THINKING GREEN ACTING GREEN Global Change Green Audit Project2nd ASCC 18-20th Feb 09Pavs Pillay ACCESS & MA-RE (UCT)

Setting the sceneGreen Audit ProjectAbout the projectImplementationChallengesThe future

Our biggest challenge in this century is to take an idea that seems abstract sustainable development and make it into a daily reality for all the worlds people.Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, March 2001

Primary Aims :

- Awareness creation and changes in behaviour of young adults with regards to Global Change Redefining ones environment How their actions or non-actions play a role & the long term effects of these, particularly on their lifestyles- Sensitization of young adults to environmental issues and sustainable living- Sustainable living versus economic growth and development

Secondary Aims:

- To encourage young adults into the field of Earth System Science

KEY QUESTION : How are we going to achieve these aims?

ANSWER Develop a Green Audit Toolkit for High School Learners

The Toolkit:Contents - Information and Activities booklet for learners - Educators Guide - Smart Living Handbook (CTCC product) - Audit Sheets - Smart Living Activity Sheets

Phase 1 :- 8 Schools (4 advantaged & 4 disadvantaged)- Twining the schools - Bishops Diocesan, LEAP School, Hector Peterson, Somerset College, South Peninsular High, Springfield College, St Cyprians & Hout Bay High- Once the schools are audited, the schools need to develop a practical, cost-effective and implementable green sustainability plan - The participation of the schools are also incentive driven KEY QUESTION SO WHAT IS THE PRIZE?

ANSWER Apart from doing an audit and assessing the schools carbon footprint, the schools with the best green plan wins a complete refit of all schools facilities making the school a green sustainable environment

- Held our first Educators workshop- Needed buy-in from the educators and the support of the school- Well received by all schools and educators - First learners workshop 23rd Feb 09 - Use snippets from movies to introduce the topic - Do a mock audit as a competition and incentive to get students interacting & motivated

GLOBAL CHANGE GREEN AUDIT- Time Frames- Different facilities at schools How to measure certain items e.g. urinals water usage, lab equipment wattage etc.- Need for equipment and resources- Cultural difference Economic differences between schools

Immediate - Let the pilot project run and work through challengesLong term - Relook and rework the toolkit - Roll-out the toolkit to all schools in the Western Cape - Get other councils to run the programme in their provinces

It is important to illustrate to the learners and educators that the whole is greater than the sum of the partsof the Earth system. We must strive to create Awareness and to change Behaviour especially in the light of Global change and its effects and consequences.

ACCESSwww.africaclimatescience.orgMA-RE Institutewww.ma-re.uct.ac.zaEmbassy of Finlandwww.finland.org.zaCity Council of Cape Townwww.capetown.gov.za

ACCESSHin Wah LiSteadfast Greening ConsultantsGrace Stead, Andrew Bennett & Andy Le May City Council of Cape TownLindie BuirskiEmbassy of Finland -SAAmbassador Heikki TunnanenMs Jesse Laitinen

**While there may exist major uncertainties about the rate of global change, the factors that will be altered and the consequences thereof, there is little doubt that global change is happening and human contributions to those changes are inextricable linked. Hence the notions of climate and environmental change have become part of our every day discussions, partly attributed to their prominence in the media but more importantly to the impending impact of the changes on our current lifestyles. In spite of this, there have only been modest efforts made towards developing practical tools and resources which will contribute towards mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, particularly when it comes to high school learners and young adults. Curriculum relevant material on global change, mitigation and adaptation strategies that can lead to awareness and behavior changes is sorely lacking. *To this end, a joint project between the Africa Centre for Climate & Earth System Science (ACCESS), the City of Cape Town and the Embassy of Finland-SA, was developed to assist high school learners in making conscious and informed decisions about living smartly, using resources wisely and in following best green practices at school and home.

*Direct and Indirect aims:Not just create awareness about global change issues but also to result in the change in people behaviour we hope to achieve this by making learners aware that the environment is not something out there or something other but rather their immediate living space. To get them to recognize that the environment is both the rural and the built environment with which we interact both directly (where we live, work and learn) and indirectly (what happens to our waste once it is removed or once it goes down a storm drain). Which in essence is planet Earth. To encourage young adults in ESS particularly showing them how mathematics and science fit into itHow can we make money or save money can green living be profitable and create wealth Target group learners in Grade 10 & 11, eco-groups at school defined number of kids.

*The resource consists of a Green Audit toolkit comprising of a learners information and activities booklet, an educators guide, audit and smart living activity sheets. The main thrust of the toolkit is sustainable living; which is explored through the themes of water, waste, energy and biodiversity. The learners booklet teaches learners, in a practical manner with educator guidance, what a green audit is, the wasteful ways of living (energy, water, waste, biodiversity etc.) give examples here like not using CFLs, non-indigenous plants, impermeable paving, not recycling waste etc. The booklet also shows how to audit your schools and how to calculate their schools carbon footprint - do it yourself booklet. The audit sheets are designed to be fun and easy to fill out we want to prevent the collection of erroneous data - important!

While the educators booklet has been developed to assist educators in implementing the audit and follow-on processes as part of their lessons in class. It is curriculum relevant based on the learner objectives and outcomes as stipulated in the National curriculum of life orientation, Home Language, Life sciences, Maths literacy, social science, geography, mathematics and technology. *Phase 1 - Eight schools were selected to participate in the pilot project using the schools existing eco-groups. The schools comprise of 4 advantaged and 4 disadvantaged schools. The schools were twinned in such a way that an advantaged school is paired with a disadvantaged one and the learners assist each other in conducting the audits and comparing the data and outcomes. In doing so learners and educators from different backgrounds can interaction and network effectively. The activity sheets which the students are to do together is to ensure interaction and networking. Twinned Schools will meet at their own convenience and decide how they want to do their audits and when, we will be available to help.

School with the best sustainability plan wins a complete refitting engaging dept of water affairs and Cape Town city water works and Eskom and other private companies to provide what we need to refit the winning schools. *Learners workshop will be done as a fun activity, movie showing snippets from 3 controversial environmental movies, get a feel for peoples ideas on global change and green issues particularly assess whether learners feel that we can and then do a mock audit of the venue we are at 2 fold reason show them how (practical) and also make a competition to help illustrate the importance of accurate data collection, and finally show them how to input the data and use the data. This is where the educators and the curriculum links become very important because the exercises done in class need to reinforce. *Challenges:- Time frame working with varying school calendar (public versus private) and also other activities, also to put into lesson plans we should have got the educators the booklet earlier than the school calendar, getting students together (set time to do the audit), winter and summer energy and water consumption - Suggestion from schools with large campus specific common areas are selected to audit

- Need for equipment and resources such scales for weighing waste, computers for inputting data, sorting bins

Cultural concerns Basic issue of the environment/planet and who is responsible, Issue around sorting out waste & calculating waste as this changes from daily, Global change is a problem created by the developed world and it belongs to them, why must the developing world now be deprived off certain basic needs and come up with solutions (easily counter-argued in terms of global affect mitigate and adapt etc, science needed to find our own solutions) , language used what is meant by uncertainty and risk and what is defined as uncertainty, Often people litter because they are creating work for others to pick it up (job creation)

- Economic differences between schools for the poorer schools global change is not a priority in their lives (basic needs such as food, need for basic services are needed i.e. running water, electricity etc. We need to use existing institutions and informal structures and help make these sustainable and green, available resources,

Future and way forwardImmediately - Let the pilot run and work through challenges, Long term - relook and rework the toolkit (add to the kit), roll-out the toolkit to all schools in the WC*

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