The sustainability practices educators implement in services give children the opportunity to learn how they’re making a difference towards a sustainable future. HESTA is committed to driving change, stating in their recent ‘Our path to net zero, ‘Climate change is one of the most significant threats to our economy, society and environment and it is […]
Category Archives: Sustainability
Indigenous food nourishes connections
When we take authentic steps to embed Indigenous perspectives into our teaching practices, we invite children to construct their own relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges. For educators, this opens a world of opportunities within their professional teaching practices, by examining themes such as art, craft, literature, music, food, sustainability, animals and environments. […]
Education for sustainability in practice
If we all take the time to care for our environment, we will make a difference together. DR SUE ELLIOTT and Australia-Aotearoa Alliance for Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (The Alliance) share how to implement sustainable ways into early learning services, from workshops to wiser consumption and what we should consider when purchasing goods. This […]
Education for sustainability
DR SUE ELLIOTT explains sustainability, the key concepts, the research and what changes we can make to the environment in early childhood settings through sustainable practice. This piece is an extension of the ECA e-newsletter, ‘Spend a minute … on education for sustainability with guest author Dr Sue Elliott’. Education for sustainability is about change, […]
Thinking about meanings of sustainability
What does sustainability mean to you? Is there one right way to think about sustainability? The term sustainability has increasingly become part of everyday language e.g. sustainable investments, sustainable growth, sustainable harvesting, and, from a global environmental perspective, sustainability has various meanings. For some, sustainability might mean conserving resources to keep the Earth and humans […]
‘It will be a wasteland if we don’t recycle’—Sustainability and intentional teaching in early childhood
‘It will be a wasteland if we don’t recycle,’ stated a four-year-old child in a recent preschool study (Edwards & Cutter-Mackenzie, 2011), as he carefully searched for the triangle on the bottom of a plastic bottle and sorted it into the recycling bin. ‘It’s got a triangle five, woohoo!’ he exclaimed. Young children in many […]
Sustainability in children’s education and care
Living sustainably means living within the capacity of the natural environment to support life and ensuring our current lifestyle has minimal impact on generations to come. Sustainable practices relate not only to the natural environment, but also our society and culture, including aspects such as consumerism and community well-being. As the need for greater sustainability […]