1. Education for Sustainable Development in Evergreen School Division
Learning Today to Improve Tomorrow
Education for Sustainable Development in Evergreen School Division
Post SEdA Meeting April 27, 2010

2. Sustainable Development A Priority in Evergreen for 3 years
Sustainability - a priority in Evergreen's Strategic Plan in
Initiatives undertaken included:
Division “Green” initiatives
School-based ESD initiatives
Our Division Planning process identified need for a more comprehensive division plan for Education for Sustainable Development
Division Teams attended Sustainability and Education Academy in November, 2008 and October, 2009
New Division Foundations approved in (with linkages to Sustainable Development)
Sustainable Development has been identified as priority as part of our and Strategic Plan

3. Evergreen Foundations
Vision
“Learning Today to Improve Tomorrow”
Mission
Evergreen School Division will engage students in learning to become contributing citizens of a democratic society.
Core Values
Students Come First
Learning is Our Core Purpose
Public Education Serves the Common Good

4. Why are “Foundations” important to us?
To communicate:
the purpose of our work
the values and beliefs that underpin our work
To inform our practice
To provide a reference point that helps us to evaluate our practices
To guide our decision-making

5. Priorities and Action Areas 2009-2010
Priority
Action Area
Sustainable Development
Governance
Education for Sustainable Development
Human Resources
Facilities, Infrastructure and Operations
Student Engagement
Relevance
Arts
Career and Technology Programming
Student Assessment
Safe and Caring Schools
Citizenship
Positive Relationships
Student Behaviour
Diversity

6. Action Area – Domain 1 Governance
A systemic approach to implementing Sustainable Development is implemented.
Priority in Division Strategic Plan
Board Policy Development
Committees
Budget
Community Partnerships
Evaluation and Monitoring

7. Action Area – Domain 2 Education for Sustainable Development
Students will acquire and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, attitudes and life practices that contribute to a sustainable future.
Cross-curricular focus of ESD in all subjects
MECY scope and sequence is implemented
Problem-based learning focused on ESD
Pedagogy focused on systems thinking, inquiry, active learning, futures thinking, problem solving from a local and global perspective
Connections to Student Engagement, Citizenship, Relevance

8. Action Area – Domain 3 Human Resources
Human resources policies, practices and development plans are aligned with sustainable development principles.
Professional development is provided for professional and support staff
Education for Sustainable Development practices are profiled and recognized
Succession Planning (e.g. Leadership Development)
Staff Wellness plan is developed and programs are implemented at each work site

9. Action Area – Domain 4 Facilities and Operations
Sustainability principles are applied to the design, construction and renewal of division buildings and all aspects of facility management, procurement, resource use and transportation.
Facilities and operations assessment
Facility renewal plan developed based on LEED or equivalent standard
Operations plan developed that includes actions in procurement, energy efficiency, water conservation and waste reduction.
Schools structures and outdoor spaces are “facilities that teach” sustainability practices
Develop a sustainable transportation plan

10. Contributing citizen? Vision for Education for Sustainable Development
Students will become informed and responsible decision-makers, playing active roles as citizens of our communities, Canada and the world, and will contribute to social, environmental, and economic well-being, and an equitable quality of life for all, now and in the future.

11. What Kind of Citizen? Personally Responsible Citizen
Participatory Citizen
Social-Justice Oriented Citizen
Description
Acts responsibly in their community
Works and pays taxes
Picks up litter, recycles, and gives blood
Helps those in need, lends a hand during times of crisis
Obeys laws
Active member of community organizations
Organizes community efforts to care for those in need, promote economic development, or to clean up environment
Knows how government agencies work
Knows strategies for accomplishing collective tasks
Critically assesses social, political, and economic structures
Explores strategies for change that address root causes of problems
Knows about social movements and how to effect systemic change
Seeks out and addresses areas of injustice
Sample Action
Contributes food to a food drive
Helps to organize a food drive
Explores why people are hungry and acts to solve root causes
Core Assumptions
To solve social problems and improve society, citizens must have good character; they must be honest, responsible, and law-abiding members of the community.
To solve social problems and improve society, citizens must actively participate and take leadership positions within established systems and community structures.
To solve social problems and improve society, citizens must question and change established systems and structures when they reproduce patterns of injustice over time.

12. “In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
Eric Hoffer

13. What we have accomplished this year in Evergreen in ESD
Post SEdA Division Workshop with Chuck Hopkins, Brian Kelly and Anne MacDiarmid
Board Policy – Sustainable Development
Sustainable Development identified as one of our 3 Priority Areas in Strategic Plan
Facilities and Operations Audit
Division Committees Formed and Active
Education for Sustainable Development
Facilities and Operations
Staff Wellness

14. Policy – Sustainable Development
To implement strategies to ensure that operations, activities, programs and facilities are sustainable without compromising the ability of present and future generations to fulfill their own goals.
To implement a systemic approach to sustainable development.
To equip students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and life practices that will contribute to a sustainable future.
To align human resources policies, practices and development plans with sustainable development principles.
To apply sustainability principles to the design, construction and renewal of division buildings and all aspects of facility management, procurement, resource use and transportation.

15. ESD Committee Membership
The ESD Committee for Evergreen School Division consists of 10 members.
Each school is represented on the committee.
Divisional Aboriginal Education Coordinator sits on the committee to help include an aboriginal perspective.

16. ESD Committee Goals
Provide support for schools to implement divisional strategic plan strategies.
Promote ESD at each school.
Collect school activities to become recognized as ECO-GLOBE Schools.
Disseminate ESD information to staff.
Plan a Youth forum for Grade 4,6, & 8 students. High school students will be invited as leaders, presenters, and food preparation.

17. Promote ESD at each School
The committee invited Anne MacDiarmid to attend their first meeting in November 2009.
Based on this meeting committee members returned to their schools to highlight the provincial ESD website with teachers.
Shared Manitoba Education Scope and Sequence with staff members to show the connections with their curriculum being already taught and promote a ESD focus in the classroom.
Committee provided the Manitoba Education and posters to all teachers and provided information on how to use in their classrooms.

18. ECO-GLOBE Schools
To celebrate our success, the committee decided to work towards being recognized as Eco-Globe Schools.
Committee members at each school keep a record of school initiatives and classroom activities that focus on ESD
Committee met on April 21 and together applied to be recognized as ECO-Globe schools.

19. Wonders of Water Youth Forum
The committee decided to plan a youth forum to help promote ESD
Grades 4,6,8 students will participate and some high school students will act as group leaders and assist with activities.
Being situation on Lake Winnipeg the forum will focus on the importance of water on various aspects of ESD.

20. How are we preparing them?
“Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see”
Neil Postman
How are we preparing them?

21. Questions?