Earth’s Cool for Teachers

Welcome to Earth’s Cool. Our unique educational program has informed and entertained thousands of students in both primary and secondary school across Australia and overseas for over 15 years. The core focus of Earth’s Cool is to broaden awareness on sustainability and to deliver outcomes that result in students taking meaningful action in their own lives, be it at home, school and as a metaphor for life. The Earth’s Cool education program comprises six simple and easy to follow categories that each cover the broad spectrum of subjects that relate to sustainability. These categories are:

Energy - Water - Shelter - Food - Utilities - Wellbeing

The subjects contained in these major categories often overlap and entwine to demonstrate the holistic approach required to formulate a sound appreciation of how sustainability affects all areas of life. This understanding correlates with the sustainability curriculum, which asserts “sustainability addresses the ongoing capacity of Earth to maintain all life”.

To assist teachers in meeting the needs set out in the National Sustainability Curriculum, Earth’s Cool has mapped across its’ program content to align with the ‘Organising Ideas’ set out in the curriculum. This way, teachers can utilize the Earth’s Cool content to assist in the delivery of information to students throughout the course of their study. Below the National Curriculum overview is provided followed by the relevant mapping of the codes and organising ideas to the Earth’s Cool subjects and learning modules. As the subject of Sustainability is relatively new to the national curriculum, the Earth’s Cool program is designed to introduce key concepts to stimulate inquiry into their broader applications.

Sustainability Curriculum

Sustainability addresses the ongoing capacity of Earth to maintain all life.

Sustainable patterns of living meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Actions to improve sustainability are both individual and collective endeavors shared across local and global communities. They necessitate a renewed and balanced approach to the way humans interact with each other and the environment.

Education for sustainability develops the knowledge, skills, values and world views necessary for people to act in ways that contribute to more sustainable patterns of living. It enables individuals and communities to reflect on ways of interpreting and engaging with the world. Sustainability education is futures-oriented, focusing on protecting environments and creating a more ecologically and socially just world through informed action. Actions that support more sustainable patterns of living require consideration of environmental, social, cultural and economic systems and their interdependence.

For each cross-curriculum priority, a set of organising ideas reflects the essential knowledge, understandings and skills for the priority. The organising ideas are embedded in the content descriptions and elaborations of each learning area as appropriate.

Organising Ideas

• Code OI.1 The biosphere is a dynamic system providing conditions that sustain life on Earth.
• Code OI.2 All life forms, including human life, are connected through ecosystems on which they depend for their wellbeing and survival.
• Code OI.3 Sustainable patterns of living rely on the interdependence of healthy social, economic and ecological systems

World Views

• Code OI.4 World views that recognise the dependence of living things on healthy ecosystems, and value diversity and social justice are essential for achieving sustainability.
• Code OI.5 World views are formed by experiences at personal, local, national and global levels, and are linked to individual and community actions for sustainability.

 Futures

• Code OI.6 The sustainability of ecological, social and economic systems is achieved through informed individual and community action that values local and global equity and fairness across generations into the future.
• Code OI.7 Actions for a more sustainable future reflect values of care, respect and responsibility, and require us to explore and understand environments.
• Code OI.8 Designing action for sustainability requires an evaluation of past practices, the assessment of scientific and technological developments, and balanced judgments based on projected future economic, social and environmental impacts.
• Code OI.9 Sustainable futures result from actions designed to preserve and/or restore the quality and uniqueness of environments.