Get your school involved in Moving Planet!
Moving Planet Teacher & Student Resource
Moving Planet is an ideal opportunity for action-based learning about climate change
and the world for students and schools. Mark this day in your school diary: Thursday
September 22nd.
What is Moving Planet?
Moving Planet is the campaign being run by 350.org and a host of other international
organisations to help move the world beyond fossil fuels and toward the solutions to
the climate crisis.
The goal is to get moving beyond fossil fuels—both symbolically by pouring into the
streets in the thousands on foot, bicycle and other means of sustainable movement,
and politically by bringing powerful demands to our leaders that day to move beyond
fossil fuels to a 350ppm world. Mobilizing for individual and community solutions will
continue to be important—but one of the main goals for Moving Planet is to demand
government action, especially in places where governments are doing as much as
possible to stall on climate change, despite the overwhelming urgency of the science.
In 2009 and 2010, hundreds of schools around the world joined the 350.org global
day of action in getting to work on the solutions to climate change - from installing
solar panels to replacing ashpalt with food gardens. For example, Midland School in
Los Olivos, California, USA has converted their school to 20% energy use from solar,
and they are moving forward towards grid neutrality at a rate of 3% per year.
Check out the full story here.
Two dates to know...
In 2011, we are expecting thousands of schools to be involved - on the Moving Planet
schools day of action, which coincides with World Car-Free day - Thursday
September 22nd, and then joining with organisers around the world for the Moving
Planet global day of action on Saturday September 24th.
Why should schools get involved?
This year’s day of action is an ideal opportunity for action-based learning about
climate change and the world for students and schools - through bike to school
events, walking buses, or transforming schoolyards from asphalt into ecosystems.
It is important for young people to learn about climate change - it is the definitive issue
for young people. Within their lifetimes, young people will have to deal with massive
climate-driven social, economic, cultural, political and environmental shifts. The most
recent science, for example, indicates that there will be a minimum of one metre of
sea level rise by the end of the century. That’s a whole new world by 2100!
The 350 movement provides a
positive, fun, creative way for students
to explore the issue of climate change,
and what it might mean for their future.
It’s also their chance to engage with
decision makers about the sort of
future they would prefer for their world,
and share ideas about how we might
collectively start moving in that
direction.
What is 350?
350 parts per million (ppm) is, according to leading climate
scientists, the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in our
atmosphere. From the beginning of human civilisation until
the Industrial Revolution, global atmospheric carbon dioxide
did not exceed about 280ppm. The current concentration is
391ppm, and rising by about 2ppm annually. What could we
do to turn it around?
Getting back to 350 is a unique opportunity to remake our
schools and communities in ways that are healthier, more locally self-sufficient, and
honor traditional and indigenous wisdom. We can get away from relying so heavily on
sources of fuel and food that come from far away, and instead grow more of our own
food locally, ride bikes and public transit, depend on local energy systems like wind
and solar, and create economies that aren’t as dependent upon limitless growth.
These types of solutions help create communities that are not only friendlier to our
climate, but are also healthier for our children’s lungs and our collective well-being.
But how does doing a Moving Planet action fit into the curriculum and class work?
There is a range of ways that engaging your class or school in a Moving Planet action
can link to your curriculum and class work. Each country has it’s own unique
curriculum - these are just some examples based on the New Zealand curriculum:
In engaging with the concept of Moving Planet, and planning an action, students will
be exploring and developing the following Values -
Excellence; Innovation, inquiry and curiosity; Diversity; Equity; Community and
participation; Ecological sustainability; Integrity; Respect for self, others, and human
rights.
They will also be making use of each of the Key Competencies :
- Thinking - Linking climate change and the 350/Moving Planet concept to local
and national consequences. Researching the implications of climate change
and the 350/Moving Planet concept for the local context. Critically analysing
information gathered. Using the Moving Planet concept to shape action.
- Relating to Others - Working together with others to create an event / decide
on shared values and messages.
- Participating and Contributing - Being part of a school and wider community
with responsibility not only at the local level but as New Zealanders and as
global citizens.
- Using Language, Symbols and Text - Using/understanding the science
behind the ‘350’ and ‘Moving Planet’ symbol. Constructing relevant local
messages in appropriate formats.
- Managing Self - Meta-cognitive understanding of the role of the ‘350’ symbol
in raising awareness / representing values / giving messages. Working as part
of a group to set a goal, make plans, manage a project.
Four steps to Moving Planet action success
1. Register an Action:
Go to www.moving-planet.org , get inspired by actions being planned at other schools,
and follow the link to register your own school’s action on the global site.
2. Plan the Action:
The most effective actions are the ones that really walk the talk. How can your action
support your community’s independence from fossil fuels? How can you make the
action have a lasting positive impact for your school, as well as getting the message
through to your political leaders?
You might also like to consider:
Inviting the community, to spread the message more widely.
Building the buzz, through local media (important!) and engagement with local
groups.
Engaging local politicians, to ensure that today’s decision makers hear the
students’ message.
Making a banner, to make sure the 350 message gets through!
3. Take Action!
The details of the action are up to you, but there are a few key components –
Make sure you take a photo of the people at your event with a Moving Planet
and/or 350 banner (whatever shape it might take!)
Gather people’s contact details, so you can keep in touch with them after the
event, and keep the local momentum going!
Have a fun and meaningful day. Your school is part of a very important global
movement!
4. Follow Up:
This is very important - as soon as your action is over, choose your best photo and
upload it to the global Moving Planet website. The photos will be used to build a
global voice for a fair and ambitious commitment to solving the climate crisis - locally
and globally. It’s also important to follow up with your local media and politicians, so
your message gets through.
Resources
There are lots of useful resources that can help with your action planning
- Check out the science in handy fact-sheet format or our solutions sheet .
- Want to turn your asphalt into a climate friendly ecosystem? Check out the ‘Asphalt
to Ecosystems’ website here.
Also, have a look at the Alliance for Climate Education resources here:
- ACE Teacher Resources
- ACE Teacher Lesson Plans
- ACE FAQs
Moving Planet Teacher & Student Resource
Moving Planet is an ideal opportunity for action-based learning about climate change
and the world for students and schools. Mark this day in your school diary: Thursday
September 22nd.
What is Moving Planet?
Moving Planet is the campaign being run by 350.org and a host of other international
organisations to help move the world beyond fossil fuels and toward the solutions to
the climate crisis.
The goal is to get moving beyond fossil fuels—both symbolically by pouring into the
streets in the thousands on foot, bicycle and other means of sustainable movement,
and politically by bringing powerful demands to our leaders that day to move beyond
fossil fuels to a 350ppm world. Mobilizing for individual and community solutions will
continue to be important—but one of the main goals for Moving Planet is to demand
government action, especially in places where governments are doing as much as
possible to stall on climate change, despite the overwhelming urgency of the science.
In 2009 and 2010, hundreds of schools around the world joined the 350.org global
day of action in getting to work on the solutions to climate change - from installing
solar panels to replacing ashpalt with food gardens. For example, Midland School in
Los Olivos, California, USA has converted their school to 20% energy use from solar,
and they are moving forward towards grid neutrality at a rate of 3% per year.
Check out the full story here.
Two dates to know...
In 2011, we are expecting thousands of schools to be involved - on the Moving Planet
schools day of action, which coincides with World Car-Free day - Thursday
September 22nd, and then joining with organisers around the world for the Moving
Planet global day of action on Saturday September 24th.
Why should schools get involved?
This year’s day of action is an ideal opportunity for action-based learning about
climate change and the world for students and schools - through bike to school
events, walking buses, or transforming schoolyards from asphalt into ecosystems.
It is important for young people to learn about climate change - it is the definitive issue
for young people. Within their lifetimes, young people will have to deal with massive
climate-driven social, economic, cultural, political and environmental shifts. The most
recent science, for example, indicates that there will be a minimum of one metre of
sea level rise by the end of the century. That’s a whole new world by 2100!
The 350 movement provides a
positive, fun, creative way for students
to explore the issue of climate change,
and what it might mean for their future.
It’s also their chance to engage with
decision makers about the sort of
future they would prefer for their world,
and share ideas about how we might
collectively start moving in that
direction.
What is 350?
350 parts per million (ppm) is, according to leading climate
scientists, the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in our
atmosphere. From the beginning of human civilisation until
the Industrial Revolution, global atmospheric carbon dioxide
did not exceed about 280ppm. The current concentration is
391ppm, and rising by about 2ppm annually. What could we
do to turn it around?
Getting back to 350 is a unique opportunity to remake our
schools and communities in ways that are healthier, more locally self-sufficient, and
honor traditional and indigenous wisdom. We can get away from relying so heavily on
sources of fuel and food that come from far away, and instead grow more of our own
food locally, ride bikes and public transit, depend on local energy systems like wind
and solar, and create economies that aren’t as dependent upon limitless growth.
These types of solutions help create communities that are not only friendlier to our
climate, but are also healthier for our children’s lungs and our collective well-being.
But how does doing a Moving Planet action fit into the curriculum and class work?
There is a range of ways that engaging your class or school in a Moving Planet action
can link to your curriculum and class work. Each country has it’s own unique
curriculum - these are just some examples based on the New Zealand curriculum:
In engaging with the concept of Moving Planet, and planning an action, students will
be exploring and developing the following Values -
Excellence; Innovation, inquiry and curiosity; Diversity; Equity; Community and
participation; Ecological sustainability; Integrity; Respect for self, others, and human
rights.
They will also be making use of each of the Key Competencies :
- Thinking - Linking climate change and the 350/Moving Planet concept to local
and national consequences. Researching the implications of climate change
and the 350/Moving Planet concept for the local context. Critically analysing
information gathered. Using the Moving Planet concept to shape action.
- Relating to Others - Working together with others to create an event / decide
on shared values and messages.
- Participating and Contributing - Being part of a school and wider community
with responsibility not only at the local level but as New Zealanders and as
global citizens.
- Using Language, Symbols and Text - Using/understanding the science
behind the ‘350’ and ‘Moving Planet’ symbol. Constructing relevant local
messages in appropriate formats.
- Managing Self - Meta-cognitive understanding of the role of the ‘350’ symbol
in raising awareness / representing values / giving messages. Working as part
of a group to set a goal, make plans, manage a project.
Four steps to Moving Planet action success
1. Register an Action:
Go to www.moving-planet.org , get inspired by actions being planned at other schools,
and follow the link to register your own school’s action on the global site.
2. Plan the Action:
The most effective actions are the ones that really walk the talk. How can your action
support your community’s independence from fossil fuels? How can you make the
action have a lasting positive impact for your school, as well as getting the message
through to your political leaders?
You might also like to consider:
Inviting the community, to spread the message more widely.
Building the buzz, through local media (important!) and engagement with local
groups.
Engaging local politicians, to ensure that today’s decision makers hear the
students’ message.
Making a banner, to make sure the 350 message gets through!
3. Take Action!
The details of the action are up to you, but there are a few key components –
Make sure you take a photo of the people at your event with a Moving Planet
and/or 350 banner (whatever shape it might take!)
Gather people’s contact details, so you can keep in touch with them after the
event, and keep the local momentum going!
Have a fun and meaningful day. Your school is part of a very important global
movement!
4. Follow Up:
This is very important - as soon as your action is over, choose your best photo and
upload it to the global Moving Planet website. The photos will be used to build a
global voice for a fair and ambitious commitment to solving the climate crisis - locally
and globally. It’s also important to follow up with your local media and politicians, so
your message gets through.
Resources
There are lots of useful resources that can help with your action planning
- Check out the science in handy fact-sheet format or our solutions sheet .
- Want to turn your asphalt into a climate friendly ecosystem? Check out the ‘Asphalt
to Ecosystems’ website here.
Also, have a look at the Alliance for Climate Education resources here:
- ACE Teacher Resources
- ACE Teacher Lesson Plans
- ACE FAQs