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...

Have you heard that ancient Chinese proverb...

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now..."?

Sustainability has been on the radar for a long time, but the situation, in light of recent world events - bushfires, pandemics, drought, floods, locusts, dust storms, social uprising, etc, etc... are starting to affect all of us, daily.

After a year of lock downs and travel restrictions - now is a good time to reflect on the sustainability of our programs and practices. 

We were all forced to slow down, change our ways and reflect on the things that are important to us as humans (our health, our families, our communities, our way of life). We will eventually be getting things back to 'normal', some sooner than others, but what do we want the new 'normal' to be?

Sustainability has featured in many discussions as we consider the best ways to recover, both in terms of health and well-being, communities and economies following...