Project summaries - 2006 Environmental Education - state and local government grants
| 2006 Environmental Education - state and local government grants |
|---|
| Organisation | Project title | Amount $ |
|---|
| Auburn Council | Sustainable future for small businesses in western Sydney | 76,000 |
| Australian Museum | Australian Museum Bugwise outreach program | 40,200 |
| Blue Mountains City Council | Seedpods: sustainable early childhood services in the Blue Mountains | 60,005 |
| City of Canada Bay Council (12 Councils plus 6 State Agencies) | Feral ed - saving our urban wildlife | 16,510 |
| Department of Education and Training | Education for Sustainability - a K-12 framework for NSW schools | 50,000 |
| Holroyd City Council (Eight Partner Councils) | Sustainability Street NSW | 92,500 |
| Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW | Local government sustainability educators program and training package | 70,000 |
| Marine Parks Authority NSW | Development of an MPA educational kit for primary schools | 70,000 |
| The Watershed Sustainability Resource Centre | A sustainability workshop resource kit for environmental educators | 70,353 |
| University of New South Wales | Teaching and learning for sustainability: lessons from NSW teachers | 36,910 |
| 10 projects | TOTAL | $582,478 |
Auburn Council
Sustainable future for small businesses in western Sydney
Grant: $76,000
This project is an environmental sustainability program for small businesses in the local government areas of Auburn, Fairfield and Holyord that are predominantly multi cultural and from NESB. It is an integrated project to look at ways businesses currently operate and identify opportunities to be more environmentally sustainable. The project runs over a 10 month period, delivered in partnership with Village Green. This program involves a multi-faceted approach to improving the sustainability of small businesses from NESB along the chosen business strip in the respective councils. It encompasses capacity building through training workshops; community education through surveys and audits and the provision of a business assessment report; social marketing; retrofitting of participating businesses and communication/publicity through newsletters and local ethnic media.
Australian Museum
Australian Museum Bugwise outreach program
Grant: $40,200
The Australian Museum Bugwise outreach program builds on a pilot study in the Hunter Valley. The pilot involved communities testing novel methods of measuring biodiversity. Following a workshop series, new methods such as measuring spider populations with web type keys, were assessed for accuracy and ease of use by community groups. Given further testing in a wide range of habitats, the methods have great potential to be used in community lead monitoring of habitat rehabilitation projects. The current project seeks to expand the range and network of the Bugwise program from the Hunter Valley, across rural NSW.
Blue Mountains City Council
Seedpods: sustainable early childhood services in the Blue Mountains
Grant: $60,005
Seedpods is an environmental education project that responds to the increasing interest of early childhood service providers in the Blue Mountains in
sustainability practices
to the need for practical and relevant sustainability education resources for early childhood providers and 3-5 yr old children.
The Seedpods project will comprise the development of a sustainability resource kit for early childhood services in the Blue Mountains; a program to assist with the implementation of the Seedpods sustainability resource kit; centre-based 'footprints' pilot; and the provision of professional development opportunities relating to centre-based environmentally sustainable practices and World Heritage/sense of place education.
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City of Canada Bay Council (12 Councils plus 6 State Agencies)
Feral ed - saving our urban wildlife
Grant: $16,510
The Sydney South Region Feral Animal Management Committee (SSRFAMC) consists of twelve local councils and six state government agencies committed to reducing the impacts to biodiversity caused by introduced vertebrate pests, through the introduction of effective education and coordinated control programs. The proposed project involves the development of a series of brochures, that focus on each target feral animal identified by the SSRFAMC as being a priority in the region. Initially, the brochures will cover the European Red fox and the Indian Myna Bird. The brochures will follow the design theme established by DEC's Backyard Buddies wildlife education kit, be basic in their content and produced in several of the major language groups represented in the region. A media campaign will launch the brochures, including public workshops in each LGA.
Department of Education and Training
Education for Sustainability - a K-12 framework for NSW schools
Grant: $50,000
The project addresses the question 'What is the most effective content, method and cross curriculum sequencing of environmental education for sustainability over the school years K-12?'. It will develop a detailed curriculum scope and sequence of education for sustainability for schools K-12, aligned to NSW Board of Studies syllabuses, the DET Environmental Education Policy and Quality Teaching Framework and the National Environmental Education Statement. It comprises a major step in implementing Action 36 of the NSW Environmental Education Plan 2006-09 and will function as a partnership between the DET, OBOS, DEC and Newcastle University. It will seek the participation of the non-government schools system.
The Sustainability Street Approach (SSA) is a community based training program nuturing at a grass roots level, all aspects of sustainable living including water and energy efficiency, waste reduction, enhancing local biodiversity and community relationships. This project enables 3 new councils to deliver the SSA to their communities and supports 5 councils with existing SSA communities in the area to expand the program, resulting in 16 new SSA communities. A train the metro program for new councils and advanced train the mentor program will be provided to build the capacity of partner councils to deliver the SSA. Energy and water experts will audit and retrofit homes within the SSA communities. An evaluation study of the SSA and the direct environmental and social benefits that the project has achieved will be completed by The Faculty of the Built Environment.
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The project local government sustainability educators program and training package will build on the work inititiated in the scoping project, 'Local Government working with Schools', to further develop the capacity of educators in local government as they strive to create sustainable communities. This project will have three stages leading from the scoping study, a development phase where training needs will be assessed, a distribution phase where the sharing of resources will further be developed and a review phase where the evaluation of council projects will be a high priority. The project, using EFS principles, will be participatory and will rely on the partnerships established in the earlier LGWWS project including partnerships with DEC, DET, UNSW, ROC's and CMA's with the aim that all council educators in NSW are engaged in the project.
Marine Parks Authority NSW
Development of an MPA educational kit for primary schools
Grant: $70,000
The proposed multi-media educational kit will meet an identified needs for material on marine parks that is directly targeted to NSW primary schools. The kit, which will link directly to the NSW Science and Technology K-6 and Human Society and its Environment K-6 syllabuses, will offer interesting learning experiences for children both within the classroom and in the field, and through these promote greater understaning of the natural environment and the concept of sustainability. Specifically, the kit will promote ownership and care for the NSW marine environment. The major elements of the kit will be a DVD, teacher lesson plans, children's facts sheets, activity guides to NSW marine parks, posters and stickers. Kit materials such as lesson plans, fact sheets and activity guides will be made available through the Marine Parks Authority website.
The Watershed Sustainability Resource Centre has been delivering high quality workshops on a range of sustainability education issues for several years. In 2004/05, 80 workshops were conducted with over 1000 participants and in 2005/06, 65 workshops and 858 participants. Feedback and evaluation is consistently positive and an analysis of participants indicated that they come from a broad cross section of inner suburban areas. This project will build on the professional experience of environmental educators at The Watershed, by developing a resource kit with speakers cards, reference materials and posters for use by councils, community groups and others interested in undertaking workshops in their own areas. The project will also include a training module utilising the 'train the trainer' methodology to induct environmental educators in use of the kit.
University of New South Wales
Teaching and learning for sustainability: lessons from NSW teachers
Grant: $36,910
The project will engage an exemplar group of teachers in NSW who are pioneering learning for sustainability in NSW high schools. It will capture and transfer their experience as change agents. Using structured mentoring and reflection, this project will gather stories from teachers who have created innovative teaching and learning projects. These stories will be compiled by curriculum editors into a resource that combines the rich task details with personal reflection on its use. Each 'teaching and learning case study' will provide an access point for teachers with a detailed account of how to deliver similar results in other schools with the added depth of context provided by the teachers narrative. The project will also gather and archive existing high quality environmental education resources and publish all outputs to enhance the teachsustainability.com.au resource exchange.
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Page last updated: 27 February 2011
