Sustainability in Ece
Sustainability in Ece
Sustainability in Ece
in Action
in Early Childhood Settings
Disclaimer
The suggestions in this book are intended as a guide to types of activities and actions that might be ap-
propriate in early childhood settings. The authors recommend that each setting/service evaluates what is
suitable for the children and families they work with.
Every effort has been made to accurately and respectfully present information about Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people and cultures, and the diversity amongst them. The suggestions provided for
activities and engagement should be considered in the context of your local community.
ISBN 978-1-925145-06-9
Please note that all websites and references cited were accessible and
available at the time of going to press. Owing to the nature of the
internet, website addresses may vary over time from those cited.
01-2106
Contents
4
Foreword iv
Preface v
Acknowledgements vi Treading lightly – our ecological
footprint 17
5
education and care settings 2
Sustainability and the Australian
curriculum 4 Reaching out – our social handprint 61
Some resource suggestions 4 Children’s wellbeing 62
2
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
cultures 70
Understanding and taking action Cultural and social diversity 80
for sustainability 5 Community and partnerships 97
What does ‘sustainability’ mean? 5 Economics 96
6
What are the challenges for ensuring a
sustainable future? 6
Our ecological footprint and social Embedding sustainability in early
handprint 7 childhood settings 105
What sustainability can include in early Some thoughts to guide our actions 105
childhood settings 8 Making a difference through
Some resource suggestions 9 individual actions 105
3
Working together to embed
sustainability 106
Pedagogy and curriculum in educating for Some notes for managers, coordinators
sustainability 10 and owners of early childhood
Intentional teaching 10 education and care services 110
Responsiveness to children 11
Holistic approaches 11 Calendar of dates 112
Literacy 12
Numeracy 12 References and further reading 113
Learning through play 13
Learning environments 13 Supporting materials to help embed sustainability*
Information and communication Ecological footprint image
technologies 14 Social handprint image
Continuity of learning and transitions 14 Sustainability actions to reduce our
Assessment for learning 15 ecological footprint worksheet
Cultural competence 15 Sustainability actions to increase our
Ongoing learning 16 social handprint worksheet
Reflective practice 16
* To download these materials, go to
www.teachingsolutions.com.au, locate the Sustainability in Action
page and follow the link.
Foreword
The pressing need to take action for sustainability is the Australian Association for Environmental
something people everywhere are becoming more Education (WA Chapter), particularly in establishing
aware of. This is now reflected in the requirements the successful Little Green Steps sustainability
of Australian standards for early childhood program for the early years. In this book Sally and
education and care. Anne draw on their considerable expertise and
experience in EfS and show their genuine interest
Sustainability in Action in Early Childhood Settings is
and understanding about what’s required and
a thoughtful, practical and innovative resource that
what can be realistically done in early childhood
will help educators and managers rethink what’s
settings. They clearly demonstrate that not only is
possible, even with little free time.
sustainability important but that embedding it is
Chapters 1 to 3 introduce sustainability and not difficult: there are sustainable ways to approach
show how it can be naturally embedded in early everything we do – and just as the issues have an
childhood settings through curriculum and impact on all of us, everyone can make changes for
pedagogy. Chapters 4 and 5 explore, in some detail, the better in our settings, and in our homes and
ten important ‘ecological footprint’ and ‘social communities too.
handprint’ aspects of sustainability. This interesting
This book is an important and inspiring addition
information provides a valuable foundation for the
to the resources available to assist early childhood
actions that are suggested and for many other ideas
educators to meet and exceed the requirements
readers will come up with themselves. Chapter 6
of the Early Years Learning Framework and the
offers strategies that will enable educators and
National Quality Standard. It will provide an equally
managers to acknowledge what they’re already
useful reference for pre-service teachers, and
doing in their settings and practices, and to identify
lecturers in tertiary institutions as they prepare
areas that need attention. Tools that are provided
students for planning and providing quality
will assist with planning what the priorities are, and
education and care for young children.
with developing capacity to achieve more over time.
Sally Sneddon and Anne Pettit are well qualified in Dr Jennifer Pearson (President of the Australian
the area of education for sustainability (EfS). I have Association for Environmental Education 2010–14)
worked extensively with both authors through
iv
Preface
v
Acknowledgments
We wish to express our thanks to the many people who
contributed to the completion of this book:
Dr Jennifer Pearson provided valuable input in the planning
stage. We also thank her for her encouragement, and for writing
the foreword.
Helen Thomasson, Sue Elliott, Frances Page, Ruby Pettit, Hilary
Rimmer and educators at Riverdale Childcare Centre, Kathy
Adams, Neil Pettit, Xavier Pettit, Letitia Stone, Sue Pruyn,
Hannah Charlton, Peg Davies, Marissa Verma, Wendy Wales,
Gwynth Schlipalius and Hannah Hueneke provided thoughtful
reviews and/or helpful comments.
Photographs are included from Riverdale Childcare Centre,
Albany Regional Day Care Centre, Ruth Landau Harp Early
Learning, St Kilda and Balaclava Kindergarten, Unicare Early
Childhood Education and Takari Primary School – and special
thanks is extended to the managers, educators and families
who helped make these possible. Some photos taken during
Little Green Steps WA workshops are also included.
We appreciate the many photographs shared by Mim Downes
and Jen and Chris Davidson, and the photo opportunities
provided by the Aspinall, Follett and Crowcroft families. Our
thanks also to Amy Krupa, Vicky Hartill, Jennifer Pearson,
Kia Montgomery, Neil Pettit, Meg Aspinall, Andy Gray, Peter
Sneddon and Helen Shortland-Jones, and to Mindarie Regional
Council and WMRC Earth Carers for individual photos.
The book has been influenced by passionate educators, other
professionals and speakers at various events who provoked
thought and provided inspiration, especially the dedicated
committee and other members of the Australian Association for
Environmental Education WA Chapter and educators involved in
the Little Green Steps program.
We also thank the Department of Education WA for support for
us using the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative Ecological
Footprint and Social Handprint images as a basis for those used
in this book.
Finally, our thanks to Barney Rivers, Ruth Siems, Tom Kurema
and the team at Teaching Solutions.
vi
1 Young children and
sustainability
1
Sustainability in Action in Early Childhood Settings
After exploring
different types of
leaves from local
native plants,
the children
use them with
biodegradable
Sun Dyes to Sustainability becomes
decorate reusable embedded when we
shopping bags. make it ‘just the way we
do things’, like being
resourceful in how we
source materials we use
and conserving paper by
printing on both sides.
2
Young children and sustainability
3
Sustainability in Action in Early Childhood Settings
See the reference list for this chapter on page 113 and the calendar of dates related to sustainability on
page 112..
4
2 Understanding and
taking action
for sustainability
What does ‘sustainability’ mean? • All
people share the same basic Have you noticed times
needs, but we experience the when people have had
different opinions about
‘Sustainability is the quest for a sustainable world differently through our a particular decision or
society; one that can persist over generations personal perspectives, and proposal?
without destroying the social and life- through the social structures we
supporting systems that current and future In our workplaces, communities,
are part of in our families and around Australia and throughout
generations of humans (and all other species
on Earth) depend on’ (DEH 2005, p.27). wider communities. Sustainable the world, individuals and
communities provide for the groups have many different
perspectives about what’s most
health of all people, respect
important for meeting people’s
Sustainability is often thought of in diversity, are equitable, and needs.
connection with the natural world, consider the needs of future
and healthy environments are When we look at each
generations (UNESCO 2010).
extremely important – we can’t live perspective we can start to
• Economies
influence the way see how complex it is, not only
without them. Social and economic to meet current needs but to
resources are shared among
aspects of life also influence the balance these with the effects
people at local and global scales.
world, and together these provide that particular choices or actions
Sustainable economies can might have in the long term.
the foundations for a sustainable
adapt to change, provide long-
future. For example, plans to construct
term security for people, and do
a bypass road around a town
• T he conditions on planet Earth not compromise the health and might be welcomed by some
make life possible for the millions viability of natural environments people – to reduce travel time
of species of plants and animals, or communities (UNESCO 2010). and congestion on local roads.
including humans, that share the Others might be concerned
In small and in more significant about the impact on the viability
world. The natural environments ways, everything we do has an of the town, or on the native
we depend on are sustainable influence on these three foundations wildlife, habitats and waterways
when they are not polluted, that will be affected. Some
of sustainability.
depleted or otherwise changed people will think the funding
allocated to the project would
in ways that affect their ability to Sustainability relies on be much better spent on other
support all this life. environmental, social and economic projects or services.
aspects of life being in balance.
On a smaller scale, differences of
Human rights opinion can also arise in homes
Diversity and workplaces – for example
Education Clean air, water and soils
ENVIRONMENT Biodiversity over deciding whether we
Cultural heritage Healthy natural environments
Health, welfare and Conservation of natural should spend extra on buying
wellbeing resources Australian-made products rather
Minimal waste than cheaper imported ones.
Sustainable Environmentally
natural and built sustainable In any situation there’s value in
environments economic taking everyone’s perspective
development
into account. This allows us to
SUSTAINABILITY weigh up the environmental,
SOCIETY ECONOMY
social and economic aspects, to
Sustainable production
Nurturing Viable economies and consumption
make decisions that have the
communities Equitable Sustainable growth best outcomes all round, now
socioeconomic Financial security and for the future.
conditions Research and
innovation
5
Sustainability in Action in Early Childhood Settings
6
Understanding and taking action for sustainability
T
effects on the natural
POR
G
R
WATE
ENER
of our lives that there are lots of environments that
ERSITY
ANS
TE
WAS
provide for us and all
& TR
possibilities for exploring it and
BIODIV
other life on Earth.
AIR
making a difference.
The ecological footprint and the
social handprint can give us a sense
of how we ‘leave our mark’ – the
effects we have and the impressions
we make on the world and on each
other.
Together they represent ten Treading All the ways our
lightly with our setting is reducing its
important aspects of sustainability ECOLOGICAL ecological footprint
in early learning environments: FOOTPRINT
We can choose to ‘tread
biodiversity; water; energy; air
lightly’ and ‘reach out’ to
and transport; waste; children’s do the least harm and
wellbeing; Aboriginal and Torres the most good in all we
Strait Islander cultures; cultural and do.
COMMUN
CULT
OCIA
IC
L&
TNERSHIP
L DIV
ING
ES
7
Sustainability in Action in Early Childhood Settings
Approaching
Caring for AIR and TRANSPORT
WATER sustainably
Noticing opportunities
Meeting education
and care standards
Learning together
Protecting Rethinking
BIODIVERSITY WASTE
Nurturing Weighing up
CHILDREN’S ECONOMIC
Being resourceful
WELLBEING choices
Building capacity
Involving families
Respecting
Fun and enjoyment CULTURAL and Celebrating our
SOCIAL DIVERSITY achievements
8
Understanding and taking action for sustainability
Check for kits and other resources that might be available to borrow or buy through local councils,
libraries, toy libraries, environmental and cultural groups and centres, science discovery centres, energy
suppliers, water and waste services, other early childhood services and schools, national, state and local
museums.
See the reference list for this chapter on page 113 and the calendar of dates related to sustainability on
page 112.