Pachamama: Our Earth, Our Future

‘Children are often the driving force behind eco-friendly living’, says a new publication which gives them an international voice. Hundreds of children from every continent cooperated to prepare Pachamama: Our Earth, Our Future. Named after a word meaning Mother Earth in the Inca culture, it is a special youth edition of UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook 2000. These extracts spell out a challenge from the generation with most at stake in the new century.

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Our Earth - Our Future By Young People of the World

Atmosphere  Freshwater  Marine & Coastal Areas  Land and Food  Forests  Biodiversity  Urbanisation  Polar Regions

Pull the strings!  ...and Action!  If we ruled the World  Emerging Issues  What Scientists say  What Others think

What you can do!  Eco times  How green are you  Contributors  Glossary  EcoMind Maze

Additional information and links
Background:  Introduction  Foreword  Glossary  Pachamama press release  Global Environment Outlook - 2000  UNEP	Explanation of the graphic guides used in this web site

•  http://www.grida.no/publications/other/geo2000/pacha/?src=/geo2000/pacha/contents.htm

Resources for Rethinking

Resources for Rethinking (R4R), a project of Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF), provides teachers access to materials that integrate ecological, social and economic spheres through active, relevant, interdisciplinary learning. We call this learning Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

ESD promotes respect for universal human rights, cultural diversity, greater care of life and the protection of Earth’s ecosystems, and a commitment to build a global culture of tolerance and peace.

• http://r4r.ca/en/home

Review Tool Summary

Issues & Themes

What sustainability issues does the resource explore?

Curriculum Matches

How does the resource relate to curriculum objectives in each of the provinces and territories in Canada?

Sustainability Principles

How well does the resource promote the knowledge, skills, perspectives, and practices essential for building ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable communities?

Pedagogical Approaches

How well does the resource foster learning that is active, relevant, and interdisciplinary?

General Assessment

From a "big picture" perspective, what are the resource's strengths and weaknesses?

 

Canadian Sustainability Curriculum Review Initiative

Our Themes:

• Peace and Human Security
• Water
• Human Health and the Environment
• Climate Change
• Economics and Sustainable Consumption
• Ecosystems
• Governance, Citizenship, and Community
• Energy
• Sustainable Urbanization and Transportation
• Biodiversity
• Indigenous and Local Knowledge
• Food & Agriculture

• http://www.lsf-lst.ca
  

  Whole School Models

  Education for Sustainable Development Schools use sustainability as an integrating context for teaching and learning, decision-making, civic engagement, community partnerships, and campus practices. Transforming the operations, the physical surroundings, the curriculum, and extra-curricular activities of a school fosters the creation of responsible citizens. The application of sustainability principles across the entire range of decision making helps the community develops the knowledge, skills and values necessary to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.
  The first ESD Lighthouse School project was implemented at Stouffville District Secondary School in 2006. To find out more information on this project, click here.
  

  Defining an ESD School:

  • Organization: Decision-making procedures focused on sustainability, not just efficiency
  • Operations: Running a school in a sustainable manner, reflected in the mission statement and school improvement plans
  • Physical Surroundings: Contributions from the building and surrounding areas to the goals of a sustainable community
  • Curriculum: Curricula expectations and instructional strategies facilitate ESD learning
  • Extra-Curricular Activities: Resources devoted to helping students make positive change in their communities

   LSF's Role in an ESD School:

  • Engaging/ motivating staff, students, administration and the school community
  • Facilitating collaborative decision-making
  • Enhancing teacher development through extensive relationship building and modelling
  • Creating opportunities for meaningful action projects
  • Measuring and documenting impacts and outcomes

  Outcomes of an ESD School:

  • Support opportunities for students to engage in sustainability projects
  • Enhanced and diverse learning opportunities
  • Authentic experiences and action-based learning
  • Improved educational outcomes
  • Developing informed citizens for future success
  • Cultivate skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to create positive changes in the school and/or community
  
  

   

  Belfountain Public School

  Learning for “head, heart and hands”; using our local built and natural environment

  Belfountain Public School is a Peel District School Board facility.  It is located in the Caledon village of Belfountain, Ontario, in the heart of the Niagara Escarpment.  THe ECO focus initiative came about as a result of advocacy from the community to incorporate a larger component of ecological/environmental education in the school program.  In response, the school developed a pilot program in, which resulted in the rest of the staff agreeing to adopt a school-wide focus the following year.
  
  

  The goal of the program is for students to become active citizens engaged in their community with an awareness of their role in the local environment. The project has received the help of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation Professional Development program supported by the Ministry of Education, Learning for a Sustainable Future and Antioch New England Co-Seed Project.

  The focus on head, heart and hands at Belfountain P.S. addresses thinking and understanding, emotions and relations with others, and the skills needed to actively participate in the world as engaged citizens.The professional experience and understanding of learning leads to organizing learning that is experiential and active, student-centred and holistic in scope. To learn more, please click here.
  

   Approach:

  • Find learning opportunities in the local community.
  • Form learning partnerships with organizations in the community that allow students and organizations to mutually benefit from the relationship.
  • Take advantage of the interdisciplinary/subject integration opportunities that real –world based learning provides. 
  • Teach specific skills and competencies identified in the curriculum in the context of learning projects.

  Key Learning Strategies

  Teachers at Belfountain P.S. use many strategies or tools in planning learning.  Described here are those that are most relevant to the goals of educating for head, heart and hands.

  • Using local learning opportunities –Place-based learning

  • Integration

  • Inquiry

  • Peer Teaching

  • Action Learning/Service Learning

  • Celebrations/Reflections

  • Self-Evaluation and Reflection

Australian Government ICT Sustainability Plan 2010 - 2015

Download

• Australian Government ICT Sustainability Plan 2010 - 2015 (PDF - 223KB) |   (RTF - 1294KB)

Table of contents

• OVERVIEW
• SUMMARY OF OUTCOMES, STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS
• ABOUT THIS PLAN
• 1 INTRODUCTION
• 2 IMPROVING SUSTAINABLE ICT PROCUREMENT
• 2.1 MANDATORY ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS
• 2.2 OTHER ICT PROCUREMENT CONSIDERATIONS
• 2.3 AGENCY TARGETS
• 3 IMPROVING ICT ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT
• 3.1 SETTING A WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT ICT ENERGY CONSUMPTION TARGET
• 3.2 ICT ENERGY INTENSITY MEASURES AND TARGETS
• 3.3 AGENCY ICT ENERGY MANAGEMENT PLANS
• 3.4 ICT ENERGY AND CARBON REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS
• 3.5 AGENCY TARGETS
• 4 ICT: PROMOTING MORE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
• 4.1 WITHIN GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
• 4.2 PROMOTION OF BROADER SUSTAINABILITY
• 5 STRENGTHENING AGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
• 5.1 IMPROVING ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROCESSES
• 5.2 INSTILLING BEHAVIOURAL AND CULTURAL CHANGE
• 5.3 REPORTING ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE (GREEN ICT SCORECARD)
• 6 IMPLEMENTATION
• 6.1 CENTRAL GOVERNMENT COORDINATION
• 6.2 IMPLEMENTATION ACTIVITIES
• 6.3 MID-TERM REVIEW
• 6.4 EXEMPTIONS (OPT-OUTS)
• ABBREVIATIONS
• GLOSSARY
• APPENDIX 1 EPEAT AND EQUIVALENT ECO-LABELS
• APPENDIX 2 ICT SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES

• Next
• 
  

Living Greener

Explore LivingGreener and find government information and assistance to help you live more sustainably.

Energy

Be informed Get the facts about:

• Renewable energy
• Solar hot water
• Insulation

More facts about saving energy

Take action Get involved:

• Buy energy efficient appliances
• Improve heating and cooling
• Install ceiling insulation

More actions to save energy

Water

Be informed Get the facts about:

• Greywater
• Rainwater
• Water smart gardens

More facts about saving water

Take action Get involved:

• Get a home assessment
• Install rainwater tanks
• Install water efficient showerheads

More actions to save water

Waste

Be informed Get the facts about:

• Building materials
• Recycling
• Reducing waste

More facts about reducing waste

Take action Get involved:

• Compost
• Reduce plastic waste
• Start a worm farm

More actions to reduce waste

Transport

Be informed Get the facts about:

• Smarter travel
• Walking

More facts about smarter transport

Take action Get involved:

• Effective driving
• Switch to a bike
• Use public transport

More actions to travel smarter

• http://www.livinggreener.gov.au/

Sustainable urban residential developments.

Australia’s online resource providing practical information on how to create sustainable urban residential developments.

Why Your Development?

Australian cities are expanding; by 2050 the UN predicts that 94% of Australians will live in urban areas and that our population will be 30 million. Our neighbourhoods are significant consumers of resources. Residential energy use has increased by around 14% in the last decade and per capita water consumption will have to be reduced by an average of 12% across major cities to stay within projected sustainable yield targets. The impacts of climate change and the need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels means that our neighbourhoods of the future need to change.
Your Development can help facilitate that change.

What is Your Development?

Your Development is a dynamic website providing information on sustainable urban development in:

• Fact sheets
• Case studies
• Brief case studies
• Links to other sites
• User comments
• A Glossary
• News articles

Topics covered include:

	Site Ecology - focusing on site issues, landscaping, biodiversity, soil and water management, ecological footprint.
	Place Making & Social Sustainability - housing stock, affordability, community issues and facilities, connection to facilities, heritage and safety.
	Estate Design - street and lot layout, urban density, mix use, open space provisions and infrastructure provisions.
	Access & Transport - public transport and bicycle infrastructure, pedestrian environments, innovative transport modes, transport integration and linkages.
	Materials & Recycling - life cycle analysis of materials, waste minimisation, waste management and recycling and healthy materials.
	Water Management - water sensitive urban design, water sources, water efficiency and water quality.
	Energy Management - energy supply, distributed energy and energy efficiency
	Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation - greenhouse abatement and adapting to climate change
	Sustainability Management - whole of life costing, financial models, partnerships, post occupancy evaluation, community education and sustainability assessment.

Information is provided on what to do during each of the phases of development:

• Feasability
• Planning
• Design
• Construction
• Lot Creation
• Completion

Who is Your Development for?

Your Development is for use by:

• private and public developers
• urban planners
• local, state, and federal government bodies
• designers
• builders
• many others with an interest in sustainable urban development

How was Your Development created?

Your Development is a national project developed in partnership with CSIRO and the Australian Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage, and the Arts. Content has been written and reviewed by leading researchers and industry experts.
Your Development uses Web 2.0 technology that aims to facilitate creativity, information sharing, and collaboration among users.

• http://yourdevelopment.org/