November 2015

  • A foggy week in Paris

    Reuters chose an apt photograph of Paris to illustrate a report on the dim prospects for COP21.  It begins: Before a summit on climate change in Paris next week, many governments are citing scientific studies indicating that their plans to...

  • ESD as Transformation? – a liberal review

    What follows is the new thematic essay I have written for Routledge ... ESD as Transformation? – a liberal review “We must take the first determined steps toward a sustainable future with dignity for all.  Transformation is our aim.  We must...

  • Securing the UK’s Energy Future – maybe

    The I-SEE seminar on Monday was given by Professor John Loughhead, Chief Scientific Advisor at DECC – the Department of Energy and Climate Change.  His title, ‘Securing the UK’s Energy Future’ could hardly be more important. This is what the Abstract for...

  • Snakes and ladders in the natural environment

    I spent an enjoyable day in London last week at a joint meeting of two of Natural England's strategic research groups: the National Outdoors for All SRG, and the Learning in Natural Environments SRG.  I am part of the latter, but...

  • Make Mine a Moritorium

    As I noted a few days ago, I went to listen to an I-SEE seminar by Richard Denniss.  It was an enjoyable event, delivered with some style, although I thought that we were reminded once too often that Australia was a continent....

  • Real World Learning outdoors

    I commented on the web-based Real World Learning [RWL] model a couple of months ago, and I wasn't impressed.  I said: "Too clever by half, would be a kind judgement.  More muddle than model, another.  A pity, as there might...

  • Natural Connections calls the DfE

    This is my last post about the Natural Connections event in Plymouth last week. The most telling point came at the end of the day when someone asked: "What about the DfE?” What indeed, I thought.  The response was that the...

  • Question Time in Plymouth

    This is my third post about the Natural Connections event in Plymouth last week. When the audience was eventually allowed to have a say, here are the "questions" and responses I heard, together with my comments ... A. "Can you separate...

  • Natural Disconnections in Plymouth

    This is my second post about the Natural Connections event in Plymouth last week.  As I noted on Thursday morning, I set off for the meeting with a heavy heart, as the format of the programme suggested they'd learned nothing about organising a...

  • Gore and the Green Alliance

    What follows is Steve Martin's recent posting to the SHED-SHARE network: Al Gore poses a crucial question: Is David Cameron really willing and able to lead on climate change? Al Gore is puzzled by David Cameron and the UK political scene,...