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Alasdair Lord Keeping It Cool! Learning about Climate Change in Thai Schools Abstract Keeping it Cool: A Teachers Guide to Climate Change is part of the British Council Thailand’s commitment to Education for Sustainable Development with the focus on learning to enable young people to make better decisions about climate change. It is co-produced by the British Council Thailand, Field Studies Council (UK) and the National Science Museum, with the aim of giving Thai science teachers user friendly and practical resources for use in empowering students to both learn about and take action on climate change. It differs from similar packs in that, whilst still examining individual choices, it also examines change at the systemic level and how significant changes often require a change of thinking. This reflects a refocusing of thinking from the individual to the system. The pack consists of the Teacher’s Handbook on Climate Change and a series of five posters on climate change. The handbook comes in four sections which are Introduction to Climate Change; How to Teach About Climate Change; Climate Change Activities and Resources. The activity and resources sections cover a wide range of activities including surveys, role plays, experiments and creating posters/displays. This broad range of activities allows for varying timeframes and also acknowledges different learner styles. Partner logos British Council National Science Museum Field Studies Council (UK) 1 Introduction Climate change is the biggest single issue facing us today. The scale far outweighs any environmental crisis humans have faced. Climate change scientists are in agreement that climate change is increasing, and human activity is pushing it to dangerous levels. Cuts in carbon emission of between 50-80% are needed by 2050 if we are to stabilise climate change. Politicians and businesses are slowly catching up too. But to avert climate change will require a huge shift in thinking. “Keeping it Cool! A teachers guide to climate change” is part of the British Council Thailand’s three year strategy to develop ESD in Thailand and assist the Thai ministry of education in integrating ESD into the geography and science curriculum. In addition to the Thai language teachers’ pack and 5 Thai language posters relating to climate change the British Council Thailand, in collaboration with the Field Studies Council (FSC) and National Science Museum (NSM), conducted training sessions with NSM staff and groups of Thai science and geography teachers. This training had a number of aims; to raise the level of scientific awareness of climate change; to inculcate the notion that a change in thinking or paradigm shift was necessary for tackling climate change; to have a greater awareness of communicative teaching methods to use with their students; and to have participated in activities from the resource pack in order to give them practical experience of how activities might be introduced and staged in a classroom environment. The teachers pack aims to enhance young people’s meaningful understanding of climate change and the impact of their actions. By using the pack teachers can help students understand the root causes of climate change, the likely effects it will have on ourselves and the planet and empower students so that they can take positive action as groups and/or individuals to reduce the effects of climate change. The British Council Thailand’s ESD programme The British Council Thailand has a three year ESD programme of which the climate change teachers’ pack is one part. Some of the other projects the British Council are involved in are; Zero Carbon City; Carbon Calculator and Ecological Footprint; Young Thai Science Journalist; NorthSouthEastWest photographic competition. This paper only exams the climate change teachers’ pack (and the posters and training associated with it), for more information on any of British Council Thailand’s ESD project please refer to the BC website (www.britishcouncil.or.th). How does this pack differ from current Thai education strategies for tackling climate change? The Climate Change teachers pack was written partly to deepen the teachers’ knowledge and understanding of climate change, but primarily it was created to be used as a ‘hands-on’ practical resource for teachers to use in the classroom with students. Therefore this paper both discusses the aims and context of the climate change pack and includes a number of the activities from the resources pack. As well as examining changes at the level of the individual the pack emphasises the need for change in systems, thinking and strategies at the country, regional and global level. Furthermore it emphasises possible solutions and mitigation strategies as well as discussing the causes of climate change and its possible effects in the near future. The pack also exams the (often misunderstood) relationship between society-economy-environment and encourages students and teachers to ask more challenging questions about the causes and solutions of climate change. 2 Structure of the climate change pack The Pack consists of four sections, namely; Part 1 – An introduction to climate change. 1.1. Is climate changing? 1.2. Where do the extra degrees come from? 1.3. What might happen in the future? 1.4. How are the environment, society and the economy related? 1.5. What we can do to solve the problem of climate change Part 2 – How to teach about climate change. 2.1. Why educate about the environment? 2.2. Communicating climate change 2.3. The student centred classroom 2.4. Managing debates and open-ended activities Part 3 – Climate change activities 3.1. Which activity should I use? 3.2. Science 3.3. Surveys / Awareness raising 3.4. Debates / role plays / freer activities 3.5. Design / Create Part 4 - resources Activities and resources accompanying the pack Accompanying the climate change pack are; 5 Thai language posters Training sessions for National Science Museum staff Training sessions for Thai science and geography teachers The Posters The climate change posters, created by FSC, which accompany the pack were originally written in English and translated into Russian to be used as part of an environmental Education project in Central Asia. They were rewritten for use in a Thai context and translated by the British Council Thailand. The posters are entitled 1. Is climate changing? 2. Why is the World getting hotter? 3. What might happen in the future? 4. Can we stop climate change? 5. Solve the problem of climate change. The posters were designed to be visually dynamic and engaging, so that they would be both interesting and thought provoking for students. A number of the activities in the resource pack use the posters as a teaching tool but most activities are independent of the posters. 3 Training With the principles of sustainability in mind, British Council Thailand and FSC conducted training sessions with NSM staff so that after there involvement in the project was finished the project would be continued with little or no support by NSM. The training focused both on factual knowledge and on communicative teaching methods (learning by doing). NSM staff were then expected to plan and lead training sessions with Thai Geography and Science teachers the following month based on what they had learnt. 4 Section 1: An introduction to climate change In the climate change pack this section has three main purposes. 1. To give factually correct scientific information relating to climate change to the teacher 2. To raise awareness of how society-economy-environment relate to each other 3. To encourage new ways of thinking Scientific facts Although teachers of science and geography can be assumed to have good general knowledge of the natural world and many of the component parts of climate change, it can not be assumed that they will have studied (or taught) them as they relate specifically to climate change. The pack therefore outlines the scientific evidence for past (natural) climate change and its consequences and addressed the evidence for current climate change, its causes by human activity and possible ways to address the challenge of climate change. Society-economy-environment awareness If Thai students are to have a comprehensive understanding of climate change they must understand the complex relationship between society-economy-environment. There are many commonly held misconceptions about how these three areas relate to each other. Therefore, these complex ideas were explained in some detail in section one of the pack and many of the activities relate to this very point. The following two sections – “What we can do to solve the problem of climate change” and “How are the environment, society and the economy related?” give some idea of how these ideas were examined. How can we encourage Thai teachers to change the way they think? Environmental sustainability is achievable but requires us to think in new ways. Einstein once said, “We can not solve the problems of the future with the thinking that created them”. The relationship between environment-society-economy is often poorly understood though it is critical to our understanding of climate change and sustainable development. The planet’s resources are finite and that the environment will ultimately be the final limiting factor in any given scenario. Teachers must understand this if they are to teach effectively about climate change. 5 The following diagrams are used in the teachers pack to help clarify the relationship between environment, society and the economy. The modern world view assumes that resources from nature are free or at best their costs are minimal. Another assumption is that natural resources will not run out and that the environment can be considered a free dump for waste products. If consumption stays within ecological limits we are fine, but currently we have an increasing global population and resources consumption and, because of this, are moving beyond ecological limits. Economy Society Environment The ecological world view places the environment as a finite resource (on the outside of the diagram). The economy therefore sits in the middle and is limited by the environments capacity to absorb harmful economic effects such as pollution. The ecological world view is the only one that is sustainable. The modern world view evolved from the scientific enlightenment and the industrial revolution. It views the economy as a machine that is mediated through the market and progresses in a linear manner. However, this is not a fact…only an idea! We need new ways of thinking…new ideas… before we take action of we are to become a sustainable society that tackles climate change effectively. In other words we need stars to steer by. “If we do not change where we’re going, we may get there. If we want to go somewhere else, we need stars to steer by. Perhaps the first step is to describe the sort of destination we want to reach.” (Amory Lovins (1999) Natural Capitalism ch 13) “Theory determines what we observe.” Albert Einstein “The major problems in the world are the result of the difference between the way nature works and the way man thinks.” George Bateson, ecologist 6 The climate change teachers pack seeks to raise the awareness of energy usage, individually, regionally and globally, and how it impacts on climate change. It also seeks to show that there are practical and feasible solutions rather than, the negative messaging of “Use less of everything” that has been associated with the environmental movement in the past. Positive, practical and alternative thinking is emphasised throughout the climate change pack. Many of the ideas in the pack are included as they are issues that teachers and students would not normally consider because they are thinking purely on an individual/local level and not considering the regional/global level. These include issues such as full cost accounting alternative and renewable energy sources the polluter pays principle increasing efficiency of energy consumption and production the use of subsidies using positive messages 7 Methodologies and approaches Guiding teachers to think in new ways In addition to seeing the environment in different ways, teachers are also encouraged to take different approaches to teaching, studying and learning. The section dealing with teaching methodologies therefore encouraged effective learning (emphasising learning by doing) student empowerment analysing causes, effects and solution examining the larger picture (global/regional in addition to local/personal issues) While it does talk about ESD, and mentions the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), the pack does not go into great details – rather it encourages teachers to explore the issue if they wish to. Effective teaching and learning The Learning Pyramid was used to illustrate the effectiveness of different teaching and learning techniques in the retention of knowledge. Many people are surprised when they see who ineffective some ‘traditional’ teaching and learning methods BOX The Learning Pyramid are – only 5% on average for listening. The activities with less that 50% retention are passive and do not actively engage the student, they are teacher centred. The activities with greater that List enin 50% retention are active and engage the learner, g 5% Reading 5they are student centred. This is not to say that 15% all teacher centred learning is bad…not at all. Watching and listening (audio-visual) But there needs to be a good mix in any one 20% Demonstration 30% lesson to ensure effective learning takes place. Debating 55% Doing / creating 75% Teaching others / immediate use 90% Ideas and techniques on teaching using this pack Students need more than just a scientific understanding of climate change; they need to feel like active participants in a challenging area where their actions can make a real difference. They also need to feel confident that they can educate others and that what they say will be listened to and valued by their peers, their family and society at large. 8 3. Activities for students All of the activities that follow have been used in schools in the UK with British students aged 7-16, and in some cases with students in Asia. These activities were adapted for Thailand, both so that the data is Thai relevant and with cultural/learning differences in mind. Most of the activities in the pack are aimed at 12-16 year old students, activities are arranged by type. Science Surveys and Awareness raising Debates, role plays and freer activities Designing and creating To give the reader a flavour of the pack, a number of the activities have been included. Resources related to the activities are contained in the appendix. Science Carbon Dioxide and the Greenhouse Effect Purpose: To determine the effect of increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. You will need: Two plastic 2-litre pop bottles, two thermometers, one 150-watt spotlight, two full litre sized bottles of cola. Background CO2 is the main greenhouse gas causing climate change. It acts as a barrier trapping heat in the atmosphere. This experiment mimics this process demonstrating how global warming works. In the classroom. Open one of the soft drink bottles the day before the experiment so that is goes flat. Do not open the second bottle until just before the experiment begins and ensure both are at room temperature. punch a small hole in the side of each bottle. Fill one bottle with the flat cola and the other with the fresh frizzy cola. Let both containers stand for about 30-60 minutes. This allows time for the CO2 to leave the liquid and gather in the air space in the bottles (CO2 is heavier than air so will not escape). Put the thermometers through side holes in each bottle so that their ends are in the middle. Place the bottles at equal distances from the spotlight (about 25cm), and record the temperature. Turn on the light. Observe and record the temperature every minute for 10 minutes. What happens? Explanation – as the experiment begins and the CO2 warms up the gas will become lighter and leave the container. However, before this happens students should notice the temperature rise as much as 5oC in the CO2 rich environment. _________________________________________ Cut the tops of the empty bottles to make two containers about 20cm tall. Using a ruler mark a line about 8cm from the bottom of each bottle (the height to which you will fill the bottle, and 5cm above this 9 Surveys and awareness raising Background to surveys Surveys are a great way to enable students to explore issues for themselves. But to be successful they need to be carefully planned. It is best if students write their own survey questions. This way they think about what the most important issues are for themselves and can practice writing good questions (but we have given you some examples below to help). Problem-Cause-Solution Matrix Purpose. To demonstrate how issues are inter-related and how we need to understand the problem and their causes before we can arrive at solutions. You will need. Copies of appendix 1 and 2. Background Climate change is not due to a single issue or cause. Often many factors influence each other. We need to understand this if we are to find solutions to the climate change. In the example given it is clear that air pollution in Bangkok is due to multiple causes, if we only address one of them we will not solve the problem. In the classroom. Give students resource 8a. Explain that this is a diagram showing the causes and solution for air pollution in Bangkok. Some answers are given in the resources. Although other answers might be possible, use the answers below to create a clear example. 1. Too many cars 2 / 3. Reduce the number of cars / Use clean technology to reduce emissions 6. Make the skytrain cheaper 4 / 5. Reduce factory emissions / Move factories out of Bangkok 7. Put a tax on factories which pollute in Bangkok Ask students then add two more ideas to the last two boxes Brainstorm and discuss in small groups other environmental problems which affect Thailand. Examples could include; flooding, drought, water pollution, destruction of environmentally sensitive areas (mangrove swamp in Samut Prakan) or loss of rain forest. Then in small groups students choose one problem and then complete in their note books the blank copy of the matrix (resource 8b). There are many possible follow up activities. Students could use the information to form the basis of a discussion (although more research might be needed). They could use the problem trees to look at other issues. They could use the environmental business or design a poster activity related to the issues that they looked at. _________________________________________ 10 Cars – Choice Matters Purpose. For students to think about how advertisers ‘push’ their products. Students then analyse how environmentally friendly products (in this case cars) could be marketed. You will need. Some pictures of car adverts. Background Cars are an everyday symbol of affluence and convenience. Many of us have cars and those that do not often want to buy one. However, they are also a significant contributor to climate change. Persuading people to not use cars or use more public transport seldom seems to work. So, can we have cars and not pollute the environment. This activity explores the options. In the classroom. Ask pupils to research some of the new, more ‘environmentally friendly’ technologies and make up lists of the advantages and disadvantages of each. There is lots of information on the internet. Now look at the collection of car advertisements. Identify the key selling points with the class and write them up on the chalkboard. What do car manufacturers appear to think people want? (power, comfort, room, smart, fashion, value for money?) Make a list of headings that cover these ’wants’. How much does ‘impact on the environment’ feature in the adverts? With the class, group the adverts under these different headings. Do the adverts reflect what people really want cars for? Discuss with the students what could be done to encourage sales of cars featuring more environmentally friendly technologies? Whose responsibility is it? The government? Car manufacturers? Individuals? As an extension, children could be invited to choose the new car technology they think has the most advantages and compose an advert to promote its ‘sustainable’ selling points. 11 So what can I do? Purpose. To introduce students to choices in taking effective action to combat climate change and the idea that acting alone is not enough. What you will need. Appendix 3. Background One of the core discussions of environmental education is around 'action'. Personal? Collective ? Consumer? Citizen? A traditional climate change activity might be focussed on the individual and their choices. It would often revolve around an issue (energy, transport, food etc) and the personal response. Some educators argue for a change of emphasis. In the Classroom Ask students to read the article by GRIST's Assistant Editor Dave Roberts contained in the appendix. GRIST is a US based website that challenges conventional thinking on sustainable development issues including climate change. Introduce students to the idea that the key note from the article might be "What matters is that we, as a culture, make things more thoughtfully, distribute them more thoughtfully, and consume them more thoughtfully." Do your students agree with this? Lead a discussion on the benefits of the approach to reducing environmental impact as outlined in resource 12a. You might like to focus your discussion using the examples below. Discussion: Should all products be designed to minimise product packaging and for disassembly and future use? How could this be encouraged? Discussion: Campaign to force Apple Computers to take back their computers at the end of their life. Apple is an example of a heavily branded company who may be sensitive to this sort of campaigning. What other companies are open to pressure to clean up? Discussion: Solar roofs have worked in Germany and Japan, so why not sunny Thailand? Substantial government grants and support to build up a benign society might work. Conclusion - Citizen action through effective lobbying and better design are effective solutions or is ‘going out of your way’ altruism better? It relates to the adage that sustainability will come from better design – it’s a system issue. Use resource 12b to review these ideas with your students. 12 Debates, role plays and freer activities Developing the Future and Climate Change: World Climate Change Conference Purpose. To enable students to view climate change issues from a number of different perspectives and improve their debating and negotiating skills. What you need. Appendix 4. Background The conference will be run as a role play that mirrors the negations countries undertake at UN meetings. Teams of students will play the role of national governments, NGOs, community groups and the international community in climate change negotiations. The aim will be for the students develop an agreed strategy for action on climate change. The process will involve students in negotiation, decision-making and presentation skills as they work with other groups to reach agreement on how to tackle climate change. Each group will have to conduct their research and then make a presentation to each other about the data they have discovered. In the classroom. Students are allocated groups and role play scenarios (e.g. developed and developing nations, climate change scientists, NGO, business groups, media, etc) from resource 15. Each scenario includes some basic information about the group and their position on climate change, and some guidelines as to what they wish to gain from the conference. The Conference Opening addresses by Chair Ground rules agreed. Presentations (1) – each group prepares and then makes a short 2 minute presentation to the conference outlining their positions and their proposal for reducing the impacts of climate change. Their proposals should be written on flipchart paper for all to see. Questions from other delegates will be allowed after each presentation – maximum of 2 minutes for each group. Negotiations (1) – each group will have time to hold talks with other groups to develop joint proposals, form alliances and promote their point of view. Presentations (2) – each group will present their redrafted proposals. Vote (1) – delegates will vote on the proposals. The top 3 proposals will be adopted for further debate. All other proposals are eliminated. Negotiations (2) – each group will have more talks with other groups to redevelop proposals, form alliances and promote their point of view. Groups whose proposal have been eliminated will have to negotiate with other groups to get their points included. Presentations (3) – groups present their redrafted proposals. Final Vote – delegates will vote for the final proposal. A way forward for the planet is decided upon. _________________________________________ 13 Starting an environmental business Purpose. To show students that economics and the environment are linked You will need. Newspaper stories of well known Thai entrepreneurs. Some knowledge of renewable energy options and other environmentally friendly options. In the classroom. Students discuss Thai and global entrepreneurs, how they got their ideas, how they got funding, how their product filled a niche. Students decide on an environmentally friendly product that they think would have a market e.g. portable solar panel for charging a laptop, mobile phone, electric motorbike etc. Students consider how they might get funding for their product; family, existing business, large company, government funding etc. Who is the product going to be marketed to? Is it a low cost or high cost product? 14 Designing and creating Sending the Right Message Purpose. To think about how they can present messages that Thai people will respond to in a positive manner. You will need. Information about common consumer products or access to sources of information for students (e.g. the internet). In the classroom. Ask pupils to imagine that they are members of a design team in a locallybased advertising company. They have been tasked with producing a poster to promote a new environmentally friendly mobile phone (or other consumer good) to different groups in their local community. In groups students will need to: research the issues work out the main messages that they want to put across; these should be clear, simple and non-threatening find a few statistics that they think will interest people; look for pictures or other visual images to illustrate their poster – they could try looking online or in magazines or newspapers; think of a catchy phrase that puts across their main message; carefully plan the design of their poster so that it is clear and easy to read but also most likely to catch people’s attention. When they have finished their posters display them in an exhibition around the room, getting each group to explain what they have done and the other groups to ask questions. _________________________________________ 15 Appendix 1 Challenge: Air pollution in Bangkok Causes : 1. Factory emissions Solutions: 2. 3. Solutions: 4. 5. How can we do it? 6. How can we do it? 7. Put the phrases in the correct boxes. Reduce the number of cars Move factories out of Bangkok Reduce factory emissions Make the skytrain cheaper Put a tax on factories which pollute Too many cars Use clean technology to reduce emissions Add 2 more ideas to both of the last 2 boxes. 16 Appendix 2 Challenge: Causes: Solutions: Solutions: How can we do it? How can we do it? 17 Appendix 3 Here is an article from GRIST's Assistant Editor Dave Roberts (GRIST is a US based website challenging ideas on sustainable development). ‘My thoughts on the matter are captured by this excellent comment from a reader... So, while you are spending an hour agonizing whether or not you should by the chlorine free office paper, the 100% post-consumer content paper, the kenaf-based, hemp-based, or whatever based paper, consider instead spending that hour meeting with the store manager to ask why the store doesn't offer more green products; or, working with your office manager to institute a greener procurement policy at work; or, working with your city council member to adopt a greener purchasing policy for the city. Or, setting up a meeting with your state representative to discuss a sustainable forestry initiative in your state. Exactly. A humane, sustainable human society is not an individual undertaking. It cannot succeed solely through individual willpower. Already our culture works to atomize us, to make us feel like islands of consumer desire whose sole function is to accumulate as much as possible. It discourages us from thinking of ourselves as involved in communities that impose obligations and responsibilities. But if it is to mean anything substantial, a new ethic of sustainability must be collective. It's going to be about community, about our mutual bonds and mutual care. Whether or not you recycle your plastic makes not one tiny iota of difference in the grand scheme of things -- really, it doesn't. If our society's survival rests on individuals' ability to refrain from easily-available ecological sins, we are screwed. It's the infrastructure that matters: the laws, the economic relationships, the physical structures we inhabit. To use some righteous hippie language, it's the system that's gotta change, man. We have to establish a system in which it's easy and natural for people to live sustainably. 18 Appendix 4 Roles for World Climate Change Conference. The role play scenarios need to be cut up and handed out so that each groups does not know the scenario of the others. Chair of the World Conference Your job is to remain neutral and to try and find an agreement on how to tackle climate change. Make sure everyone gets heard and that people don’t start talking over each other. The Climate Change Scientists – Tyndall Centre (UK) You are representatives from the Tyndall Centre in the UK. You work within the field of climate change, researching and studying data from around the world. Your job is to convince the conference that Climate Change is happening, that it has serious consequences and that we need to act now. We need to minimise the impact CO2, and to do this we need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by a minimum of 60% by 2050. As scientists you believe in the ‘precautionary principle’ and that it is most important to stop CO2 emissions now. Love the Planet You are an Environmental Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). You believe that the only solution to Climate Change is to ban all our environmental damaging activities e.g. ban cars and walk or use public transport. You need to convince the other participants that we must consume less and have a simpler lifestyle. Your motto is: “There is enough for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s greed.” Pollute and Plunder Inc. You are a major multinational business that uses natural resources for its business. You believe that economic growth is the most important thing for quality of life and to satisfy peoples need for consumption. You do not believe that climate change is caused by human activity, and you do not agree with taxes and targets for reducing greenhouse gases. The Design Council (UK) Your organisation aims to strengthen and support the economy and society by demonstrating and promoting the vital role of design in making businesses more competitive and public services more effective. You believe that through better design of products we can reduce climate change and improve quality of life. But this will require time and investment. The timescale for this is up to 30 years. (But even then it may not work if businesses do not buy into the idea!) 19 Airline Company You represent a major airline company. Due to cheap oil and increasing affluence your business have grown significantly. You feel that “If people want to fly half way across the world for the weekend why shouldn’t they? I’m pleased that air journeys are so cheap – why should we pay tax on airline fuel? This is about consumer choice and freedom to do what you want when you want.” United Kingdom Government You are one of the world’s leading economies and a leading polluter of greenhouse gases. Your climate change policies are clear – you aim to cut greenhouse emissions by 20% by 2010. However, you are under internal and external pressure to do more. Your position is that you need to preserve the British standard of life and ensure the economy continues to grow, appease your critics - and you are nervous setting strict targets for reduction. Thailand Government You are a rapidly developing economy and a key player in regional politics. Your CO2 emissions are rising and there is a massive demand in your country for a more consumer based lifestyle. However, you realise that to keep developing your economy and high quality of life for your citizens you need to move away from an oil based economy. You want to find positive solutions which enable you to grow economically and also reduce the use of fossil fuels and therefore greenhouse gases. Bangladesh Government You are a poor country that relies on cheap labour and the manufacture of cheap goods for export, to enable you to survive. To be competitive you have minimum of environmental regulations. You are a low lying country and due to rising sea levels, you predict that by 2020, 5 million people in your country will lose their homes and have to relocate. Your position is that climate change must be stopped now, that it is everyone else’s fault because you produce so few carbon emissions and that you need help to sort out the problem in your country. 20 Bibliography FUTERRA Sustainability Communications Ltd. (2005) The Rules of the Game: Principles of Climate Change Communications citizED. (2004) Briefing Paper for Trainee Teachers of Citizenship Education: Teaching Controversial Issues Friends of the Earth. (2005) Shout about Climate Change Field Studies Council (UK). (2005) Climate Change Posters Hawken, P. Lovins, A. & and Lovins, L. (1999) Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution. Little, Brown Jucker, R. (2002) Our Common Illiteracy. Education as if the Earth and People Mattered. Peter Lang. McDonough, W. & Braungart, M (2003) Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. Rodale Books. McKeown, R. 2002 Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit University of Tennessee Porritt, J. (2005) Capitalism as if the World Matter. Earthscan. Weizsacker, E (1998) Factor Four: Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use. Earthscan Publications Ltd Webster, K. (2004) Rethink, Refuse, Reduce…Education for sustainability in a changing world. Field Studies Council. 21 Economy About the Author Alasdair Lord currently works for British Council Thailand where he is an EFL teacher and former Education for Sustainable Development coordinator. He holds a BA (Hons) Latin American Studies from the University of Portsmouth and an MSc Water and Environmental Management from Water Engineering Development Centre (WEDC), Loughborough University. He has lived, worked and/or studied in Holland, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Thailand; and speaks fluent Spanish and good Thai. 22