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Environmental Education for Sustainability - Initiatives

QESSI Alliance - Queensland Environmentally Sustainable Schools Initiative

Guided by the National Environmental Education Statement for Australian Schools , QESSI's vision is for all schools in Queensland to be Environmentally Sustainable Schools based on ecologically sustainable development principles. QESSI Alliance members aim to improve schools' management of resources and grounds - including energy, waste, water, biodiversity, landscape design, products and materials.

QESSI is a member of the AuSSI network (Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative )

Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI)

The Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI) is a partnership of the Australian Government, the States and Territories that seeks to support schools and their communities to become sustainable.

The AuSSI involves participants in a whole-of-school approach, to explore through real-life learning experiences, improvements in a school's management of resources and facilities including energy, waste, water, biodiversity, landscape design, products and materials. It also addresses associated social and financial issues. The Initiative 's vision is for all Australian schools and their communities to be sustainable.

With the support from AuSSI partners, schools are offered best practice and quality curriculum support, audit tools to manage resources, ideas for on-ground projects and ways to involve the local community and encourage a shift in the broader community towards more sustainable practices and processes.

The AuSSI provides networking and clustering opportunities for schools and supports schools in their growth from awareness through to leadership in environmental education for sustainability and sustainable living. It fosters school ownership and empowerment and focuses on student involvement and learning.

Earth Dialogues

The Earth Dialogues, established by Green Cross International is a public forum designed to question the role that ethics plays in sustainable development. Through periodic face-to-face dialogues, Earth Dialogues aims to provoke global mobilisation related to averting ecological disasters; addressing poverty; and acting to ensure truly sustainable development.

In 2006 the Brisbane Festival hosted Earth Dialogues Brisbane 2006. The theme of this world forum was 'Resource Management and Sustainable Development'.

As a result of the highly successful Earth Dialogues Brisbane 2006:

the Earth Charter is being incorporated into the school curriculum in Queensland; and
a Queensland Youth Environment Council was created to enable young Queenslanders to raise their environmental concerns and suggestions with the Government.

Education Queensland Student Delegates to the 2006 Earth Dialogues described sustainability as ensuring that there will be 'enough for all forever'. Their vision for a sustainable future is outlined in the Queensland Student Blueprint for Environmental Sustainability (new window) 321k , where they urge us to acknowledge the precious state of our water, air, land and energy sources.

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