The theme for Science Week this year is "Species Survival More the just Sustainability". As part of Science Week, in collaboration with OceanEarth, Ocean Youth and the Australian National Maritime Museum, The Harbour School Sydney held a professional learning evening for teachers at the Maritime Museum. This is a summary of my presentation: "Engage and Inspire - Proactive approaches to teaching about climate change and biodiversity". This presentation was focused on practical examples that can be implemented in schools and classrooms. One of the ways that this can be done is through student investigations and fieldwork. Science and Geography are both mandatory subjects that include an investigation or inquiry as part of the core content. The processes for investigation or inquiry in the syllabuses for both subjects align quite easily, and associated field work provides an excellent opportunity for students to engage with biodiversity in a hands-on way. Biodiversity refers to the variety of living things within a given area. There are a range of ways that schools and classes can integrate practical projects to learning about biodiversity: school gardens, habitat restorations projects, bushcare collaborations, streamwatch activities and biodiversity monitoring. School gardens provide opportunities for use of outdoor spaces for learning about biodiversity. Examples include: wildlife habitats, rainwater gardens, and pollinator gardens.
There are a range of habitat restoration projects taking place in and around the harbour which address biodiversity and which are led by several of the universities. In some cases there may be opportunities for schools to engage with these projects to learn about biodiversity, engage with community organisations, research institutions and/or universities and learn about careers. An example is Living Seawalls installations on a school's seawall - obviously only relevant for a few schools, or growing mangrove seedlings for schools along rivers or creeks. Link: There are many local bushcare or Landcare groups that schools can connect with to learn about biodiversity in their local community. This also enables students to contribute to protecting biodiversity, connect with community and learn in a hands on way. Students can learn about water quality, the role of vegetation in filtering and retaining water, the interconnection between organisms, and terrestrial and aquatic environments. Link: Streamwatch enables students to monitor the quality and health of local waterways to contribute data to the scientific community. It raises awareness about the importance of water quality monitoring and conservation, and supports efforts to protect and preserve our waterways. Students ca identify and record the species of plants, insects, fish, and other organisms present in the stream. By learning to recognize different species and understanding their roles in the ecosystem, students gain insights into biodiversity. Link: Monitoring biodiversity as part of an investigation, enables students to develop ideas and strategies to improve biodiversity and contribute to citizenship science projects.
Links Carbon Footprint Calculators allow students to get a clear picture of their impact on their environment and how their activities impact on carbon emissions. They can take actions to reduce consumption, change transport habits, make dietary changes and conserve energy.
While School Gardens have been discussed in terms of how they can address biodiversity, they can also be used to help students understand important ideas related to climate change. An understanding of the link between food miles and climate change allows students to make better decisions about the food they consume.
Link Students should be encouraged to use forms of Sustainable transport like buses, riding their bikes and walking. Messaging in newsletters and school assemblies that links transport choices with climate change can reinforce the impact of personal choice. This also provides an opportunity for student engagement with the School Senior Executive, P&C and wider community to support sustainable transport by advocating for infrastructure like bus shelters and bike racks and lockers, as well as staffing crossings. There are a number of excellent climate simulations that can be used to help students understand inter-relationships between causes and consequences of climate change.
Energy Audit Schools can engage companies that can undertake energy audits and ongoing consumption monitoring to find ways to conserve energy, work with School Infrastructure NSW (SINSW) to install solar and battery storage, and install LED lights can reduce the school’s carbon footprint, save lighting costs and improve lighting conditions. Links: To ensure that environmental targets are a priority at your school, staff and students can advocate for environmental objectives to be part of your school’s school plan. This makes schools and school leadership accountable for environmental targets.
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I recently attended the Volvo Ocean Lovers Festival at the Australian National Maritime Museum and at Bondi. I paid to attend on a couple of the days and attended a couple of the days as a volunteer. Day 1 of the Volvo Ocean Lovers Festival was the Blue Solutions Summit at the Australian National Maritime Museum. Keynote speakers were: Dr. Lucy Buxton from Ocean Decade Australia, Julie Hutchinson from Volvo Car Australia, and James Valentine from Australian Broadcasting Company. There were three discussion panels: Ocean Innovation, Ocean Plastic and Pollution, and Fishing and the Future of Food. There were lots of discussions about research and programs to protect our marine environment, and innovations in a range of industries. There were productive discussions about issues of ocean pollution and plastic, and sustainability of the fishing industry. The Youth Advisory panel was a great example of student engagement and leadership with their discussion - Have we left it too late? The Blue Solutions Summit was a great opportunity to learn new things, engage with a wide range of experts in a range of fields, and do something genuinely enjoyable. A few questions raised and comments that I thought were worth more thought… - Where can you have the most impact? Get involved... - What do you do better than anyone else? Do that…. - You can’t easily change the world, but you can change your world. Be passionate... I volunteered during the Ocean Lovers Festival School Days and assisted with the school excursions at Bondi. Some excellent student artworks were on display at Litterati. These were artworks created from common items of marine pollution. There were displays and hands on activities from a range of organisations including Sydney Institute of Marine Science, SeaLife, the Australian National Maritime Museum, Underwater Earth, University of Sydney and Ocean Sentinels. There were a series of talks including from Emily Rowland, Ocean Youth Ambassador; Cay-Leigh Bartnicke, Science Curator, Australian National Maritime Museum; Associate Professor Rachael Gray, The University of Sydney; Megan Trethewy – Research Assistant: Project Restore, Sydney Institute of Marine Science.
My favourite activity was run by the Australian National Maritime Museum for primary students using an underwater drone to explore the ocean pool at North Bondi. Further talks, displays and markets took place over the weekend. This event was informative and engaging and reinforced my belief in the importance of environmental education, particularly in schools, to bring about wider change. In the future this would be useful for a half day excursion for : - students in Year 10 Geography studying Environmental Change and Management using a coastal, catchment or harbour case study - students in Year 12 Geography studying the Great Southern Reef or Great Barrier Reef as a case study for Ecosystems At Risk/ Ecosystems and Global Biodiversity - students in Elective Geography studying the Oceanography topic - students in Marine Studies or Marine and Aquaculture Technology Following a number of spear fishing incidents in which Blue Gropers were targeted, fishing of Blue Groper in NSW has been banned by any method, in new changes to strengthen protection of the species. A 12-month trial period will be put in place to allow the Department of Primary Industries to undertake consultation. Breaches may result in a $500 penalty infringement, or run the risk of court-imposed fines of $22,000 and/or 6 months imprisonment. Awareness raising activities will be undertaken, such as education activities and social media campaigns to improve community knowledge about the species and related restrictions. Background articles:
Man may face prosecution for allegedly spearfishing three blue groper on NSW south coast Man fined $500 for spearing blue groper at Sydney beach Further reading: Iconic Blue Groper now protected in NSW NSW Government introduces ban on all types of blue groper fishing (listen to the radio segment) Australian Marine Conservation Society - Blue Groper Any fishing of NSW’s beloved blue groper could lead to jail under new ban This weekend the $8.7 million McIlwaine Foreshore upgrade is officially being opened. This is a great example of integrating ecological concepts and design into a parkland and foreshore area. This remediation is an effort towards naturalising the river bank, though in a fairly stylised way. One of the aims of the project is to improve water quality of the river. The foreshore now includes: Rockpools: These are fairly large intertidal pools several metres long and with a possible depth of around 30 cm. The depth will most likely depend on rainfall and tidal flow over the top of the pools. Saltmarsh: There is a small area that is a little bit separate from the other spaces which has been planted with saltmarsh (possibly beaded glasswort?). Saltmarsh is a sensitive plant, that generally grows well in low lying ground exposed to tidal inundation. It can be found in areas around Badu Mangroves in Sydney Olympic Park and around the Parramatta River Walk. Sandstone seawall: The sandstone seawall is very similar to the designs we have seen installed at Barangaroo. It uses natural material - sandstone, to replicate natural materials found in the environment. The porosity of sandstone ensures that it serves a positive purpose in water absorption and retention as in natural environments. However, the repetitive block design of the seawall is not as beneficial as a habitat as the randomness and diversity of sandstone shapes found in nature which have been weathered and eroded over millions of years. There are quite big gaps between the sandstones blocks of a couple of inches which may be beneficial in providing nooks and crannies for aquatic organisms to live.
People can use their phone and the FrogIS app to record the calls of frogs and upload them to the app for verification. Once verified, the information is uploaded into a Geographic Information System, which can be accessed here: https: www.frogid.net.au/explore.
This is a great activity for the general public, but could also be used in Geography, Science or Marine Studies classes. 1 November - 6-7:30pm
Kamay Ferry Wharves online community forum on Seagrass translocation 2 November - 6pm Mosman Community Marine Restoration - Sydney Institute of Marine Science 4 November Let's Go Bug Hunting - Lane Cover Council 5 November Paddle skills day (beginner/intermediate) - River Canoe Club 5 November Operation Straw - November Cove Cleanup 5 November Environmental Workshops - Wildlife Walk and Bushcare - The Hills Shire Council 8 November Parramatta River Symposium - The City, the River and the Museum - Western Sydney University 9 November The “Reef” Behind the Reef: The Great Barrier Reef’s mystery Green Donuts. - Chau Chak Wing Museum 11 November Raft Up Club - Floating Festival 10 Nov - Sydney Harbour BYO, Swim - The Raft Up Club 12 November Bushland Team - Floating Landcare (This one is a bit out of normal area of operation, but looks really interesting) - North Sydney Council 16 November Ocean Crusaders - Cooks River Hardcore Clean - By Thirst Trap Canned Water 17 November Cooks River Hardcore Clean - Ocean Crusaders 18 November Opening of McIlwaine Park 19 November Sydney Harbour Marine Education and Research (MER) Activity - Dr Joseph DiBattista 22 November - Speakers Talk: Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race – A water level perspective - Australian National Maritime Museum 22 November Wetland Education and Training (WET) Program - Sydney Olympic Park 23 November Marine Muster Schools Event 25 November Pimp My Jetty Sydney Harbour - OzFish Unlimited 26 Novemebr - 3 December Ocean Festival - Northern Beaches Council 27 November - 1 December Beach Safety Week/ Big Beach Week - Surf Life Saving NSW
The Australian National Maritime Museum hosted Rob Brander in its Author Talk series today. Rob "Dr Rip" Brander is known as a surf scientist. His book explores the formation and processes associated with beaches - waves, currents and the impacts of weather such as storms.
You can see some ofhis work at the Science of Surf website here: www.scienceofthesurf.com/ ...or visit his youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYAccwyyLsG1VzU4MzgUUDA There is also an excellent educational resource available here: https://www.scienceofthesurf.com/study-guides
A number of key messages were communicated in the presentation related to safe use of beaches.
Stop, Look and Plan Dr Rip discussed the large of bystander drownings - people going in to assist someone struggling in the ocean, and then drowning themselves. He states that everyone should take some time before going into the water to identify how they will react and what they can use in an emergency, particularly floatation devices. White is nice, green is mean The book, as well as his social media and other educational resources provide excellent annotated photographs to communicate the location of rips at the beach. The phrase "White is nice, green is mean" was also used to help communicate safe places to swim. This book and resources are relevant for students studying coasts in the Environmental Change and Management topic of Year 10 Geography; Oceanography in Elective Geography; as well as various Marine and Aquaculture Technology topics such as Open Water Snorkelling, Small Waterboats, Skills Management and Employment. Wansolmoana (meaning One Salt Ocean) is the Australian Museum's newest permanent exhibition. It opened on 13 October and explores the connections between the Pasifika peoples with the immense Pacific.
For high school teachers, this exhibition relates to the Stage 5 History topic The Ancient to the Modern World - The Asia Pacific World - Polynesian Expansion across the Pacific. The exhibitions addresses some aspects of the syallbus related to: - How people lived in the ancient to modern world - features of society, everyday life, traditions, - The role of one or more significant people in a particular society - The location and geographical features of the society - The effect of colonisation and contact. Explore resources from the Department of Education about the Stage 5 History topic Polynesia Expansion across the Pacific.
Read more about the exhibition here: https://australian.museum/exhibition/wansolmoana/
If you're interested in environmental education related to marine environments, engaging in further academic coursework, or engaging with your community, there are lots of events coming up this month. You might be interested in checking out some of the following:
8 October - 10am-1pm, Manly Courso North Head Sanctuary Draft Management Plan Consultation 10 October - 6pm Faculty of Science - Sydney University - Industry Network Night 11 October Middle Harbour Yacht Club - Keelboat Safety Forum - Online Event 12 October - 5pm Phycohealth - Ask Me Anything about the Regenerative Power of Seaweed 13 October Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and water - Entries close for Sustainable Ocean Plan art and photography competition 13 October Australian Museum - Opening of Wansolmoana - one salt ocean exhibition 16-22 October Australian Water Association - National Water Week 17 October - 1:00pm - 2:00pm Australian Water Association - The Value of Water Careers 17 October - 4:30-6pm, Carrington Phycohealth - Ask Me Anything about Seaweed 18 October - 5pm-6pm Sydney University - Master of Sustainability Information Session 20 October - 4pm - 5pm Sydney University - Master of Marine Science and Management Information Session 22 October - 9am - 2pm Greater Sydney Landcare - River Talks, Urban Heat and AGM 28 October - 10am - 2pm Seaside Scavenge - Balmoral Beach, Mosman 29 October - 10am - 4pm The Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability - Living Futures Sustainability Festival 29 October - 2:30 - 4:30pm Microplastic Analyst Workshop with Ausmap - Manly Library 31 October - 5pm - 6.30pm The Sydney Environment Institute and the Faculty of Medicine and Health - Using multidisciplinary research to address UN Sustainable Development Goals Next Month.... |
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