The journey towards sustainability is different for everyone. As sustainability champions and leaders we need to meet others where they are. Our team, and other stakeholders, may not understand sustainability the same way we do.  

There are lots of factors that can influence our understanding of sustainability - experience, knowledge, context and culture are some.  Getting everyone on the same page so that you can all move forward together is important.

But, how do you know where your people are at?  How do you know what sustainability means to them?  How do you know the best way to engage them?

Important questions to consider before jumping into your first or next sustainability initiative or project don’t you think...?

My advice - ask them.  Have a conversation, set up an “answer box” in the staff room so people can respond to the question “What does sustainability mean to you?”.  It’s good to get their responses individually, it doesn’t even matter if they’re anonymous - you can...

World Environment Day 2024 - Our Land. Our Future #GenerationRestoration

World Environment Day 2024 is bringing focus to the important role we need to play in terms of restoring ecosystems and protecting biodiversity the world over.  

Properly functioning ecosystems are what sustain life on Earth - people included.  Clean air and water, and healthy soil - the foundations of earth’s natural systems - support all life on earth.

What can you do to help protect the air, water and land?

Think Global.  Act Local.  

While problems such as climate change, habitat loss and pollution are happening on a global scale, there are many things you can do in your local community, or even within your service that will make a difference.

Acting locally provides the opportunity to explore big issues on a small scale and in a context that makes sense to both children and adults alike.

Here’s some things you can do that contribute to restoring ecosystems and protect biodiversity:

• Plant local indig...

What’s the ONE THING that keeps sustainability leaders stuck more so than anything else?

Lack of ENGAGEMENT…

I always ask people what their biggest sustainability challenge is and more often than not their reply is the same - getting others on board… Getting others interested... Having to do it all on my own...

Many of us spend months or years spinning our wheels, getting nowhere fast… often just chipping away, barely scratching the surface on our own.

It can be hard to understand why… Surely everyone knows we should be doing more… Just watch the news once in a while…

Maybe that’s the problem…

Sustainability can feel overwhelming, heavy and depressing.  It has an image problem.

Many of us feel helpless and hopeless.  What I do surely won’t make any difference… 

Many of us feel like we don’t know enough about it, lacking confidence, worried we’ll look silly, either in front of our colleagues, or worse, the children!

Then there’s the usual chestnuts - I don’t have time, resour...

Earth Day is coming up on 22 April, and it’s Nature Play week, closely followed by World Environment Day, National Tree Day, Biodiversity Month, National Recycling Week, NAIDOC Week, Water Week…. The list goes on…

Lots of people ask me what the point of celebrating all these days are, and is it helpful in terms of actually embedding sustainability.  Isn’t every day Earth Day!?

My answer is, it depends…

If you do a few things on the day, and that’s it, probably a token gesture and not really moving the needle in terms of embedding sustainability.

BUT…

If you’re strategic, purposeful and intentional about how you celebrate and what you celebrate then that’s a whole other story.

So here’s some things to keep in mind…

Is it relevant or meaningful for your community or program?  If you’re celebrating an event just to fill a hole in your program or you think you should, you might want to ask yourself if that’s a good use of your time, energy and resources.  If it’s not meaningful to y...

It feels like now is a great time to be focused on improving your sustainability practices and bringing sustainability to life for children.

It can feel overwhelming.  It’s an important role you’re playing as an educator working with young children, and it seems that with the recent changes to the EYLF and MTOP Frameworks, others are beginning to see the potential impacts you can make too!

Let's unpack some of the changes to the frameworks as they relate to sustainability, and what they might mean for you and your service.

Let’s dive in…

The Frameworks have expanded their definition of sustainability.  Previously the focus seemed to be on the environmental aspects of sustainability - encouraging children to show respect for the environment, connections to nature, use of natural materials, etc.

The revised Frameworks define sustainability as:

Sustainability: seeking to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of future generations (Brundtland Report ...

Have you ever felt like you're walking this sustainability road alone...?  I certainly have.  There seems to be a distinct lack of interest from anyone else and you feel like your spinning your wheels and not getting very far.

I've spoken to lots of educators who feel this way.  So, you're not really alone!  There are lots of others out there, plodding along doing the best they can with what they've got.

So what do you do when it's just you?  How can you still make a contribution and keep moving towards embedding sustainability?

Here's a few ideas of things you can do:

• Keep a positive mindset, others will join you on the journey, eventually!
• Lead a sustainability project in your service.  Maybe its the collection of plastic lids for 'lids for kids' or introducing a compost bin or herb garden.
• Celebrate sustainability events like World Environment Day, National Tree Day, Recycling Week, or NAIDOC Week.
• Identify the sustainability themes in children's play or interests and exten
...

In my last post I talked about one of the biggest lessons I learned to engage others in my sustainability programs and initiatives - Evolution NOT Revolution! If you missed it, check it out here.

This idea is carried over in this post, starting small and building momentum over time allows for deeper engagement and supports the idea of embedding sustainability, rather than big or momentary token gestures.

Baby steps are easier for you to manage as you find your feet and lead your team and community on your journey towards sustainability.  It gives you the opportunity to learn what works, what resonates and what sticks, without big investments of energy, time and money. 

Think of it as an 'emerging curriculum'.  You try something, adapt, see how you can build on what's working and extend the learning and impact.  You can't do everything all at once.  There is progression of learning and doing.

Embedding sustainability is not a linear process, it's more like an ever expanding spiral. ...

In this post we'll be looking at the importance of understanding the audience you want to engage.  Many times we assume people are uncooperative or undermine our efforts because they are disinterested, difficult, spiteful or lazy.  This is rarely the case, but we need to be willing to listen and take some time to understand their objections and concerns more fully.  

The reason for their lack of engagement is rarely what it seems on the surface.  It can take a bit of time an effort to uncover the underlying issues.  Listening is an important skill for anyone in a leadership role, that includes those leading sustainability.

Change is hard.  We must remember that is exactly what we are asking of those around us as we endeavour to embed sustainability.  It is especially hard for adults and those who have been doing things the same way for a while and it worked fine.  'If it ain't broke don't fix it' as they say...  Most children are a bit more flexible and willing to try new things.

Welcome Back!  Last time we looked at engaging others through action via a Catalyst Project.  Today we're going to explore ways to engage others by following the interests of children.

As I'm sure you've noticed, children are innately curious about the world around them and their place in it. They are natural scientists and love to explore all kinds of natural and man made phenomena and ideas.  Once you know what to look for, it's easy to see the sustainability themes, ideas, and phenomena emerging in their play and interests.  

Consider these examples:

Growth and change as they follow the seasons, watch seeds germinate, leaves decompose or wonder at life cycles and metamorphosis.   Ice melting or water disappearing through sand.

Energy as they feel the heat through the window as the sun hits it, food and how their body turns it in energy, how plants turn sunlight into energy to grow, how sunlight, wind and water can be turned into energy. 

Transport as they play with different ty...

Today I want to dive a bit deeper into engaging your team and building momentum in the right direction with ACTION.  People often get caught up in the talking and planning and documenting of their sustainability policies and procedures as a first step.  While this is an important step in embedding sustainability, it doesn't really excite a lot of people, or inspire them to get involved.  You have to go where the energy is!

Most people generate momentum by doing. Once they start, it is easier keep going.  You can always go back to the talking and planning later.

Think of a Catalyst Project.  Something that you can do quickly with what you have.  Something a few people might be interested in.  A quick win to get some runs on the board as they say. 

You could do something small.  A one-off event like a nude food lunch or celebrate World Environment Day, International Mud Day or National Tree Day.  You could invite someone from your local community to share a new skill like gardening, u...