Stories
Across the county, individuals and organisations are already taking action that will propel us towards the vision outlined above. By sharing some of these stories here our aim is to encourage them to be explored, understood, supported, developed and, where appropriate, replicated.
Avonwood – Earth Charter School
“Crafted by visionaries twenty years ago, the Earth Charter is a document with sixteen principles that turn conscience into action. It seeks to inspire in all people a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the whole human family, the greater community of life, and future generations. It is a vision of hope and a call to action."
Avonwood Primary, in Bournemouth, which opened in September 2014 was the first UK school to adopt the charter as the moral compass for all it does. From early years’ curriculum right down to the school mascot, the principles of the Earth Charter seep through everything Avonwood does. With everything carried out in an age-appropriate manner the school established a set of core values to “Treat all living beings with care; promote cultural tolerance and peace; learn about different people and religions and build democratic societies”. You can find out more and how it “starts with one” on the Earth Charter’s website and in a short but inspiring video on You Tube.
“Crafted by visionaries twenty years ago, the Earth Charter is a document with sixteen principles that turn conscience into action. It seeks to inspire in all people a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the whole human family, the greater community of life, and future generations. It is a vision of hope and a call to action."
Avonwood Primary, in Bournemouth, which opened in September 2014 was the first UK school to adopt the charter as the moral compass for all it does. From early years’ curriculum right down to the school mascot, the principles of the Earth Charter seep through everything Avonwood does. With everything carried out in an age-appropriate manner the school established a set of core values to “Treat all living beings with care; promote cultural tolerance and peace; learn about different people and religions and build democratic societies”. You can find out more and how it “starts with one” on the Earth Charter’s website and in a short but inspiring video on You Tube.
Climate Reality Presentations
The Climate Reality Project was founded by former US Vice-President Al Gore following release of the 2006 film “An Inconvenient Truth”, with a mission to train a network of ‘Climate Leaders’ who would use state of the art presentation material and scientific awareness to ‘catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every sector of society.’ More than 26,000 Climate Leaders have now been trained worldwide, including a small team in Dorset, who are available to offer free presentations to organisations and community groups. Presentations can be booked on-line.
In early 2020 BCP Council arranged a series of Climate Reality presentations, to raise awareness of the science and potential solutions that prompted the declaration of a Climate & Ecological Emergency. These were offered to all staff, officers, and councillors, with around 150 people attending one of the sessions. Further work was initiated to provide a train the trainer solution to enable the Council to roll out the awareness training to all staff. At the point of writing this free offer has not been taken up by the Council.
The Climate Reality Project was founded by former US Vice-President Al Gore following release of the 2006 film “An Inconvenient Truth”, with a mission to train a network of ‘Climate Leaders’ who would use state of the art presentation material and scientific awareness to ‘catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every sector of society.’ More than 26,000 Climate Leaders have now been trained worldwide, including a small team in Dorset, who are available to offer free presentations to organisations and community groups. Presentations can be booked on-line.
In early 2020 BCP Council arranged a series of Climate Reality presentations, to raise awareness of the science and potential solutions that prompted the declaration of a Climate & Ecological Emergency. These were offered to all staff, officers, and councillors, with around 150 people attending one of the sessions. Further work was initiated to provide a train the trainer solution to enable the Council to roll out the awareness training to all staff. At the point of writing this free offer has not been taken up by the Council.
Planet Earth Needs Our Help
Planet Earth Needs Our Help is an illustrated children’s book and not-for-profit project created by local author, artist and grandparent Marylyn Cropley. Launched on Earth Day 2021. The latest phase of this project is looking to engage with Primary Schools, families with young children, living in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole. Developing a collaboration which will promote a love and respect for books, creativity, art & communication and showcasing the important work local primary schools and families in the BCP are already doing, which offers creative solutions and helpful actions. Also complimenting the BCP Climate Emergency Declaration and Action Plan. Head teachers in Primary Schools in BCP have been contacted and the project itself (as well as live community events during the summer holidays) will offer the following, to primary schools, families with young children and visitors:
Planet Earth Needs Our Help is an illustrated children’s book and not-for-profit project created by local author, artist and grandparent Marylyn Cropley. Launched on Earth Day 2021. The latest phase of this project is looking to engage with Primary Schools, families with young children, living in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole. Developing a collaboration which will promote a love and respect for books, creativity, art & communication and showcasing the important work local primary schools and families in the BCP are already doing, which offers creative solutions and helpful actions. Also complimenting the BCP Climate Emergency Declaration and Action Plan. Head teachers in Primary Schools in BCP have been contacted and the project itself (as well as live community events during the summer holidays) will offer the following, to primary schools, families with young children and visitors:
- An opportunity to participate in creative activities and engage with the author of the book and other individuals/guests experienced and knowledgeable on climate change, health & well-being.
- Author signing sessions and an opportunity to purchase the book and other artwork created by the author/artist. All proceeds will go towards the running cost of this not-for-profit project and to eventually provide books and resources for free to schools and libraries/organisations in the BCP/Dorset areas.
- An interactive exhibition space that is informative and engaging, also displaying work created by visitors to this space.
- An activity corner for creative activities and sharing ideas on helpful lifestyle actions that individuals can take to help care for Planet Earth and its inhabitants.
- Performance space to share/perform/talk-about, any songs/poems/short stories/artwork created, on caring for our planet and its inhabitants.
Eco Schools
Eco Schools was founded in 1994, operates in 67 countries and engages 19.5 million young people globally. This makes Eco-Schools the largest educational programme on the planet. Eco-Schools is a charity passionate about engaging young people in environmental education and action. They do this by providing a simple, seven-step framework that guides, empowers and motivates pupils to drive change and improve environmental awareness in their school, local community and beyond. The Eco-schools scheme covers all age groups from early years, through primary to secondary and college.
After completing the seven-step process, schools can then apply for Eco-Schools Green Flag accreditation, which recognises, rewards and celebrates the environmental achievements of young people.
Further resources can be found on the Dorset Council website.
The Dorset Council Sustainable Schools Officer is available to help schools with the Eco-Schools programme and their environmental and sustainability projects. Advice and support are available at Dorset Nexus.
At Damers First School in Dorchester, Eco Schools is at the centre of the life of the school. They want every child to leave Damers with a real awareness of the local, national and global environment and how each one can make a real difference to the quality of the environment for everyone. Eco work is integrated into the curriculum and there is a real enthusiasm across the school for all their eco work and also a recognition that it has financial rewards too.
The children drive the eco work through their eco reps from each class. They set the agenda, help to plan activities, and ensure that everyone really makes a difference. In reality, every child at Damers is an eco-rep. Working with their local community has been essential to success, whether it is the community supporting them, like the community garden volunteers, local Garden Centre or them helping the community, for example through the recycling of ink cartridges across Poundbury or children, parents and staff planting crocuses with Poundbury Rotary to support their “Purple for Polio” work.
Forest Schools
The Forest School Association is the professional body and UK wide voice for Forest School, promoting and supporting best practice, cohesion and ‘quality Forest School for All’.
Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting. The process helps and facilitates more than knowledge-gathering, it helps learners develop socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and intellectually. It creates a safe, non-judgmental nurturing environment for learners to try stuff out and take risks. Forest School inspires a deep and meaningful connection to the world and an understanding of how a learner fits within it. This approach to risk means that learners constantly expand on their abilities by solving real-world issues, building self-belief and resilience.
Its roots reach back to the open-air culture, friluftsliv, or free air life, seen as a way of life in Scandinavia where Forest School began. It arrived in the UK in 1993 and has grown from strength to strength since then.
Dorset Forest School, in Cerne Abbas, has provided quality Forest School experiences for over 10 years and adheres to the Forest School Association (FSA) core principles. They aim to promote client led learning, exploration of the natural world, develop a sense of belonging and stewardship of the local landscape.
Dorset Forest School is a community interest company, which is expertly steered by Maddy, Helen and Jill; “We believe that all members of society gain so much from being outside in the natural environment. Forest School holistically develops individual’s wellbeing - individuals gain self-confidence, self-awareness, independence, motivation and resilience.”
Over the past 10 years Dorset Forest School has served a variety of community groups. We have worked with parents and toddlers, mental health organisations, people living with dementia, looked after children and children that find school a challenging place be.
The Forest School Association is the professional body and UK wide voice for Forest School, promoting and supporting best practice, cohesion and ‘quality Forest School for All’.
Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting. The process helps and facilitates more than knowledge-gathering, it helps learners develop socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and intellectually. It creates a safe, non-judgmental nurturing environment for learners to try stuff out and take risks. Forest School inspires a deep and meaningful connection to the world and an understanding of how a learner fits within it. This approach to risk means that learners constantly expand on their abilities by solving real-world issues, building self-belief and resilience.
Its roots reach back to the open-air culture, friluftsliv, or free air life, seen as a way of life in Scandinavia where Forest School began. It arrived in the UK in 1993 and has grown from strength to strength since then.
Dorset Forest School, in Cerne Abbas, has provided quality Forest School experiences for over 10 years and adheres to the Forest School Association (FSA) core principles. They aim to promote client led learning, exploration of the natural world, develop a sense of belonging and stewardship of the local landscape.
Dorset Forest School is a community interest company, which is expertly steered by Maddy, Helen and Jill; “We believe that all members of society gain so much from being outside in the natural environment. Forest School holistically develops individual’s wellbeing - individuals gain self-confidence, self-awareness, independence, motivation and resilience.”
Over the past 10 years Dorset Forest School has served a variety of community groups. We have worked with parents and toddlers, mental health organisations, people living with dementia, looked after children and children that find school a challenging place be.
Arts University Bournemouth
Understanding the critical role many of the subject areas covered by courses at the Arts University can play in sustainability issues, AUB Human was founded in 2016 as a platform that celebrates social, ethical, and sustainable creative practice. Inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the AUB Human mission is to inspire others to think, live and create responsibly.
At the heart of AUB Human is critical debate and in March 2020, the New Narratives symposium aimed to challenge current practices and proposed new ways of thinking, doing, and making in order to help achieve an inclusive, sustainable and regenerative world.
The event, convened by AUB Human founder, Alice Stevens, brought together award-winning industry professionals, the general public, students and academics for a symposium, an exhibition and a series of workshops and talks. Workshops included an Empathy Building workshop for Designers and an Iconothon hosted by Human After All, whilst the exhibition, titled Sustainable Futures, showcased award winning student work as selected by the AUB Environment Committee.
Understanding the critical role many of the subject areas covered by courses at the Arts University can play in sustainability issues, AUB Human was founded in 2016 as a platform that celebrates social, ethical, and sustainable creative practice. Inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the AUB Human mission is to inspire others to think, live and create responsibly.
At the heart of AUB Human is critical debate and in March 2020, the New Narratives symposium aimed to challenge current practices and proposed new ways of thinking, doing, and making in order to help achieve an inclusive, sustainable and regenerative world.
The event, convened by AUB Human founder, Alice Stevens, brought together award-winning industry professionals, the general public, students and academics for a symposium, an exhibition and a series of workshops and talks. Workshops included an Empathy Building workshop for Designers and an Iconothon hosted by Human After All, whilst the exhibition, titled Sustainable Futures, showcased award winning student work as selected by the AUB Environment Committee.
Bournemouth University
Net Zero by 2030-31
For more than twenty years Bournemouth University (BU) has been focused on embedding sustainability within its teaching and research, as well as in the development and management of the campus and day-to-day operations. This focus intensified dramatically with the university’s BU2025 strategic vision which has a strong focus on enriching society through research, education, and practice, and enhancing BU’s position as a sustainable organisation. Sustainability is now a core facet of the university’s institutional identity, and BU’s progress in this regard was recognised recently by a ranking of 74th in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2021. These rankings are the only global performance tables to assess universities against the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to protect people and the planet.
In response to the climate emergency, BU has committed to becoming a net zero emissions organisation by the academic year 2030-31. BU's ambitious Climate and Ecological Crisis Action Plan (CECAP) sets out a detailed roadmap to achieve this through cutting consumption and ensuring research, education and engagement with students, the wider community, industry and organisations promotes pro-environmental behaviours. The plan covers a wide range of issues from day-to-day operations on campus to learning and research outcomes.
With this track record in mind we have included several case studies from Bournemouth University, both here under Education, and in the Power Down, Travel Better, and Justice for All chapters, as examples of best practice from the perspective of both an educational establishment and a large public organisation.
Green Values in Teaching and Research
Aligning curricula, pedagogy and research with BU’s climate action plan (CECAP) requires programmes to incorporate climate crisis awareness and carbon literacy, and for all academic units to meaningfully address at least one UNSDG by 2022/23. All course teams have to consider sustainable development at Course Validation and Review. Course teams have been supported in this through provision of workshops, resources, and support in developing appropriate Learning Outcomes. An Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Community of Practice coordinates some of these workshops and has developed a UNSDG tool, with the assistance of BU’s Sustainability Support Officer, which tracks university progress, programme by programme, against BU2025's Key Performance Indicators and CECAP. This is one example of how BU’s Sustainability Team works closely with staff and students at all levels across the university to implement BU’s sustainability vision and make it a reality.
The university is running full-day carbon literacy training for staff so they can understand the issues and take action. It takes part in The Green Gown Awards, an international awards scheme for sustainability in HE and also hosts the Excellence in Education for Sustainable Development Awards which recognizes individuals or teams who have supported students in developing the skills, knowledge and values needed to achieve sustainable development.
Green Economy Masters
BU's MSc Green Economy is the only course of its kind in the world and provides students with an opportunity to learn about the scientific principles of the green economy and how these may be put into practice. It is delivered entirely by distance learning, to minimise its environmental impact. It has trained more than 200 postgraduate students since its launch in 2011, many of whom have gone on to launch successful careers in the green economy.
Green Impact
An example of sustainability at the department level is exemplified by the Department of Life and Environmental Science which has been championing sustainability and running dozens of events a year involving undergraduate students, postgraduate assistants, demonstrators, lecturers and professors in greener work practices, lifestyles and creating a more sustainable environment at BU and beyond. They have achieved Bronze (2016), Silver (2017) and Gold awards (2018) awards from UNESCO for their work. The Student’s Union at Bournemouth University has also been submitted for the NUS green Impact Award for the past 5 years. In 2015/16 achieving Gold, 2016/17 achieving Very Good and since then achieving Excellent each year.
Green Careers and Employability Service
The Bournemouth University Careers and Employability Service offers an award-winning extracurricular skills programme for BU students. The Skills Development Programme is an example of one of the ways in which the University is embedding the UN SDGs into extracurricular activity that supports students in their career planning and preparation for the future world of work. It consists of a workshop programme and extracurricular activities that students can choose as a part of a learning pathway which results in formal recognition of their achievement. The workshop programme consists of 15-20 sessions per academic year are all mapped to the themes of the UN SDGs.
BU also organises an event each year where students are given the opportunity to work towards a real-life project brief set by a local employer. The Global Project Lab invites students from across the university of all disciplines and levels of study to work together on a project brief which is mapped to at least 3 of the UN SDGs. In 2020-21, for example, Wessex Green Hub, a local SME looking to unite sustainability initiatives across the Wessex Region gave BU students the task of coming up with an idea for an online collaborative tool that employers could use to showcase their sustainability initiatives. The aim of the project was to promote opportunities for collaboration across the region to make a meaningful impact.
All activities included in the Skills Development Programme for 2021-22 are mapped to the UN SDGs and BU Graduate Attributes, which include a focus on being a Global Citizen and making a Societal Contribution.
Climate Month
Organised and hosted by the University, the aim of Climate Month, held in March 2021, was to support the community to become more able and inspired to take action for the climate.
Eleven events were hosted covering a range of topics and formats. Educational events included a conservation lecture, Feminist Green New Deal workshop, Climate Reality presentation, panel discussion, MOTHERLOAD film screening and Fairtrade speaker event.
Community focused events, including an eco-anxiety workshop, Climate Café, and Climate Assembly, were hosted to encourage empowerment, support and collaborative action. An ‘Inspired by Nature’ art competition was also open to families to encourage a connection to our natural world and welcome younger audiences to spend time in nature.
Also hosted was the final of BU’s first Sustainability Challenge, a ‘dragons’ den’-style competition where students developed a business case for an idea to make the university more environmentally sustainable. Six ideas were presented, and the winning idea won £500, funded by BCP Council, to implement the idea which was a student sustainability starter pack. Feedback showed that being actively supported by staff and “listened to” motivated the students to take further climate action.
They asked everyone who attended to pledge an action, and submissions ranged from volunteering and eating less meat to installing a heat pump. Over 350 people engaged with the events and over 90% of those providing feedback agreed that they felt more able and empowered to take climate action as a result of involvement with the events.
You and CO2
You And CO2 was developed by an academic at BU in collaboration with other universities. It uses interactive narrative and storytelling to engage high school students in the climate crisis by immersing them in a virtual world (using their names and those of friends) where they make choices to survive. As they learn about carbon, they also learn to story-tell, and the third/final workshop is them creating their own digital narrative. This awesome example of bringing science to life is free to all teachers.
Designs for your future
BU’s Designs for your Future Challenge is giving secondary school students the opportunity to solve real-world problems with their ideas. The challenge combines sustainability with design as students create a product that will have a lasting positive impact on our planet.
Net Zero by 2030-31
For more than twenty years Bournemouth University (BU) has been focused on embedding sustainability within its teaching and research, as well as in the development and management of the campus and day-to-day operations. This focus intensified dramatically with the university’s BU2025 strategic vision which has a strong focus on enriching society through research, education, and practice, and enhancing BU’s position as a sustainable organisation. Sustainability is now a core facet of the university’s institutional identity, and BU’s progress in this regard was recognised recently by a ranking of 74th in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2021. These rankings are the only global performance tables to assess universities against the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to protect people and the planet.
In response to the climate emergency, BU has committed to becoming a net zero emissions organisation by the academic year 2030-31. BU's ambitious Climate and Ecological Crisis Action Plan (CECAP) sets out a detailed roadmap to achieve this through cutting consumption and ensuring research, education and engagement with students, the wider community, industry and organisations promotes pro-environmental behaviours. The plan covers a wide range of issues from day-to-day operations on campus to learning and research outcomes.
With this track record in mind we have included several case studies from Bournemouth University, both here under Education, and in the Power Down, Travel Better, and Justice for All chapters, as examples of best practice from the perspective of both an educational establishment and a large public organisation.
Green Values in Teaching and Research
Aligning curricula, pedagogy and research with BU’s climate action plan (CECAP) requires programmes to incorporate climate crisis awareness and carbon literacy, and for all academic units to meaningfully address at least one UNSDG by 2022/23. All course teams have to consider sustainable development at Course Validation and Review. Course teams have been supported in this through provision of workshops, resources, and support in developing appropriate Learning Outcomes. An Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Community of Practice coordinates some of these workshops and has developed a UNSDG tool, with the assistance of BU’s Sustainability Support Officer, which tracks university progress, programme by programme, against BU2025's Key Performance Indicators and CECAP. This is one example of how BU’s Sustainability Team works closely with staff and students at all levels across the university to implement BU’s sustainability vision and make it a reality.
The university is running full-day carbon literacy training for staff so they can understand the issues and take action. It takes part in The Green Gown Awards, an international awards scheme for sustainability in HE and also hosts the Excellence in Education for Sustainable Development Awards which recognizes individuals or teams who have supported students in developing the skills, knowledge and values needed to achieve sustainable development.
Green Economy Masters
BU's MSc Green Economy is the only course of its kind in the world and provides students with an opportunity to learn about the scientific principles of the green economy and how these may be put into practice. It is delivered entirely by distance learning, to minimise its environmental impact. It has trained more than 200 postgraduate students since its launch in 2011, many of whom have gone on to launch successful careers in the green economy.
Green Impact
An example of sustainability at the department level is exemplified by the Department of Life and Environmental Science which has been championing sustainability and running dozens of events a year involving undergraduate students, postgraduate assistants, demonstrators, lecturers and professors in greener work practices, lifestyles and creating a more sustainable environment at BU and beyond. They have achieved Bronze (2016), Silver (2017) and Gold awards (2018) awards from UNESCO for their work. The Student’s Union at Bournemouth University has also been submitted for the NUS green Impact Award for the past 5 years. In 2015/16 achieving Gold, 2016/17 achieving Very Good and since then achieving Excellent each year.
Green Careers and Employability Service
The Bournemouth University Careers and Employability Service offers an award-winning extracurricular skills programme for BU students. The Skills Development Programme is an example of one of the ways in which the University is embedding the UN SDGs into extracurricular activity that supports students in their career planning and preparation for the future world of work. It consists of a workshop programme and extracurricular activities that students can choose as a part of a learning pathway which results in formal recognition of their achievement. The workshop programme consists of 15-20 sessions per academic year are all mapped to the themes of the UN SDGs.
BU also organises an event each year where students are given the opportunity to work towards a real-life project brief set by a local employer. The Global Project Lab invites students from across the university of all disciplines and levels of study to work together on a project brief which is mapped to at least 3 of the UN SDGs. In 2020-21, for example, Wessex Green Hub, a local SME looking to unite sustainability initiatives across the Wessex Region gave BU students the task of coming up with an idea for an online collaborative tool that employers could use to showcase their sustainability initiatives. The aim of the project was to promote opportunities for collaboration across the region to make a meaningful impact.
All activities included in the Skills Development Programme for 2021-22 are mapped to the UN SDGs and BU Graduate Attributes, which include a focus on being a Global Citizen and making a Societal Contribution.
Climate Month
Organised and hosted by the University, the aim of Climate Month, held in March 2021, was to support the community to become more able and inspired to take action for the climate.
Eleven events were hosted covering a range of topics and formats. Educational events included a conservation lecture, Feminist Green New Deal workshop, Climate Reality presentation, panel discussion, MOTHERLOAD film screening and Fairtrade speaker event.
Community focused events, including an eco-anxiety workshop, Climate Café, and Climate Assembly, were hosted to encourage empowerment, support and collaborative action. An ‘Inspired by Nature’ art competition was also open to families to encourage a connection to our natural world and welcome younger audiences to spend time in nature.
Also hosted was the final of BU’s first Sustainability Challenge, a ‘dragons’ den’-style competition where students developed a business case for an idea to make the university more environmentally sustainable. Six ideas were presented, and the winning idea won £500, funded by BCP Council, to implement the idea which was a student sustainability starter pack. Feedback showed that being actively supported by staff and “listened to” motivated the students to take further climate action.
They asked everyone who attended to pledge an action, and submissions ranged from volunteering and eating less meat to installing a heat pump. Over 350 people engaged with the events and over 90% of those providing feedback agreed that they felt more able and empowered to take climate action as a result of involvement with the events.
You and CO2
You And CO2 was developed by an academic at BU in collaboration with other universities. It uses interactive narrative and storytelling to engage high school students in the climate crisis by immersing them in a virtual world (using their names and those of friends) where they make choices to survive. As they learn about carbon, they also learn to story-tell, and the third/final workshop is them creating their own digital narrative. This awesome example of bringing science to life is free to all teachers.
Designs for your future
BU’s Designs for your Future Challenge is giving secondary school students the opportunity to solve real-world problems with their ideas. The challenge combines sustainability with design as students create a product that will have a lasting positive impact on our planet.
Bournemouth and Poole College
The College offer a free on-line certificate in Understanding Climate Change and Environmental awareness course and is the first further education institution to join the Green Salon Collective. The collective’s mission is to prove that the hair and beauty industry can make responsible changes to protect the environment. As part of this sustainable movement, the College has rebranded its five hair salons and five beauty salons to ‘ReNew Salons’. By joining the Green Salon Collective, the College will now have access to informative guidance and support to facilitate salon sustainability.
The College offer a free on-line certificate in Understanding Climate Change and Environmental awareness course and is the first further education institution to join the Green Salon Collective. The collective’s mission is to prove that the hair and beauty industry can make responsible changes to protect the environment. As part of this sustainable movement, the College has rebranded its five hair salons and five beauty salons to ‘ReNew Salons’. By joining the Green Salon Collective, the College will now have access to informative guidance and support to facilitate salon sustainability.
DEED
Based in Dorset, DEED supports education and innovation by encouraging and inspiring teachers, pupils, and community members to develop their understanding of global issues and cultural diversity. It offers training for adults and teachers on a range of themes including Multicultural Britain, Sustainability, Global Learning and Black History. DEED is also involved in work in schools across Dorset promoting the SDGs and their links to the curriculum and whole school. They can also offer workshops/assemblies on single use plastics and their impact on the environment, enabling young people to make sustainable swaps and encouraging them to campaign.
Based in Dorset, DEED supports education and innovation by encouraging and inspiring teachers, pupils, and community members to develop their understanding of global issues and cultural diversity. It offers training for adults and teachers on a range of themes including Multicultural Britain, Sustainability, Global Learning and Black History. DEED is also involved in work in schools across Dorset promoting the SDGs and their links to the curriculum and whole school. They can also offer workshops/assemblies on single use plastics and their impact on the environment, enabling young people to make sustainable swaps and encouraging them to campaign.
Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership
Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership is responsible for setting the strategic direction of Dorser’s economy and delivering an investment programme of around £250m. Working in partnership with local government, businesses, educational institutions and other public, private and community organisations, their work is focused on championing and strengthening Dorset's economy. The LEP recognises this vision needs a high skilled workforce to deliver its local industrial strategy.
The Dorset Skills action plan[2] sets out the activities to increase the attraction, retention and progression of new-growth talent within and into the region over the next 2 years
A key element is the Dorset Careers Hub, which fosters collaboration between local employers, schools, and colleges to help young people progress into promising careers and fulfil their potential.
[2] www.dorsetlep.co.uk/userfiles/files/Strategy%20and%20plans/Skills%20strategy/Dorset%20Skills%20Action%20Plan%202020-2022.pdf
Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership is responsible for setting the strategic direction of Dorser’s economy and delivering an investment programme of around £250m. Working in partnership with local government, businesses, educational institutions and other public, private and community organisations, their work is focused on championing and strengthening Dorset's economy. The LEP recognises this vision needs a high skilled workforce to deliver its local industrial strategy.
The Dorset Skills action plan[2] sets out the activities to increase the attraction, retention and progression of new-growth talent within and into the region over the next 2 years
A key element is the Dorset Careers Hub, which fosters collaboration between local employers, schools, and colleges to help young people progress into promising careers and fulfil their potential.
[2] www.dorsetlep.co.uk/userfiles/files/Strategy%20and%20plans/Skills%20strategy/Dorset%20Skills%20Action%20Plan%202020-2022.pdf
SustainAble You
SustainAble You students in Beaminster have been connecting with local residents, businesses and councils to find inspiring approaches where everyone is ABLE (including YOU) to take personal steps for a more fulfilling, greener and all-round SUSTAINABLE future. They have been working with Imperial College London, the Beaminster Earth Alliance, Action for Conservation and other organisations around Dorset to help solve Beaminster’s biggest problems.
They recognised that individuals were stretched to their physical and mental limit with lockdown life, businesses suffering, and the pandemic is generating huge volumes of single-use rubbish. In the face of this adversity though, people have come together to help their friends and neighbours, businesses are reinventing themselves, carbon dioxide emissions plummeted and appreciation of nature from daily walks reached an all-time high. They realised that as restrictions lift, we are at a crossroads and are provided with a unique opportunity to capture those positive elements that people have cherished about a slower-paced, more connected, greener life—so called #CovidKeepers.
In doing so, they aim to build on our satisfaction from life, elevate thriving local livelihoods and nurture enjoyment of and care for the environment. They recognise that local government is taking steps in this direction, but to bring about meaningful, long-lasting change, a people-powered approach is also necessary.
They plan to ignite a revolution in Beaminster and need people from all ages and walks of life to be informed, excited and equipped to be heard and to realise their visions for change.
SustainAble You students in Beaminster have been connecting with local residents, businesses and councils to find inspiring approaches where everyone is ABLE (including YOU) to take personal steps for a more fulfilling, greener and all-round SUSTAINABLE future. They have been working with Imperial College London, the Beaminster Earth Alliance, Action for Conservation and other organisations around Dorset to help solve Beaminster’s biggest problems.
They recognised that individuals were stretched to their physical and mental limit with lockdown life, businesses suffering, and the pandemic is generating huge volumes of single-use rubbish. In the face of this adversity though, people have come together to help their friends and neighbours, businesses are reinventing themselves, carbon dioxide emissions plummeted and appreciation of nature from daily walks reached an all-time high. They realised that as restrictions lift, we are at a crossroads and are provided with a unique opportunity to capture those positive elements that people have cherished about a slower-paced, more connected, greener life—so called #CovidKeepers.
In doing so, they aim to build on our satisfaction from life, elevate thriving local livelihoods and nurture enjoyment of and care for the environment. They recognise that local government is taking steps in this direction, but to bring about meaningful, long-lasting change, a people-powered approach is also necessary.
They plan to ignite a revolution in Beaminster and need people from all ages and walks of life to be informed, excited and equipped to be heard and to realise their visions for change.
Further Information
Centre for Alternative Technology
The Centre for Alternative Technology, based in North Wales, is an educational charity as well as producers of the Zero Carbon Britain reports.
It offers day and short residential courses covering a range of sustainability issues. These include, renewable energy, environmentally friendly building techniques, ecology, woodland management, organic gardening and more. Prior to the pandemic plans were being developed to bring a selection of these to Dorset to run alongside a ZCD event. This idea will be revisited in the coming months, in the meantime, further information on their courses is available on their website.
Young Peoples Trust for the Environment
The Young People's Trust for the Environment is a charity set up to encourage young people's understanding of the environment. Founded back in 1982, it aims to give young people a real awareness of environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, deforestation and endangered flora & fauna.
It also aims to provide balanced views to take into account the realities of the modern world. Young people need to know all of the facts in order to make their own decisions about how they want to shape their world for the future.
The role of the arts in communicating environmental issues and solutions
We all learn in different ways and so it is extremely important all forms of art are used to engage people with the crisis. The creative arts, including pictures, photos, films, dance, books, cartoons, plays, music, poetry, storytelling, sculpture etc., are all incredibly powerful and emotional ways to engage people in the conversation about the climate and ecological crisis in often provocative and sometimes funny ways that can transcend mere words on a page. For example, in 2017, Plasticus the whale, made up of a quarter of a ton of plastic (the amount that enters the ocean every second) completed its national campaign tour to highlight the problem with single use plastics. Locally, in April 2021, We have the POWER joined up with the Final Straw Foundation to bring the Waste Warrior Fish to BCP to highlight the impact of plastic waste and promote the ‘reuse, refill and reduce’ message.
As part of Planet Wimborne's 2021 Green Festival, Wimborne Community Theatre presented their performance/ritual 'Timeless Stream' at Walford Mill to celebrate the precious River Allen chalk stream with its amazingly diverse wildlife and mourned the (hopefully) temporary demise of the native, white-clawed crayfish, destroyed by a plague in 2014. Audiences offered their wishes for its safe return and carried them along with the withy crayfish (created by artists Heidi Steller and Clare Small) in a candle-lit procession to the river bank where they symbolically re-introduced the crayfish with the wishes for its future.
Wessex Museums' Wildlife in the Red exhibition is using collected objects to tell stories of the human activities that, together with climate change, have caused biodiversity loss and threatened many of our species. It also introduces the conservation bodies that are working to save threatened species and what you can do to help. This follows a summer Dorset Goes Wild - Climate Change Challenge where 33 families with young children (5 - 13 years old) could record their experiences exploring the environment. They could write stories, draw cartoons, press flowers - anything that inspired them and captured how they felt about climate change.
In September 2021, the thought-provoking Climate Change exhibition was held at the Sou’-Sou’-West Arts Gallery in Bridport. Artists were encouraged to reflect environmental protection in their work, by using upcycled or recycled media, celebrating the importance of the natural world or demonstrating the impact, both positive and negative, that humanity has on the planet.
In November 2021, Cape Farewell's, in partnership with Poole Lighthouse, wAteR-climaTe festival featured thought-provoking and engaging new artworks, film, spoken word, music, poetry and debate, illuminating the current science and thinking around the climate emergency. The festival, timed to coincide with COP26, shone a light on the climate challenge case in the South West, with the centrepiece a gallery exhibition telling the devastating story of climate change on freshwater habitats in our own backyard.
The intention of HOME in BRIDPORT, founded in 2012, is to help develop local projects and partnerships, celebrating local life through cultural work – film, photography, music, literature, theatre, fine arts, agriculture, growing, harvesting, cooking and enjoying local food. HOME has partnered for 8 years on the Edible Garden Projects with St. Mary’s Primary School, and in the last year has been developing Edible Garden 2 at Bridport Primary, both in Bridport. The Edible Garden Project (see Eat Well chapter) is led by the successful partnership of HOME, Transition Town Bridport, and Opera Circus, a performing arts organisation that has a long history of inclusive work with children and young people. HOME is now in conversation with the Youth and Community Centre in Bridport to look at ways of using both gardening and art to support their mixed community with workshops as well as sharing HOME’s garden allotment.
HOME is a CIO and enables a variety of projects which range from the feature film THIS GOOD EARTH, to the multi-media exhibition with three artists, EXILE: A Mind in Winter, to partnering with other food and climate projects including Bridport Food Matters, Seeding our Future and Opera Circus’ long term youth arts project The Complete Freedom of Truth (TCFT).
HOME was founded by local filmmaker and photographer, Robert Golden and has a board of trustees all of whom are part of the local community.
Life-long learning
It is clear that, as all of us have a role to play in helping tackle the climate and ecological crisis, we all need to continually learn and understand more about the subject and so become empowered to take informed personal and/or collective action to make change happen. There are many ways we can keep learning about the crisis from reputable sources, such as College courses, (for example, Bournemouth and Poole College, Kingston Maurward), local community groups, Skills and Learning Adult Community Education and the u3a network, which provides opportunities for those no longer in work to come together to learn more about climate change.
Change the Story
Change the Story offers KS2 resources and hands-on support for teaching climate change, citizenship, and digital competence. Change the Story aims to empower pupils to create the future they want: to explore how the climate crisis impacts their lives and to create meaningful stories about how the climate crisis is being tackled now, and what needs to be done in the future. Pupils use digital technology to create stories about the climate crisis, producing new narratives to challenge the status quo, encouraging young people in their school, community and across Europe to take action.
The Birds and the Trees
Produced by Impossible Foods, there is clearly a commercial objective at play with the resources on The Birds and the Trees website. Put that to one side however and it is an entertaining approach on how children can talk to their parents about the climate crisis.
The World’s Largest Lesson
The World’s Largest Lesson is an on-line resource, supported by UNICEF, that aims to promote use of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals in learning so that children can contribute to a better future for all.
360 Skills For Life: Climate Emergency Educational Programme
360 Skills For Life, a Dorset-based educational not-for-profit is planning a climate emergency module within its nationally available virtual reality school platform. This has replaced charity-run SafeWise centres in Bournemouth and Weymouth and following their closure due to Covid-related income loss earlier this year. These centres, originally designed to teach topics such as road, fire and water safety, would have been fabulous learning venues for the climate and ecological emergencies too, with their full-size street layout, house, shop, bus, train, car, water, and other interactive scenarios.
360 now has funding for a bigger and better virtual reality version of this concept, with NHS Funded Phase 1 being rolled out next year, delivering safeguarding education for the transition from primary to secondary school. It covers issues such as violence and exploitation, drugs and alcohol, peer pressure, mental wellbeing and how to get help.
A planned subsequent phase is around the climate and ecological emergencies. Founder and CEO Rob Hattersley said: ‘This generation face unprecedented ecological challenges, and these will be the main issue in their lives. There is some evidence that rather than just being taught about the problem, which can cause young people to feel stressed and helpless, instead we aim, through our platform of online, in-school and outdoor learning to highlight solutions, and provide them with the skills and confidence to make a difference, both individually and collectively. We’re looking for commercial, public sector and third sector partners, both for funding and expertise, to better join up provision between agencies and groups, providing schools with an easy-to-use resource alongside a curated database of further provision from other partners.’
Rob added: ‘We spend a lot of time campaigning for more sustainable transport and energy policies, but we sometimes neglect to realise the power of education to change attitudes and behaviour. In fact, policy changes without public education rarely work – we need to bring people with us.’
The CEE phase will include interactive dilemmas and choices around travel, shopping, energy use, food, waste/re-use and more, inviting learners to explore the pros, cons, and consequences of different decisions rather than simply being told. Through discussion, decision-making and doing, they will become more confident in making more sustainable personal and family choices, and in influencing society for the better. If you are interested in finding out more, or have ideas or contacts for such partnerships, more information is available on their website and you can email Rob directly on [email protected].
Centre for Alternative Technology
The Centre for Alternative Technology, based in North Wales, is an educational charity as well as producers of the Zero Carbon Britain reports.
It offers day and short residential courses covering a range of sustainability issues. These include, renewable energy, environmentally friendly building techniques, ecology, woodland management, organic gardening and more. Prior to the pandemic plans were being developed to bring a selection of these to Dorset to run alongside a ZCD event. This idea will be revisited in the coming months, in the meantime, further information on their courses is available on their website.
Young Peoples Trust for the Environment
The Young People's Trust for the Environment is a charity set up to encourage young people's understanding of the environment. Founded back in 1982, it aims to give young people a real awareness of environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, deforestation and endangered flora & fauna.
It also aims to provide balanced views to take into account the realities of the modern world. Young people need to know all of the facts in order to make their own decisions about how they want to shape their world for the future.
The role of the arts in communicating environmental issues and solutions
We all learn in different ways and so it is extremely important all forms of art are used to engage people with the crisis. The creative arts, including pictures, photos, films, dance, books, cartoons, plays, music, poetry, storytelling, sculpture etc., are all incredibly powerful and emotional ways to engage people in the conversation about the climate and ecological crisis in often provocative and sometimes funny ways that can transcend mere words on a page. For example, in 2017, Plasticus the whale, made up of a quarter of a ton of plastic (the amount that enters the ocean every second) completed its national campaign tour to highlight the problem with single use plastics. Locally, in April 2021, We have the POWER joined up with the Final Straw Foundation to bring the Waste Warrior Fish to BCP to highlight the impact of plastic waste and promote the ‘reuse, refill and reduce’ message.
As part of Planet Wimborne's 2021 Green Festival, Wimborne Community Theatre presented their performance/ritual 'Timeless Stream' at Walford Mill to celebrate the precious River Allen chalk stream with its amazingly diverse wildlife and mourned the (hopefully) temporary demise of the native, white-clawed crayfish, destroyed by a plague in 2014. Audiences offered their wishes for its safe return and carried them along with the withy crayfish (created by artists Heidi Steller and Clare Small) in a candle-lit procession to the river bank where they symbolically re-introduced the crayfish with the wishes for its future.
Wessex Museums' Wildlife in the Red exhibition is using collected objects to tell stories of the human activities that, together with climate change, have caused biodiversity loss and threatened many of our species. It also introduces the conservation bodies that are working to save threatened species and what you can do to help. This follows a summer Dorset Goes Wild - Climate Change Challenge where 33 families with young children (5 - 13 years old) could record their experiences exploring the environment. They could write stories, draw cartoons, press flowers - anything that inspired them and captured how they felt about climate change.
In September 2021, the thought-provoking Climate Change exhibition was held at the Sou’-Sou’-West Arts Gallery in Bridport. Artists were encouraged to reflect environmental protection in their work, by using upcycled or recycled media, celebrating the importance of the natural world or demonstrating the impact, both positive and negative, that humanity has on the planet.
In November 2021, Cape Farewell's, in partnership with Poole Lighthouse, wAteR-climaTe festival featured thought-provoking and engaging new artworks, film, spoken word, music, poetry and debate, illuminating the current science and thinking around the climate emergency. The festival, timed to coincide with COP26, shone a light on the climate challenge case in the South West, with the centrepiece a gallery exhibition telling the devastating story of climate change on freshwater habitats in our own backyard.
The intention of HOME in BRIDPORT, founded in 2012, is to help develop local projects and partnerships, celebrating local life through cultural work – film, photography, music, literature, theatre, fine arts, agriculture, growing, harvesting, cooking and enjoying local food. HOME has partnered for 8 years on the Edible Garden Projects with St. Mary’s Primary School, and in the last year has been developing Edible Garden 2 at Bridport Primary, both in Bridport. The Edible Garden Project (see Eat Well chapter) is led by the successful partnership of HOME, Transition Town Bridport, and Opera Circus, a performing arts organisation that has a long history of inclusive work with children and young people. HOME is now in conversation with the Youth and Community Centre in Bridport to look at ways of using both gardening and art to support their mixed community with workshops as well as sharing HOME’s garden allotment.
HOME is a CIO and enables a variety of projects which range from the feature film THIS GOOD EARTH, to the multi-media exhibition with three artists, EXILE: A Mind in Winter, to partnering with other food and climate projects including Bridport Food Matters, Seeding our Future and Opera Circus’ long term youth arts project The Complete Freedom of Truth (TCFT).
HOME was founded by local filmmaker and photographer, Robert Golden and has a board of trustees all of whom are part of the local community.
Life-long learning
It is clear that, as all of us have a role to play in helping tackle the climate and ecological crisis, we all need to continually learn and understand more about the subject and so become empowered to take informed personal and/or collective action to make change happen. There are many ways we can keep learning about the crisis from reputable sources, such as College courses, (for example, Bournemouth and Poole College, Kingston Maurward), local community groups, Skills and Learning Adult Community Education and the u3a network, which provides opportunities for those no longer in work to come together to learn more about climate change.
Change the Story
Change the Story offers KS2 resources and hands-on support for teaching climate change, citizenship, and digital competence. Change the Story aims to empower pupils to create the future they want: to explore how the climate crisis impacts their lives and to create meaningful stories about how the climate crisis is being tackled now, and what needs to be done in the future. Pupils use digital technology to create stories about the climate crisis, producing new narratives to challenge the status quo, encouraging young people in their school, community and across Europe to take action.
The Birds and the Trees
Produced by Impossible Foods, there is clearly a commercial objective at play with the resources on The Birds and the Trees website. Put that to one side however and it is an entertaining approach on how children can talk to their parents about the climate crisis.
The World’s Largest Lesson
The World’s Largest Lesson is an on-line resource, supported by UNICEF, that aims to promote use of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals in learning so that children can contribute to a better future for all.
360 Skills For Life: Climate Emergency Educational Programme
360 Skills For Life, a Dorset-based educational not-for-profit is planning a climate emergency module within its nationally available virtual reality school platform. This has replaced charity-run SafeWise centres in Bournemouth and Weymouth and following their closure due to Covid-related income loss earlier this year. These centres, originally designed to teach topics such as road, fire and water safety, would have been fabulous learning venues for the climate and ecological emergencies too, with their full-size street layout, house, shop, bus, train, car, water, and other interactive scenarios.
360 now has funding for a bigger and better virtual reality version of this concept, with NHS Funded Phase 1 being rolled out next year, delivering safeguarding education for the transition from primary to secondary school. It covers issues such as violence and exploitation, drugs and alcohol, peer pressure, mental wellbeing and how to get help.
A planned subsequent phase is around the climate and ecological emergencies. Founder and CEO Rob Hattersley said: ‘This generation face unprecedented ecological challenges, and these will be the main issue in their lives. There is some evidence that rather than just being taught about the problem, which can cause young people to feel stressed and helpless, instead we aim, through our platform of online, in-school and outdoor learning to highlight solutions, and provide them with the skills and confidence to make a difference, both individually and collectively. We’re looking for commercial, public sector and third sector partners, both for funding and expertise, to better join up provision between agencies and groups, providing schools with an easy-to-use resource alongside a curated database of further provision from other partners.’
Rob added: ‘We spend a lot of time campaigning for more sustainable transport and energy policies, but we sometimes neglect to realise the power of education to change attitudes and behaviour. In fact, policy changes without public education rarely work – we need to bring people with us.’
The CEE phase will include interactive dilemmas and choices around travel, shopping, energy use, food, waste/re-use and more, inviting learners to explore the pros, cons, and consequences of different decisions rather than simply being told. Through discussion, decision-making and doing, they will become more confident in making more sustainable personal and family choices, and in influencing society for the better. If you are interested in finding out more, or have ideas or contacts for such partnerships, more information is available on their website and you can email Rob directly on [email protected].