UPDATE

Ecological Footprint Project, Oct 2001 to Oct 2002

The project has carried on for another year. The aim has been to continue the promotion of living more sustainably by increasing understanding amongst Year Five Primary School children about the natural world, its processes and systems, and how our lifestyles can effect these. In addition the project has begun work with year ten secondary students.


Primary

The project has provided training for primary school teachers and head teachers. Specifically the project has worked with Acres Hill primary school and this has involved:

• a trip to Losehill Hall
• classroom visit by the Earth Centre
• two classroom visits by SHEEP
• a day trip to the Earth Centre
  
  

The scheme of the project took the same form as last year. It began with an inspiring ‘hands on’ trip to Losehill hall where children undertook an ‘Earth Caretakers’ course. This was followed by a lesson from the Earth Centre where children worked out their ‘global footprint’. Further lessons from the Earth Centre (specifically on the topic of water) and SHEEP (addressing the issue of renewable energy through the building of a solar powered car) began to enable children to explore how personal choices in consumption effect issues of the environment and development and how they can begin to reduce their overall impact.

Evaluation has taken the form of questionnaires and small group interviews. Click here for more detail of questionnaire results and here for details of the small group interviews.

In short it can be concluded that the questionnaires show that the class as a whole consistently felt more confident in their knowledge in the key areas identified. The group interviews provide a more detailed ‘snapshot’ which arguably shows increased understanding in a number of areas.

Secondary

Work with secondary school children has taken place at a one day event which was attended by pupils from four secondary schools, an ecological training session to environmental educators from across the country and an ecological footprint session to a secondary age group in a non formal setting.

A one day event which was part of Sheffield International Weekend, run by the Charity to Justice Project, was an afternoon where year 10 pupils from four secondary schools explored the issue of international trade and justice. At the planning stages of this event it was agreed that an explicit environmental dimension could be incorportated into the programme. The four schools which took part were Hinde House, Firth Park, Handsworth Grange and Abbeydale Grange. The event was attended by Meg Munn MP (Sheffield Heeley) and Georgina Ayre of the UN environment and development (UK).

Children explored not only the links between international trade and justice but the way this relates to environmental sustainability issues and how ultimately personal consumption choices have far reaching consequences, particularly relevant with the Rio + 10 conference having been held in Johannesburg in September.

Specifically the day involved:

• an adapted international trade game which included a new procedure stating that increased transport of goods across the world may contribute to global warming
• calculation of children’s own personal ecological footprint
• a debrief/discussion which included children addressing the question: were countries behaving in a way that respected rights of future generations to development and a livelihood?

Feedback from children and teachers seemingly showed the day had been successful. The majority of responses were positive and included from pupils, for example:

• "I will think about the Earth and how unequal other countries are compared to us!"
• "I enjoyed the game and believe that what I have learnt today will be beneficial in the future of the world"
• "When I buy something in a shop I’m going to think about where it came from and how long it took to get here and all the trouble that it had to go through"
  
  

Teachers commented:

• " [it was] done well – well organised"
• "…pupils involved throughout"
  
  

In addition Handsworth Grange and Abbeydale Grange schools have requested ecological footprint resources to take forward this work in school.