Bill Scott

  • Equal opportunities in Argyll and Bute

    As Andy Stables has noted, the political slogan, equal opportunities – rather like the idea of sustainable development – is something of a contradiction, but that doesn't stop its being put into practice in some odd contexts.  A recent egregious example...

  • The moral case for renewable energy

    At the end of May, the Guardian reported that, over two days, Germany's installed solar capacity produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity, and on one of the days met nearly 50% of power demand.  Impressive, or watt?  Needless to...

  • Wildlife on the streets

    I spent this morning standing on a street corner in one of our most prosperous local towns, collecting money for the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust as part of its 50th year celebrations.  It was instructive to see who were the more...

  • Oh for a coherent conceptual frame

    Researchers from universities in Belgium, Mexico, Slovenia, the UK and the USA are setting out to look at the implementation of sustainable development principles, “as set up by the different declarations, partnerships, and initiatives into higher education institutions worldwide and...

  • Don't wait: empty those classrooms today

    Thanks to the NAEE blog for its advance notice of Empty Classroom Day on July 6th.  Fittingly, Project Dirt has the detail. I'm never keen on these sort of focused days, and certainly when part of every school day ought surely to...

  • A view from 1979 – 33 years on

    Attached is an extended version of the editorial I have contributed to the 100th edition of NAEE's Environmental Education.  Quite a milestone. The text looks back to what HMI were saying in 1979 about environmental education and the curriculum in...

  • Guardian green

    It is notoriously difficult to capture education activities focused on sustainability in a picture – quite often they look like a bunch of people sitting around talking – an accurate reflection of reality in many ways.  So well done to...

  • Pre-Rio perspiration

    Last week, the 5th International Conference of the Living Knowledge Network issued a Communiqué on Sustainability, Knowledge and Democracy – an initiative of the 'Big Tent' Group of international networks.  Some have lauded this, but I fear it's not for me....

  • 56 Up

    I viewed the first two episodes of Michael Apted's 56 Up with nervous anticipation of a wonderful TV venture – one I have been watching since the late 1970s when the early programmes were used on Bath's pre-service teacher education PGCE...

  • No such thing as a free education after all

    This week's Economist reports that the Scottish government is having to raid FE budgets (and other unspecified pots) to keep its universities afloat. Scotland may be able to write education policies, but it is still subject to financing decisions made...