Planting the Sustainability Seed in our Children

Shannon Feerrar
Not only does our Earth depend on our knowledge of adequately sustaining our resources,
but the future generations depend on it as well. Teaching the future generations the importance
of utilizing the Earths given resources and how to replenish them can be of great value to them
and the Earth. With this being said, I chose educating the future generations and the importance
of sustainability education as my artifact topic. The focus of my artifact was to center in on three
different topics; why it is important for us to teach the upcoming generations about sustainability,
what does sustainability education look like and resources to help a teacher get started. My
vision is that a teacher looking at my artifact would understand the importance of the topic and
have resources available to give him/her a start to adding sustainability into lessons.
To begin my artifact, I utilized a personal photo of an adult, school age child and non-school
aged child in the shape of the universal recycle symbol. I chose to do this in hopes that it would
represent the idea that as adults, we have the responsibility of sharing with younger generations,
the topic of utilizing resources and recycling resources to better our current and future Earth. I
was also hoping that it would represent that the generation to generation cycle of teaching
sustainability will continue to keep others aware of the arising issues. If the younger generations
are aware we can continue to recycle, replenish and reuse resources that are already available to
us.
I chose a few picture that I felt relayed teaching our children/students sustainability. A few
pictures show how engaged students are in the teaching of sustainability. Sustainability is not
only a subject that can be taught from books, but allows for many interesting in and out of
classroom hands on activities. Another photo that I chose, shows a number of students around a
globe. I think this is a great way to show that our children/students are the future and we need

them to be educated on how to treat the world right and allow for replenishment for future
generations. A third picture,
A few videos were added to get a firsthand look into different programs that already have
sustainability education within their curriculum. One of which is a school in Australia was
featured in Embedding Sustainable Practices Part 1, 2 and 3 (ECA Learning Hub, 2013). This
school not only models but teaches sustainably living. The school is practically self-sustainable
and the students help in keeping the school functioning. A short video highlighting the
Sustainability Academy in Vermont, expresses the importance of the younger generations
learning about sustainability. The Principal, Brian Williams comments that the consequences of
not teaching our students about sustainability, is that we will continue making the mistakes of the
past (Microdocumentaries, 2013). This comment alone radiates the importance of passing the
knowledge on to future generations.
An internet article that I found, The Importance of Teaching Kids about Sustainability by
Kathryn Hatter, was very well written out in a succinct manner. Hatter briefly touches base on
the importance of a few key areas such as defining sustainability, knowledge, love of the Earth,
awareness and the power of knowledge (Hatter, n.d.). The article is an easy read withpowerful
focus and is a great introduction to those who question sustainability as a subject in school.
In addition to the photos, videos and internet article, I added three great resources for adults
who are interested in adding the topic of sustainability into their teaching. A portion of
Environmental Protection Agencys website, www.epa.gov/students, gives teachers and students
access to games, lesson plans and project ideas. The site also allows for growth in related topics.
As a future teacher who is new to sustainability, I feel as if this site is a great place to start. For
the districts that are looking to make a change, www.pathwaystogreenschools.org has great

information to help get started in whatever step one would like to take to improve their school.
The site does not forget about the teachers and students who are watching the change either, this
site gives suggestions and resources for teachers to include students in the change and allow
them to learn about sustainability. To make a small step, www.greeneducationfoundation.org
encourages classrooms to make a pledge to make a difference. The site also gives you the startup kit plan to build your own garden. Such an easy step to get students involved!
The more we involve the younger generations, the better. As adults and educators, we want
what is best for our student. Why not pass the knowledge on. The more we educate on
sustainability, the more we can work towards making changes for the better!

References
ECA Learning Hub. (2013, November 14). Embedding Sustainable Practices Part 1 of 3 [Video
file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVBdmWI7YEk
ECA Learning Hub. (2013, November 19). Embedding Sustainable Practices Part 2 of 3 [Video
file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqG6upOU8xg
ECA Learning Hub. (2013, November 26). Embedding Sustainable Practices Part 3 of 3 [Video
file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6BSRc_F4xk
Green Education Foundation. (2014). Creating a Sustainable Future Through Education.
Retrieved from http://www.greeneducationfoundation.org/
Hatter, Kathryn (n.d.) The Importance of Teaching Kids about Sustainability. Retrieved from
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/importance-teaching-kids-sustainability-23269.html
MicroDocumentaries. (2013, January 9). Sustainability Academy-Inspiring Future Generations
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4NPetaXdG8
Pennsylvania Department of Education. (2012). Pathways to Green Schools. Retrieved from
http://www.pathwaystogreenschools.org/
United States Environmental Protective Agency (n.d.) Students for the Environment. Retrieved
from http://www.epa.gov/students/