Not only it is vital for adults to understand the importance of sustainability but also to education the next generation. According the to statistic by Nature Conservancy, it suggest that today's children spend just 6% of their time playing outside. In today's technology driven world, children often devote up to hours a day using phones, computers and other electronics. Some teens only spend just few hours per week communing with nature.
With that in mind, I was curious to find out if there are any sustainable programs targeting children education. In NSW, there are a few resources for services for parents and children to learn more about sustainability:
- NSW Early Childhood Environmental Education
- Climbing the Little Green Steps
- The National Quality Standard Professional Learning Program
- Office of Environment and Heritage
- Planet Ark
Examining some of these program, it's interesting to see that they tend to focus on children in childcare and primary school age. However, the focus is not as heavy for high school. Surely, in high school we learnt more in depth about water, energy, biodiversity and waste through research and in textbooks. However, there are heavier emphasis and higher devotion to core subjects such as English and Maths, we lose the time spent on hands on experience (at least when I was in high school) compared to amount of time we used to spend at a younger age. My point is, the emphasis on sustainability through hands on activities, should be carried out not only through young age, but also through out teens. With that in mind, our connection to the environment and resource management at the individual level can make a significant impact to the overall environment.
References
http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/what-we-offer/regulation-and-accreditation/early-childhood-education-care/useful-links-and-resources/sustainability-resources
https://www.greenbiz.com/article/are-we-doing-enough-encourage-next-generation-sustainability-pros
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