Bill Scott's blog
Thoughts on learning, sustainability and the link between them
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UKIP alert – the rise of the non-native species
According to a report in the Guardian 1,875 non-native species were counted in Great Britain in 2012 – a figure increasing by 10 species a year, it seems. 282 of these have become invasive. The parliamentary report, Invasive Non-native Species, says there...
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The 0.7% solution
A recent brief discussion in parliament, about whether the 0.7% of GDP we devote to overseas aid should be fixed in legislation, throws light on why DfID decided to run its own education programme in England (with its new pals in Pearson). ...
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So, who's your ESD educator of the Decade?
This question has been posed by EfS Scotland which says: November 2014 marks the end of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development which aimed to ‘integrate the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects...
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Save the Devon 3
Does Defra really plan to remove the three beavers from Devon's River Otter and kill them – or much worse, incarcerate them in a zoo? Given that these animals have European protection, this is hardly credible – but then, until recently, neither...
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The Ellen MacArthur Foundation gets a new CEO
Some ESD enthusiasts were very sniffy about the Ellen MacArthur Foundation when it began. They thought, variously, it wasn't really academic, not interested in sustainability, had soiled its hands with mere trade, and had no idea about ESD. Others, of course, saw these (and a...
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Will Defra now run an environmental learning programme in schools?
Nature, as well as obviously being 'for itself', is essential to human welfare and crucial to our global economy. Despite this, the value of natural capital is consistently taken for granted. The UK's Natural Capital Committee (NCC) has recently published...
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Making Universities Sustainable – but only up to a point
The Making Universities Sustainable conference in Denmark in October is, we’re told “Relevant for all engaged in university sustainability, experienced as well as beginners … leading decision makers, sustainability coordinators, administrative staff or facilities managers.” That’s because it’s about exploring...
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The informal, the subliminal and the hidden
I was at the university of Bristol the other day talking with their impressive ESD team at the students union – in one of their BREEAM 'excellent' buildings. It apparently has the slowest lift in Christendom – the idea being that...
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Estyn's deafening silence on the effects of ESDGC
As I noted when I wrote about on Estyn's new ESDGC report, the headlines were mostly very positive. When you look at the detail of the report, and at the recommendations, however, things look less rosy: Estyn’s recommendations are that Schools...
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Welsh school inspectors report on ESDGC
This report is published in response to a request for advice from the Welsh Government. It reports on the progress that primary, secondary and special schools have made in education for sustainable development and global citizenship (ESDGC) since 2006 when Estyn...
