change of tactics, given how unpersuaded the DfE is: will protesting in schools rather than on the streets come to be seen as an activity more likely to bring about change?
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Empowering Youth Voice In a Climate Crisis – On March 17th [1800 to 1900] there is a 60 minute Zoom conference for West Midlands school students in Years 10 to 13 hosted by Andrew Petrie and James Butler of King Edward’s School Edgbaston, Founders of the Midlands Schools Eco-Network, and safeguarded by teachers from the UK Schools Eco-Network. This is in partnership with Faiths for a Low Carbon Future. Three climate activists from the Midlands will be on hand to help everyone understand how young people can make their voices heard in the climate movement on a regional and national level.
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Every Nominee was Outstanding – The Trust of the Worshipful Company of Educators has announced the winners of its 2021 Inspirational Educator Awards, the theme of which was environmental education. Nominations were received from national and local organisations, large and small, and the panel of judges said that every nominee was outstanding. The eight winners may be familiar to you: Donna Ashlee, Katy Barton, Kate Bygrave, Ann Finlayson, Heather Greenwood, Mark Stead, and Brender Wilmott, and – we note with particular pleasure – NAEE trustee, Gabrielle Back. Congratulations to everyone.
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Why, What, and Where Questions – The Edge is a multi-disciplinary, campaigning built-environment think tank. The Edge Debate is a process of thinking about how the built and natural environment could be better. It involves the ‘why’, ‘what’, and ‘where’ questions: WHERE are we headed as an economy, as a society and as a polity, and does our built and natural environment help us or hinder us? WHAT can we afford to build with the ever-diminishing amounts of carbon to which we are entitled? WHY haven’t we been able to improve the built and natural environment in the ways we know we should have: such as energy performance, simplified building and planning regulations, inter-institutional working, appropriate R&D investment and dealing with waste? The next debate is on March 16th with a focus on the climate and ecological emergency: beyond declarations, what is the plan? It’s from 1600 to 1700 and you can register here.
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Recarbonising the Earth – A recent lecture by Jonathon Porritt, ‘Decarbonisation and recarbonisation: Understanding the net zero challenge’ is now available online as a podcast and video. In this, Porritt discusses how securing a stable climate for the future of humankind depends as much on recarbonising natural systems, as it does on decarbonising our industrial economy. The webinar was convened by the University of Bath’s Institute for Policy Research.
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Going Global – Teach the Future has launched an international campaign to help groups in other countries to set up something similar. This includes documents covering different topics related to climate education campaigning. It is also in the process of launching a Global Climate Education Network with other climate education campaigns we are working with.
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Stout Dart and Brighton Wainscot – Although these could well be craft beers, they are in fact the names of moths that are considered most likely extinct in Britain. The State of Britain’s Larger Moths 2021 is now published and contains this and much other detail. The report summarises our current knowledge of Britain’s ~900 species of larger moths. It presents analyses of long-term change based on millions of records gathered through the Rothamsted Insect Survey (RIS) and National Moth Recording Scheme (NMRS). The report shows a 33% decline in the populations of larger moths over the last 50 years, although the news is not all bad as some species have been saved from extinction. This report will provide an excellent source of data for students wanting to hone their analysis skills.
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Flowers on the verge – Highways England is now making road contractors create conditions for species-rich grassland to grow alongside the road network. Low-fertility soils with a chalk or limestone base will be used. They will be seeded with wildflowers or allowed to regenerate naturally.
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Remembering Alan Turing – You can read the latest news from the British Council on its schools work here, including about the new Turing Scheme.