Hot topic: World Environment Day

Hot Topic for May 2008

World Environment Day 5 June … show the way today!

The Ministry of Education is encouraging every school, whare kura, kura, kōhanga reo, and early childhood centre to do something on 5 June to mark World Environment Day, and to share their plans to contribute to a sustainable future.

From 22 May, all schools will be able to log in to the Show the Way Today website to select eco-actions that schools might plan to do on 5 June and beyond. They will also be able to add their own future-focused sustainability pledge which will be revealed on an online world map on the day.

2008 sees New Zealand as the host of this high-profile global initiative, in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Below are a number of resources that will help you with your planning for World Environment Day:

Resources on TKI: World environment information

Sustainability
Explore initiatives that the Ministry for the Environment has in place for World Environment Day. You can register planned events, get ideas on how to participate in activities that are beneficial to the environment, and learn about the ‘sustainability challenge’.
http://www.sustainability.govt.nz/wed

Ministry for the Environment – New Zealand Climate Change
Providing straightforward explanations on what causes climate change, the Ministry for the Environment's climate change web pages also outline the strategies the government has in place to try and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/climate/

Te Pātaka Matihiko Our Digital Storehouse
Go to the Te Pātaka Matihiko Our Digital Storehouse collection for sustainability-focused learning objects (for years 1–11). Students will learn about issues such as alternative energy, renewable resources, greenhouse gases, sustainable development, and social responsibility. Login and conduct your own search, or access these examples:

Wind farm: cool solutions
Wind farm: pros and cons
Why recycle?
Human impact
New developments
Paradise Island
Fish stocks: three points of view
Fish stocks: two points of view

http://www.tki.org.nz/r/digistore/

NZLive.com – New Zealand Culture Online
Explore the different New Zealand organisations that are participating in World Environment Day on 5 June 2008. Get ideas on how you can contribute to the day, and make a difference to the environment.
http://www.nzlive.com/en/world-environment-day

GoGlobal
Make the most of the Global Education Centre, which features a comprehensive database on global and development issues. It allows users to search for resources such as learning units, DVDs, and games, and to find out about global issues.
http://www.goglobal.org.nz/

carboNZero programme
Minimise your impact on climate change by using the tools provided through the carboNZeroCert programme. The programme encourages and supports individuals and organisations by providing tools to measure, manage, and mitigate their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Suitable for NCEA levels.
http://www.carbonzero.co.nz

Environmental Risk Management Authority
Investigate how the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) monitors compliance with laws relating to the environment, and promotes public awareness.
http://www.ermanz.govt.nz/

Te Ara: Encyclopedia of New Zealand – Understanding Kaitiakitanga
Get your students to explore the concept of ‘kaitiakitanga’ – guardianship, protection, preservation, or sheltering. This section of Te Ara looks at how to manage the environment, based on the traditional Māori world view.
http://www.teara.govt.nz/TheBush/Conservation/KaitiakitangaGuardianshipAndConservation/1/en

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Learn how the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an international panel, is facilitating an agreement between nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The causes and effects of climate change are outlined.
http://www.ipcc.ch/

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Investigate the information available through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change website on the climate change responsibilities of countries.
http://unfccc.int/2860.php

Resources on TKI: Student activities

New Zealand’s Climate in the Future
Use this Assessment Resource Bank task with your students to explore how New Zealand's climate might be different in the year 2200. Students use the information to predict changes that would result in specific environments. The task relates to level 4 of the New Zealand science curriculum, Making sense of planet Earth and beyond strand, objective 1.
http://arb.nzcer.org.nz/resources/science/planet/7000/pe7544.htm

School Stuff – Understanding climate change
Take action on climate change – this page from the New Zealand 4 million careful owners website provides you and your students with information on climate change, including how to take action on, prepare for, and adapt to, climate change. There are also links to the environmental education guidelines.
http://www.4million.org.nz/climatechange/understanding/schoolstuff/index.php

Enviroschools
Get support and strategic direction through the Enviroschools Foundation, which has been set up to provide nationwide environmental education programmes for New Zealand primary schools. There are links to interactive sites and contacts for the enviroschools network.
http://www.enviroschools.org.nz/

Climate Change – Kids Site
Primary school students, explore this website from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There is information on global warming and a series of articles, games, and learning activities.
http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html