Enviroschools WWW.Cleaners Journey

Enviroschools Five Guiding Principles

Empowered Students

Empowering students means enabling them to participate in a genuine way, from their own perspective. Including children in making decisions and action, empowers them to be active environmental citizens and enriches the development of the whole school.

Students will:

• Experience that they can make a difference as part of a community by active participation in directing and managing the WWW.Cleaners project.
• Understand the implications for their own lives and their future decisions regarding household cleaners and other easy to make products such as calendula cream, lip-balms etc.
• Work in partnership with adults in a climate of trust, gaining confidence and competence in making enviro-friendly products, in teaching others, and in their ability to sell to the community and promote their uses.

Sustainable Communities

Sustainable communities act in ways that nurture people and nature, now and in the future.

Students will:

• Understand the need to respect and care for each other and share resources so that everyone can develop to their potential, while respecting environmental life-supporting systems: by spreading awareness and use of non-toxic cleaners and calendula cream into homes and schools of those that are interested, making the products and marketing and selling at the Sea-Cliff market, playcentre and sales from the school for the public to purchase.
• Develop interconnectedness, sharing and working together with the community, effecting long-term and significant change.
• help create sustainable communities by being role models of sustainable cleaning and self care practices; by being teachers amongst peers, other teachers and community members; and by creating future leaders who understand sustainable decision-making.

Learning for Sustainability

Also known as Environmental Education or Education for Sustainability is an action-focused approach to learning that engages us in the physical, social, cultural and political aspects of our local and global environment. The aspects of IN, FOR and ABOUT the environment are addressed.

Students will:

• Carry out an action FOR the environment by decreasing the number of toxic chemicals that enter the water system, plus decreasing the number of plastic containers that enter the landfill (products will be put in reused containers).
• Learn ABOUT the environment through understanding the impact of toxic cleaners and commercial product production on our world.
• Develop an understanding and knowledge of how human systems - political, economic, cultural and social - can be integrated to enhance the well-being of our communities.
• Develop skills and competencies to be able to plan and create sustainable systems and communities.
• Develop attitudes and values of care for their community and themselves .
• Have the opportunity to participate and take action for a sustainable future by being active with IN their community.

Maori Perspectives

Maori perspectives enrich the learning process and honours the status of indigenous people in New Zealand.

Students will:

• experience one of the important aspects of Maori culture, namely caring for the people and community, the land and the sea, by making, using and promoting the use of non=toxic cleaners and healing cream which uses the harvest of flowers and herbs from the garden, local ingredients and doesn't pollute the land or sea. Ongoing use of these products throughout the school (with no toxic cleaners being used at all ) shows integrity and social literacy skills.

Respect for the diversity of people and cultures

Achieving a sustainable environment that is fair, peaceful and co-operative and makes the most of our rich cultural traditions.

Students will:

• Recognise and work with everyone's diverse perspectives and values, whilst sharing their knowledge and products with the community.
• Interact with respect, sensitivity and awareness throughout the whole process, from sharing knowledge to selling products.

Enviroschools Four Key Areas of a Whole School Approach

Place

Physical surroundings

Students will:

• realise how the school itself demonstrates how a community system works with making , using and supplying the www.cleaners products.

Practices

Operational practices

Students will:

• recognise that the school operates solely with www.cleaners, sourcing ingredients locally as much as possible and saving resources doing so e.g. re-using containers for the products.

Programmes

Living curriculum

Students will:

• take action on a real issue in the wider community and do so as part of an integrated and progressive curriculum programme with learning inside and outside the classroom.

People and Participation

Organisational management

Students will:

• Make decisions with the involvement of staff and other members of the community.
• work together with peoples involved in www.cleaners to develop plans, monitor and reflect on progress.
• know the sense of belonging and ownership and sharing.

ACTION LEARNING CYCLE with WWW.CLEANERS Project

Identify the Current Situation

Guiding Questions:

• Where have we come from and what do we now know?
• What can we observe?
• What do others think and feel?
• How can we influence things?
• What can we measure?

Explore Alternatives

Guiding Questions:

• How else could it be?
• What have others done?
• What are the actions we could take?
• What are our priorities for change?
• How will we decide?

Take Action

Guiding Questions:

• Who else do we need to involve?
• What do we need to take action?
• Who will do what and when?
• What actions will bring about the changes that we want?
• Are there other actions required as a result?

Reflect on Change

Guiding Questions:

• How can we monitor and record the changes?
• What changes and benefits have come about because of our actions?
• What went well?
• What didn't go so well?
• What would we have done differently?
• How will we celebrate our achievements?
• Where to from here?