Sustainability Education

Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative

Resources to support the implementation of AuSSI in your school

Schools are encouraged to use the ideas and tools in this section to explore ways of actively engaging in AuSSI and conserving resources in their school.

Sustainability tips

In this section you'll find tips on easy things that you can do around the house, work or school, or when you are enjoying Australia's beautiful natural environment. Read the sustainability tips

Curriculum

An education for sustainability curriculum involves understanding the present environment - how it has been shaped, the values it holds, and seeking to mitigate adverse impacts on it. This involves an investigation of how we have come to this situation and accepting responsibility to work towards a sustainable future. Identifying what is distinctive about the local environment and understanding local community issues is essential to shaping the education for sustainability programs in a school.

In AuSSI many schools investigate a range of units of work to understand the present environment how it has been shaped, the values it holds, and seek to mitigate adverse impacts on it. Unit titles often include:

Others can include:

EfS also involves understanding the present society - how it has been shaped, the values it holds, how to maintain and integrate elements of a healthy, socially just and sustainable lifestyle, how culture and community shape it, the relationship between people, resources and places, the social, economic and political systems and connections between them and, understanding how individuals and groups can take action to positively influence change.

In AuSSI many schools investigate a range of units of work to understand the present society. Unit titles often include:

Providing appropriate learning experiences in education for sustainability to span curriculum from early childhood to Year 12 is a challenge. Judicious choices need to be made and priorities set by schools and education jurisdictions if students are to understand the complexity of the world that they live in and to have the knowledge, critical thinking skills, values and capacity to participate in decision making about environment and development issues.

All effective teaching and learning takes account of students' lives and interests and their individual learning differences. A well planned education for sustainability program provides learning embodied with significance for students and provides opportunities for practical learning experiences, often outside the boundaries of the classroom.

Ideally, education for sustainability will not be confined to any one learning area within a school. There are numerous ways for incorporating education for sustainability into the curriculum. How these are manifested can depend on a school's particular situation.

Many schools have made significant progress incorporating education for sustainability into the curriculum with a whole school approach, working across all curriculum areas and complemented by whole-school policies and activities in other related areas.

Use the example curriculum overview to map education for sustainability in your curriculum.

Water for a sustainable future

As a topic, water is a powerful vehicle for learning about a range of concepts and issues within science, technology, and society and environment. The knowledge, skills, values and actions linked with the topic of water are diverse and significant. There are many opportunities for first-hand experiences and for the integration of a range of curriculum areas.

Water is a real life topic and one with which schools relate.

The curriculum resources below can assist teachers to:

Curriculum resources

Water for a sustainable future 
AuSSI ACT has worked with many local organisations and teachers to provide schools with this curriculum resource aligned to the ACT Curriculum Framework P-10. It contains four units of work for Early Childhood -Later Adolescence.

The Stormwater - Everyone's responsibility 
This teaching guide is designed for the Science and Technology K-6, Science Stage 4-5, Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE) Stage 2 (yrs 3-4) and Stage 5 Geography (yrs 9-10) syllabuses. The package includes an educative poster and web-based teaching/learning materials incorporating a school accreditation scheme and activities for students. The aims of the Stormwater Teaching Guide are to raise awareness, promote concern and increase skills in improving stormwater quality. The teaching guide includes background material and related activities. Some activities are presented as PDF files. They are designed to be printed out for use in the classroom and for project work.

Ensuring our Future - Sydney Water 
Includes teacher and student resources on water use and savings in schools, including information on water audits and water tanks.

Rainwater Tanks in Schools - Sydney Water 
This site has teacher resources for Sydney Water's 'Rainwater tanks in schools' program. This link takes you directly to a pdf file of lesson plans designed to enable schools to undertake a water audit and develop an action plan.

Water Matters
This resource focuses on the water cycle, how the water in regions was used by Aboriginal people and early European settlers, the Murray-Darling River system, and students investigate how we can ensure a continuous supply of good quality water and some of the issues, problems and concerns associated with water supply and quality. Students also consider conserving and protecting their local water supply and ways other communities can access, conserve and protect their water supplies more effectively.

Teacher and Student Resources - SA Water 
SA Water provides teachers and students with access to a range resources.

Murraycare 
This site features teaching resources, excursion ideas, maps and information for all year levels.

Murraylink Educational Resource for Schools 
This resource enables students to investigate, identify issues, take action, tell the world about water in general, and River Murray water in particular.

Water: Learn it for Life! 
Queensland Waterwise Education Resources offer a comprehensive education program targeting students from prep to year seven. Resources encourage investigations about water conservation, water recycling and purified recycled water.

Water Audits for Schools

School communities are using audit tools to map current practices, collect baseline data and plan their water management and conservation efforts. A record of a school's current practices and data on how much water is being used at the school can inform your school's plan for how to implement new strategies, manage water better and ultimately conserve it.

Most audits involve a physical walk around the school locating and investigating all areas where water is used. Audits involve the recording of leakages and meter readings to enable an overview of water usage in the school.

Audits are important tools for teachers to use in conjunction with students and the whole school community.

Consider undertaking one of the following water audits:

Case Studies

Read about schools that are actively managing water, conserving it and protecting our water resources.

Energy for a sustainable future

Energy is a complex issue with wide ranging ramifications for society and environment, including greenhouse. Many people are becoming concerned about energy use and taking steps to reduce it. The knowledge, skills, values and actions linked with the topic of energy are diverse and significant. There are many opportunities for first-hand experiences and for the integration of a range of curriculum areas.

Energy is a real life topic and one with which schools relate.

The curriculum resources below can assist teachers to:

Curriculum resources

Energy for a sustainable future
AuSSI ACT has worked with many local organisations and teachers to provide schools with this curriculum resource aligned to the ACT Curriculum Framework P-10. It contains four units of work for Early Childhood -Later Adolescence.

Save Energy @ School
Save energy@school curriculum resources are designed to support primary and secondary teachers in developing teaching programs about energy and the environment.

Ollie Saves the Planet 
Ollie Saves the Planet is a web site that explores the 4R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rethink as they apply to the 5 action issues of Energy, Waste, Water, Air and Biodiversity. It's full of games, puzzles, information and projects.

Energex 
This site offers school energy efficiency information broken into Year level and teachers.

Guide Beside 
The Guide Beside is a professional development tool for those who facilitate, train, lead, educate or use learning and change programs to achieve environmental sustainability outcomes.

National Solar 
This is a schools educational website developed by a social marketing company that facilitates donations of solar systems to schools and displays schools' data from Queensland and NSW. It has a section on Energy in Curriculum, specifically listing Key Learning Areas in the curriculum that can incorporate energy. Activities are coded into junior, intermediate and senior school level.

AuSSI ACT Energy Resources 
AUSSI ACT has worked with many local organisations in 2007 to provide schools with this curriculum resource aligned to the new ACT Curriculum Framework P-10.
It contains ten week programs on energy containing local information and supporting resources.

NSW Sustainable Schools Energy resources 
The NSW Sustainable Schools website contains a number of resources, tools and tips for schools to use to manage energy more efficiently.

Power for a Sustainable Future 
An EPA and Education Queensland resource for schools that includes teacher and student resources, fact sheets and activity sheets.

Water: Learn it for Life! 
A comprehensive water education program written by Queensland teachers. Targeting early and middle years, Water: Learn it for life! offers a whole of school approach to water education that complements the Queensland curriculum.

Energy Audits for Schools

School communities are using audit tools to map current practices, collect baseline data and plan their energy management, efficiency and conservation efforts. A record of a school's current practices and data on how many appliances your school has, what power they draw and how long they are on for each day and how much energy is being used at the school can inform your school's plan for how to implement new strategies, manage energy better and ultimately conserve it.

Most audits involve a physical walk around the school locating and investigating all areas where energy is used. Audits involve the recording of meter readings to establish overall daily energy patterns and usage, and calculate greenhouse gas emissions.

Audits are important tools for teachers to use in conjunction with students and the whole school community.

Consider undertaking one of the following energy audits:

Case Studies

Read about schools that are actively conserving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Waste for a sustainable future

Waste is a complex issue, it comes in many forms. Most waste can be avoided, reduced, reused and recycled. Many schools are implementing sustainable waste management practices, addressing where waste comes from, where it goes and knowing how they can make a difference. The knowledge, skills, values and actions linked with the topic of waste are diverse and significant. There are many opportunities for first-hand experiences and for the integration of a range of curriculum areas.

Waste and its management is a real life topic and one with which schools relate.

The curriculum resources below can assist teachers to:

Curriculum resources

Waste for a sustainable future
AuSSI ACT has worked with many local organisations and teachers to provide schools with this curriculum resource aligned to the ACT Curriculum Framework P-10. It contains four units of work for Early Childhood -Later Adolescence.

Wastewise Curriculum - Sustainability Victoria
Wastewise is a Sustainability Victoria waste education program. This site includes curriculum resources, units of work, case studies and ideas for managing a Wastewise school

Green Waste Matters
This curriculum guide is designed to introduce young Australians to best practice management of green and organic waste. While not an exhaustive or formal environmental education resource the Guide is intended to raise the awareness of school age children to environmentally sound waste management practices.

Waste Audits for Schools

School communities are using audit tools to map current practices, collect baseline data and plan their waste management efforts. A record of a school's current practices and data on where waste is produced in the school, how materials at the school are disposed of and how much waste disposal costs, in addition to school recycling and composting activities and purchasing guidelines all inform a waste audit.

Audits are important tools for teachers to use in conjunction with students and the whole school community and can demonstrate if school initiatives have reduced the amount of waste generated at the school, increased the amount reused or recycled, or changed purchasing practices within the school community.

Consider undertaking one of the following waste audits:

Case Studies

Read about schools that are actively conserving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Biodiversity for a sustainable future

Biodiversity is life! It is short for 'biological diversity' and refers to all life on earth. Biodiversity includes plants, animals, humans and even the smallest, unseen creatures. Everything from fungi, seeds, fish, germs, possums and lizards. It includes all things that are alive and growing as well as the places they call home. The knowledge, skills, values and actions linked with the topic of biodiversity are diverse and significant. There are many opportunities for first-hand experiences and for the integration of a range of curriculum areas.

Biodiversity and its management is a real life topic and one with which schools relate.

The curriculum resources below can assist teachers to:

Curriculum resources

Biodiversity for a sustainable future 
AuSSI ACT has worked with many local organisations and teachers to provide schools with this curriculum resource aligned to the ACT Curriculum Framework P-10. It contains four units of work for Early Childhood -Later Adolescence.

EnviroNorth: Living Sustainably in Australia's Savannas 
This online resource offers a comprehensive range of online educational resources focusing on the Top End environments.

EnviroNorth has three key sections:

An inquiry-based, integrated approach to learning underpins the modules with the Teach section of the website supporting teachers on how to use this resource within an effective teaching and learning program.

Grow Us a Home 
The Grow Us A Home website has been specifically developed for students in years 5-9. Through the use of animation and colourful graphics, students are introduced to the soil types, plant communities and some of the plants and animals that once lived, or may still live on the Swan Coastal Plain and Darling Range.

What is a national Park - Teachers Kit 
This resource teaches about the values of our natural and cultural heritage. Students will learn about national parks, flora.

Biodiversity for kids 
Biodiversity for kids is a hands-on Science and Technology unit designed to help you teach about biodiversity in your local environment. Students can learn about biodiversity, animal and plant habitats, ecosystems, food chains and webs and biodiversity surveys.

Conserving Australia's Biological Diversity 
These resource materials - an activity sheet and teachers' notes - were developed for the Conserving Australia's Biological Diversity travelling display.

BioWhat? 
This resource introduces students to the role each of us can have in looking after the living things around us.

Life is a garden 
School gardens cultivate not only plants and animals but also the academic, personal and interpersonal skills of the students who tend them. The KidsGrow resources for schools encourage kids to learn while having fun in the garden.

Biodiversity Audits for Schools

School communities are using audit tools to map current practices, collect baseline data and plan their biodiversity conservation, protection and enhancement efforts. A record of a school's existing biodiversity in the school grounds, including flora, fauna and soil all can inform the audit.

Consider undertaking one of the following biodiversity audits:

Case Studies

Read about schools that are actively conserving, protecting and enhancing the biodiversity of their school grounds and local areas.

Climate Change for a sustainable future

As a topic, climate change is a powerful vehicle for learning about a range of concepts and issues within science, technology, and society and environment. The knowledge, skills, values and actions linked with these topics are diverse and significant. There are many opportunities for real-life experiences and for the integration of a range of curriculum areas.

Climate change is everyone's problem. Everyone will be affected by climate change and we are all needed to reduce the greenhouse gases we produce.

The curriculum resources below can assist teachers to:

Curriculum resources

Climate Change for a sustainable future
AuSSI ACT has worked with many local organisations and teachers to provide schools with this curriculum resource aligned to the ACT Curriculum Framework P-10. It contains four units of work for Early Childhood -Later Adolescence.

Teaching Climate Change
The modules will be best suited to teachers in the humanities, namely in the studies of society and environment, geography and economics. Modules 1, 2 and 9, which cover the science and impacts of climate change and nuclear energy, will also provide useful background for science teachers.

Appropriate for students in years 9 and 10, each module is designed for a discrete class of around 50 minutes, or possibly longer if the student activities are undertaken in detail. Module 6, which looks at the economics of climate change, is specifically targeted at students studying economics in year 11.

Thinking About Climate Change
A free publication distributed to Australian secondary schools in 2007, suitable for students from years 7-10. Lessons can be adapted according to students year level, skills, knowledge base, needs and interests.

Airwatch
Resources to support schools in the teaching and learning about environmental issues. The resources cover local and regional air quality, and climate change topics.

Effects of Climate Change on Coral Bleaching
This education resource aims to support students understand how coral bleaching can be linked to climate change.

Energy Audits for Schools

School communities are using audit tools to map current practices, collect baseline data and plan their energy management, efficiency and conservation efforts. A record of a school's current practices and data on how many appliances your school has, what power they draw and how long they are on for each day and how much energy is being used at the school can inform your school's plan for how to implement new strategies, manage energy better and ultimately conserve it.

Most audits involve a physical walk around the school locating and investigating all areas where energy is used. Audits involve the recording of meter readings to establish overall daily energy patterns and usage, and calculate greenhouse gas emissions.

Audits are important tools for teachers to use in conjunction with students and the whole school community.

Consider undertaking one of the following energy audits:

Case Studies

Read about schools that are actively conserving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Transport for a sustainable future

The majority of students around Australia now travel to and from school by car. This causes impacts both locally and globally. The global concern relates to that of greenhouse gas emissions and every reduction in car use counts. Every litre of petrol saved cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 2.8kg. More locally, the reliance on cars causes traffic congestion & parking difficulties, reduction in air quality, and increased safety concerns.

Learning about sustainable transport options gives Australian school communities the opportunity to become aware of the impact of cars and investigate more sustainable travel options. Alternative options such as walking, cycling and taking public transport can personally improve health, safety and wellbeing, and save money on car running costs while reducing congestion and environmental impacts for the whole community.

The knowledge, skills, values and actions linked with the topic of sustainable transport options are diverse and significant. There are many opportunities for first-hand experiences and for the integration of a range of curriculum areas.

Innovative programs and curriculum can encourage the whole school community to engage in the sustainable transport activities and long term changes to travel habits produce lasting benefits.

The curriculum resources below can assist teachers to:

Curriculum resources

TravelSmart
TravelSmart Australia is a travel behaviour change initiative managed by the Industry, Communities and Energy Division within the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

The initiative aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from car travel by reducing transport demand and encouraging the uptake of zero and low emission transport options. It does this by encouraging people to make voluntary changes to their travel patterns away from using a car to more sustainable transport modes.

The TravelSmart Australia initiative includes: a national website with a range of information, tools and resources; collaborative projects with state and local governments to implement a wide range of approaches promoting active transport activities (including the Walking School Bus and cycling proficiency training), infrastructure support (such as increasing walking and cycling paths, provision of bike racks and end of trip facilities) and investigating broader travel demand management policies and approaches (including parking regulation as well as employer location and urban planning strategies).

Develop a School Travel Plan
TravelSmart encourages students and their families to choose healthy and environmentally friendly ways of travelling such as walking or cycling, using public transport or by making less car trips through a school travel plan.

A school travel plan is both a document and a process, addressing issues of sustainability, safety and health associated with 'the school run'. It is the process of creating a travel plan by encouraging the whole school community to identify and solve problems associated with school trips.

The development of school travel plans is simple, school centred, and aimed at reducing car trips to school while increasing other modes, particularly walking, cycling and public transport.

NSW Sustainable Schools School Transport Survey

Case Studies

Read about schools that are participating in TravelSmart or the Walking School Bus program.

Marine and coastal environments for a sustainable future

As a topic, the conservation and protection of the environment and its marine and coastal sectors is a powerful vehicle for learning about a range of concepts and issues within science, technology, and society and environment. The knowledge, skills, values and actions linked with these topics are diverse and significant. There are many opportunities for real-life experiences and for the integration of a range of curriculum areas.

The conservation and protection of the environment and its marine and coastal sectors is important and an understanding and appreciation of the values of these environments and their biological diversity is critical to their health.

The curriculum resources below can assist teachers to:

Curriculum resources

Save Our Whales 
Learn about the unique features of whales and dolphins, investigate whale and dolphin conservation and protection and develop understanding on a range of issues concerning Australian whales and dolphins.

Reef ED 
Explore the teaching and learning resources for teachers and students from units of work, Reef HQ programs to web quests, a virtual library and encyclopaedia called 'GBR Explorer'.

Coastal and Marine Studies of Australasia 
The 15 modules and the supporting materials, including a Field Activities Guide, are designed to promote inclusion of coastal and marine content in school programs from Kindergarten to Year 12 and incorporates currently available teaching materials and resources.

South Australian Coastal and Marine education Framework 
The Coast and Marine Education Framework introduces an educational resource for teachers and students that links the South Australian Curriculum Standards and Accountability Framework with coast and marine education.

Classroom Antarctica 
A comprehensive online teaching resource produced by the Australian Antarctic Division. It is particularly aimed at grades 5 to 8.

Marine Stormwater Pollution 
An education program is aimed to help people protect our marine environment.

Effects of Climate Change on Coral Bleaching 
This education resource aims to support students understand how coral bleaching can be linked to climate change.

Marine Education Society of Australasia 
This site has a wide range of resources and information about many topics related to Marine and Coastal Environments.

Marine Bycatch Matters 
Online teaching units have been developed for topics relating to bycatch. The teaching units are free to download. Information sheets are also available to support the teaching units.

Save Our Sharks 
Resources to support schools in the teaching and learning about sharks and sustainability.

Diving Deeper 
Resources enable students learn about their own marine or coastal environment and the ways that they can protect and support it.

Marine Biodiversity 
A guide for teachers who plan to include marine biodiversity themes into their teaching programs.

Clean Oceans 
Curriculum activities for primary schools.

Into the Blue 
The aim of this kit is to increase students understanding of marine habitats and the responsibility that everyone shares in ensuring that it remains in good health.

Putting a Toe in the Water 
The resource contains practical activities, ideas and worksheets for teachers interested in integrating coastal and marine studies into their teaching.

Marine Debris Audits for Schools 

Case Studies

Read how environmentally sustainable practices can be successfully embraced by marine discovery centres and schools.

Other Resources

The following curriculum resources offer a range of ideas and activities for schools. Explore and find resources to assist your learning programmes in AuSSI.

See:

Audit Tools

School communities are encouraged to use the audit tools in this section to collect baseline data and plan their resource management efforts in the school.

Sustainability Education Management Plan or School Environmental Management Plan.

Your school can:

Educating for a Sustainable Future cover page

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