Sustainability Learning Environment
Copy this entire page and paste it into your own blank document (in Word or whatever work processor you use). Save that new document as your own. When you have completed the assignment, add it to your VOC II blog. Please submit the assignment to us by pasting the appropriate link to your blog below in the comments section of this page.
Due Date: Sun., Feb. 23, 2014
1. How do you define ‘sustainable development’? Do your best to come up with your own, comprehensive definition (i.e. do not look it up!). Type it out below, in your own document.
2. Highlight and copy your definition, pasting it into this Padlet page.
3. Finally, follow this link to the ‘classic’ definition of sustainable development, along with a helpful graphic: Here! Read through the definition as well as the graphic.
4. Watch this video (approx. 4 minutes), take some notes, and further create your definition of sustainable development. Type your 'improved' definition into your document.
The video: Sustainability Explained ( by explainity )
5. Read through the information on sustainable development on this blog . Use it to help you answer the questions below, along with your own experiences and expertise.
Assignment:
Answer the following questions in a page or two.
a. Please explain briefly your own interest in Sustainable Development.
b. If you are from another culture than Finnish give a brief overview of the socio- political landscape of the country, resources and their constraints. What are the values and the attitudes of the local people towards sustainable development? Are there any concerns related to sustainable development long term?
c. How should one direct, govern and teach sustainable development in schools?
d. How does sustainable development link to your area of work or study? (Think of the three spheres of sustainability: economic, social and environmental) Please give some ideas of how you could combine or apply a sustainability perspective to your subject.
e. What was especially interesting or even surprising for you in this material (texts, video, and pdfs)?
Optional: Perhaps the most discussed aspect of sustainability is ecological sustainability. How ecologically sustainable do you think your lifestyle is? Go to the following link and take this self-assessment of your personal ecological footprint.
(We discovered that we would need over three 'earths' if everyone on earth lived our lifestyle...and the 'footprint' of most Finns is much larger!)
Check out this link to learn more about global warming, and this one to see what some educators are doing about it.
