Innovative Approaches to Teaching Sustainability
In a previous post on service learning, I made mention of the fact that I am very passionate about experiential learning opportunities. I was doing to some research on opportunities that lend themselves nicely to service learning, whereby students are giving back to their local, national and global communities in a way that is sustainable. In my search, I came across several websites promoting what is referred to as The Green Movement in education. I see this movement as a very innovative approach to addressing the needs of a community in a way that is efficient and beneficial to all stakeholders.
The objective of this movement is to bring development of environmental literacy, stewardship and an ethic of sustainability to the forefront of practices in education. In an article written by Thomas Schueneman (2013), districts across the US are “beginning to adopt green policies in hopes of lessening the environmental impact of schools while also teaching students the importance of being eco-friendly”.
This is also happening on a global scale. A school in Indonesia, I feel, has really shown creativity and innovation in their approach to “green schooling”. The Green School in Bali (2017), is an environmentally conscientious school that seeks to educate students about the importance of community, service and action with respect to local and global sustainability. The program seeks to engage in outreach programs that nurture relationships with local neighbours through “language exchange and environmental education…” and encourages “Students [to] connect with nature, engage with local Balinese villagers, and grow and harvest their own food”(Pg. About). This program serves to increase students personal and social awareness while developing civic mindedness. Students are engaged in hands-on, in context learning, where they can see their direct impact and how both they and the members of the community are benefiting from these interactions.
Check it out and tell me what you think.
Image Retrieved from:
Green Eco Friendly Kitchen Concept from Whirlpool - Freshome.com. (2008, March 17). Retrieved February 26, 2017, from http://freshome.com/2008/03/17/green-eco-friendly-kitchen-concept-from-whirlpool/
References:
Green School Bali. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2017, from https://www.greenschool.org/
Schueneman, T. (2013, September 11). New Green Schools Part of Green Movement in Education. Retrieved February 26, 2017, from http://globalwarmingisreal.com/2013/09/11/new-green-schools-part-green-movement-education/
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