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A Resource for Teachers by David Hicks Sustainable Futures RESOURCE UK 2012 Conservation Sustainability Climate Change Sustainable Schools, Sustainable Futures A resource for teachers by David Hicks Sustainable Futures To my comrade on the journey Patrick Whitaker (1941-2010) Sustainable Schools, Sustainable Futures This is a practical book for teachers working at Key Stage 2/3 (Second and Third Levels in Scotland). It sets out the need for and the nature of a more sustainable future and the ways in which this can be both explored and realised in schools. Part 1, Learning for Tomorrow, sets out the major dilemmas faced by society in the 21st century and the need to work towards a more sustainable future. In particular it looks at three educational responses to issues of local-global change which will help young people prepare for a future that will be very different from today. Part 2, Stories from the Future, explores eight different aspects of a more sustainable future: food and farming, energy and water, travel and transport, consuming and wasting, buildings and biodiversity, inclusion and participation, local well-being, and global connections. For each there is a visual scenario for 2050 with accompanying activities. Part 3, A Journey of Hope, shows how these themes are inextricably interrelated and how, when woven together, they can help create a more resilient and sustainable future. It then sets out ways in which it is possible to teach in a spirit of optimism and hope that will empower young people to be active citizens in the years ahead. David Hicks is Visiting Professor, Bath Spa University, where he helped develop and teach the undergraduate Education Studies degree. He is a freelance educator with a particular interest in the global dimension, a futures perspective, climate change and sustainable schools. For further details see www.teaching4abetterworld.co.uk WWF and education for sustainable development WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. Young people are key to that mission. We want to share our love of the natural world with them. We also want to help them build the knowledge, skills and values that will help them be caring and wise environmental citizens - now and in the future. To this end, WWF has been working with schools since the early 1980s, exploring the challenges and benefits of putting sustainability at the heart of school life. We hope this publication, which strives to help teachers and learners explore alternative futures, will put them in a stronger position to start making a sustainable future a reality for us all. FRONT COVER IMAGE: © PHIL RIDER / LIGHTHOUSE IMAGES ContentS IntroDuCtIon 05 PArt 1 – LeArnIng For tomorrow 06 1. Unsustainable times 07 2. The global dimension 27 3. A futures perspective 41 4. Sustainable schools 59 5. A time of transition 73 PArt 2 – StorIeS From tHe Future 89 6. Food and farming 91 7. Energy and water 109 8. Travel and transport 129 9. Consuming and wasting 145 10. Buildings and biodiversity 161 11. Inclusion and participation 179 12. Local well-being 197 13. Global connections 213 PArt 3 – A Journey oF HoPe 229 14. Towards a sustainable future 230 15. Teaching in a spirit of optimism 249 REFERENCeS 266 3 Sustainable Futures One of the tasks of the progressive educator [...] is to unveil opportunities for hope, no matter what the obstacles may be. Paulo Freire (1994) A Pedagogy of Hope Author’s note When new political parties come into power priorities in education always change. The Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition thus chose to downplay many of the educational initiatives of the previous government. Amongst these was the invaluable National Framework for Sustainable Schools. I have referred to the documentation from that initiative throughout this book as it provides a valuable model of good practice in education for sustainability which I believe should transcend party differences. 4 Introductioon The second decade of the 21st century and it looks as if IntroDuCtIon there could be trouble ahead. Nothing new there then, as in the past each decade seems to have had some pressing problem that education needs to address – whether numeracy and literacy, boys’ underachievement or meeting the needs of the knowledge economy. This time, however, the challenge is of a different nature as John Beddington, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, says the world is heading towards major upheavals that could come to a head in 2030. This could result, he warns, in a ‘perfect storm’ of food shortages, water scarcity and insufficient energy resources leading to public unrest, cross-border conflicts and mass migration, since all of these issues are operating on a similar timescale (Guardian, 18 March 2009). What then should the role of education be in turbulent times? Should it turn a blind eye to such alarmist talk and focus instead on league tables and school improvement? Or does it have a wider role – to alert society to possible changes that lie ahead and to prepare young people to face those changes with as much confidence as possible? For the last 40 years, progressive educators have developed considerable practical expertise in teaching about issues to do with the environment, injustice, wealth and poverty, peace and conflict. Over the last 20 years, many of these concerns have coalesced under the headings of education for sustainability and global citizenship. Much good work has been done in these fields and considerable practical expertise has been developed in teaching and learning about such matters. A significant minority of educators are prepared to deal with the hazards that may lie ahead. In particular we have to learn how to adapt to climate change and to the supply of oil peaking and then finally running out. Taken together these two issues mean we have to move as quickly as possible to a zero-carbon economy or, more broadly, a sustainable future. What a challenge for education! This book is intended for teachers working at Key Stages 2/3 (Second and Third Levels in Scotland), student teachers, those working in teacher education and the many others who have an interest in creating more sustainable schools. It explores the need for, and the nature of, a more sustainable society and the role that education has to play in its creation. In particular it focuses on the nature of sustainable schools and the crucial role they have to play in preparing young people for a future that will be very different from today. The book will be of value to those who are already interested in such questions but also to those who may not have considered such questions before. It is not an academic book and does not claim to cover every aspect of sustainability, but the scenarios used here are indicative of the debates we should be having and the decisions we should be making now in our schools and our communities. Part 1 explores the nature of the unsustainable times that we live in and the need for education to have a global dimension and a futures perspective, both of which are essential to any understanding of sustainability. It highlights the important work being done by sustainable schools, and the ways in which the transition movement is addressing issues of climate change and peak oil. In Part 2, sustainable future scenarios are presented for a range of issues such as energy, food and transport, together with case studies of good practice and identification of useful resources for teachers. Part 3 concludes with an overview of some of the key elements of education for sustainability and a reflection on the need to teach in a spirit of optimism and hope. This is a book which both captures the spirit of the times and asks what your contribution to the future might be. David Hicks, Glastonbury 2011 5 Part 1 – Unsustainable times The chapters in this first part of the book look at some of the ways in which education has responded to the needs of a rapidly changing world. Far from being a recent idea, progressive educators were PArt 1 arguing that schools had a responsibility LeArnIng For to help young people make sense of the world as far back as the 1920s. In tomorrow particular, since the 1970s, there have been many educational initiatives focusing on different aspects of the global scene. The need for such an emphasis in education is now widely recognised nationally and internationally, in both policy and practice. The chapters that follow set the scene for the rest of the book. First, this is through consideration of the state of the world in the early 21st century and the key global dilemmas that now face society – and will continue to do so in the future. In particular this focuses on the crucial concepts of sustainability and unsustainability in relation to people and the environment. Second, this section focuses on three vital educational responses to global issues and events, each of which can help prepare young people for a future that will be very different from today. All three responses have their own individual history, advocates and associated expertise. Each is a powerful force for change in its own right. Internationally known as global education, futures education and education for sustainability, they are more familiarly referred to in the UK as the global dimension in the curriculum, the need to develop a futures perspective on contemporary issues and the necessity to create more sustainable schools. While each field overlaps with the other, when taken together their sum is much greater than the parts – thus creating a potent tool for both educational and societal change.
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