Theme: The Environment
Key Learning:
After the input on the environment, I have became much more aware of how important it is. I have always been somewhat aware that the environment is an important issue that we need to address more, but this input has helped to put into perspective that we can not continue to rely on fossil fuels to sustain us. It is important to find other, more environmentally friendly ways of sustaining ourselves before we damage the world beyond repair.
Previously, when I thought of the environment I thought of nature, and of mountains and greenery. I now understand that it encompasses so much more than that-that everywhere around us-towns and cities-are also part of the environment.
When previously thinking of the impact cities can have on the environment, I always assumed they were all negative and that it was the people who lived rurally that were acting in favour of the environment. However, after reading the EEA Extract on Urban Environment, I have learned that cities also have positive connotations. While factors such as over-crowding and social inequality are still rife in cities, ‘the proximity of people, businesses and services provides opportunities to build a more resource-efficient Europe’. As people in cities live closer to everything, they often consume less energy than people who live rurally.
Impact on my views/ lifestyle/ practice:
I’ve always spent a lot of time outdoors and have never been bothered with the cold or poor weather stopping me from doing something. To get the chance to have classes outside and to physically interact with the environment rather than sit inside and imagine it has helped to change my views regarding the way topics on the environment should be taught.
In terms of my lifestyle, as I live in a fairly rural town, I will try to decrease my carbon footprint by walking more instead of just driving out of ease.
In practise within a classroom, the outdoor classes have made an immense difference to the way I would want to teach topics regarding the environment. It would be a topic I would enjoy teaching and would aim to make it as interactive as possible.
