The concept of sustainability has often been distorted, coopted, and even trivialized by being used without the ecological context that gives it its proper meaning. What is sustained in a sustainable community is not economic growth, competitive advantage, or any other measure used by economists, but the entire web of life on which our long-term survival depends. The first step toward a sustainable community, naturally, must be to understand how nature sustains life. This involves a new ecological understanding of life, or “ecoliteracy,” as well as a new kind of “systemic” thinking—thinking in terms of relationships, patterns, and context.
The Ecology of Law by Fritjof Capra and Ugo Mattei
Harvesting nettle tops for dinner!!🙌🌱🌞 #noglovesnoproblem Why nettles? •Nettles are high in vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, and protein! •They’re the most prefect sautéed green •Less waste! Harvesting from the earth means no packaging! •eating wild food feeds your mind, body, and soul. ______________________________#urticadioica #wildfood #wildfoodlove #lesswaste #packagefree #zerowaste #forage #sustainable #gooutside #springfood #nettle #sustainableharvest #harvestdinner #ecofriendly #earthlove #ecoliteracy
I've known the team at Eco Drama for many years now and it’s great to see how they have grown. They specialise in creating theatrical and creative learning experiences for children, young people and communities and I think they are a great example of how you can use the arts to inspire connections with nature. It's these experiences that trigger imaginations that, in turn, encourage environmental awareness and action.
That's why it was great to make some promotional films to support the launch of their new 'Out to Play' resource pack, ‘Nature Stories for Children’ in Spring 2024. The pack was created Saffron Gillies, Creative Engagement Lead and offers a selection of interactive ideas to support educators, parents / carers to deliver storytelling in a range of settings including schools, nurseries, the community or even at home.
And so, on a fairly 'diverse Scottish weather day', we spent a few hours at Craigton Primary in Glasgow, listening to some traditional tales which explore new ideas, cultural heritage and citizenship, encouraging us all to think about the natural world and what we can do to protect it. We recorded interviews with the Headteacher, Class Teachers and the pupils on how storytelling in nature can impact learning in school and beyond. I was so impressed with the articulation of the young people that it made my job so much easier!
I think in terms of Eco-Literacy, the 'Nature Stories for Children’ programme really delivers from the ground up; everyone can get involved and does. And this model, if you like, is exactly what we need if our goal is to establish an environmentally literate society to help tackle the many challenges we face going forward.
To find out more about the work of Eco Drama and the 'Out to Play' programme you can check out their website here.
Collecting specimens around campus. Observing, paying attention to details. Digging in the dirt. Creating mini environments. Sketching details. Documenting. Putting together a mini exhibit in the end, just because we had so much to share.
Image description: 1. Close up photo of a live Gulf Fritillary butterfly on a student's hand 2. Close up photo of students hands with magnifying glasses looking at leaves 3. Close up photo of a slug in a Petri dish with mud and leaves through a magnifying glass 4. Close up photo of a little mushroom in a Petri dish through a magnifying glass
Celebrating International Literacy Day. 14 years ago my first book was published, Escola Sustentável. Excited to say it is being edited and will be released in English and Spanish in the near future #literacyday #escolasustentavel #meioambiente #ecoliteracy #readmore #environmentaleducation #ecocentroipec https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnc7xk7B06z/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1lostpo8o7as6
Beautiful, smart and thought provoking from @mandybarkerphotography - inspired me and Olive this morning for a forthcoming school project #ecoliteracy #creativeactivism (at Bath, Somerset)
“I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues…Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Environmental Literacy
Environmental literacy is defined as, “education about the environment, for the environment, and in the environment that promotes an understanding of, rich and active experience in, and an appreciation for the dynamic interactions of:
1.The Earth’s physical and biological systems
2. The dependency of our social and economic systems on these natural systems
3. The scientific and human dimensions of environmental issues
4. The positive and negative consequences, both intended and unintended, of the interactions between human-created and natural systems”
(The Ontario curriculum grades K–8: Environmental education, scope and sequence of expectations, 2011).
The importance of incorporating environmental literacy into educational activities again returns to the fact that we are preparing our students to become citizens in the 21st century, in a world in which relies on the natural Earth and its processes for continued habitation. Similar to how the uprise in digital literacy education is increasing with its prevalence, environmental literacy is becoming a core area of interest in educational institutions, as a result of increasing climate change which is threatening the future of our healthy and prolonged survival on this planet. Due to that the main factor of climate change is human activity on the Earth, it is crucial that students are becoming familiar with the implications of everyday human behaviour on the proposed dire future of the planet, and applying their 21st century skills to create sustainable solutions.
The goal of the curriculum document on Environmental Education (2011) is to “produce environmentally active and responsible citizens, with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to understand and deal with complex issues that affect the environment now and in the future. For example, students need to develop skills in problem solving, inquiry, decision making, action planning, higher-level thinking, systems thinking, and critical literacy. They also need to be able to identify issues and perspectives, carry out research, and communicate their ideas in meaningful ways” (p. 3). Through incorporating environmental literacy within my pedagogical practice, students can use their higher-order thinking skills in order to take on environmental challenges locally to help out their community, as a contribution to combatting climate change and getting involved in their learning.
Additionally, the link attached to this post offers 11 “simple” ways to introduce the idea of environmental, or eco-literacy to younger students which includes fun, creative and collaborative projects such as a community garden, a celebration of Earth day (April 22nd), and experiencing outdoor trips to natural sites that highlight biodiversity and landscapes, or even helping areas affected by natural disaster through habitat restoration (Shaw, 2015).
Furthermore, for students in the senior grades another way to implement environmental literacy in their curricular activities would be assigning a project to develop more sustainable alternatives to current methods or trends in their school or community; or creating public service announcements to help spread the word on a critical environmental issue and why it is significant (i.e. dangers of automobile usage on the environment, alternative transportation methods, etc.).
References:
The Ontario curriculum, Grades 1-8 and kindergarten programs. (2011). Environmental education: Scope and sequence of expectations.
Shaw, A. (2015). 11 Simple ways to help kids start developing ecoliteracy. LinkedIn. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/11-simple-ways-help-kids-start-developing-ecoliteracy-anne-shaw?trk=mp-reader-card
