Activity 6: Sustainability

Sustainability and how to live sustainably are widely discussed nowadays. It seems to concern every aspect of our lives as we are reminded to live sustainably, travel sustainably, and shop sustainably. This activity will introduce you to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Earth Overshoot Day, and you will explore possibilities to address sustainability at your school. 

Exercise 1: Sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals

The word ‘sustainability’ is used often and in various contexts, but what does it really mean? Please watch the following video about sustainability to gain a better understanding of the concept of “sustainability”.

Now that you have watched the video, please answer the following questions.

The video’s key statement is that “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Sustainability is also about how everything is connected. If you buy a new phone, someone has to produce it first and once you throw it away, someone else has to process the waste.

Sustainability is a topic that is not only important for everyone but also affects several aspects of our lives. It is therefore not surprising that global initiatives have been started which aim to draw attention to the issue of sustainability. One of the best known initiatives is the UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Please have a look at the SDGs website and answer the following questions.

Exercise 2: Earth Overshoot Day

There are several global efforts whose aim is to raise people’s awareness about sustainability. One of the most known ones is the Earth Overshoot Day and the concept of the Ecological Footprint. The Ecological Footprint Network defined the Ecological Footprint as follows:

The Earth Overshoot Day then calculates on which day we have used up all of the natural resources that the Earth can generate per year. Have a guess!

Please visit their website and learn more about your personal Overshoot day.

Please answer the following questions to further reflect on this topic.

Exercise 3: Sustainability at school

Sustainability is slowly finding its way into some country’s curricula. Australia and Italy, for example, have adapted their curricula to feature sustainability and the environment more prominently in their teaching (Earth Day, 2019; Australian Curriculum, n.d.). Teachers of many subjects and in many countries have made it their mission to find a way to weave sustainability into their teaching and familiarise their learners with the ethos of sustainability. 

Please read the following article about ideas of how to address sustainability in schools.

The article mentions several suggestions of how to engage learners with sustainability, which are listed in the left column of the table below. Please rank them in the right column according to how feasible you think it is to introduce them at your school. Use the number 1 to 6, with 1 being the most feasible suggestion.

Please elaborate on your first choice.