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Your Voice in Education for Sustainability
Media Release
26 March 2014
CAMBERWELL RESIDENT INSPIRES STUDENTS WITH POO POWER!
Local Camberwell resident Duncan Chew received The Victorian Association for Environmental Education (VAEE) Educator of the Year Awards in the “Award for Excellence as an Educational Practitioner working with schools and the community and in the tertiary sector” category for his creation - Poo Power!
The VAEE Educator of the Year Awards winners make learning about the environment fun and their legacy is a generation who are challenging the way that their schools and local Councils use electricity and water and look after their local flora and fauna.
Presented by Professor Kate Auty, the Victorian Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability last week at the Greening Australia Toolbox, the VAEE Environmental and Sustainability Educator of the Year awards recognise those in environmental education who are leading the way in best practice.
Sarah Houseman, Executive Officer of VAEE said that Duncan’s approach to education for sustainability is to engage and inspire others.
“Duncan proactively engaged schools and communities with his message of how can cities and communities can live more sustainably and what do we do with the 1,400 tonnes of dog waste produced inAustralia daily.
“The judges valued the ability of Poo Power! to reach new audiences for sustainability and science education as well as being a brilliant initiative with great replicability,” said Ms Houseman.
Poo Power! follows Duncan’s journey into the world of dog poo using science to address the issues of how our cities and communities can live more sustainably. An education program that ran throughout 2013 saw Duncan speak at over a dozen community events, presentations and schools talking about what to do with the 1,400 tonnes of dog waste produced inAustralia daily.
His answer allows Australians to connect the dots and see that what we throw away is valuable resource and using his Poo Power! app asks citizen scientists to participate in the mapping of this resource across the country.
VAEE is an independent and membership-based professional organisation connecting teachers, academics, local government sustainability officers and community environmental providers who are changing the way Victorians think about their relationship to the rest of nature.
While higher profile experts such as zoo and parks staff and eco-education centres such as CERES and Port Phillip EcoCentre receive growing recognition for their work there are a myriad of smaller environmental educators whose often unseen contributions are having a significant impact.
To celebrate VAEE’s 30 years in 2014 and to shine a light on the diversity of the sector, VAEE added three new Awards for Excellence in three different categories, which include Duncan’s award.
“All Victorians will benefit from these inspiring award winners such as Duncan as they are teaching our future leaders to understand and value water, biodiversity and waste systems,” said Ms Houseman.
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Notes to the editor:
Media enquiries:
Interviews and further information on each award winner is available upon request.
Please contact: Donna Le Page on (0412) 797937 or
VAEE 2013 Educator of the Year Awards Judges:
Dr Brian Sharpley is an experienced researcher, curriculum developer and educator with a particular interest in sustainability education. Brian co-authored the influential national document Educating for a Sustainable Future A National Environmental Education Statement for Australian Schools. He has been a member of VAEE and the Australian Association for Environmental Education (AAEE) since their inception.
James Tonson coordinates environmental education for the Understandascope, working with organisations and community groups to enhance our understanding of our place within the natural world and to create systems, structures and cultures that promote sustainability. James is VAEE Vice-President.
Leonie Brown is acting Principal at Bentleigh West Primary School. Her roles include: Coordinator of Educating for Sustainability, lead of the Educating for Sustainability Committee and the Inquiry Based Integrated Curriculum. She is also the convener of the Eco Sub Committee of School Council and a member of the Education, Resources and Marketing Committees. Leonie has served on VAEE’s Committee of management since 2010. She is also on the AAEE Awards Committee.
Jason Kimberley was the 2012 Environmental and Sustainability Educator of the Year. Jason founded Cool Australia in 2008 with a vision of creating a conduit between the science and Australians understanding of important environmental issues. Cool Australia is a not for profit organisation that provides curriculum-linked resources for teachers and students at no cost.
Victorian Association for Environmental Education www.vaee.vic.edu.au