Links
There are some great resources out there – here are some fundamentals to get started
Helpful websites
Australian Association for Environmental Education National Website
Find out more about our national association – aaeensw.org.au
Australian Research Institute for Environment and Sustainability (ARIES)
A not-for-profit research and consultancy centre at Macquarie University that exists to assist change for sustainable development –aries.mq.edu.au
Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability Association (ACTS)
The primary forum for sustainability in the Australian and New Zealand tertiary sectors, its mission is to promote the integration of the principles of sustainability within the curricula and operations of these sectors –acts.asn.au
Bushcare
Find out more about bushcare programs across the state – bushcare.org.au
Centre for Ecological Learning
CEL in Bellingen provides an inspiring example of adventurous and enlightening nature camps and leadership training, projects and campaigns – cel.org.au
Changeology
Community change specialist Les Robinson provides books, booklets, videos, articles, a blog, weblinks and training on how to design behaviour change projects – enablingchange.com.au
Fostering Sustainable Behaviour- Community-Based Social Marketing
Environmental Psychologist Doug McKenzie-Moir provides books, articles, case studies and training on how to use community-based social marketing to foster sustainable behaviours – cbsm.com
Getting Started with Sustainability in Schools
Managed by our national AAEE colleagues, this fantastic website has case studies, links and a searchable resources hub to get your school started in sustainability – sustainabilityinschools.edu.au
Landcare and Junior Landcare
Provide fantastic resources and support across the state – landcare.nsw.gov.au and juniorlandcare.org.au
Local Government NSW
The peak organisation representing NSW Councils has resources and best practice case studies on how to educate and engage with communities, businesses, workplaces and Councillors on sustainability – lgnsw.org.au/policy/ecologically-sustainable-development
Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney
Discover online activities and resources for families, schools and communities. Explore nature and connect with our amazing and wonderful living world through school resources and gardening at home helpful videos and early childhood activities and resources – rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/learn/living-learning
Sustainable Schools NSW
Managed by AAEE NSW, this program provides support and resources to schools on their sustainability journey in NSW – sustainableschoolsnsw.org.au
Who Cares about the Environment?
A social research series conducted since 1994 by the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage to track trends in the public’s environmental views, priorities, knowledge and actions – environment.nsw.gov.au/research-and-publications/our-science-and-research/our-research/social-and-economic/sustainability/who-cares-about-the-environment
Talks
Behaviour Change
Three Myths of Behavior Change – What You Think You Know That You Don’t
Jeni Cross is a sociology professor at Colorado State University. She has spoken about community development and sustainability to audiences across the country, from business leaders and government officials to community activists. As a professor and consultant she has helped dozens of schools and government agencies implement and evaluate successful programs to improve community well-being. In this TEDx talk, she discusses her work around changing behaviors.
Tools for Fostering Sustainable Behaviour Change- Doug McKenzie Mohr
Developing effective programs requires that the behaviour change tools that comprise our strategies are well aligned with the barriers and benefits to a particular behavioural change. Further, these tools need to be implemented in ways that maximize the likelihood of changing behaviour, while minimizing program delivery costs. Needless to say, this is a challenging task that all social marketers face. In this presentation, guidance will be provided on when to use a variety of behaviour change tools (such as commitments, social norms, prompts, and incentives) and how best to utilize them.
Community Based Social Marketing Infomercial
A light-hearted instructional video on Community Based Social Marketing (CBSM) in the form of an infomercial.
How To Change Behavior To Ensure A Sustainable Future
Green Business Leader Donna Walden walks you through a successful community-based social marketing campaign to created to ensure a greener environment and “Keep Tahoe Blue” and how you can do the same, in this TEDx talk.
The benefits of being in Nature
Get hooked on nature
As kids now spend more time with entertainment media, they’re getting less and less time outdoors, despite the mental and physical health benefits. Ben Klasky, CEO of IslandWood, a 255-acre outdoor learning center, proposes a free and natural remedy to the physical problems kids face: the Great Outdoors, in this TEDx talk.
Nature Kindergarten
Inspired by her child’s experience in a forest preschool in Germany, Frances Krusekopf, principal of Colwood Elementary School, has developed a pilot project for kindergarten children to take their learning outdoors in British Columbia, Canada.
How playing outside impacts your wellbeing
Does getting away from human artifacts affect our brains? In this surprising TEDx talk, Craig Childs connects our decision-making abilities and sense of well-being with the power of playing outside.
Nature Rx- Award Winning Series
Set in the world of a spoofed prescription drug commercial, Nature Rx offers a hearty dose of laughs and the outdoors – two timeless prescriptions for whatever ails you. Behind the humor and parody of Nature Rx is good science. Research shows that spending more time in nature improves your health, wellbeing, and leads to making better environmental decisions. Find out more…http://www.nature-rx.org/research/ An award winning comedy series, Nature Rx also offers environmentalism a needed dose of fun and satire. Nature Rx is a friendly reminder to us Earthly inhabitants what feels good and what is worth protecting once we take an adventure outdoors.
Nature Rx Down Under
With prescription strength doses of fun and good times #NatureRx teamed up with Planet Ark and Australia’s Nation Tree Day to humorously promote the benefits of nature and getting outdoors! This commercial was broadcast on TV and social media across Australia for Australia’s annual National Tree Day.
Leadership
Six keys to leading positive change
From the power of presence to the power of voice, leadership expert and Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter discusses the process of making a difference in the world.
Kanter uses the stories of great leaders and ordinary people to reveal the six success factors that are the keys to positive change, including lining up partnerships, managing the miserable middles of change, and sharing success with others. This uplifting talk from TEDxBeaconStreet will inspire you to lead and take action.
Books
There are many great books written by passionate environmental educators in NSW.
Here are a few to get you started!
A History of Environmental Education in New South Wales Schools (1960s-1990s) by David Tribe
This easy-to-read e-book documents the history of the Gould League in NSW, the establishment of our Environmental Education Centres and provides great reflections on the evolution of environmental education in NSW over 4 decades.
Some Aspects of Nature Conservation in New South Wales during the 1950s and 1960s by Allen A Strom
This book is a must-read for anyone who wishes to know how to make environmental change for the better, particularly through government. Told by Allen Strom, Chief Guardian of Fauna for 10 years and a leading conservationist in Australia, the book describes his trials and tribulations in nature conservation, particularly when dealing with politicians and the machinations of bureaucracy. It also demonstrates what can be done to make change on a shoe-string budget, with few staff, but plenty of will and passion. Sales of this book have supported EENSW.
Chief Guardian: The Life and Times of Allen Strom by Allen Fox and Neil Dufty
Launched online in November 2016, this e-book details the life and times of Allen Strom, an iconic figure in the early days of environmental education in NSW. He was a teacher,an education officer at the Australian Museum, and instrumental in setting up the National Parks Association. Allen was also heavily involved in setting up national parks on the Central Coast and was a pivotal early member of the Nature Conservation Council. For ten years he was the Chief Guardian of Fauna on the Fauna Protection Panel, before the NPWS was established.
The e-book was originally written by Allan Fox, a contemporary and friend of ‘Stromies’, however it was not completed prior to Allan Fox’s death in 2010. Most people thought it was lost. But the ‘gang of five’ – long-term AAEE members Kevin McDonald, Syd Smith, Ken Schaefer, David Tribe and Neil Dufty – found the manuscript, reworked it and had it published on Kindle. It is a great read about a wonderful man – a man who was central to establishing structures, principles and processes that have continued to this day.
Green Schools Globally: Stories of Impact on Education for Sustainable Development edited by Annette Gough, John Chi-Kin Lee and Po Keung Eric Tsang
This book brings together stories of the green schools movement ((Eco Schools, Enviroschools, Green Schools, Sustainable Schools, ResourceSmart Schools etc) in several countries around the world, with a focus on the impact of the movement on the development and implementation of education for sustainable development in each of the countries. In particular, each story will explain the history of the movement per country, its current status, achievements, obstacles and broader impact.
Researching Early Childhood Education for Sustainability edited by Sue Elliott, Eva Ärlemalm-Hagsér and Julie Davis
Sustainability is a global issue that urgently needs addressing, and the most serious consequences are for children and future generations. This book captures the now burgeoning ECEfS research from an ever-widening and diverse pool of researchers. With contributions from around the world, the text engages with perspectives that challenge dominant, Western worldviews about sustainability, nature and children with global standpoints. The editors promote and explain the latest ECEfS research from researchers who share ethically-reimagined worldviews in a time of urgent need for change driven by humanity’s shared sustainability challenges and current UN global policy.
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Working outside the square within: A history of Environmental Education Centres within the NSW Department of Education (1970-2017) thesis by Anne Marie Ross
Environmental education began in the late 1960s to early 1970s. At the same time, the NSW Department of Education started establishing field studies centres, later known as environmental education centres. They started developing and disseminating environmental education. Evolving from nature study and conservation education, environmental education crucially encompasses an action component of being “for” the environment as well as “about” and “in” the environment. This historical analysis narrates the establishment and development of these centres, and environmental education/education for sustainability, through the phenomenon of the 1970s growth in socially conscious governance, to the public managerialism of the 1980s and 1990s, into the tightening tentacles of neoliberalism. With an action-oriented ethos, the centres have made a significant contribution to shifting the agenda toward a more sustainable future, connected to our environment relative to a world heavily influenced by our consumeristic society.