Southwest Environmental Limited

Sustainability Teaching Program

Below are some outlines for a Teaching program which SWEL can deliver in Schools, Prisons, Sports Clubs or Work Places.

Context

So many key decision makers do not hold the environment at any value. Yet studies are constantly proving the financial value of living in a high quality environment whether that be natural lighting positive impacts on productivity or atmospheric pollutants and they burdening of the NHS.

It is this disconnect between real world economics and the environment round us that needs to be explained, whilst maintaining a link to current curriculum.

Delivery of Teaching Materials

All teaching materials will be made available in a digital format. It is will independently hosted on our company website and ready for download whenever required. A CMS could be used to record material, so that future custodians could amend content remotely, pending administrative privileges. We would present data however Flintshire thought best.

We would create and deliver a sustainability action plan bespoke to each school, we would identify the most interested students during our pilot sessions, and appoint them “ambassadors” or “custodians” or similar. Badges will be provided.

Key Questions to Stimulate Debate and Understanding

Does a Cow Cause Global Warming?

We would include content here on the basic principal, but also on the obfuscation tactics used by some to deny climate changes existence, and why this may be. This would involve a presentation of facts and basic mathematics. Along the method used in the BBC’s “Climate Change by Numbers”. The main battle here is to establish that there is no doubt that climate change is happening, because the day to efforts we can make are really quite simple by comparison.

The KPI question would centre around methane as a GHG and how eating meat produces indirect CO2 emissions.

The natural environment and how we impact on it

Is Landfill the Worst Thing that can happen to your Rubbish?

This is harder to see in the UK, so we would likely start off in the third world. Ocean plastics might be a theme, we would then looks at 3rd world impacts as a indicator of unregulated impacts and then move to the UK and examine impacts here.

We would touch upon life cycle analysis, and how perhaps a move away from plastic, may use more paper ergo trees, and so this route may not be ideal.

Saving Energy and Water

When you turn the tap on are you using electricity?

We would combine the two here and ask student to lift a container of water up and down 50 times. We would then move on to how the pumping of water has a massive CO2 impact and that is one good reason to use less.

We would also bring along a bicycle or hand generator that powers a light bulbs and ask a student to keep it going for as long as possible. This will demonstrate the incredible amount of energy we would use to power a city for example, and why switching to renewable will be such a challenge.

How schools and individuals can promote and enhance biodiversity

Does eating peanut butter help monkeys?

We would take independent advise (included in quoted sum) from ecologists and entomologists to ascertain key problems facing biodiversity in the local area and pick a species associated with the area to focus on. Also we could talk about bees.

For the KPI question we would centre discussion round purchasing RSPO peanut butter and how that helps enhance biodiversity 1000’s of miles way.

The importance of reducing waste and recycling

Is plastic better than card for recycling?

We could tie this in with environmental impacts (reflective learning). We would highlight the importance of only buying what you need, buying things which cannot be recycled, getting things fixed where possible, and responsible disposal. We would talk about waste export here, as that is very important.

A practical demonstration of packaging waste will be provided also. After which we will introduce some newer packaging that is better for the environment. Easter egg packaging might seem appropriate.

SMART Outcomes

Specific – The course will be tailor made for the district. Local species, waste management facilities and environmental problems will be used in case studies.

Measurable – At the end of the session a “shows of hand” yes or no question will be used to assess success of delivery on each topic.

Attainable – We have no doubt in our ability to deliver the required results. The sessions will have to be fast paced to make sure that breath of subjects is delivered, but we will concentrate on key subjects reinforced with practical demonstrations.

Relevant – Case studies will demonstrate problems we are facing at this time in human history and will be immediately relevant.

Timely – We will meet the delivery schedule, and meet deliver all KPI within the time slots allowed.

STEM Subjects Integration

As far as is possible within the scope of the pilot study we would of course link to the outcomes of STEM subjects under the National Curriculum. We would link all subjects to the core science which possible, as well as expanding on the vast array of other sciences that are available in the wider world, to stimulate interest for future areas of learning.

We take in consideration the UK governments drive for more students to work towards STEM qualifications. It may be for example that students have not linked physics with global warming. Or biology with Biodiversity, and we will endeavor to make those links, with their core subjects, conferring with teachers during the development stage to make sure we mention shared topics.