It was a geography teacher who changed my life and first got me thinking about the environment.

I was reminded of this when I came across a great resource for geography teachers this week at The Centre for Ecoliteracy website.

It has a really interesting collection of offerings for teachers like you who want to get out there and make a difference.

You can subscribe to a free Newletter for teachers who want to get their schools more active in sustainability education.

You will also find the site has an impressive set of inspirational Articles available for download in PDF format.

These articles include such gems as Findings from the Evaluation Study of The Edible Schoolyard. Here’s a quote from that study:

In describing The Edible Schoolyard program, chef and restaurateur Alice Waters says

“Our program places food at the centre and has students helping to feed each other.  These children learn mutual respect from sharing meals, they learn self-respect from learning how to prepare meals and they learn respect for the planet from learning how to grow food in an ecologically sound way.”

A Guide for Creating School Gardens as Outdoor Classrooms called Getting Started is also available free for teachers for teachers inside the U.S. (You might want to email them directly for postage information outside the U.S.)

For those of you more interested in the big picture you might want to check out Big Ideas: Linking Food, Health, and the Environment, which is available for $16.95(US) through Acorn Naturalists.

I hope you find this website as inspiring as I did. Please remember you can have a lasting impact on the way people think about environment - just the way my geography teacher influenced me.

You’ve got the space for a school vegetable patch. You’ve been thinking about it for quite a while.

It is the getting started that is the hard part.

I’ve just spotted something to get your project off the ground. A School Vegie Kit has been put together by Plant of Health to assist teachers in starting their garden.

The kit contains certified organic products including liquid soil conditions, plant fertilisers, six packets of seed, a soil PH test kit and a booklet of instructions and tips.

I love this very practical resource for teaching where food comes from and how to grow it. If I’ve sparked your interest order the $149 School Vegie Kit online or by phone + 61 7 3865 1288.

Seeds in the kit are peas, carrots, lettuce, radish, tomato and cucumber.

A resource you might find interesting for school garden projects is a new publication by the CSIRO called Creating Your Own Eco-Friendly Garden (Mary Horsfall, CSIRO Publishing).

The step-by-step approach taken in the book would make it another helpful resource for teachers keen to get their students out in the garden.

Happy digging!

For many years Rosalie Primary School has had a strong focus on educating students about environmental issues. Teacher Tim Yates spoke to Julia on behalf of Auspen to get an understanding of how these projects came about and what impact they have had on the school community.

Julia: Does the school have a formal policy about environmental education or have projects been driven by individual teachers?

Tim: The programmes have all evolved over the years as individual teachers introduce ideas they are willing to run with. There are three teachers on our staff at present who are the main stays of the projects. The environmental programme does feature in the School Development Plan and does receive some funding through the Science Budget. There have been two documents produced that describe the approach we have taken. There is no well developed integrated programme that runs throughout the school. Our latest project, solar panels, is our first attempt at developing a programme that covers all years with a range of activities that are done either in first term or fourth term.

Julia: How much parental support is there for environmental education at the school? Is that support increasing?

Tim: Parent support is always there for these types of programmes. The chooks have a roster of parents who are responsible for feeding on weekends and holidays. The Miling Tree Planting Camp has an army of 12 parents who travel away with the students for a four day camp. The Solar Panel Project had a parent as the real driving force with regards to funding proposals, research and installation. The parents are always very willing to part with their money when children set up produce stalls periodically to sell their stuff.

Julia: Can you describe some of the major environmental projects at your school and what ages are involved?

Tim: HERB GARDEN: A new project involving the Pre-Primary and Year4/5 classes. It is in a sunken garden area and will be developed on a quadrant basis.

THE CHOOKS:- The Year 3 class looks after these and there has been a focus on egg producing and exhibiting the best birds in the Royal Show each year. The project endeavours to be self funded.

TREE PLANTING:- The Year 4/5 and Year 5 classes travel with the 3 200 salt bush they’ve grown from seed to Miling, a small wheat belt town 2.5 hours north-east of Perth.

RECYCLING PAPER AND CARBOARD:- The Year 5 class is at the head of this but the whole school is involved in this aspect.

As a sidelight to this, the Year 5 teacher collects photocopy paper that has only had one side used from a couple of institutions and it is put through our copier for activity sheets.

VEGIE PATCH:- The Year 4/5 class is the major user and the Year 5 class has a bed that they use. The Year 4/5’s sell produce to raise funds for seedlings and manure. One of the crops is turned into Beetroot Chutney and it has a loyal band of buyers now who can’t wait to stock up on the next batch. There is a marketing element to this project.

SOLAR PANELS:- As mentioned before this is the one programme where the whole school agreed to be involved. Four resource files were made; PP/1, 2/3, 4/5 and 6/7, with a range of different solar activities. It was organised so that the students would not repeat an activity or if they did, the degree of complexity would have been upped to match the age. The solar oven idea is a good example, from melting iceblocks early on to a more sophisticated model able to cook damper in the later years. There is also a public education aspect to this with the panels feeding into a easily read display on how much energy is being generated, the cost savings and the reduction in CO2 emissions all featured on the web and in the school’s office.

THE ORCHARD:- Each class was responsible for planting a fruit tree around the school. The idea was they were to look after it and do something with the produce. This project has not worked as planned.

FROG POND:- This project has just been rejuvenated and the pond made over. It had become an eye-sore and was not interesting or engaging. Our Year 1 teacher was very interested in doing up the pond and had cleared it out with a group of parents but then got a PEAC teaching appointment. She still wanted to see it through so made it one of her courses and used us as the site. It worked a treat and her students had a ball doing it, learnt so much and created a great deal of interest from our children. The Year 4/5 class had been studying frogs and raising them from taddy stage and this gave us the perfect environment to release our youngsters.

Julia: In your opinion what have been the most successful projects for generating student enthusiasm and learning opportunities. Why?

Tim: Any project that has been implemented by the teacher who had the idea has worked very well. So for our school the chooks, the tree planting and the vegie patch have worked best because they are tended by the teachers who did the hard slog of setting them up.

The Solar Panel programme has the potential but only if there is a Solar Energy Celebratory Day where everyone is committed to having to come up with an activity to show off.

Julia: To what extent are these projects integrated into classroom lessons eg. English, Science etc.

Tim: That depends on the teacher.

With the Vegie Patch Project I don’t do a detailed integration into the curriculum. I have taken the approach of making it like a club type of activity. The emphasis is on doing it for the intrinsic reward of growing your own produce and then getting the enjoyment of selling it all off. Learning is more from incidental chatting, observing and doing than on a more formal learning approach.

The Miling Tree planting is a different kettle of fish. It is an integral part of our Semester 1 Science Programme and many lessons are devoted to learning about the landscape, the hydrology of that landscape and the associated problems and then the reasons for doing what we do and the effects that has in the system.

The Chooks have a similar approach. Life cycles, animal care, health and safety, marketing are all aspects that the students are introduced to by their teacher.

Julia: What advice would you give to teachers who are keen to involve their students in taking positive steps to protect the environment and stop global warming?

Tim: If you’re interested in a project go for it. Your lead may inspire others to join with you or start their own project. If others are not really interested that’s fine just make the difference yourself. Don’t necessarily think you have to involve the whole school. There is that lovely Paul Kelly song that has the line ‘From little things big things grow’. If you are more driven than that then go for it. As long as you are willing to do the driving and organising, others will come on board but with varying degrees of passion and commitment. I have always taken the approach of making sure I have exposed the students in my class to the passion I have for gardening and the environment and the idea that they can make a difference by acting and doing.

Julia: Global warming is a topic that can be overwhelming for adults let alone kids. What is your strategy for keeping student motivation high?

Tim: Having a range of different activities and not banging on about the ‘woe is the world’ aspect to this issue. We have taken the approach: This is what we are doing to our world at the moment, so what can I do to make my impact smaller and do my bit to help the planet out. That idea of Think Global when you Act Local is a very important one.

Julia: Do you have any favourite books, websites or groups you would recommend to teachers as valuable resources in environmental education?

Tim: No one book, website or group. It depends on the project you want to implement and then it all seems to follow from there. There are some inspiring teachers out there. Our PEAC teacher for one is really great and I have just been reading about the teacher from Churchlands Primary who has won yet another award for her work in developing an environmental programme at her school. It is just a matter of tapping into these resources and it seems to flow from there.

Julia: As a teacher and environmental educator how do you stay motivated?

Tim: By not making it too big and involving too many people. We have found things that we love doing and just concentrate on that. You are then not overstretching yourself and can do the bits and pieces you like really well. If as a by-product of this, others get involved, that’s terrific. The main motivator is however, the students themselves. Each new group has seen what goes on and who does it as they come up through the years and they seem to be able to re-invigorate you when they ask, “Are we going to do the ……. this year?” Also seeing or reading about what others are up to I find gives me the jolt to have a go at a project I’ve been mulling over to do but not got round to getting organised.

Julia: You have run some very interesting projects here. If teachers wanted to get more information about how to run a similar project at their school how do they get in touch?

Tim: Just get on the phone and have a chat or arrange a visit. There is also an incredible group of mum’s at North Cottesloe Primary who really have started to mobilise that community and they are looking to get a network of people who are interested and doing environmental work in schools and in the local community together on a email database to keep people in touch with what’s going on, even arranging get togethers to share ideas etc.

Jane Genovese is an educator and environmentalist. She runs Learning Fundamentals, a student coaching business that covers goal setting, motivation and stress management. She is in the final days of completing her honors thesis in Environment, Psychology and the Law. Jane gives high school workshops on global warming, and her Combating Global Warming mind map has received global attention.

I asked Julia Sutton (who is helping with our website) to speak with Jane on behalf of Auspen about her strategies for motivating herself and the young people she presents to.

Julia: I’ve been reading some of the feedback from your workshops on global warming. I was amazed to see that students went away excited. What strategies do you use to keep motivation high in students you talk to?

Jane: I try to give students a sense of hope by showing them that every action they take makes a difference. I also like to share with them some of the exciting initiatives that are occurring around the world and give them a sense that there is a large growing movement emerging (of committed individuals/organisations that are taking action).

I am aware that the times when I have presented feeling full of hope for the world and future, the students have gone away feeling really good and motivated to talk to others about climate change.

Julia: Tell me how your mindmap on global warming came about?

Jane: My mum and I had just seen Al Gore’s movie ‘An Inconvenient Truth’. After seeing it we felt inspired, but also a little overwhelmed by all the information and the size of the problem. We had always used mindmaps to help us clarify and understand ideas, so mum sat down and created a mindmap for herself on all the things she could do to address climate change on a personal level. In the end once it was finished, I thought it looked kind of cool, so I put it on my webpage.

Julia: You have had an extraordinary response to that mindmap - what do people love about it?

Jane: I think it is really easy to look at. People don’t get overwhelmed looking at a colourful, nicely illustrated mindmap which has very few words. I know when I pick up a big text book or novel, I can feel overwhelmed. ‘I have to read all of this?! what hard work!’ I think. The mindmap doesn’t require you to read much. It’s really simple to look at, the different colours help to keep people engaged and it makes people think ‘hey, I can do some of these things and make a difference!’

Julia: If teachers wanted to use your mindmap in their classes on global warming how can they do that?

Jane: Students and teachers are free to go to my website Live The Solution and download the mindmap to use. If they want more information about any of the topics on the mindmap, they can download my free ebook which expands on the topics.

I hope the mindmap motivates students to take action. I think some teachers can tend to focus too much on the science and impacts of global warming, and spend little (if any) time on what actions students can take to lower their carbon footprint. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s really important to be ‘climate literate’ and understand the causes, effects etc of global warming, but please don’t stop there! Show your students what they can do to address global warming and try not to gloss over it. The problem of climate change is so big so the solutions need to be just as big! If you spend all your time teaching students about how bad climate change is, they’ll switch off and think it’s all too hard.

Julia: Many of us struggle to make the everyday changes we need to combat climate change. What strategies do you use to motivate yourself?

Jane: Positive thinking helps me a great deal. Telling myself that every little action I take (such as catching the bus to uni, buying local food, not eating meat, and blogging about the things I’m passionate about) makes a difference. Whenever I get down about the problems in the world, I go to the gym and lift weights or go for a run. This helps me to get a fresh perspective and clears my mind. The fact that my partner, parents and several of my friends are all really committed to reducing their carbon footprint also really helps me to keep going and stay motivated. I realise I’m not alone and there are many others who care and are taking action.

Julia: There is so much to be done to combat climate change - who are the people who inspire you?

Jane: The Pachamama Alliance and the work that they do really inspires me. This is a non for profit organisation that emerged from a relationship developed by an indigenous group in the Amazon region of Ecuador and a group of Americans. One of the things the Pachamama Alliance is doing is working hard to change the dream of the modern, western world (i.e. that wanting more will make you happy). I (along with 80 other Australian leaders) facilitate symposiums created by the Pachamama alliance to help bring about a better future and a new way of thinking about what’s important.

My mum also inspires me. She totally committed to making a difference and keeps me updated on the latest climate change news and initiatives.

Julia: Many of our readers are teachers involved in climate change education. Are there any particular websites or resources you can recommend for a teenage audience?

Jane: One of my favourite websites is a blog No Impact Man written by a new yorker who spent a year developing and living a no impact lifestyle (his aim was to do no harm to the environment). So he didn’t use electricity, he cut back his consumption, stopped flying, etc. Reading about the changes he has made to his lifestyle is inspiring.

There is also a new international campaign called 350.org: Global Warming. Global Action. Global Future. Its goal is to spread the number 350 (which represents the CO2 concentrations we need to get down to) around the world via art, music, etc. By getting this number out there, the aim is to send a powerful message to the worlds leaders.

I’m also a big fan of GetUp (an Australian grassroots action group that has over 280,000 online members). The activist work they do is great. They recently raised enough money from their online members to air a clever commercial on prime time TV, urging the government to take action on the climate crisis.

Julia: Thanks Jane, wonderful perspective.

I have, despite all disillusionment, never, ever, allowed myself to feel like giving up. This is my message today: it is not worthy of a human being to give up.
Alva Myrdal, winner of the 1982 Nobel Peace Prize

If you would like to read more about Jane you can visit her websites:

• Live The Solution
• Learning Fundamentals

One of the key factors determining whether people survive being lost at sea is morale.  

For the group to survive they need to look after each other and keep thinking away from  panic and despair.

Positive clear thinking enables people to make small decisions and changes that affect the likelihood of survival.

I thought of this when I heard a teenager say – after a science class on global warming - “What is the point, we’re all going to die!”

Facing up to the truth about climate change is a bit of a balancing act.  Fall one side and feel overwhelmed, fall the other and feel despair. 

These extreme positions don’t enable any of us to make positive changes in our lives.

I really like the site, We Can Solve It.  It has a sense of urgency, as well as keeping a very positive tone. 

We need to educate, we need to change but we also need to look after each other along the way.

Tomorrow is the start of the annual two day conference put on by Science Teachers Association of Victoria at Latrobe University.
If you are one of the lucky ones that will be taking in the lectures & exhibitors showing their wares & innovative teaching aids, don’t forget to drop on by the AusPen booth manned by our decidedly personable American import.
You might even pick up a deal or two!

Here’s a question that I’d like all you that do pop into the AusPen blog from time to time to help me answer…
Does the wider community still use fountain pens?
The reason I ask is that our new partner Schneider makes a line of fine fountain pens that are refillable and fits in nicely with AusPen’s idea that to reuse is sustainable.
I use a fountain pen everyday… but do you?
Leave a comment and tell us what you think… after all it really is most important that we know what you our valued customers think.
chime in , have your say … we’re listening!

There is no doubt that the most important people to AusPen are our clients… Sound like complete marketing Pap?
Well it’s not!
Besides my personal feelings about teachers and my memories of Mrs. Rafkin, in her always crisp white lab jacket or Mr. Weiner and his colorful phraseology I have found that teachers are the one segment of our buyers that GET IT.
The relationship between their personal actions and the effects those actions have on their environment is not lost on them (could it because they are charged with such a valuable & important task?) and they are willing to go the extra mile to defeat the obstacles and antiquated structures that block the road to sustainability.

For the past two days at “The Education Show” I have had the privilege of meeting and speaking to those that man the barricades that separate us from and becoming the barbarian hoards.
we were lucky enough to get lots of information on what our clients want, and how we can best serve them.
I thank all of you that came by to say hello.

1 Week offer

From Tuesday June 5, 2007 until Tuesday June 12, 2007 all school orders will receive an extra 5% of the RRP of any AusPen Product, that’s in addition to the 10% school discount!

So if your school is thinking about giving AusPen a try this is a very good time. All you have to do is write “AusPen Blog offer” at the bottom of your AusPen order form and we’ll take care of the rest.

Remember this offer is good for 1 week only, and available only to readers of this blog.

So click the link and grab an order form.

It’s not just about the environment… it’s about LIFE! Live yours well today!

***Check this space from time to time for other fantastic offers.