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Sustainability Education for High Schools:
Year
10-12 Subject Supplements
Sustainable
development is a critical challenge for our generation.
While several of our society’s current behaviours
are unsustainable, recent technological innovations
are making the prospect of a sustainable future
very achievable and attractive.
Consider that our major sources of energy are
coal, oil and natural gas. Burning these resources
contributes roughly 80 percent of all carbon dioxide
emissions, which are currently the single largest
factor driving climate change. Oil, for example,
provides us with fuel for our cars, electricity
for some of our homes and buildings, plastics,
some fabrics and many chemicals. We depend heavily
on oil but oil sources will not last forever at
the rate we are consuming them. Not only is oil
running out, one of the main uses for oil, cars,
contribute 70-90 percent of atmospheric pollution
and 14 percent of greenhouse emissions in Australia.
In these lessons, students will explore strategies
and technologies to reduce our greenhouse gas
emissions and reduce our oil dependence. Specifically,
students will learn about reducing the need for
energy through our behaviours; energy efficient
technologies; renewable energy sources such as
solar power, wind power, hydro power, tidal power,
wave power; renewable fuels such as biofuels;
cleaner fuel technologies such as hydrogen fuel
cells, hybrid-electric vehicles, electric vehicles
and batteries; designing chemical products with
less energy; and materials that can absorb greenhouse
gases.
Consider also that Australia is the driest inhabited
continent in the world and that our rural landscapes
and farmlands are being degraded due to drought.
Consequently, we have little choice but to use
the water we have effectively.
In these lessons, students will explore strategies
and technologies to reduce water consumption and
increase water recycling. Specifically, students
will learn about water efficient technologies
for homes, buildings and industry; water efficient
irrigation in agriculture; water reuse and recycling
in homes, industry and cities; water storage;
and alternative fresh water technologies such
as desalination.
Finally, consider that 95 percent of all raw materials
we use are transformed into waste within six months
of being sold. In fact, most waste is a result
of us deliberately discarding goods within 12
months of purchase. Not only is most material
waste not being reused or recycled, some types
of waste are particularly hazardous. E-waste (waste
electrical and electronic products), for example,
contains over 1,000 different substances, many
of which are toxic.
In these lessons, students will explore strategies
and technologies to increase reuse and recycling
of material waste and reduce the toxicity of materials.
Specifically, students will learn about closing
material loops by reusing wastes as raw materials
for other uses; recycling materials by having
manufacturer take-back options for consumer products;
and designing chemical products are non-toxic,
reusable or recyclable.
Citation:
Desha, C., Hargroves, K., Smith, M. and Stasinopoulos,
P. (2008) Sustainability Education for High
Schools: Year 10-12 Subject Supplements,
The Natural Edge Project, Australia.
Module
1: Sustainability and Really Cool Technologies (Energy,
Water, Waste)
‘Learning-by-Notes’
Package for Year 10 Students
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The
Teacher Supplement provides additional information
to the Subject Supplements, including an activity
pack for each lesson. The content has been structured
to enable a wide variety of teaching methods,
from lecture-style teaching, to problem based
learning. Teachers may choose to fully explore
all of the material, or just take parts of the
content as they support existing materials in
the learning program. The Teacher Supplement
also provides teachers and instructors with
a general introduction to ecologically sustainable
design (ESD). |
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in MS Word |
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The
aim of this lesson is to provide a general introduction
to the following three lessons on energy, water
and waste. Additional Readings are provided
to introduce students to key topics, in case
they do not have prior learning in these areas.
This introductory package provides the context
to sustainable development through identifying
a number of key challenges for the 21st Century.
We consider the definition of sustainable development
to be where technologies, processes and practices
can reduce our environmental impact while still
meeting the needs of the world’s growing
population. We highlight the specific role technology
plays in addressing climate change and sustainable
development.
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The
aim of this lesson is to provide an overview
of climate change and ‘peak oil’,
and introduce ways of reducing our greenhouse
gas emissions and reliance on fossil fuels like
oil as an energy source. In particular, we will
consider:
- Using energy more efficiently in everyday
places like our homes, and
- Using different forms of fuel and technology
to power vehicles.
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The aim of this
lesson is to provide an overview of the challenges
that Australia and the rest of the world are
facing with maintaining our most precious resource:
water. This lesson will introduce various ways
we can use water more efficiently, clean water
more effectively, and help major users of water,
like agriculture, reduce their reliance. |
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The
aim of this lesson is to introduce the significance
of waste that comes from our everyday practices,
and the extent to which waste-to-landfill impacts
on the health of our society and the environment.
This part will introduce the benefits of reducing
and eliminating waste, and highlights some examples
of what companies and governments around the
world are doing to achieve ‘zero waste’
goals. |
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Module
2: Electricity – Innovative Technologies towards
Sustainable Development
‘Learning-by-Notes’
Package for Senior School - Physics
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The
aim of this lesson is to describe the key components
of solar cells and wind turbines, and the processes
used by these technologies to generate electricity
from the sun’s energy. |
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The
aim of this lesson is to describe the key components
of steam turbines and electric generators, and
the processes used by these technologies to
generate electricity from steam. |
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in MS Word |
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The
aim of this lesson is to describe the key components
of hydroelectric power plants and ocean power
plants, and the processes used by these technologies
to generate electricity from flowing water. |
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in MS Word |
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The
aim of this lesson is to describe the key components
of fuel cell systems and the process that fuel
cell systems use to generate electricity from
gas without combustion. |
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in MS Word |
Module
3: Green Chemistry – Innovations towards Sustainable
Development
‘Learning-by-Notes’
Package for Senior School - Chemistry
(in progress)
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The
aim of this lesson is to provide an introduction
to teachers and students into Green Chemistry
and Green Engineering principles and how they
can help assist business, the economy and society
achieve sustainable development. |
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In
Progress |
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The aim of this
lesson is to provide a comprehensive overview
of this new field of green chemistry and green
engineering and how it is helping to achieve
the greening of industry. The developments in
this new field are of great importance because
the chemical manufacturing is one of the world’s
largest industries, and is central to the global
economy. The products of the chemical industry
are worth US $1500 billion annually, and account
for approximately 9 per cent of world trade
in manufactured goods. |
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The aims of this
lesson are to describe the key components of
batteries and the process that batteries use
to generate electricity; and to explore the
use of batteries with solar energy technologies,
and hybrid-electric and electric vehicles. |
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Acknowledgements
The development of the ‘Sustainability Education
for High Schools: Year 10-12 Subject Supplements'
has been supported by a grant from the Port of
Brisbane Corporation and developed by in partnership
with Griffith University and the University of
New South Wales as part of the Sustainable Living
Challenge. In particular the authors would like
to thank the support and mentoring provided by
Ms Nikki Owen, Mr Rick Morton and Mr Brad Kitchen
(The Port of Brisbane Corporation). Content was
peer reviewed by Mr Cameron Mackenzie (Queensland
Department of Education), and Mr Ben Roche (National
Manager, Sustainable Living Challenge, University
of New South Wales). The development of this publication
has been supported by the contribution of non-staff
related on-costs and administrative support by
the Centre for Environment and Systems Research
(CESR) at Griffith University; and the Fenner
School of Environment and Society at the Australian
National University. The material has been researched
and developed by the team from The Natural Edge
Project.
Project Leader: Mr Karlson ‘Charlie’
Hargroves, TNEP Director
Principle Researcher: Ms Cheryl Desha, TNEP Education
Director
TNEP Researchers: Mr Michael Smith, Mr Peter Stasinopoulos
Copy-Editor: Mrs Stacey Hargroves, TNEP Copy Editor
The
Sustainable Living Challenge (www.sustainableliving.com.au)
The Sustainable Living Challenge is a leading
Australian secondary schools program that encourages
students and their teachers to explore sustainability
issues as a part of the school experience. It
aims to encourage young people to raise their
awareness, engage their minds and develop their
skills to be better able to respond to the challenge
of sustainability in their future personal and
professional lives. The annual program is available
to all Australian schools (Grade 7 – 12)
and is free to enter. The Queensland Node of the
Sustainable Living Challenge is hosted by Griffith
University.
The Port of Brisbane Corporation (www.portbris.com.au)
The Port of Brisbane Corporation is a Government
Owned Corporation responsible for the operation
and management of Australia’s third busiest
container port. Its vision is, ‘To be Australia’s
leading port: here for the future’. Sustainability
for the Port of Brisbane Corporation means making
economic progress, protecting the environment
and being socially responsible. In response to
the recent drought, and the wider global debate
on climate change, the Port is committed to working
with the port community to showcase the Port of
Brisbane as a sustainable business precinct. Initiatives
aimed at reducing the Port of Brisbane’s
ecological footprint include energy efficiency,
a green corporate fleet and constructing green
buildings.
The Natural Edge Project (www.naturaledgeproject.net)
The Natural Edge Project (TNEP) is an independent
non-profit Sustainability Think-Tank based in
Australia, administratively hosted by Griffith
University and the Australian National University.
TNEP operates as a partnership for education,
research and policy development on innovation
for sustainable development. Driven by a team
of early career Australians, the Project receives
mentoring and support from a range of experts
and leading organisations in Australia and internationally,
through a generational exchange model. TNEP’s
initiatives are not-for-profit. All support and
revenue raised is invested directly into existing
initiatives and development of future initiatives.
Peer
Review Panel
Content was peer reviewed by Mr Cameron Mackenzie
(Queensland Department of Education), and Mr Ben
Roche (National Manager, Sustainable Living Challenge,
University of New South Wales).
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