Premier’S Energyaustralia Environmental Education Scholarship

Premier’s EnergyAustralia Environmental Education Scholarship

Environmental education in Scandinavian and UK eco schools:
The influence of corporate and community partnerships

Owen Dunlop

Burrumbuttock Public School

Focus of Study

From my experiences it appears that the nurturing of school partnerships and networks is the key to any successful innovative project

in a small or large school community. In the development of whole-school understanding of sustainability, access to expertise and resources appears to be critical.

From my study in Europe I was seeking creative solutions for the long-term viability and development of our School Environmental Centre as a model of innovation and best practice. I had the opportunity to visit inspiring and successful school, university, local government, industry and community projects. I was seeking to understand better from these visits:

· The indicators of program success and how European schools recognise they are moving towards school sustainability;

· The challenges school communities face in implementation and

· How these challenges are addressed;

· How schools keep staff and students motivated in outdoor learning programs and what approaches excite and challenge student learning; and

· How community and corporate partnerships support quality teaching and learning.

Significant learning

Community—Australia

At the commencement of my study leave I was invited to the 5th Landcare Catchment Management Conference and NSW Landcare Awards at Wagga Wagga4 as a panellist for a public forum to assist expert discussion on ‘leaving smaller footprints’ in sustaining, and even increasing, our economic activity in rural communities. As a result of my participation in the conference, and subsequent reading and interviews with various people, I gained a greater understanding and appreciation of the loss of indigenous culture in our region due to agricultural development. George Main, a keynote speaker at this conference, states in his book Heartlands:

On the southwest slopes of the Riverina, eviction and suppression of Wiradjuri people enabled the development of export orientated systems of monocultural primary production.5

Further reading and research indicate to me that economic production can be a silencer to addressing or even recognising local biodiversity and cultural issues.

My increased understanding of these issues has given me motivation to provide a more balanced profile at WEEC on the impact of European colonisation in our country and region and, in particular, to developing a greater appreciation of the plight of the Wiradjuri people.6 My research has motivated me to further explore whether or not sustainable farming practices may be wrongly directed towards increased agricultural production. As an educator, I feel impelled to develop the debate further on the question of regenerative land use (repairing and restoring) rather than sustainable farming (minimal action to maintain or increase output). In England it is estimated that less than 5 per cent of the landscape is remnant woodland, and on the southwest slopes of NSW it is less than 3 per cent.

In Scandinavia I learnt more about the native Lap people who are now referred to as the Sami. These indigenous people trace their origins back 7000 years and are struggling for self-determination, just as our Australian nomadic indigenous people are. The lesson that I have learnt from looking at both countries’ agricultural and industrial development is that we must respect and value the lifestyle and cultures of people who have lived in balance and harmony with their land for thousands of years.

Scandinavian study

Tertiary education

The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) operates at Lund University, Malmo, Sweden. The institute developed out of growing concern regarding industry and government decisions affecting the environment which were being made as a response to problems after they had arisen. The Young Masters Program (YMP) is one initiative developed from IIIEE. YMP is an international education course which utilises the Internet to connect students, teachers, and tutors in different parts of the world. I enjoyed the opportunity to work with the founders of the YMP. At Tunaskolan, during formal discussions with the school principal and staff, the importance the school places on involving senior students in such a global program was reinforced. A former staff member of that school now plays a key role in the facilitation of the project. YMP encourages students and teachers to work through multimedia presentations, engage in excursions and discussions, and share findings globally on the Internet. Global youth conventions are held every two years.

The focus of YMP is to develop preventative environmental strategies in the context of sustainable development. More than 109 countries have participated and the key players in this program have encouraged me to assist NSW schools to become involved in 2006.

Another key outcome from my time at Lund was my increased understanding of how alternative energies are going to be crucial in the immediate future. These include bio-fuel plants which use energy-rich refuse, wind power and solar alternatives. Over 90 per cent of Australia’s energy is still derived from burning fossil fuel, while 98 per cent of Norway’s power is derived from hydro sources. Nuclear power stations still exist in the region, with Sweden operating 10 nuclear reactors which supplying 50 per cent of its power. However, Scandinavia appears to be actively working on alternative energy research, pollution prevention and waste minimisation.

Interviewing senior secondary students from Dancelsen Skole in Bergen on their perception of environmental issues in Norway was insightful. The students appreciate that Norway has one of the highest standards of living in the world. They also recognise, however, that this is built on the country’s over-reliance on short-term wealth obtained from North Sea oil mining, fishing and exporting hydro power to Europe. Many students feel this is not sustainable and their country of just over 4 million people has to think of future generations. For the majority of the students surveyed, their regular field trips, which included biology studies, camping and peer support programs, were a highlight of the school year.

Industry

Burrumbuttock Public School has developed close ties with the Albury Mill of Norske Skog, which is the world’s largest producer of newsprint and is highly respected for its work in sustainable industry development. As a result of this connection, I visited the company’s world headquarters at Oxenoen in Oslo, Norway, to learn more about their community partnerships.

A highlight of the visit was a tour of the Saugbrugs Mill at Halden to learn how the formerly polluted Iddefjord has been brought back to life, and how Atlantic salmon are now returning to spawn after decades of pollution. In redeveloping the site adjacent the Tista River, Norske Skog has established Norwegian industry’s largest bio-fuel plant. Relevant types of fuel for re-use include bark, bio-gas from effluent, fibre sludge, waste paper and woodchips from old houses, bark, and pallets. The lesson for other industries here is that a significant environmental problem is being addressed (river pollution) and an alternate sustainable energy source has been developed.

In Australia, together with students and community, I have been involved in a community initiated conservation program to protect the endangered squirrel glider. The two projects, although in different hemispheres, have some remarkable parallels. Both communities and Norske Skog have worked together to help improve and restore habitat for wildlife by supporting schools and community organisations. Partnerships involve assisting schools financially, offering technical assistance, and employees tutoring at nearby schools. Another outcome of the tour is that a website is being developed that will host live webcam images of the Burrumbuttock squirrel glider project (nesting sites) and the Halden Atlantic salmon story.

As a result of my visit, a feature story was published about this school/industry connection in the company’s corporate magazine, which is distributed world-wide in eight languages.

Community

The Keep Sweden Beautiful Foundation coordinates school involvement in the Eco-Schools program. I met with the national coordinator, staff and teachers of this foundation who also co-ordinate visits to schools involved in the scheme. They offer free professional development courses for staff, process accreditation for schools and facilitate visits to forests. They are also key motivators for national environmental awareness programs. Staff in this organisation consider the big issues at present to be climate change, chemical contamination, over-reliance on motor vehicles and the effective management of resources. They seek to change societal attitudes and behaviours to environmental challenges. The Swedish schools I visited encouraged the enhancement of school grounds and garden projects which had direct links to classroom learning. Student ‘green teams’ and monitoring energy/resource use was evident. Key frustrations cited by staff who work directly with schools included economic barriers and curriculum/staff time allocation.

Local government

In 2003 Oslo won Europe’s Sustainable City Award. The municipality of Oslo facilitated a guided tour of some schools and programs within the Oslo Municipal Park. I was able to learn of the importance the council places upon school and community environmental partnerships. The forest and waterways surrounding Oslo are extensively used for recreation, school education, research and agriculture. Nordamarka Forest School, which I visited, is set up for boys who have not succeeded in the mainstream secondary system. While they were involved in traditional learning every day, they also had opportunities to be involved in regular agro–forestry, conservation and restoration programs. Retention rates by students involved in this alternate program is extremely high.

Environmental centres

I was able to visit two environmental centres with a difference. Miljo Verkstaden at Helsingborg and Natureskolan at Lund. Miljo is a $3 million project where local students from secondary and primary schools can visit twice a year for the duration of their schooling. Here specialised staff use everything from plants and vegetables for soup-making to state-of-the-art light and sound shows. The bi-annual sequential learning here provides motivation and stimulation for students which is interesting to compare with NSW Schools, where visits to environmental centres are often restrictive and spasmodic and do not always build on prior learning.

I enjoyed learning about the Natureskolan program in Lund. A project provided free by the local council and staffed by experienced and motivated staff for preschool, primary and secondary students. Here, staff take their expertise and resources to the local schools. They encourage students to be involved in thinking, doing, feeling, being and having fun. They nurture the development of special places for children in school grounds, assist in the delivery of nature courses for students and support the implementation of field trips. Their program philosophy is that environmental education can act as the basis for the acquisition of knowledge and stands as the meeting point of the humanities and natural science. In Australia with OH&S, bus costs and other constraints being big issues, it was encouraging to see local government partnering such a worthwhile program.

Other study

As a result of visiting the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo I learnt how Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Laureate, mobilised poor women in Africa to plant over 30 million trees to protect forests from desertification. Her holistic approach to sustainable development,
peace and democracy is an inspiring story that we
can all learn from.

United Kingdom study

My study in the United Kingdom involved visits to eco-schools, environmental centres, national parks and the Oxfordshire Forest Schools Project.

Education

Didcot Partnership of Schools, Oxfordshire

During my time at Hagbourne Primary School, I learnt how a group of village network schools have formed a unique partnership to support outdoor learning.

Oxfordshire’s flow chart showing the benefits of a forest school program.
Wind turbines and solar panels at Hagbourne Primary School.

This cluster of schools has appointed a coordinator to facilitate the project, with funds coming from school contributions and grants. They have developed common in-service training opportunities and have built strong collegial teams between the schools. They share a resource teacher for specific eco-programs, including visits into the fields and forests. The involvement of preschool classes is actively encouraged.

Hagbourne Primary School is leading the way in environmental education in England and the school strongly promotes energy conservation. Solar panels are used to heat the school swimming pool and the wind turbine generates enough electricity to provide lighting for the student bike shed.

The Oxfordshire Forest Schools Project has grown as a result of the Didcot Partnership and is supported by a part-time qualified independent consultant, fundraiser and trainer for teachers. The scheme has close links to the Northmoor Trust Farm/Forest, which is heavily used as a site for student learning. The project is not seen as an alternative or substitute for the many other excellent outdoor education opportunities offered by the county. It was apparent that students of all ages were experiencing a broad woodland environment as a regular part of their school routine. The program was being extended to their parents through voluntary and private sector playgroups, nurseries and youth clubs. The students involved have developed an appreciation for and understanding about their natural ecosystems.