With great fanfare I would like to announce the inaugural “Schools who follow Brewongle’s blog photo competition”. The prizes will be huge (mmmmm…) and include free posting of your great shots on this blog….
One of my favourite blogs is written by an ex-lecturer of mine Ian Lunt. Last year he ran a competition of before and after ecological restoration photo’s. You can see the entries and winners here. This got me thinking on all the great sustainability and environmental projects that are happening in schools every year.
I would love to see before and after photographs or videos of any environmental projects you have happening in your school. I know there are plenty out there – especially all those schools who have participated in Climate Clever Energy Savers with us over the past years.
I have heard of school food gardens, bushland trails, bushtucker gardens, water recycling, bush regeneration, chicken pens, wetlands, bee hotels and many more in my discussions with teachers. I would love to showcase all these fantastic efforts by staff, students and parents on our website.
To enter simply send me your before and after photo’s/videos of any project that you have completed or are working on. I will then publish them and if my computer skills are up to the task we will all vote on our favourites. Please include a short description of the project. There are very few rules and entry is open to all schools and education facilities – including our Environmental and Zoo Education Centres of course!
Email your entries to: steven.body[at]det.nsw.edu.au
Be proud of the achievements of your school and help us showcase them to the world!
I have just finished reading some thought provoking hand written letters from some of our nation’s best scientists. These were not analyses of data or the usual science abstracts but heartfelt, emotion filled letters about how they are feeling about climate change and our response to it. Read some of them here.
The letters resonated with me as I have found myself feeling increasingly frustrated by our lack of response to the already present threat of climate change. I feel guilty that I am not doing enough to fix our ailing planet and atmosphere – and I work at an environmental education centre! I am educating students on a daily basis and trying to connect them to the living world and how they can move through it sustainably yet I am feeling increasingly frustrated that these kids will grow up in a world that is vastly different from my childhood.
Here at Brewongle we devote much of the year to a fantastic program called Climate Clever Energy Savers. This educates students from primary and high schools about the science of climate change and asks them to provide solutions that can be practically applied in their schools to reduce energy and greenhouse gas emissions. These kids are doing admirable things and have a vested interest in the future that they will grow up in.
Why then are so many of us, especially our politicians, not paying attention? Some would call it willful ignorance. This is a planetary scale problem with some of the best scientific evidence ever recorded and yet many people listen to the loudest (often incorrect) voice who often has a vested financial interest in not acting on climate change. Would the task be so hard if there was not gazillions of dollars tied up in the fossil fuel industry?
The science is pretty simple. Humans are digging up carbon rich stuff from the earth (coal, oil, natural gas). We are then burning it and releasing carbon dioxide gas (CO2) into the atmosphere. This gas prevents heat escaping from the planet, causing warming on a planetary scale. This warming is changing weather patterns in the short and long term. This then influences every natural cycle and organism on earth. The consequences are far from simple.. The reality is that it is far from it. These CSIRO scientists explain it well:
I like this analogy: The scientists at the Bureau of Meteorology tell the people of North Queensland that there is a cyclone moving towards the coast that will cause massive damage to everything in its path. Human life is at risk. What do you do?
A: Ignore it and go about your business as usual?
B: Think “I will be ok, it might change course” and then go about your business?
C: Argue that the science is not conclusive and that your mate who lives on the coast says that the weather is fine and you should go about your business?
D: Listen to the scientists, take whatever measures are necessary to prevent damage to yourself, your community and the living planet?
The one difference between this analogy and climate change is that we can do something about climate change! We can prevent that metaphorical cyclone from hitting the coast. As humanity procastinates, the elephant in the room taps its foot and waits for us to notice…..
Is it because it is not a clear and present danger? There are no immediate consequences? It is all a bit abstract and in a hazy future that most of us try not to think about. Derek Muller is a physicist and popular online and TV science presenter who thinks this may be the case and he poses some of his views in the video below. What do you think?
Another website of Scared Scientists are also expressing their fears and frustrations. Have a look it is well worth it. Share with your friends.
It helps that I am not alone in feeling like I do – it seems that plenty of our best and brightest share my emotions. How do you feel about all this? Are you confused? Apathetic? Should change come from our governments? From ourselves as individuals? What legacy are we leaving for our children? What do we do? The cyclone is approaching…..
A fantastic video from the students of Main Arm Public School on the north coast of NSW. They have been completing the sustainability action process as part of the Climate Clever Energy Savers program run by the NSW Environmental Education Centres. Here at Brewongle we have just approved grants for many Western Sydney Schools who submitted some excellent proposals to save energy in their schools.
Comleroy Rd PS sits astride a ridge near Kurrajong with fantastic views towards the Blue Mountains and Wollemi Wilderness areas. A perfect backdrop for a visit from Brewongle staff to begin the Climate Clever Energy Savers program. Comleroy Rd PS are one of many schools statewide who are currently embarking on the Climate Clever program. Students develop plans of action to reduce electricity use in their schools and apply for fundign to implement their projects. This fantastic student led learning program is into its 5th year of success.
Under clear autumn skies and brilliant sunshine year 5 & 6 students shared their knowledge of climate change science and electricity use before completing a comprehensive school energy audit. By assessing what are the major electricity users within the school, students can then decide on strategies to reduce energy use and their carbon footprint.
Along the way we also cooked some delicious garlic bread in our solar ovens and had a great time building and racing solar cars. Students also enjoyed the ‘Tour de Amps’ on our energy bike. We were mightily impressed with the enthusiasm and skills of the students and look forward to reading their proposal to reduce energy use in their school.
It is with great fanfare and drum rolls that we announce that this fantastic program is up and running again this year! – TA DA…..Climate Clever Energy Savers (CCES) is a student centred, project based learning model that has been a huge success in NSW public schools for the last four years. The aim is to help students design projects that will save energy in their schools. Students investigate energy, climate change, school electricity usage and develop strategies to reduce electricity use in their school. The students submit proposals to their local CCES coordinators (a local Environmental Education Centre – Brewongle are the Western Sydney Coordinators) and can be funded help achieve their aims.
Brewongle will train teachers in a one day workshop and then come out to your school with a huge bag of tricks to motivate and teach students about sustainable energy use. Our solar cars,energy bike and solar ovens are always a hit!
If you are looking for a funded, syllabus linked, well scaffolded and well resourced unit of work for your students in stage 2-5 then you have until next Friday 21st of February to sign up. Go to the advert in this weeks SchoolBiz – here is the link for Western Sydney Schools:
HOWEVER! if you are in a private or independent school – look out for a new online learning resource that will allow you to undertake energy or other sustainablity projects in your schools. The Sustainability Action Process will hopefully be online in the coming months and I will blog about it when it is approved.
Brewongle Environmental Education Centre 