Remco

Teacher asks students to “travel in time” and imagine a sustainable version of their community or city in 2050. Students are asked to explain and justify their answers.

Students work in groups and use air photos or Google Earth systems to create a model of their community or city as it is nowadays.

Then they share ideas about the things that they like/dislike, whether they think that their city is sustainable or not, and discuss what they want to change in their model for their city/community to become more sustainable. They amend their model and transform it accordingly. Finally, each group presents its model to the rest of the class, describing which current features and characteristics of their city they consider unsustainable, explaining the changes that have to be made to transform their city into a sustainable one.

Let your students watch the Seeing the Bigger Picture video series. This series includes seven videos and each is not more than 1 minute. Each video ends with a question, so watch one video, then ask the groups to discuss their response to the question posed. Students should take notes on individual or group sheets of paper.

The videos lead the students to conclude that some familiar environmental ‘solutions’ can cause damaging effects on jobs and the economy overall. The activity then goes on to investigate a different sort of economy: a circular economy, which is regenerative by design.

This activity could be completed in one hour, but we recommend taking more time so the class has time to digest the information and properly tackle each question raised.

In groups, students analyse various photos of different settlements. Each group works on a different type of settlement in terms of region, context and time period, identifying the main key characteristics of the settlement and connecting these with the fulfilment of human needs as well as environmental and socioeconomic factors.

Each group presents the findings to the rest of the group. Then all the students discuss the differences and similarities between the various types of settlements over time in different regions and discuss whether the settlements, as systems, satisfy human, environmental and economic needs or not.

Brainstorm factors and indicators for a city or a community to be sustainable. Classify and discuss responses and consider why they are considered to be sustainable. Decide collectively on a set of sustainable indicators for a community/city.

In groups, create a model of a community or city that meets these indicators and then present it to the rest of the group.

Ask students to:

Discuss:

Intro

Greta Thunberg, Jeppe Bijker (sailing from Holland to the climate summit in Chili), Eva Dijkema (sailing with him; ProRail advisor on SD), Rosa Hofgärtner (also sailing; television documentary maker on SD), Anuna de Wever, Adélaïde Charlier and Kyta Gantois (Belgian climate activists), Won Smolbag (Vanuatu, climate activist)… All of them might be great examples of young people who meet the aim as described above.

Reflection

Ask students to think about themselves. Do they have an example from their personal or professional life that might demonstrate positive decision making? Ask them to write it down in a ‘tweet’.

Discussion

Presentation of some ‘tweets’; other students are challenged to mention the parts of the tweet that show the skill. Only positive remarks please!

Reflection

Ask students to reflect on what they need to increase this skill within themselves

Personal aims

Ask students to come up with a personal development plan that helps them develop this skill.

Set the class a design task and ask them to work in groups to come up new designs for a familiar product e.g. smart phone, car or bicycle.

Groups present their designs to the rest of the class.

During the presentations, the rest of the class ‘grade’ them according to how sustainable, ethical, inclusive and effective they are.

At the end, the class votes for the best design.

Game-example: Cantor’s World

At a juncture in human history when we are faced with an environmental crisis, it is critical to understand what impact development has on the environment. Indicators such as GDP and HDI that are used to measure a country’s development do not take into account the environment. To address this gap, in 2012, a trio of organizations under the UN umbrella released a report that spoke about an ‘Inclusive Wealth Index’ (IWI). The IWI is a way to acknowledge and articulate the interconnectedness of the economy, environment, and human wellbeing. The game Cantor’s World has been designed for students and policy makers to learn how the IWI complements other indices. In the game players can experiment with different policy choices and experience first hand the tug-of-war between short-term results and long-term sustainability. The game is designed for Masters’ students of economics, public policy, and sustainability studies, and will be played in universities worldwide. The game was developed by Fields of View in collaboration with UNESCO-MGIEP.

There are many learning benefits to the game. First of all, players are taking policy decisions and understanding their impacts on the three capitals (IWI) and the SDGs – 4 (Quality education), 10 (Reduced inequalities) and 13 (Climate action). During the game, participants experience how policy decisions of different temporal scales impact sustainability. They realize the nature of the relationship between Produced capital and Human capital, and also conflict between individual country-wise objectives and global objectives for achieving SDGs, in particular, SDGs 4, 10 and 13.
Through their own actions in the game, players experience trade-offs, resources, and constraints of policy operationalization and its impact on the productivity and sustainability.

In groups, students analyse different advertisements with different messages e.g. car advertisements with women up front, swiss chocolate; Groups discuss the advertisement from the following viewpoints:

The group then ‘fact checks’ to find a more objective way of displaying the article, including pros and cons of its use. The results are presented and then the group reflect on the process.

Possible further activities: Find out how shop-windows and/or TV-internet adverts use social, political, economic, cultural and/or ecological images.

Useful text: Critical thinking about consumerism and consumer focused industry (from Tilbury, Wortman: Engaging people in sustainability, chapter 3, critical thinking and reflection. IUCN, UK, 2004).

General idea: make a project, campaign, poster 

Game-example: Play for Goal 10 

There are lots of different types of action that you can take for the Global Goals. Some you can do with your classmates, with your team or with your family. Every action counts and we would love it if you could share yours. Maybe you cleaned a beach, planted a tree or created a new Impact Game for the goal you care most about.

‘Let’s meet meat…’

In small groups students make an inventory of their meat consumption over one week; vegetarians do the same when it comes to alternative food (soy, beans, tofu etc.) Best way to do so is to keep a diary.
After a week the outcomes are discussed.

Research (theory): each group member researches the impact of this consumption on people, planet and prosperity, including the relation between these three. Each personal footprint is calculated.
Research (practice): groups arrange visits to all stakeholding places in the food chain, from farm to home fridge to recycle stations.

Focus points: impact on people, planet and prosperity. If visits are not possible, an underpinned PowerPoint, Prezi or similar presentation is made.

Report: a final report, including positive and negative aspects, is presented.

Action (theory): improvement actions are formulated, both personal and system focussed (me, my school, my neighbourhood, policymakers etc.).

Action (practice): team members change their food patterns for one month in a positive manner; and keep a diary of how they do. Weekly reflections take place. After a month the results are discussed. Team members who are willingly to do so, can approach school management, local authorities, family members to discuss the matter.

Reflection: individuals exchange personal achievements, changes in attitude, changes in behaviour.