August 8-14
Powell River BC
Background
Our world is undergoing a dramatic change: a climatic shift that is affecting all aspects of our lives including the institutions within which we operate. Under these circumstances, British Columbia Schools are challenged to address issues of Sustainability, namely reducing their carbon footprints, within the next few years. Indeed this is a formidable task. As a pillar of our society, the education system has a unique opportunity to demonstrate true leadership to its students. We can lead with integrity, creativity and, most importantly, by example. It is a prime time for British Columbian schools to provide the finest model of appropriate human-nature relationships. This is what the Sustainability Toolbox is all about!
The Concept
The Sustainability Toolbox brings environmentally conscious students from across Northern Vancouver Island together in Powell River to explore the concept of environmental stewardship while developing strategies to assist their schools and communities in becoming more sustainable. This eight day credit course in Sustainability Studies focuses on training young people to be sustainability leaders in their own schools and communities. Upon completion, participants return to their home communities having created a sustainability “tool-box”. Each School District can select two grade 10 student ambassadors (from the 2007/08 school year) to represent their geographical area during this unique field-based leadership opportunity.
Sustainability Education Framework
Sustainability education highlights the relationships between nature, culture, society, and the economy. The framework below is intended to address the philosophical and practical issues that are connected with these relationships. In order to make these complex relationships more comprehensible, instruction at the Sustainability Toolbox is divided into the following theme-based units:
Sustainability Themes
1. The Big Picture
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The effects of human activity past, present, and projected
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Deconstructing our relationships with ourselves and the cultural and environmental world around us
2. Environmental Empathy
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Reconnecting with the natural world
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Exploring the interconnections between humans and nature
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Profiling people who live sustainably
3. Ethics and Sustainability
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Social justice and resource distribution
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Measuring societal well-being
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Questioning consumption
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Methods of decision-making (e.g., the precautionary principle as well as the principle of scientific certainty)
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Preservation versus conservation
4. Systems Theory
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Natural laws governing the functioning of the biosphere
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Interdependence and holism
5. Innovation and Technology
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Green technological advances
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Non-renewable resources to renewable resources
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Value-added waste management
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Ecologically sustainable design
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Exploring inventions and activities that mirror natural systems (i.e. biomimicry)
6. Inspiring Sustainable Behavior
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Discovering your eco-footprint
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Real-life solutions to real-world environmental problems
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Inspiring hope in your school community
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Making a noticeable difference
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Remediation of current environmental problems
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Social, legal and governmental frameworks for mandating change
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Crystallizing the connection between population, consumption, culture, social equity and the environment
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Assessing the impact that our environment has on our health
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Exploring the spiritual nature of nature
