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ASSIGNMENT
Reflect on how Climate Change is impacting on your own local area and how you would engage your pupils to explore this further. Suggest three actions that you can do to make the world a better place and slow down climate change.
Post a reflective piece (150 words min) on how you would do this in your classroom to this forum as a reply to this post.
Then, recollect on how the Development Education modules in this course can feed into School Self-Evaluation (SSE) at your school.
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In my local area, climate change is already impacting us through more frequent and severe weather events like storms and higher temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns affecting agriculture, and rising sea levels threatening coastal areas. To engage primary pupils in exploring this further, I would start by organizing nature walks to observe local changes, conduct weather data collection, and invite guest speakers to discuss climate science. We could also create a school garden to learn about sustainable practices and their positive effects on the environment. Three actions to slow down climate change and make the world a better place could include:
1. Implementing a school-wide recycling program and teaching students about reducing waste.
2. Organizing a tree-planting project to enhance green spaces and absorb carbon dioxide.
3. Educating students about energy conservation and encouraging sustainable habits at home and in the community. By empowering primary pupils with knowledge, hands-on experiences, and a sense of responsibility, we can inspire them to take action and contribute to a more sustainable future for our planet.-
Hi Enda,
I think many of us here can relate to what you are saying about how we can see the impacts of climate change and extreme weather on our local communities in recent years. Children are also experiencing this, and unfortunately know no different. You have provided some very useful suggestions for getting the school community on board. If space was there, I love your tree-planting idea. Each tree could be planted for a particular purpose and children would always be aware of that, both in school and the local community.
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Climate change is a global challenge that also impacts our local community in significant ways. In my local area in Roscommon, we have observed changes in weather patterns, such as more frequent and intense rainfall, leading to flooding the county. Additionally, warmer temperatures have affected local wildlife and agriculture, with some plant and animal species struggling to adapt to the changing conditions. My dad plants vegetables and the ground was so wet from rainfall which meant potatoes were planted really late this season.
To help pupils understand and explore the impact of climate change on our local area, we can take the following steps:
1. Local Environment Study: Organise field trips to local areas affected by climate change or conduct research on how the local area is affected.
2. Have students collect and analyse weather data from our local area over the past few decades to identify trends and changes in climate patterns. Interviewing older grandparents etc on what changes to the area they have witnessed.
3. Classroom discussions – invite local experts such as environmental scientist, local farmers, conservationist to visit the classroom to discuss how climate is affecting our communities.
4. Get involved in local eco – friendly initiatives. Involve students in school-wide initiatives such as planting trees or get involved in green schools. We are very lucky in our school to have a small garden where we get the students involved. This not only helps the environment but also teach students practical ways to combat climate change.
The focus of climate change could easily be use as priority for SSE. The target could be to reduce waste and increase recycling in the school. Lesson on recycling could be taught throughout the school. Before and after surveys could be conducted and targets evaluated to see if they were met.
great. Thanks for sharing -
Hello Siobhan. You have fantastic ideas presented above. However, I really like your idea of having classroom discussions by inviting in local experts such as environmental scientist, local farmers, conservationist to visit the classroom to discuss how climate is affecting our communities. This will make students recognise climate change in their own context and from people they know.
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I completely agree with your observations on how climate change is impacting your local community in Roscommon. My dad had similar issues with planting vegetables in Galway. The increased rainfall and subsequent flooding, along with the warmer temperatures affecting agriculture and wildlife, are significant challenges we must address. Your suggestions for engaging pupils in understanding and exploring these impacts are excellent.
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Hi Enda, I really like the tree planting idea. I think it is a great incentive for children to look after the local flora in their area too, knowing how long it takes for a tree to grow so it can start absorbing the CO2 from the air. It could be a tradition the school does in an effort to rewild some areas of their ever growing urban community and support the local fauna and minibeasts.
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Impact of Climate Change on the Dublin Area
Climate change is affecting Dublin through rising sea levels, increasing the risk of coastal flooding and impacting infrastructure, homes, and businesses. More frequent and intense rainfall leads to flooding, disrupting transportation and daily life. Warmer temperatures affect the local ecosystem, public health, and energy use, while changes in climate threaten local biodiversity.
Engaging Pupils to Explore Climate Change
To engage pupils, project-based learning can be employed where students research specific climate impacts on Dublin and present their findings. Organizing field trips to affected areas and conducting experiments can illustrate climate concepts. Inviting guest speakers, such as climate scientists or environmental activists, can provide valuable insights and interactive activities like carbon footprint calculations.
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Three Actions to Slow Down Climate Change</p>
Promoting sustainable transportation by encouraging walking, cycling, public transport, and carpooling can reduce emissions. Educating students on reducing, reusing, and recycling through setting up recycling stations and promoting reusable containers helps lower waste. Implementing energy conservation practices, like turning off lights when not in use and using energy-efficient appliances, can reduce energy consumption. By integrating these actions into daily practices, students can become more environmentally aware and contribute to mitigating climate change.
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Climate change is affecting my local area in many different ways. There are more extreme weather conditions each year. Children are experiencing days off school due to storms and snow. Flooding is a big problem in my area with the local river flooding, causing lots of issues for families and communities in the area.
Three actions I would introduce in my school are:
1. Green School Campaigns such as WOW (Walk on Wednesday)
2. Energy monitors in each classroom and power hour (1 hour of now power one day a week).
3. Encourage using reusable water bottles and lunch boxes daily. This reduces the use of non-biodegradable plastics and is better for the environment. No single use plastic.
4. Reduce amount of photocopying allowed with a quota for each teacher. There is so much paper wastage in my school.
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Hi Anna,
Thank you for your post and for offering some concrete examples of how children can get involved in small initiatives that can reduce their energy use. I really like the idea of an hour each week where no power is used. This could be really beneficial for both pupils and teachers. Thinking of my own classroom, I can see a number of times where lights, whiteboards, heaters, etc. were using power with no real need at that particular time. It can really open our eyes to the amount of energy we waste needlessly.
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Climate change is visibly impacting my local area through increased frequency of severe weather events, such as heavier rainfall leading to flooding and more intense heatwaves during summer. These changes not only affect the environment but also disrupt daily life, causing damage to infrastructure and impacting health. To engage my pupils in exploring these local impacts further, I would start by organizing a project-based learning unit focused on local climate data. We would analyse temperature and precipitation patterns over the past few decades using resources like the EO Browser. This would provide a concrete understanding of how our climate is changing locally.
To make the world a better place and slow down climate change, I would encourage the following three actions:
Promote Renewable Energy: Advocate for the use of solar panels and wind turbines within our school and community, reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Enhance Green Spaces: Engage students in planting trees and creating green spaces around the school to absorb CO2 and improve air quality.
Reduce Waste: Implement a comprehensive recycling program and encourage the reduction of single-use plastics, teaching students the importance of sustainable consumption.-
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I am sure that all schools would love to have green energy in the form of solar panels but unfortunately cost is a deterent. Maybe we could get our pupils to start a campaign to The Minster Norma Foley to sponsor the installation of solar panels on all schools – it would be a saving in the long term.
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Our community has been experiencing more frequent heavy rainfall events, leading to flooding. This has caused damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure, particularly in areas around us near the River Shannon and its tributaries. This flooding has lead to inundation of agricultural land, residential areas, and roads, causing significant disruption and economic loss.
There has been an increase in the frequency and intensity of storms, which can cause property damage, power outages, and transportation disruptions. This has a knock-on effect as increased risk of flooding and storm damage has lead to higher insurance premiums for homeowners and businesses.
Changes in weather patterns has impacted livestock health and productivity for local farmers.
Local organizations and government bodies are working to raise awareness about climate change and its impacts. This includes community meetings, IFA meetings, educational programs in schools, and public information talks.
In school we can; encourage students to work on projects related to climate change, start a school garden where students can learn about sustainable practices, the importance of biodiversity, and how climate affects growing conditions, involve students in school-wide sustainability projects like recycling programs, energy conservation efforts, and reducing plastic use.
Three actions we can take:
1. Reduce energy consumption
2. Use public transport/carpool/walk cycle etc
3. Stay informed/advocate change etc -
To engage my pupils in exploring these impacts further, I would start by incorporating local climate data into our lessons. Students could analyze weather patterns, study changes in local biodiversity, and interview community members about their observations and experiences. Field trips to affected areas, such as coastal regions experiencing erosion, would provide hands-on learning opportunities.
To make a difference, we can take three actions:
1.Reduce Waste: Implement school-wide recycling programs and educate students about the importance of reducing waste and recycling properly.
2.Energy Conservation: Encourage energy-saving practices, such as turning off lights and computers when not in use, and explore renewable energy projects, like installing solar panels.
3.Tree Planting: Organize tree-planting initiatives to absorb CO2 and create green spaces around the school and community.-
Great ideas for involving students in climate education. Using local climate data and field trips will make the lessons more tangible. The actions you suggested—reducing waste, conserving energy, and tree planting—are practical and should have a positive impact.
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Hi Orla,
I particularly like the ‘Tree planting’ idea that you and others mentioned. Not only is it good from a CO2 point of view, planting native Irish trees would serve to benefit the local insects and wildlife. On another course, I saw a map of the reduction in Ireland’s tree cover and the results are potentially devasting so if we can work with children to somewhat ‘reforest’ Ireland, the future is hopeful.
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In my locality, climate change is already impacting us with more regular extreme weather events, in particular high rainfall and flash flooding which is resulting in increased levels of damage to local homes and businesses each year. An opportunity to engage pupils to explore this further would be to visit local rivers and estuaries and see where and how rivers burst their banks which can lead to flooding.
Three actions my class and school could to do make the world a better place and slow down climate change are –
– Encourage students and staff to recycle paper, plastic, and metal by placing clearly marked recycling bins in the classroom, on the yard and throughout the school. Educate the school community about the importance of recycling and reducing waste. We could organise fun and interactive activities, such as recycling competitions or art projects using recycled materials, to reinforce these habits.
– Continue developing our school garden where students can learn about growing their own food, the importance of plants, and sustainable growing practices. We could implement a composting program for organic waste from lunches and garden trimmings, teaching students about the benefits of composting for reducing landfill waste and enriching soil.
– Educate the children about the importance of conserving energy by turning off lights and electronics when not in use. We could try host energy-saving challenges to engage students in finding creative ways to reduce energy consumption.-
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I think there are many ways that we can see climate change is already occurring in our own area. The seasons have become completely mixed up in recent year with warm weather in January and cold weather in July. When teaching the students about seasons, many of the typical signs are no longer obvious, for example buds are on trees before the spring time, plants are growing at different times of the year etc.
Additionally we have all experienced school closure as a result of adverse weather and the number of storms are increasing.
Three things I would do with the children to tackle climate change is firstly to focus on educating them about the impacts of their actions and our actions as a country on the poorest people in the world with regard to climate change. Secondly to focus on reducing and recycling our own waste and consumption. This. Oils be done on a school or local community level. And thirdly to look at what we can do to mitigate the affects of climate change, perhaps raising money to plant more trees on the school grounds or in the community.
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Climate change is increasingly affecting my local area, evidenced by more frequent extreme weather events, such as intense storms and flooding. These changes not only disrupt daily life but also have long-term impacts on local agriculture, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Rising sea levels are a particular concern, threatening coastal areas and putting pressure on local communities to adapt.To engage my pupils in exploring these impacts further, I would implement a multifaceted approach that combines education, hands-on activities, and community involvement. Some of these activities would include Local Research Projects: Children could research how climate change affects our community, such as changes in weather patterns, the health of local flora and fauna. They could speak to local farmers and discuss the climate impacts on agriculture.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Emphasise the importance of reducing waste by practising recycling and reusing materials. This can be implemented in the classroom through a creative reuse of materials for projects. Energy Conservation: Promote energy-saving practices such as turning off lights and electronics when not in use, and using natural light whenever possible. Sustainable Transportation: Encourage walking, cycling, or using public transportation. Organize events like “Walk or Bike to School Day” and discuss the carbon footprint of various transportation methods. By integrating these actions into the classroom, students can learn practical ways to combat climate change.
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In Dublin where I teach, climate change is impacting our local community through extreme weather events and rising temperatures. To engage my primary school pupils, I would use a multi-faceted approach for these three actions.
Firstly, interactive lessons and discussions would help them understand local climate impacts.
Secondly, hands-on activities like creating a school garden and tree-planting would foster a connection with nature.
Lastly, energy audits and promoting responsible energy usage would involve the wider community and instill sustainable habits. Through education, practical activities, and community involvement, we can empower students to take meaningful action against climate change.
Together, we can advocate for sustainability, reduce our carbon footprint, and build a greener and more resilient future for Dublin and beyond.
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Many of our students live near the River Shannon and they have witnessed flooding over the last few years. They know people who have been personally effected by flooding and the damage it has caused to homes and farms. This is the effect of climate change in our area, more frequent storms and more rainfall leading to rising water levels and flooding. To engage the students we would look at interviews and paper clippings from the time of the floods and invite guest speakers from the local area who were directly affected by the floods.
We would then come up with 3 actions that we could do as a school community to help slow down the impact of climate change. These would include researching a more renewable source of energy for our school, such as solar panels or wind turbines. As part of our Green School initiative we are making sure that we are energy conscious and trying to conserve energy as much as we can in school and carrying it on into our homes. Another action that we are currently doing as a school is reducing our waste and recycling. More work can be done in our school in this area in our school to ensure that we are recycling properly. Lastly, looking at more environmentally friendly ways to travel to school such as carpooling, cycling and walking to reduce our carbon footprint.-
Hi Barbara,
Thank you for your post. I can only imagine the devastation that this would have caused to the local area, as I can recall seeing some of the images from the time. Such devastation and description can elicit a sense of duty among locals to ensure events like these are not repeated. You have provided a number of potential steps that could be taken in schools, all of which are managable and can be actioned with appropriate leadership and vision.
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In Dublin traffic was always a problem but in recent years it has grown out of all proportions. The use of fossil fuel is unsustainable and Change must happen.Most children who attend our school live near by . We have increased the number of children who walk and cycle to school through various campaigns like the the walking bus and scoot to school.But this is no longer enough- any child who can walk or cycle should be expected to do so.This could be done by a reward scheme and classes competing against each other etc, This worked very well with the Scoot to school.
During covid we relaxed our composting in order to avoid handling of others belongings etc. Now we must reintroduce it to all classes and the Gardaí Glasa can help compost from each class to the central bin on Fridays
My third initiative would be to have a food growing corner in the garden for each class. Living in a city has deprived many of knowing where food really comes from – this would be a very enjoyable project for all . -
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Climate Change is global issue that is effecting every one of us in the current climate. Weather is something that immediately comes to the fore when we think of climate change. There has been a huge increase in weather events over the past number of years with a huge increase in the number of storms we have had. Even teaching in Senior Infants this has been an issue that the children have been very aware of this year. These storms don’t only cause weather events but can also have an impact on infrastructure and trees and wildlife in the area.
Some actions that could be implemented within a Junior School to slow down Climate Change might include:
• A Walk on Wednesday style initiative, Encourage children and families to walk, cycle, scoot or skate rather than going by car. We could start with one day a week and then look at increasing this as we become more used to it.
• Recycle initiative. Giving each classroom 2 separate bins so that children can separate their rubbish into recyclable and non-recyclable. This could be further improved by adding in a food bin for food waste also.
• Energy Savers would be a third idea that would be very easy to implement. We could have children in charge of ensuring lights are off and doors are closed when we aren’t in the room to conserve both energy and heat. They could also encourage people to unplug devices at the end of the day. -
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Climate change is certainly evident in my local area as it is everywhere. It has most notably altered the weather and seasons, in particular there’s more regular rainfall and storms which are causing floods and damage to trees, roads and people’s homes and businesses. Temperatures are rising too and there has been unusually warm weather in winter months that in previous years we wouldn’t have had. The quality of plant and animal life has also suffered from climate change. I would engage the children in weather recording activities e.g using rain gauges over a period of time to record the rainfall and compare that to previous years, invite in a guest speaker or climate change activist to talk to the children about the effects and look into setting up a school garden where the children grow and look after plants and trees. The lessons educating the children on climate change would be extremely beneficial. Following on from doing these setting up a whole-school recycling system, putting an emphasis on reducing the use of energy in the school and encouraging as much walking/cycling to school as possible. More green areas in and around the school would be a great example for children to do what they can to help on a local level too.
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Climate change is affecting the school’s local area. We are seeing increased river flooding in the town. Due to increased frequency of storms in recent years, flash floods have increased dramatically. This has affected every individual in the town as the river flows through the centre. It has negatively impacted on business and property in the area, as well as putting local flora and fauna at risk. It has damaged local Tidy Towns projects that focus on increasing biodiversity etc. There is also increased light pollution which is potentially having a negative effect on the local flora and fauna also.
Three actions to make the world a better place and slow down climate change:
1. Focus on sustainable transport options with a low carbon footprint ie. walking, cycling, or using public transportation whenever possible
2. Focus on energy efficiency/renewable energy. Use LED light bulbs, turn off lights and appliances when not in use
3. Advocate for change through raising awareness, lobbying and protestingIn the classroom, these could be implemented as follows:
1. Sustainable transport – children launch and run a campaign based on sustainable transport e.g. WOW i.e. Walk-On-Wednesday, Scoot/Cycle to School Week
2. Energy efficiency – Green Schools Initiative. Lightbulb survey. Write to the BOM requesting move to warm LED light bulbs. In-school campaign to turn off lights and appliances when not in use. Adjusting timers on external lights and ensuring the direction of the light is directed downwards
3. Make posters/banners and coordinate a local protest on climate change with other local schools, the Tidy Towns committee, other local organisations and local representatives. Invite local media -
In recent years in my local area we have seen a huge rise in localised flooding. Both river and coastal erosion have added to this. We have also had some extreme weather conditions, both heat in winter and worst rain for 10 years in summer. This is affecting our local flora and fauna . Plants are drowning, bulbs do not grow, bees are exhausted and dying as there are less flowers for pollination and nectar. Climate change and like of wildlife has led to an increase in urban foxes locally, going through bins to find food as they cannot find enough wildlife to eat.
One way we are trying to take action in our school is by fundraising for and buying a pollytunnel. We are going to teach the ch about the importance of growing food and how this cuts down on plastic, air miles, etc . OUr green team have also started a ‘war on waste campaign ‘ and we now have compost bins but also a policy of taking home all your rubbish to recycled unless it can be used for junk art in the junior classes. Green Team have also started a campaign to stop the use of single use plastic bottles too. He now have a recycling bin in each class and the green team have educated each class on what can really be recycled and what cant, even I did not know that wet paper cannot be recycled. Green team held a competition to check all the bins and see who had the best and worst recycling , the staffroom bins were the worst!!!!! The children learned faster and were more responsible than the adults. What amazing action
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Hi Orla,
What you’ve outlined here about the adverse effects of climate change in your locality are worryingly reflected across the country from other experiences shared on this forum. The reality is uncharacteristic and/or extreme weather conditions are now common place in Ireland and globally.
The actions you’ve outlined here are practical and achievable. The procurement of polly tunnels is a novel one and will certainly give you much greater scope for homegrown produce. The school’s Green Team is going great work too, around composting and recycling and interesting to hear that from their research, the teachers are doing less well then the students. BTW, we are always learning, I didn’t realise either that wet paper cannot be recycled…
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Climate change is affecting us all at the moment and it isn’t hard to gather evidence in order to explain this fact to the children. On a week in May this year, we had two outdoor activities in the one week. On Monday, all the children were shorts, T-shirts and sunscreen for the duration of their time outside. We finished off the activity with a meditation session. The children usually sit on the ground for this but couldn’t on that particular day as the ground was too hot. That same week, on the Thursday, we had hurling training outside – the wind was almost cutting their faces and many went inside to retrieve coats and scarves. This inconsistency with the weather is no doubt a new concept in the last few years. That and the number of storms, together with increased rainfall is astounding. Even as I sit here in my house in July, I can hear the heating clicking on as temperatures drop outside. It is imperative as we move forward in educating these children, that they know the causes of these drastic changes and how to form their life long response to that. We are lucky that our small community enables lots of children to walk and cycle to school. Many carpool also and the after school and breakfast club only use transport if it is absolutely necessary.
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In Ireland, climate change has led to more frequent and severe weather events, such as heavy rainfall storms. These changes are impacting local agriculture, causing flooding in some parts , which affect the local economy and food supply.
To engage my pupils in exploring this issue further, I would encourage them to participate in science projects, such as tracking local weather patterns and their impacts on the environment. We could also visit local farms to see first hand how climate change is affecting them.
Three actions to make the world a better place and slow down climate change are:
Reducing energy consumption by using energy-efficient appliances and promoting renewable energy sources.
Encouraging sustainable transportation options like biking, walking, or public transport.
Promoting waste reduction through recycling, composting, and minimizing single-use plastics-
I completely agree with bringing the children to the sites where climate change is most apparent like the local farm or county council. We live in a coastal area and the effects of the weather changes on tourism, the increase in road floods and homes being flooded near the beach is more visible than ever. The county council workers have been ever more present with sand bags for flooding, salt for ice on the roads and more frequent road closures. The farmers have really struggled this year with the amount of rain that has fallen and this can be seen in the produce in shops and increase in prices of those items that are in decline, like certain types of flour etc. The only way the children are going to see climate change is seeing it in their locality.
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It is important for students to understand how climate change is affecting their local area. Firstly, having open discussions about climate change and its effects on our local area would help raise awareness. We could dig into weather data, check out local reports, and share real stories to see how it’s affecting us here in Dublin. This will help make children realize that we need to do something about it.
To really get them engaged, they could go on trips around our area to witness climate impacts firsthand, like coastal erosion or changes in local ecosystems. It’ll help them connect the dots between what’s happening globally and right here in our own area.
In the classroom, I could assign research projects on climate-related topics specific to Dublin. They could then present their findings in presentations or digital media, so they could educate others and spread the word.
Having gained a knowledge about climate change, three things the school community could do to help combat it are:
1. Reduce our carbon footprint
2. Share knowledge and speak out for change
3. Plant trees in our local community to help make it a greener area.
The focus of climate change could be used as priority for SSE. Reducing our carbon footprint in the school could be done by focusing on recycling and encouraging Walk on Wednesday (WOW) days. Among the staff, weekly steps challenges could encourage more of us to walk to work.
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Science Projects
Project Ideas:Weather Tracking:
Equip students with tools to measure rainfall, temperature, and wind speed.
Use online databases and apps to gather historical weather data.
Create graphs and charts to visualize changes and patterns over time.
Discuss the implications of these patterns on agriculture and daily life.
Impact Studies:Assign small groups to investigate how specific weather events have impacted local areas.
Include interviews with local farmers, community leaders, and residents.
Document their findings in reports or presentations.
Resources Needed:Weather tracking equipment (rain gauges, thermometers, anemometers).
Access to historical weather data (online databases, local weather stations).
Presentation materials (poster boards, software for digital presentations).Actions to Combat Climate Change
In-Class Initiatives:Reducing Energy Consumption:
Conduct an energy audit of the school.
Implement simple changes like switching off lights, using energy-efficient bulbs, and promoting natural lighting.
Create awareness campaigns within the school to encourage energy-saving habits.
Sustainable Transportation: Organize a “Bike to School” day.
Set up a carpooling system or promote the use of public transportation among students and staff.
Create educational materials about the benefits of walking and biking.
Waste Reduction: Set up recycling bins around the school and educate students on proper sorting.
Start a composting program for food waste from the cafeteria.
Launch a campaign to reduce single-use plastics, such as encouraging the use of reusable water bottles and lunch containers.-
Hi Grace,
That’s a comprehensive action plan for your school, the Green School’s Committee will be busy next academic year and agree you should start with the simple things like switching off lights and using more efficient lighting. Particularly commendable is your drive for sustainable transportation, car pooling, cycling and walking to school. Again very achievable and impactful.
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Without a doubt, climate change is affecting our local area.
In agriculture, farmers are finding it harder to produce crops due to the extreme weather conditions arising from climate change.
Coastal erosion is affecting our beaches and local coastal walkways.
Within our school communities we can do many things to help improve the current situation.
I think
1) showing and incorporating the lessons highlighted in this module would be a great starting point. It’s hard to believe that Ireland is the worst country at climate action, we must do more and kids are always willing to do the right thing and carry the message home.
2) Reduce, reuse, recycle-continuing and expanding on this message, recycling all lunchbox materials, composting and having a bin monitor. We also take part in the Picker Pals initiative, keeping our locality clean by litter picking. Electricity monitor in classrooms, turning off lights and whiteboards when not in use.
3)Planting in the garden, passing on the message of sustainability and providing some of our own food.
Climate change is everyone’s problem, we all need to work together, in our school community and with the wider community.
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My school recently got solar panels. I must say it has made more of an impact on the students and staff than I thought it would have. The company who supplied them included a digital graphing presentation that shows how much energy the panels store each day, compare it with the energy we consume and show us how much electricity we are saving. The maths lessons, climate discussions, art responses and class debates have flowed as a result. It has been a very powerful and positive influence on the children.
I think the there areas I would like to work on next year would be as a follow up tot his initiative:
1. The School Garden – we have received funding for our school garden and I would love to grow food with the children. We could look at seasonal veg throughout the year. I would love to look at growing things like strawberries and raspberries to inspire a conversation about importing fruits and the carbon footprint that can be reduced when we grow them ourselves. I would also like to start a compost bin for the foliage and grasses we gather on garden clean up days.
2. The Solar Panels – now that school awareness has been promoted with the solar panels it would be wonderful to bring it into the community. I would like to create a digital link that could inform the parents and wider community of the success and the energy we have conserved as an awareness campaign of sorts and an effort to inspire other schools and local businesses to do similar.
3. I read through one of the other posts here about weather tracking. I was struck by the statistics shown on this module about the hottest temperatures in history since the 1880’s. It is such as Irish thing to talk about the weather but a global weather watch would be an idea I would like to trial next year. I would like the children to monitor things like the hottest desert in the world or Death Valley and compare hoe the temperatures have changed there. I would encourage them to look at the coldest parts like the East Antarctic Plateau and compare sea levels and iceberg regression. Looking at countries where monsoons are increasing in frequency and severity in the last decade etc. The bar charts and debates that could happen as a result would develop increased awareness of Climate Change following activities like this.
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Climate change is having a huge impact in Ireland and in our own local area. We are experiencing many extreme weather events such as storms and flooding, higher and lower weather temperatures and huge rainfall. There is also a lot of coverage on climate change in the local media also so pupils are very aware of what is happening.
To engage pupils, we could carry out local environmental studies, we could organise a field trip and visit a local form or a flood affected area. We could also invite a guest speaker in to speak about the impact of climate change in the local area.
Three actions we could consider could be to create a school garden and outdoor classroom where pupils can learn about sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, and the importance of green spaces. We could conduct an electricity audit and identify areas where the school could save energy and implement a plan to carry this out. We could run a campaign to reduce single plastic use in the school. We could carry out a survey to count how much plastic is being used in each class and then make a plan for every class to reduce their quantity. A prize could be given to the class that makes the best improvement.-
Hi Laura,
Lot’s of good suggestions there and I particularly like the idea of organising field trips so the children can see first hand the damage being done by climate change in the locality and this should then dovetail nicely with the in-school initiatives you’ve outlined as you will certainly have buy-in from the students. Ownership of the process is key here. The outside classroom and garden too are really practical and engaging ideas. Worth exploring here would be arranging a visit from a Heritage Specialist through the Heritage in Schools programme. You can find a list of specialist near you at Search for a Specialist | Heritage in Schools
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I currently live close to the coast, and one way my locality has been changed by climate change is through coastal erosion. I have lived here for 5 years and in that short time the shape of the local beach has changed several times after large storms. Accessibility to the beach for pedestrians strongly impeded, as large rocks have been placed along the strand to impede the erosion.
In the classroom I would have a brainstorming session about what coastal erosion is to ascertain prior knowledge.
I would then show before and after pictures of local coastal erosion: the changing beach, houses close to the cliff tops etc.
To engage pupils I would pique their interest by doing a demonstration in small groups using sand, water rocks and a large tray to show show coastal erosion occurs.
We would then discuss our findings and come up with ways in which we could take action to prevent coastal erosion. We would explore the links between coastal erosion and climate change- Why is this happening?
3 actions we can take to prevent coastal erosion are:
Don’t walk on or damage dune grasses as the grass holds the sand in the dunes together.
Don’t remove rocks from the seawall/ damage the sea wall as the seawall protects the coast from erosion
Help prevent climate change by being energy aware as climate change leads to coastal erosion: Turn off lights, don’t waste water, use renewable energy etc. -
Climate change is visibly impacting our local area through increased frequency of extreme weather events such as heavier rainfall, leading to flooding. These changes are not only altering our landscape but also impacting our community’s agricultural economy and daily life.
To engage my pupils in exploring the impacts of climate change, I would start with a hands-on approach. We could conduct local field trips to local farms affected by flooding, allowing students to observe the changes firsthand and discuss their implications. Additionally, incorporating multimedia resources such as documentaries and interactive online tools can help students understand the global context of climate change.
Three actions to slow down climate change and make the world a better place include:
Promoting sustainable transportation: Encourage walking, and cycling, to school to reduce carbon emissions.
Implementing a school-wide recycling program: Teach students the importance of reducing waste and recycling materials to minimise our environmental footprint.
Planting trees and creating a school garden: Involve students in enhancing our school grounds, which can help to provide a habitat for local wildlife.
Incorporating these actions into the classroom can be done through project-based learning. For instance, students can create posters and presentations on sustainable transportation, organise and manage the recycling program, and participate in the planting and maintenance of the school garden.
Development Education modules, from this course can significantly enhance our School Self-Evaluation by providing a structured approach to integrating global citizenship and sustainability into our curriculum. Development Education encourages critical thinking, empathy, and active participation, which are crucial for fostering a holistic educational environment. By regularly assessing the impact of Development Education initiatives, we can ensure that our school is not only educating students about global issues but also empowering them to take meaningful actions. This alignment with Development Education principles will contribute to a more comprehensive and reflective SSE process, highlighting our commitment to sustainability and global awareness.-
The three actions you’ve outlined here are practical, achievable, promote active learning and will ensure the students are fully engaged. Combatting climate change is all about the locality and as you reference prioritising the way people travel to school is an important step and not just because of the impact on greenhouse emissions but also providing additional opportunities for exercise which is a really important part of children’s health and wellbeing. Developing the school garden is another important initiative and develops a strong sense of ownership among the students body whist improving the overall appearance of the schools grounds and enhancing biodiversity.
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Our school is located in a built up urban area which is definitely seeing some affects of climate change in recent years. The canal to the rear of the school is regularly full of litter and the water level is much higher than it used to be due to increased rainfall. The primary concern in the local area is air pollution.
This year our school engaged in a programme with RTE Jr to have the opportunity for the children to express their views on climate change and so that they could partake in a number of community workshops and events with other schools and local businesses. Our school installed air quality monitors in two points to track the quality of the air at different times of the day, week, month, term etc. Members of our schools ‘Eco Team’ or Green Flag Committee were in charge of monitoring and recording these results. Through these air monitors the students in the school were able to see how much the air quality around the school is affected by cars and other vehicles being left running outside of the school at drop off and collection times. After monitoring these results and sharing them with the wider school community the Eco Team then organised a ‘No Idling’ campaign to encourage adults to turn their engines off at drop off and collection times instead of leaving them running on the road outside the school. This campaign had great engagement from the school community and saw a reduction in the number of vehicles left idling on the road outside school and an improvement in the air quality as a result. The next step for this would be to encourage more families in the school to make use of the school’s bike library scheme to avoid using cars to get to school on a daily basis where possible.
I think it would be a great idea to establish a school garden where children can plant trees and provide a habitat for local wildlife. This can also help to uplift our school grounds and can give the children a project to continuously work on and maintain over the years.
Our school takes part in the School Meals Programme and has done for the last 2 years. This programme is wonderful as it provides children with hot food each day however there tends to be a huge amount of waste lunches left over. Our schools student council ran a survey in all classes in the school and found that in the course of 7 school days more than 500 school lunches were not eaten and were untouched (an average of 85 per day). This is completely unsustainable. I believe that it would be a useful activity for children to help brainstorm a solution to this problem. Then the children may have an opportunity to write to either the company that provides the school lunches or to the local TD to suggest a more ethical and sustainable approach to the waste left over from hot lunches.
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The children in my class were engaged with Picked Pals which is a nationwide school based litter picking initiative. Whilst the children were engaging in this process, they noticed the lack of public bins in the local park which meant the park was heavily littered. Daffodils the children planted last year had not grown due to a dumping area former where the bulb bed once was. The children were concerned about the bees pollinating and the lack of their presence in the park this Spring and Summer. We explored this issue by writing separate letters to local councillors and the city council lobbying for more installs of public bins and better monitoring of dumping.
3 actions I suggest are:
1. I would ensure to deliver lessons about how climate change is affecting our locality as well as globally. Educating on local issues will instil a sense of agency to take control to make it a better place for their friends and family.
2. Engage in green school’s initiative to raise awareness within the school community. Children Williams home their ideas and views about making better choices regarding recycling, food waste and use of public transport.
3. Run a school-wide deposit return recycling scheme whereby children will dispose of their bottles and fans in school and the school can use the voucher from the store for food for the breakfast club. -
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The impact of climate change is all around us, and we are the lucky ones! Flooding , storm and wind have been more frequent and more destructive in recent years.
To help slow down climate change, we can consider these three actions:
1. **Transition to Renewable Energy**: Shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on non-renewable resources.
2. **Promote Sustainable Agriculture**: Implement practices such as crop rotation, organic farming, and reduced use of chemical fertilizers. These methods can decrease carbon footprints and enhance soil health.
3. **Enhance Energy Efficiency**: Improve energy efficiency in homes, buildings, and transportation. Use energy-efficient appliances, insulate buildings, and promote public transport, cycling, and electric vehicles to reduce overall energy consumption and emissions.
In our school we take our Green Flag very seriously and these lessons will tie in with this very well. They will show pupils the impact of climate change on us locally but also globally and we will focus in on the inequality of the impact felt by the rich and the poor.
It’s also a great topic for SSE discussion.
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Climate change is increasingly impacting our local area, manifesting in unpredictable weather patterns, increased flooding, and warmer temperatures. These changes affect agriculture, local biodiversity, and community health. Engaging students to explore these impacts can empower them to take action and make a positive difference.
To engage pupils, I would start with hands-on projects:
1. Local Impact Research: Have students conduct research projects on how climate change affects our community. This could involve studying local weather patterns, interviewing community members, or analyzing changes in local wildlife and plant species.
2. School Garden: Establish a school garden to teach students about sustainable practices, such as composting and water conservation. This hands-on approach can help them understand the importance of sustainable agriculture and its role in mitigating climate change.
3. Climate Action Campaign: Organize a campaign where students create posters, presentations, and social media content to raise awareness about climate change and encourage community action.
Three actions we can take to make the world a better place and slow down climate change:
1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Promote recycling programs within the school and educate students on minimizing waste through reusing and reducing consumption.
2. Energy Conservation: Implement energy-saving practices, such as turning off lights when not in use and using energy-efficient appliances, both in school and at home.
3. Support Sustainable Transportation: Encourage walking, cycling, or using public transport instead of driving. This can be supported through initiatives like “Walk to School” days or bike safety workshops.
By involving students in these activities, we can foster a sense of responsibility and empower them to contribute to climate change mitigation.-
Your approach to engaging students in addressing climate change is both practical and impactful. Initiating local impact research, establishing a school garden, and organizing a climate action campaign are excellent ways to empower students and deepen their understanding of environmental issues. These activities not only educate students about climate change but also encourage them to take proactive steps in their community.
Promoting actions like recycling, energy conservation, and supporting sustainable transportation further reinforces the importance of individual responsibility in mitigating climate change. By implementing these initiatives within the school and involving the broader community, students can see the direct impact of their actions, fostering a sense of ownership and commitment to sustainability.
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I really like the idea of involving children in the school garden Miriam as a way to actively teach about the impacts of climate change and sustainability. Last year we were lucky enough to move into a brand new school and this year the emphasis is going to be on the outside and gardens so its perfect timing to giving children responsibility of the aspects of the school garden.
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I am living and working in a coastal area. Climate change is causing more waste and water problems in our community, like pollution and flooding.
I am currently teaching in and Autism class and would love to create awareness about our changing climate and our responsibility to the environment via a project in this area next year. I would teach it using the SESE curriculum- Environmental awareness and care: Aim: to foster a sense of responsibility for the long-term care of the environment
• Lesson ideas might include: General introduction: What is Climate Change
• Links to useful websites including NASA
• Assignment-Project on waste and water pollution
• Life Skills- litter picking in our school and locality
• Assessment-quiz
• Sharing our findings with the wider community – display at the entrance of the school. Awareness poster campaign. -
I teach in Dublin City centre area. In Dublin city centre, climate change impacts are becoming increasingly evident, from more frequent storms and flooding to shifts in local biodiversity. To engage my pupils in exploring these issues further, I would start by incorporating hands-on activities like observing local weather patterns and studying the effects of urbanisation on our environment. Field trips to local parks or green spaces could help them see firsthand how climate change affects ecosystems.
In the classroom, we would discuss the importance of reducing our carbon footprint and conserving resources. I’d encourage them to brainstorm actions like reducing plastic use, conserving energy, and promoting sustainable transportation. Implementing a recycling program in school and initiating a campaign to plant trees in our neighbourhood are practical steps they could take.
Development Education modules could enhance School Self-Evaluation (SSE) by integrating climate action goals into our curriculum and activities. By monitoring our progress, reflecting on our actions, and involving the school community, we can foster a culture of environmental stewardship and contribute to a sustainable future.
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These are some great ideas Nicole. In some situations the children are not exposed to the 3 or 4 bins a household may have. I find that students in my class who are living in an apartment with communal waste disposal don’t have the same regard for the segregation of waste. Introducing the waste bin (black) recycling bin (green) and organic waste (brown) into my classroom created lots of conversation and questions in the beginning. What bin does this go in? and then why? It gave us the opportunity to have discussions about materials on a regular basis..Until such time that they no longer asked the questions as they had the answers.
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Climate change is increasingly affecting Rathfarnham, manifesting through more frequent and intense weather events, such as heavy rainfall and flooding, and unseasonal temperature variations. The dodder river bank is currently being reinforced to prevent flood risk
To engage pupils in exploring climate change, I would start with a hands-on approach, encouraging them to observe and record local weather patterns and compare these to historical data.
Actions:
1) Promote Sustainable Transportation: Encourage walking, cycling, and the use of public transport to reduce carbon footprints.2)Implement Recycling Programs: Establish comprehensive recycling initiatives in the school to teach students the importance of waste management and resource conservation.
3) Energy Conservation Projects: Involve students in energy-saving projects, such as installing energy-efficient lighting and advocating for reduced electricity usage within the school.
Using these actions as a foundation, I would design a lesson plan focusing on practical applications of climate action. We would start with a discussion on the science of climate change, followed by brainstorming sessions where students propose their solutions. This would culminate in project-based learning, where students implement their ideas, such as starting a school garden or organising a “Walk to School” day.
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Climate change is significantly impacting Dublin through rising sea levels, increased flooding, and more frequent extreme weather events. These changes threaten the city’s coastal infrastructure and housing. Additionally, shifts in weather patterns affect local agriculture and biodiversity, potentially leading to food security issues and loss of native species. Dublin also faces increased health risks, such as heatwaves and air pollution. Addressing these challenges requires robust climate adaptation and mitigation strategies to safeguard the city’s future.
To make the world a better place and slow down climate change, consider these actions:
1. Reduce Carbon Footprint: Adopt sustainable transportation methods like biking, walking, or using public transit. Minimize energy consumption by using energy-efficient appliances and switching to renewable energy sources like solar or wind power.
2. Support Reforestation: Plant trees and support reforestation projects. Trees absorb CO2, improve air quality, and support biodiversity. Participate in local tree-planting events or contribute to organizations focused on reforestation.
3. Advocate and Educate: Raise awareness about climate change through education and advocacy. Support policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and engage in community efforts to promote sustainable practices. Encourage others to adopt eco-friendly habits.
To promote climate change awareness in my classroom I would integrate interactive lessons, organise projects on sustainable practices, host guest speakers, and encourage student-led initiatives to reduce the school’s carbon footprint.
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Climate change is having a noticeable impact on Dublin and Ireland. A case that immediately comes to mind is the sighting of a great white shark off the coast of Galway, a fish generally found off Australia and South Africa. Dublin has seen the effecrs of climate change too with rising sea levels, increased flooding, and more frequent extreme weather events. In my classroom, I would engage pupils by exploring the local effects of climate change through interactive projects. For example, we could analyse flood maps of Dublin, (especially the Tolka valley as it flows nearby) and invite local climate scientists for talks, and walk down to the effected areas as they are nearby.
To contribute positively and help slow down climate change, we can focus on three actions: reducing waste, conserving energy, and advocating for sustainable practices. Encouraging pupils to participate in recycling programs, turn off lights and electronics when not in use, and support green initiatives are practical steps that foster environmental stewardship.Reflecting on the Development Education modules, these can significantly enhance School Self-Evaluation (SSE) by providing a framework and adding the theme of global citizenship and sustainability into our curriculum
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Climate change is having a big impact on my local area, with an increase in storms, wind speed rainfall accompanied by a decrease in sunlight resulting in people’s health being affected, crops not yielding as much as before and floods occurring more frequently. Local wildlife suffer a lot from the changing weather and it is important to make all children aware of the seriousness of this issue. One action I could carry out in school is for children to analyse their carbon footprint and how they can improve it. I would organise days where children cycle to school and days where children walk to school to reduce their carbon footprint. For my second action, I would set up a school garden. In it, we would plant a variety of fruit and vegetables. This garden would be maintained by all the children in the school, and when the crops have grown we will showcase what was involved to encourage parents to do this at home with their children. The third action I would undertake is to discuss with the school officials about putting in timed lights. This would greatly reduce the amount of energy being wasted on lights throughout the year and help our climate.
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The school garden project is a terrific idea. It not only teaches children about growing food but also involves them in hands-on environmental safekeeping. Showcasing the garden’s progress to parents can inspire similar efforts at home, fostering a community-wide impact. Implementing timed lights to reduce energy waste is another practical step that can make a great difference.
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In my local area, climate change is clearly impacting us through more frequent and severe weather events like storms and higher temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns. This has resulted in flooding and low water supplies. As we are in the countryside the climate change can be seen affecting agriculture also and more towards the coastal areas in Ireland there is noticeable rising sea levels threatening coastal areas. Our school has a biodiversity garden and takes part in no mow may with awareness around this yearly. However, to introduce pupils to look into this further I think that taking part in walks such as nature walks to observe changes in the environment as well as creating data on rainfall in the area.
I think certain actions throughout the school can be beneficial also such as
1. Taking part in green schools, adapting a whole school recycling programme to promote waste reducation
2. Organise tree planting in the local area in collaboration with the local community committee.
3. Use Steam education such as microsoft’s dreamspace initiative to encourage pupils to design and create a prototype using code that measure climate change be it measuring rainfall, measuring temperature etc.
By equipping pupils with knowledge, hands-on experiences, and a sense of responsibility and agency, we can encourage them to take action and contribute to a more sustainable future for all.-
Hi Christine, To deepen students’ understanding, nature walks to observe environmental changes and collecting rainfall data are great ideas. Additionally, implementing a whole-school recycling programme through Green Schools can promote waste reduction. Organising tree planting with the local community and using STEAM education initiatives like Microsoft’s DreamSpace to design climate measurement prototypes are practical and engaging ways to involve pupils.
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Climate change is affecting my local area in many ways. Storms and severe weather warnings are happening more often than before and children are directly affected by this with school closures etc. My local area is also very close to a large river and simply driving past this river every day and seeing it overflowing its banks is a visual reminder of rainfall patterns changing. At other times of the year the river level is very low and makes me think of farmers in the area whose animals will be feeling the effects of lower water levels also. Many of the children in my school live on farms so this is another example of how they are affected by climate change.
It can be concerning for children to notice all of these changes and feel as though there is nothing they can do to stop it. This is why it’s so important for us to engage in DE with them and consider ways in which we can work together to slow down climate change. Planting trees in the local area or on the school grounds could be considered. A school garden could be set up where each class is involved in tending to the plants as well as setting up bug hotels or bird feeders to promote wildlife in the locality. Recycling or waste-management programmes could be set up across the school. An energy awareness campaign could also be undertaken where we look at our energy usage in the school and consider simple ways to reduce this such as turning off lights, screens, chargers, etc when not in use. Finally, ways to reduce water usage could also be explored in the school.-
Hi Laura, the increasing frequency of storms, severe weather warnings, and fluctuating river levels clearly show how climate change is affecting your community. It’s understandable that these changes can be concerning for children, especially those from farming backgrounds. Engaging in Development Education (DE) and involving students in proactive initiatives is essential. Planting trees and setting up a school garden are excellent ideas that can make a tangible difference. Well done.
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Hi Laura, I think that starting with small changes such as an energy awareness campaign in the school would be really beneficial to all involved. I love your idea of making birdfeeders. Each class could have an aspect or project to create for the school garden so that it becomes a whole school project. A lovely idea.
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Climate change is effecting our local area by increased flooding. Average rainfall measurements are increasing. There is now a lot more flooding occurring throughout the year compared to past years. This is a consequence of climate change. Pupils could explore this further by carrying out a research project. Another effective idea would be to get parents to interview grand parents and parents about their experiences and memories of floods when they were children. Answers can be compared and contrasted. This enables children to make a link to the learning when relating family members life experiences. Photographs of the past and present could also be looked at.
3 actions that I could do is:
1. Make a conscious effort to continuously learn more about climate change and reflect my learning in my teaching to help the students learn about climate change.
2. Make a more conscious effort to recycle and dispose of waste
3. Engage in projects with my class that help to reduce the risk of climate change. -
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Climate change is having an increasingly negative effect on my local area through more frequent and intense weather events, sea levels rising and change in seasonal patterns. These events in turn are putting local biodiversity and the economy at risk.
It is important that as a teacher I get pupils engage in this issue and encourage them to become more environmentally conscious members of our school and local communities. Students could be motivated to engage in climate change activities by taking part in hands on activities such as a local climate impact field trip, a collaborative data analysis project on our local area and climate change or completing a project that highlights way we could become more environmentally conscious. In engaging in some of these activities, hopefully, the children would gain a deeper understanding on climate change and become a proactive citizen when it comes to climate issues.
3 actions our school/ children could do to make the world a better place and slow down the effects of climate change are:
1. Walk/ cycle/ scoot to school programme: encouraging students to take more energy efficient ways to get to school each day. In doing so, this reduces greenhouse gas emissions and promotes a healthy lifestyle.
2. School garden: having a school garden is a great way to help students learn about sustainable agriculture, composting and the importance of local food production. It highlights to the children how we could lower our carbon footprint by reducing the need to transport food.
3. schoolwide recycling programme: in our school we currently recycling, but I think by implementing a more comprehensive recycling programme it would encourage the students to become more sustainable. By promoting re usable items it teaches the children to become more environmentally conscious.
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Climate change has a significant impact on Ireland, affecting various aspects of it’s environment, economy, and society. These effects are evident in multiple areas, including agriculture, coastal erosion, and water supply. Ireland is experiencing an increase in severe weather occurrences such as storms, heavy rainfall, and flooding, which can result in property damage, displacement, and disruptions to transportation and infrastructure. As global temperatures rise, sea levels are also rising, posing a threat to Ireland’s coastal regions, including Dublin, Galway, and Cork. This increase in sea levels can lead to coastal erosion, loss of habitats, and heightened vulnerability to storm surges. The agriculture sector in Ireland is being impacted by climate change. Changes in temperature and rainfall patterns can have an effect on crop yields, livestock health, and overall agricultural productivity. Furthermore, climate changes can alter the timing of planting and harvesting seasons.
Personally I feel I could do better in the collective action against climate change. As a family we are conscious of the energy we use in our home, the goods we recycle and our water consumption. We could do more in the areas of food waste, fast fashion and our carbon footprint.
I think it is important to empower our students by encouraging to make their goals attainable (SMART targets). Let them know their actions, big or small, can contribute to a positive change. These actions could include organising school recycling programs, energy-saving campaigns or utilising the school garden to learn about sustainable food production.
Climate change is a hot topic at present and many young children have heard the phrase but don’t really grasp the implications. In the classroom we can explore climate change at an appropriate level and teach students about the causes, impacts and potential solutions.
It is important to engage students in local environmental issues and encourage them to take action within their communities. This could involve organising a community clean-up event, participating in local climate change protests or initiatives, or inviting guest speakers who work on climate change projects to share their experiences. It is also crucial that we provide hope, climate change is a serious issue, but it’s important to emphasise solutions and positive actions to avoid eco-anxiety.
In our stream we had observed a significant increase in littering in our town. As a result, we participated in the Picker Pals Program. This initiative had such a positive impact on the area that we are going to continue it each year. Community members praised the students for their efforts while out picking up litter. This is a very simple initiative appropriate for all age groups that integrates education, practical involvement and community engagement.
We can encourage sustainable practices among the students and within the community by teaching them about energy conservation, recycling, waste reduction, using public transportation or carpooling. Small actions like turning off lights, unplugging devices, and minimising water usage can collectively make a significant impact. For older students we can promote volunteering for tree-planting initiatives with the local biodiversity groups and participate in local conservation projects. These initiatives all educate students about the importance of preserving biodiversity and ecosystems while we can inspiring them to take an active role in addressing climate change and making a positive impact on the world.-
Instilling students with attainable goals and showing them that their actions matter is crucial. Setting up school recycling programmes, energy-saving campaigns, and using the school garden for sustainable food production are excellent initiatives. Learning about climate change in the classroom at an appropriate level and engaging students in local environmental issues can foster a sense of responsibility and a sense of optimism.
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In the last 15 years, our local area has had a huge increase in the building of new roads, housing estates, industrial buildings, and school buildings. Due to this infrastructure, this has had a direct impact on our local biodiversity as well the species attached to this. It is quite shocking to see the same area only 15years ago was covered in fields and paddocks for horses. There is also a huge increase in light pollution. Streetlights produce most of the light pollution in our locality. Much of this artificial light is wasted light. and the waste of energy is obvious.
It is important to enable the children to learn about ways to conserve energy and reduce light pollution in their school and their local area and to identify the simple things that we can do to ensure that light is neighbourhood friendly, energy efficient and to help to preserve dark skies.
To engage my students further I would encourage them to participate in investigations using the Framework for Inquiry to assist them in their investigations of “How can we conserve energy at school?”.Next, I would ask the students to observe and walk about our own natural spaces surrounding our school building. Ask students about how they think the huge increase in infrastructure and buildings in the last 15 years might have on local biodiversity in our area. Students would do a biodiversity study of an assigned area. “What native plant and animal species can we find? ” By using the mapping portal from Biodiversity Ireland https://maps.biodiversityireland.ie/ the students could generate plant and animal species records from a chosen area.
I would invite local environmentalists and community members to speak to the children about the changes that they have observed in the community and to hear the local impact of reduced natural spaces have had on our community.The three actions that could be implemented to slow down the impact of climate change in our school community might include:
1) Energy Savers: ensuring that the children are aware of turning off all lights, switching off all devices and chargers every evening after school.
2) Continue to develop our school garden and plant more wild meadow areas on the school grounds to support biodiversity. Continue composting our organic waste as part of the Green schools programme.
3) Reduce Waste: Continue supporting the Green schools whole school initiative in the importance of reducing waste and recycling properlyBy incorporating Development education methodologies as part of our SSE process, our school can help by taking action on climate change in a whole school approach. Development Education can broaden students’ perspectives and inspire them to make a positive change towards our natural world.
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Bringing in local environmentalists to speak about community changes can provide valuable insights and inspire students. Each of these three actions—promoting energy-saving habits, developing the school garden, and reducing waste—are real and effective. By incorporating these actions into the SSE process will help facilitate a whole-school approach to climate change.
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Everyone’s local area is being impacted by climate changes, including warming temperatures, changes in the amount of rainfall and extreme weather events. Rising sea levels is one that impacts on my local area as I live in a coastal area in North County Dublin. Rising sea levels threaten coastal communities and ecosystems and I have seen, over the last number of years, the devastating impact of coastal erosion. People in our community have lost their homes due to coastal erosion. Other changes in climate that impact locally would be the decline in yields of crops for our local farmers. This in turn, results in higher food prices for the consumer. It’s extremely important that the children in our classrooms are aware of this – the impact of climate change globally, locally. This can be incorporated in many areas of the curriculum. It would be beneficial to bring the class to visit these areas and to see, first-hand, the impact e.g. coastal erosion in our community. A maths lesson could analyse food prices of today compared to 5 years ago and examine the reasons for this. This would pave the way for discussion about what we can do to help and how we can do it.
There are several actions that can be taken to make the world a better place and to slow down climate change. For example, leave the car at home more often when possible; reduce energy use (and bills!); throw away less food; reduce, reuse, repair and recycle!
The Development Education modules in this course can easily feed into any school’s Self-Evaluation. Staff can collaboratively identify areas for improvement and take action that leads to improved learning. A Green Schools committee, for example, could be. This would include staff, pupils and the wider community.
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Living in the coastal region, the impacts of climate change are increasingly evident. Rising sea levels have led to more frequent and severe flooding, affecting homes and infrastructure. Unpredictable weather patterns disrupt local agriculture, threatening food security and livelihoods. The community also experiences hotter summers and milder winters, altering local ecosystems and increasing the prevalence of pests and diseases.
To engage my pupils, I would initiate a project-based learning activity where they investigate specific climate impacts in our area. This could include field trips to observe coastal erosion, interviews with local farmers about changing crop yields, or analysing temperature and rainfall data. By connecting global issues to their own lives, students can develop a deeper understanding and a sense of responsibility.
Three actions we can take to combat climate change include:
1. Promoting Renewable Energy: By advocating for solar panels in our school and community, we can reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
2. Supporting Sustainable Agriculture: Encouraging local farms to adopt sustainable practices can minimise carbon footprints and enhance resilience.
3. Enhancing Green Spaces: Planting trees and creating green spaces can absorb CO2 and provide cooling effects in urban areas.
In the classroom, I would use this lesson to foster critical thinking and collaboration. Students would work in groups to research and present their findings, creating a sense of agency and empowerment. They would also develop action plans to implement small-scale projects, such as a school garden or a recycling campaign. This experiential approach not only educates but also inspires students to become proactive stewards of the environment. Through these activities, they learn that individual and collective actions can contribute to a larger movement against climate change, fostering hope and resilience in the face of global challenges
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In our school this past year we also held a fundraiser for our new classroom for Autism. Children were encouraged to bring in plastic bottles for the deposit return scheme and the money made went towards the new classroom. It encouraged children to read the lables on packaging and recylce them correctly and we also raised nearly 1,000 euro.
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Climate change affects my local area in many ways. It can be seen in the more extreme weather conditions we see every year with hotter temperatures in the summer and colder in the winter. Natural disasters like storms and floods are becoming more common also. Flooding is a big problem in my area with rivers and the sea flooding regularly and creating a huge issue for my local community to deal with.
The way in which I would engage my pupils to explore this further is looking back on the history of this issue. We could make a collection of evidence that shows this is a problem in our local community. This evidence could then be used to create an action project which searches for solutions to help combat this issue. The children could then compile their findings and send this to a local councillor to see if there is something we can do as a community to help prevent this issue.Three actions I can do to make the world a better place and slow down climate change include:
Reducing the use of my car: I try to use public transport, walking and carpooling as much as possible now to reduce carbon footprint.
Using reusable water bottles and lunch boxes daily. This reduces the use of non-biodegradable plastics and is better for the environment. It is also more cost effective!
Recycle as much as possible, use bottle banks provided, use green bins and try to re use any objects or materials that there may be an alternative use for.The way I would use this lesson in the classroom is to raise awareness in my school about climate change and what we can do to help. I also think covering this in the classroom would help to settle any children who are experiencing bio-anxiety. I would let the children approach this through guided discovery and research. I would then work collaboratively with them on how they would like to act on this information.
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Hi Clodagh,
Whilst I had heard of climate anxiety before, bio-anxiety is a new one on me but imagine they are one and the same and real concerns, particularly for younger people regarding the state of the planet we live on. In fact I read ‘Young people stand to significantly and disproportionally shoulder the burden of climate change, however, making it more common in young people.’ The article here from Mental Health UK is worth reading on the phenomenon.
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We have a school garden and it is a useful area for looking at lots of aspects of growing and how weather can impact on our garden. From weather we can start to look at climate and how it is changing over time. We have soil thermometers and rain gauges but I often start again with letting the class come up with their own design for rain gauges and test the effectiveness of different types. Gathering rainfall can be done during the data section of maths and recorded to show monthly averages. We can then look at historical data to show changes over decades. Our area has a local weather station so this fits in with my locality. Increased rainfall data can spark discussion on how that impacts growing here in Ireland. We can look at seasonal fruit and vegetables, buying locally grown fruit and vegetables and even start to link to fast fashion trends and the impact of buying cheap goods that include unnecessary airmiles. Another action is to run clothes swaps during the year including a uniform swap at the start and end of the school year. An info campaign around recycling and reusing for students, including bringing their own water bottle. We are also starting a campaign for students to bring in some plastics bottles to fundraise for water stations around the school. We also have started growing bee attracting flowers around our school to encourage pollinators. These are some simple actions at student level to help them feel empowered to contribute towards climate change solutions.
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I think that climate changes are very important topic to teach in school.
climate change is an ongoing problem. Children should be exposed to the top but also be given a chance to discuss and voice Their opinions are concerns. There are many ways in which you can educate the children about climate change and engage them in taking action also. Such activities may include,
Setting up a garden outside the school yard.
having debates in class this morning and climate change.
creating posters to raise awareness about action needed towards climate change. These can be presented all around the school which would involve a whole school approach to the subject.
The children can also do art activities, using any recyclable materials to demonstrate how we can have sustainable art in school.
finally, the children could discuss how they can demonstrate action Climate Change in their home. This could include turning off all the lights, recycling, materials, using less water.
all of these activities allow the children to be engaged in their learning and active participants in the lesson. This will prepare them to be able to take action against current topics
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The Paxi’s videoes on youtube are a good starting point to inform aboutClimate Change. I would show the one on greenhouse gases. I have used the Paxi videos before in my class when we were studying Space and the children loved them. I think they are a very useful tool especially for younger children. I teach in an infant school so I would lead a discussion on how we are contributing to climate change. I think at Infant level the focus needs to be on looking and reflecting on the children’s own experiences and local environment. We could discuss how we could make changes at school or within our own classroom. We could discuss how we could record and monitor changes we make. We have a Green schools committee and could make a list of suggestions to give to them and present to the school at assembly. I think at Infant Level children can be taught that simple actions like closing doors, turning off the lights, putting waste in an appropriate bin can all impact positively on Climate Change. We have two Eco Warriors in each class to keep check on this. We also have Walk on Wednesday where children are encouraged to walk, cycle or scoot to school. We also can a class in charge of litter picking on yard. We have a school garden and try to plant bee friendly plants and sow potatoes, garlic, apples and strawberries. All these initatives could be part of SSE and climate change could a priority for SSE.
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In my local area, climate change has been affecting the environment through changes in weather patterns, such as increased rainfall and temperature variations. To engage pupils in exploring this further, I could organise a field trip to observe local ecosystems, invite guest speakers to discuss climate change impacts, and facilitate hands-on projects like creating a school garden to promote sustainability. This would be a great project for the Green Schools team.
To make the world a better place and slow down climate change, here are three actions we can take:
1. Reduce carbon footprint by promoting walking, cycling, or carpooling to school.
2. Implement recycling programs in schools and encourage students to reduce waste.
3. Plant trees or create green spaces on school grounds to enhance biodiversity and combat climate change.-
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Holding field trips, inviting guest speakers, and facilitating hands-on projects like creating a school garden are excellent strategies to help students understand and combat climate change. All of these kinds of activities not only enhance their learning experience but also promote sustainability and environmental stewardship.
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Without a doubt it is clear that climate change is a huge topic in society at the moment and something which is important to explore with children in schools.
I would encourage the children to think about: “What is our school’s carbon footprint and how might that be affecting climate change?”
To start, we would discuss energy usage in school: lights, IWBs, internet etc. We would then discuss what actions we can take day-to-day to ensure we are not wasting this the energy (such as turning off lights when we leave the room)
We would also look at the type of heating system the school may use – fossil fuel based or electric – and talk about the most efficient ways to heat buildings. This could lead to discussion about renewable energy forms such as solar and wind and the potential to use solar panels and insulation to better heat our building.
I would show the children videos and we would do lesson as about climate change before undertaking the next steps which would be do problem solve how best they could record and measure the energy use in the school, how they could represent this data and how best to interpret it. This would then be turned into a whole school project about how we could improve our schools carbon footprint.
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Hi Christina, I really like your idea of completing a whole-school project based on the school’s carbon footprint. I think this would be a great way to promote the students understanding of a carbon footprint and how different decisions we make in our day-to-day lives can positively or negatively effect our carbon footprint. This is a great idea.
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Climate change is well and truly evident with the wet summer we have been having this year and the previous mild winters. Living in the northwest of Ireland (but teaching in Longford) it is obvious the disastrous effects on local lands due to repeated flooding. The soil is of poor quality at the best of times, but the constant rain hasn’t allowed for any sort of soakage. This flooding has resulted in the poaching of ground by cattle/sheep and an increase in feed costs as cattle have to be rehoused earlier than normal. It is not normal to house animals 10months of the year and only let them out for two. To explore these impacts further I would integrate local weather/rainfall data into Maths/Geography lessons. Students could construct their own weather instruments such as rain gauges or anemometers, observe and record weather patterns over a period of time and interview older member of the community to see if they have noticed changes. These hands-on learning experiences will ensure a sense of responsibility within the students and inspire them to hopefully take action and contribute to solutions to tackle this global issue.
3 actions which I would encourage children to take are:
1. Field trips to coastal areas to see how climate change is affecting them e.g. erosion.
2. Take part in the Microsoft Dreamscape challenge encouraging children to come up with their own solution to tackle climate change
3. Plant more trees in and around our school/local community to help the carbon cycle and carbon dioxide absorption. -
Climate change is affecting my own area by making weather patterns less predictable and more extreme. Storms are dangerous and increased rainfall is affecting agriculture. This is significant enough that even some older children can notice the difference from when they were younger as it’s recently gotten much worse.
Some actions that we could do to make the world a better place and slow down climate change are conducting a walkability survey to send to officials to make the roads around the school safer, thus increasing foot and bicycle traffic.
We could become climate detectives and conduct research that could be shared to a wider audience to increase awareness on climate change and how it’s affecting not just Ireland but the world.
We could work on the schools energy usage and try to switch to a renewable energy source.
The work on climate change would probably be the easiest to integrate into SSE with recycling, energy, biodiversity and travel targets that would be easily measured.
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Our school is on the coast, literally directly across from the ocean. Climate change is having an impact on the whole country in different ways but those of us that live or work so near the coast will definitely need to educate children about the importance of being more aware of recycling and renewable energy. There has been more rainfall in the past years as well as costal erosion. Three actions that might help slow down climate change are 1. Draw childrens’ attention to the importance of renewable energy. This could be in the form of a survey first on what type of heating they use in their homes or what type of fuel is used in their cars. Our school has recently installed solar panels and we had a discussion about how they work. 2. Cycling to school rather than being dropped by car. We encourage walking or cycling if possible but our school has two weeks of the year where we really encourage children to cycle, walk, car pool or drop and walk to school. Each child who participates gets a raffle ticket at the end of each day and a draw is made before the end of the school day. 3. Turning off lights and devices when not in use at school. Each class has two children who check that everything is turned off at break times and at the end of the day to save electricity. Reducing our carbon footprint on our way to school and then further at school through recycling and being aware of the energy we use or potentially waste at school fits in with our whole school plan.
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One problem related to climate change in our school area is flooding. We are situated close to the Dodder river which frequently floods ,especially after the rainstorms that we are seeing. Dublin County Council have now begun works on a flood alleviation scheme. It’s funny but often Irish children know more about the River Nile , for example, than one in their locality. All pupils could be taken on age appropriate field trips along the Dodder to identify wildlife and plants. They could also participate in clean-up activities. An education officer from DCC could be invited in to the school to speak to pupils about their plans.
Three ideas where we could help with climate change in our school area would be to:
1. Join forces with the Dodder Valley Action Group and help with litter picking.
2. Continue to monitor and try to reduce the amount of food waste stemming from our school.
3. The Student Council along with older classes could investigate fast fashion and it’s impacts on climate change.
A topic for SSE could be our whole school approach to Reducing, Re-using and Recycling when it comes to electricity, materials, water and food consumption.
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I like your idea of field trips along the river. It’s true that kids often know more about distant places like the Nile than their own local rivers (apart from the Shannon of course). Involving them in clean-up activities and bringing in an education officer to talk about the council’s plans are superb ways to connect them to their immediate environment.
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Climate change is impacting everyone at the moment. The increase in storms, change in weather at different times of year, rain and floods have all been ways that my local area has been effected due to climate change. I also think it is evident when noticing the plants and trees, e.g. flowers blooming either late or early because of change in the weather. I reflected on this in a previous forum, but I have used the Lorax as a means to engage the students in discussions and conversations about climate change. My school also works towards green school flags. Therefore we are all very conscious of recycling, saving energy and caring for the environment.
This year we are working towards the marine flag and how we can help keep our sea life safe and clean. My colleague organised marine week for the school and we all also went out litter picking to clean up our environment.
Continuing our schools green flag. This is a great way to keep us all accountable, both students and staff. We can all work together towards the same goal.
Climate change committee: setting up a climate change committee in our school could tie in with the community. We could organise school litter picking, energy saving days, and invite speakers to the school.
Promote renewable energy: encourage the school to look for grants for solar panels, educate the students of the importance of renewable energy.
we could alsofit this into our whole school plan and incorporate it into our SSE.-
Robyn, I agree with everything you’ve posted here. I applied for solar panels (PV) for our school last spring and it’s beyond frustrating to have it held up by the DES – ‘still at out to tender stage’ – whenever I check in w/ the school hub. We also have committees meet monthly and speakers visit regularly. We regularly see the impact of climate change in localised flooding events and the increased number of general weather Code Red ‘events’ in recent years, sadly. However also, as you’ve stated there’s its impact on nature… Irish peatland habitats are important for carbon storage, yet many of our bogs are been planted w/ conifers or converted for agricultural use, thereby excluding native species such as heathers.
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When it comes to climate change, I always try to empower children to ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’; and take small, meaningful actions which can become habitual/embedded in their daily lives. These can range from as simple as saying no to single use plastic and carrying reusable drinks bottles/keep cups to GIY in the school garden – taking what we grow in our raised beds and polytunnel (garlic, peas, onions, strawberries etc) and cooking w/ these ingredients in the Home Ec room, thereby demonstrating minimum food miles. Recently they are even more incentivised when it comes to local litter pick ups…armed w/ our Picker Pals, we check for the R symbol on plastic bottle litter and they get cents back at their local store.
Being a city-centre school, when not walking, we take the public bus as much as possible, whether it’s to local museums, libraries and/or bowling and sports events. They are therefore reminded of the need to reduce their carbon footprints (as well as the fact that WOW Days, COW Days – walking/cycling are dually beneficial for their physical and mental health).
As a Green School Coordinator of fifteen years plus, I know that I constantly model all of the above actions, not just in my school community, but in how I live generally. This lesson lends itself to all kinds of cross-curricular work – from maths – counting and graphing the deposit return scheme – art – posters/slogans to raise awareness around the school – English/Geography – looking at case studies in Nat. Geo kids or reviewing hard-hitting documentaries such as A Plastic Ocean – Science – Last year we participated for the first time in the Globe Air Quality Campaign and so on.
I therefore feel that all of the above is already embedded in our SSE. Since we completed our initial Travel Flag (and more recently our Global Citizenship Travel Flag) Fair Trade Tea and Coffee are available in our staff room (as well as holding days such as Africa Day/International Day etc) to maintain Developmental Education front and centre too.-
Being a Green School Coordinator for over fifteen years, your hard work is very commendable. I can relate as I have been our green schools coordinator for the last three years. Bringing these activities into various subjects, like maths, art, English, geography, and science, shows a comprehensive and creative approach to teaching about sustainability and climate action. The idea of using case studies and documentaries to engage students is particularly effective in making the issue more relatable and real.
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We in our school have seen a huge difference with the school garden. Less growth and slower flowering plants compared to last June. Our vegetable crops were pretty poor this year and the children were disappointed with the result. There has been way less sunshine and more frequent rain. It did have an effect on morale this year as so much work was put into tending and caring for the school garden. I come from the SE of Ireland originally and friends have told me that they too have seen a huge difference this year.
Three Actions to Make the World a Better Place and Slow Down Climate Change
1. Reduce Energy Consumption by adopting energy-efficient practices and utilise renewable energy sources in daily life. At home and in school promote energy efficiency measures by implementing the use of LED light bulbs, unplugging devices when not in use, and reduce heating when not needed by turning heaters off. Promote Sustainable Transportation.
2. We could promote sustainable transportation through initiatives such as carpooling, walking or cycling if possible.
3. Schools could support sustainable consumption and waste reduction by making conscious choices about the products we use and how we dispose of waste. The three R s initiatives: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
In the classroom I would integrate sustainability practices, foster environmental awareness, and encourage proactive behaviour among students by:
· Project-Based learning where children can design and build models of sustainable houses or develop campaigns to reduce the school’s carbon footprint.
· Classroom Practices by energy conservation assigning children as energy monitors to check that the list agreed with all classes is being followed
· Waste Reduction: ensuring all classes are recycling and composting according to the school plan
The school plan would have input from the green committee and contribute to it by creating a climate pledge, green team, researching plants that are better for our weather and climate , green flag entry to mention a few. By creating a classroom that prioritises change, both staff and children can take meaningful steps to support a sustainable future for all.
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Climate Change is affecting my local area in a variety of ways. Every year there is an increase in extreme weather- ranging from heavy rainfall and flooding to higher than usual temperatures. This was particularly evident in Winter when warmer than usual weather resulted in the regrowth of flowers earlier than usual. Furthermore, the price of food has increased because of global shortages on various products. This contributes to the economic crisis and the number of people who have been forced into homelessness. In my own school, many families are homeless and living in hotels. This has a massive effect on the students I teach. They are tired, scared, hungry and are showing decreased focus and attention.
In order to take action and slow down climate change I think everyone can make three small changes to their lives that would have a big impact on the world. Firstly, looking at our diet and the amount of food that goes to waste. Planning our meals better and ensuring that you use all of the food bought in smart ways can greatly decrease our carbon footprint and hopefully slow the effects of climate change. Also, eating more seasonally will greatly help our environment and promotes the growth of our fruit and vegetables in a more natural way. Finally, allowing our grassy areas grow naturally with wild flowers and weeds will promote the local ecosystem and allow the bees and other insects to pollinate the area and thrive.
As a lesson, we could look at commonly wasted foods and create recipes to utilise these foods before they’re wasted. Development Education can be looked at with SSE by looking at different curricular areas and how development education could be integrated and taught in different class levels. -
The results of climate change are easy to recognise in recent years. In my locality, the wind and storms have caused regular road blockages and power outages. This has resulted in the main road to school being inaccessible and also the school operating without broadband regularly. It has also meant that there have been some school closures due to power outages. This was a good discussion point within the school and Green Schools committee as students themselves began to plan at school level and initiate changes made by both students and staff. This started on a small scale in reducing photocopying, litter picking and sorting rubbish correctly in classroom bins but moved onto a bigger scale in terms of project work. As another participant mentioned, fast fashion has become a huge issue in society today. I was so impressed to see students so engaged in a project based on this topic and conducting their own research and discussing second hand alternatives and being an informed consumer.
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These are great points Ellen, and it’s great to hear students coming up with solutions as ultimately our goal is to prepare the world for future generations. I do agree that fast fashion is a global issue and also somewhat at a school level. For example, there is a lot of plastic and general waste from a student’s pencil case alone, and a new pencil case or stationery is often treated as a fashion accessory in classrooms. I am aware of some schools that do not allow such pencil cases and adopt an agreed plan for each child to all own the same school pencil case. I think that if schools adopt this, it would be a sustainable move and a step to encouraging pupils to make small changes in their lives.
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I am working in a West Dublin school. The main issues we are being evidently faced with currently as a result of climate change is the increased amount of more extreme weather conditions and rising temperatures. A huge cohort of the students I teach come from other countries, most of which are experiencing much more challenges in terms of climate change. I think it is really beneficial that the Irish children in the class are hearing directly about how classmates families living abroad are beign so badly effected. Some initiatives we could do in school is develop a recycling program, with children who will come around and check bins each day. There could be an incentive for the children, such as more play time if they are the “greenest” class of the week. This could also incorpoate a second idea of ensuring that the energy within the school is being monitored, like turning off the lights, the interactive boards, ensuring no water waste etc. Developing a school garden is also a lovely way of getting the children involved in planting, seeing how they can grow their own fruits and vegetables, and can provide for the local wild animals and minibeasts, such as researching which plants they could grow that are bee friendly.
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Climate change is evident and affecting in the locality through flooding and excessive rainfall, long spells of low temperatures in the winter months, poor grass growth, longer periods of heat spells in the summer months. Pupils can be invited to reflect on local climate change by recording weather patterns in the school environment, this can be done by recording weather with weather and temperature charts and examining the influence of weather and climate on the school’s ecosystem. We all can play a part in slowing climate change. I will continue to implement sustainable changes including walking or cycling instead of using the car; instead of buying new, looking at the options of buying second-hand or used and continuing to reduce, reuse and recycle. Examining SDGs in schools and implementing the Green Schools programme in a meaningful way are important to promoting changes for pupils as helpful to stopping the advancement of climate change.
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Climate change impacts our locality with flooding, excessive rainfall, long cold spells, and heatwaves. I encourage pupils to record weather patterns using charts and analyze their effects on the school ecosystem. For example, students can monitor rainfall and its impact on school gardens. We promote sustainable practices like walking or cycling to school, buying second-hand items, and reducing waste.
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Yes, the children really take ownership of the green schools initiative in our school also and learn a lot about recycling and conserving energy. Parents also car pool where possible and local children walk and cycle to school. The parent association run bring and buy days where people can purchase good items for their children at a reduce cost, any profit then goes to the school for resources.
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There’s no doubt that climate change is significantly impacting my local area in Co Kerry, with noticeable changes such as increased rainfall leading to frequent flooding, rising sea levels threatening coastal areas, and more extreme weather events affecting both the environment and local livelihoods. These changes pose challenges to agriculture, tourism, and the daily lives of the community.
To engage pupils I would introduce a mix of classroom learning and experiential activities. We could start with a series of lessons on the science of climate change, tailored to local examples. Bringing in guest speakers, such as local farmers or environmental scientists, can provide first hand insights into how climate change is affecting Tralee.
Three actions we can take to make the world a better place and slow down climate change include:
Tree Planting Initiatives: Organize tree planting activities within the school grounds or local community. This would be in good keeping with our school as last year a new state of the art building was opened and there is a big emphasis on
incorporating children and responsibility into the school grounds.Reducing Plastic Use: Implement a school-wide campaign to reduce plastic use. Encourage students to use reusable water bottles, lunch containers, and bags. Organize clean-up drives to remove plastic waste from local beaches and parks.
Energy Conservation Projects: Educate students on energy-saving techniques and implement energy conservation measures within the school. Students can be involved in conducting energy audits and possibly this introduction of energy monitors would hand responsibility of this back to the children.
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The impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly evident. Some of these include increased Rainfall and Flooding, There has been a noticeable rise in the frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall and weather warnings. This affects communities, disrupts transportation, and school days have been lost as a result of this. Rising Sea Levels have also lead to Coastal areas in particular experiencing storm surges. This threatens homes, and local economies reliant on tourism and fishing.
The following are some ways that school could help tackle climate change.
Lesson Plans: Develop lesson plans that incorporate these actions into the curriculum. For example, a science lesson on the greenhouse effect can be followed up by a project on energy conservation.
Projects and Challenges: Launch school-wide projects such as a “Reduce Waste Week” or an “Energy Saving Month,” where classes compete to see who can reduce their waste or energy consumption the most.
By integrating these actions into the school, children will not only learn about climate change but also feel empowered to make a positive impact on their local environment and the world. -
Climate change has had an impact in our local area in two ways. Firstly, an increase in storms and adverse weather conditions and secondly, an increase in flooding in certain parts of the locality that are beside the river. Children in our school are able to see for themselves that climate change has an effect on their lives. It is also important to teach that it affects peoples lives all over the world in different ways – some more severely than others. I would use the 5 lessons outlined in this module to teach about climate change as they have clear engaging activities and really clarify the necessity for actions to slow down climate change. 3 actions are as follows:
1. Have energy monitors in each classroom that rotate weekly whose role is to turn off light switches, plug out appliances, turn off the interactive whiteboard, make sure taps are turned off etc.
2. Have a whole school energy free 15 minutes once a week where we turn off all sources of energy
3. Place a big focus on reduce, reus, recycle – particularly on reusing-
Creating the roles like energy monitors and energy-free time, are great. I’ve found that students really get into these roles—seeing them switch off lights and turn off taps makes a real difference. We also focused on recycling and the kids loved bringing in items to reuse creatively. Keep up the great work!
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Climate change is having a significant impact on many local areas, including my schools area, through various manifestations such as more frequent and intense storms, flooding, and rising sea levels. These changes can have profound and lasting effects on multiple parts of life and the environment.
Intense Storms: Increased frequency and severity of storms can lead to more damage to infrastructure, homes, and businesses. Power outages, transportation disruptions, and water supply issues often accompany these events.
Flooding: More frequent and severe rainfall events can cause rivers to overflow, urban flooding, and landslides, leading to damage to property, loss of life, and displacement of communities.
In the classroom, I could ask the children to do projects on climate-related topics specific to North County Dublin. They will present their findings so others can learn from them. Also to engage the pupils, I could try organising field trips to affected areas and carry out experiments. I will invite guest speakers, who can provide valuable interactive activities.3 different actions I could do in my school is encourage cycling and walking. Schools can provide safe and secure bike racks and ensure safe pathways for walking and cycling.
Initiatives like “Walk to School Week” or “Bike to School Day” can motivate students to adopt these practices.
Workshops on the benefits of walking and cycling for health and the environment.-
Supporting cycling and walking is an great initiative. Having safe bike racks and pathways is important for promoting these practices. “Walk to School Week” and “Bike to School Day” can surely motivate students. I reallly like the idea of Workshops on the benefits of these activities. This is something I hope to plan for in the future in our school.
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The three ways in which I would try to encourage children to make the world a better place would be:
1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
I would try to promote a culture of reducing waste, reusing items, and recycling materials. Encourage students and their families to drop bottles to school as part of a fundraiser for the deposit return scheme.
2. Energy Conservation
Advocate for energy-saving practices both at school and at home. Simple actions like turning off lights when not in use, using energy-efficient appliances, and promoting renewable energy sources can make a significant difference. The student council could coordinate this. We previously designed signs for each classroom with tips to save energy and each class appointed an electricity monitor for the term.
3. Support Local Agriculture
Start a school garden where students can learn about farming practices and grow their own food. Grow onion, potatoes, kale, lettuce etc.By integrating these ways into the educational experience, children will not only learn about climate change but also feel compelled to make a positive impact on their local environment and the world.
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The creation of a school garden sounds like an exciting project. Kids would love growing their own food, and it’s a great hands-on way to teach them about sustainable farming practices. Onions, potatoes, kale, and lettuce are perfect choices too. These actions will definitely help kids learn about climate change and feel empowered to make a difference. Thanks for submitting. 🙂
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Hi Claire,
The idea of the school garden is simple yet effective. When I was a primary school pupil we had a school garden as our school was always promoting sustainability and the importance of looking after our environment and having the school garden definitely was a fun way for us to do that and feel as though we were playing our part.
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We don’t have look too far to see the impact of climate change. In my locality the changes in weather patterns such as intense, prolong downpours of rain, flooding and increasing temperatures are evident. It’s impacting on agriculture, flora and fauna as well as having a knock on economic effect, e.g. poor crop production, increased insurance cost or even lack of insurance cover as a result of flooding.
3 actions to help combat climate change within our school within our schools
-Clean ups. Surveying the local environment. Choosing an area to undertake a clean-up in.
-Explore our native trees and the impact trees can have in combating global warming. Organise a tree planting drive within the school and perhaps extending to the wider community if possible.
-Promotion of walking and cycling to school. Our school ran an initiative called WOW: Walk on Wednesdays .It was very successful. I would like to further extend this.There are so many resources at our disposal. It is important to prioritise Developmental Education in our planning across all curricular areas. It lends itself so well to cross curricular activities/lessons.
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I love your ideas for tackling climate change within the school. Clean-ups are a great way to get students involved and make a tangible difference in the local environment. Exploring native trees and their role in combating global warming is fantastic, and organizing a tree planting drive is a very good idea—maybe even get the community involved if possible.
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As noted in this module 2030 is a target to work towards in the climate change battle. It is of utmost importance as educators to play our part in the difficult task of combatting the devastating effects of climate change that are all too evident both on a local and global level. I find it extremely worrying that year on year there has been and continues to be an increasing number of extreme weather phenomena. As I have discussed already in my SDG assignment on climate change school closures as a result of such weather events are unfortunately becoming the new normal and my learning from my Teachnet summer course last year doesn’t bode well for future years. Taking all of this into consideration there is an onus on us to play our part in tackling climate change. Some ideas that I have conjured up are to link in with the Abbeyleix Bog to learn about the effects of climate change on the local environment (flora, fauna etc), explore and analyse weather data in the school environment and continue to work on our Green Schools programme. To quote the moto of the secondary school that I attended ‘Ní neart go cur le chéile’. Small collective steps that are sustained would make such a difference to the future of my wonderful planet.
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How Climate change is impacting in my local area & How I would engage my pupils to explore this further.
Climate change is one of the most pressing threats to human animal and plant life.
Weather patterns are no longer predictable and we can have four seasons in one day,
Storms and flooding are becoming more frequent and this has caused huge problems in the Production of food and farmers have found it difficult to manage their livestock due to the ongoing inclement weather.
We have a green schools committee where we encourage the children to recycle their waste, conserve energy, save on water etc. as part of the school self evaluation, we develop an action plan and monitor and evaluate the progress at the end of each term.
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Climate change is increasingly affecting Ireland, with noticeable shifts in weather patterns, rising sea levels, and more frequent extreme weather events. Locally, we’ve experienced warmer winters, wetter summers, and more intense storms. These changes are impacting agriculture, biodiversity, and even our daily lives. We could also explore the science behind climate change, discussing its causes and consequences through interactive lessons and experiments.
Three actions we can take to make the world a better place and slow down climate change are:
1. Reducing waste by promoting recycling and composting initiatives in the school.
2. Encouraging energy conservation by setting up a “green team” to monitor and reduce energy usage in classrooms.3. Promoting sustainable transportation by organising walk or bike-to-school days.
By integrating development education modules discussed in this course into the curriculum, schools can encourage critical thinking, empathy, and active citizenship among students. Incorporating Development Education into SSE involves assessing how well the school is embedding these principles into its teaching practices, policies, and community engagement efforts. This can also include evaluating the effectiveness of sustainability projects, the integration of global themes across subjects, and involving students in social justice initiatives.
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Addressing climate change at a young age is crucial for fostering environmental responsibility from a young age. Ways to target climate change could be-
Science and Geography Lessons-
Include lessons on the science of climate change, its causes, and effects. Discuss the greenhouse effect, carbon footprint, and the impact of human activities on the environment. Teach students about local environmental issues, such as the impact of rising sea levels on Ireland’s coastline or changes in local wildlife patterns due to climate change. Use stories, poems, and art projects to explore themes related to nature and climate change. For example, students can read books about climate change, write their own stories, or create art depicting a healthy planet.
Engage with the Green Schools Program, which promotes environmental awareness and action in schools. This program encourages waste reduction, energy conservation, and sustainable practices. -
Climate change is affecting every area of our planet. In Kerry, like many other places we are affected by increased rainfall, flooding, storms and costal erosion. I think a way I could engage children in my school to look at this further would be by facilitating a whole class project. By engaging in SESE projects where they can collect data on local weather, wildlife, and environmental changes, children can have a hands on approach in investigating the effects of climate change on the local area.
3 ways children in school could work on making change and taking action include running a class recycling system, creating a charter whereby the class agree to only using reusable bottles and containers and by becoming more energy efficient and conscious. -
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Unfortunately climate change is having an impact on my local area. I think we can all agree that the weather is being impacted greatly by climate change as we have been experiencing extreme changing weather patterns. Wildlife are suffering, people’s physical and mental health is being affected and many people’s job have been impacted.
We are all being affected by climate change but if we didn’t tackle it right now our children will suffer greatly.
One action I would carry out in my school would be to emphasise what is climate change and why is it happening. Children have an idea of it but they don’t fully understand the severity of it.
The second action I would take would be to promote ‘Scoot to School’, walking and cycling. This will lower carbon footprint and it is a positive thing for physical and mental health,
The final action I would take would be to work closely with the the Green Schools Committee in my school to decrease waste in the school and to ensure everyone is using the bins and recycling correctly
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Climate change is having a massive impact on our country. Increased flooding and higher temperatures are affecting every community around the country and around the world. Climate change has affected my local community in many ways also. Due to difficult weather conditions in Autumn 2023 and persistent rain during the Spring this year, Tipperary farmers had significant difficulty with Spring plantings. In addition, livestock turnout has decreased. If climate change continues to disrupt agriculture, food supplies will decrease. As a response to this consistent issue, I would implement the following activities in my classroom:
1.It would be advantageous to organise an agricultural tour on local farms for the students so that they can see the importance of agriculture in the community and our society.
2. Create a school garden where the children will participate in the planting of trees and crops.
3. Children can monitor the progress of the garden throughout the year and care for the plants accordingly in response to the various weather patterns.
The topic of climate change can be easily prioritised in the SSE. It incorporates Geography, Science and SPHE. Evaluation of the childrens learning can be done throughout the year to inform the SSE on this topic. -
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In my locality we are seeing many of the effects of climate change such as increased storms and flooding and a change in temperature. This has an effect on agriculture as well as on people’s mental health as the weather is constantly changing.
I think organising visits for students to local coasts and farms to see the effect climate change has had in terms of erosion and agriculture would be a hands on way of getting them to see the effects for themselves.
Three actions which students can take in school to make the world a better place and slow down climate change are:
1. School Garden/Polytunnel – in my school we have a polytunnel which the children use to plant fruit/vegetables and it’s a hands on way for them to learn about producing crops themselves and we also have a beautiful school garden which the children help to plant and maintain.
2. Recycling – encouraging the students to recycle and making them part of initiatives such as the bottle/can deposit return scheme teach them about looking after their environment and reusing items.
3. Energy Saver – giving the students responsibility for making sure the lights are turned off and switches are off shows them how to conserve energy.
As part of the school’s SSE we can look at ways the school community is looking after the climate and actions we could take to help. We can also plan ways to integrate development education throughout the school and make the whole school part of the learning and planning.
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Climate change is impacting Dublin in various ways, with implications for the environment, economy, and quality of life. Some key impacts include:
1. Rising Sea Levels
Flooding: Dublin, like other coastal cities, faces increased risk of coastal flooding due to rising sea levels. This threatens low-lying areas, critical infrastructure, and residential areas.
Erosion: Coastal erosion is becoming more pronounced, affecting beaches and coastal habitats, as well as infrastructure such as roads and buildings near the coast.2. Extreme Weather Events
Storms and Heavy Rainfall: Increased frequency and intensity of storms and heavy rainfall lead to more frequent and severe flooding. This puts a strain on drainage systems and increases the risk of damage to property and infrastructure.
4. Environmental and Ecological Changes
Biodiversity Loss: Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns can disrupt local ecosystems, leading to loss of biodiversity. Species that are unable to adapt may decline or disappear.
Water Quality: Increased rainfall and flooding can lead to contamination of water bodies with pollutants, affecting water quality and aquatic life.5. Economic Impacts
Property Damage: Flooding and extreme weather events can cause significant damage to property, leading to high repair costs and increased insurance premiums.
Tourism: Changes in climate can affect tourism patterns. While warmer weather may attract more tourists in some seasons, extreme weather and flooding can deter visitors and damage tourism infrastructure.
ConclusionClimate change poses significant challenges for Dublin, affecting everything from infrastructure and economy to public health and the environment. Addressing these impacts requires a coordinated effort involving government policies, community engagement, and investment in sustainable and resilient infrastructure. By taking proactive steps to mitigate and adapt to climate change, Dublin can better protect its residents and ensure a sustainable future.
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Hi Niall,
Thanks for your contribution here. You have raised a number of key points on how changes to our climate are directly affecting the city of Dublin. You have also included some references to some of the indirect implications of climate change – few j0urnalists and columnists have been pointing to the significant economic impact that extreme weather events can have on regions. There is significant costs associated with repairs to property and services, as well as the knock on effect for ‘regular’ consumers in terms of insurance premiums, etc.
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Climate change is a topic that is central to lots of SESE discussions in Primary School. It is great that children these days are so aware of it and this knowledge and awareness will hopefully bring great change in future years. Some things you could engage with in school are a Junk Couture fashion show, COWOW (Cycle or Walk on Wednesdays) campaign, having different bins and making sure that theya re used properly, trying to cut down on single use plastics in lunch boxes, litter picking around the area, having electricity monitors in charge in each class with the job of turning off lights etc.
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Hi Aisling,
Thank you for your post and for the suggestions you have offered. As you have said, climate change is certainly a topic that is dominating discourse in this area in recent months and years. Based on the suggestions you have offered, are there any ways in which the student body could be empowered to take ownership of these? Often we can be guilty of engaging in a number of initiatives without focusing on maintaining these beyond a short period of time. I would be intrigued to learn of any suggestions that may create a level of intrinsic motivation in children to pursue these.
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Hi Aisling,
Thank you for your post and for the suggestions you have offered. As you have said, climate change is certainly a topic that is dominating discourse in this area in recent months and years. Based on the suggestions you have offered, are there any ways in which the student body could be empowered to take ownership of these? Often we can be guilty of engaging in a number of initiatives without focusing on maintaining these beyond a short period of time. I would be intrigued to learn of any suggestions that may create a level of intrinsic motivation in children to pursue these.
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In my own area climate change has had a significant affect particularly given the prevalence of storms and rainfall and as a knock-on effect working in a rural area the impact on farmers has been particularly noticeable over the past number of years. I work in a school with a huge population of students from different countries so we as year groups over the past number of years have looked at the impact of climate change on the countries of their heritage.
In my own classroom I have/we could;
i) Local Climate Impact Project: Have students research and present on how climate change is affecting their community. This could include studying local weather data, interviewing community members, and documenting changes in the local environment.
ii) Invite Guest speakers/Go on Field Trips-Invite those working in the area of climate change eg environmental scientists, local farmers and grandparents to discuss how the climate of their locality has changed in their lifetimes.
iii) Art Projects: Encourage students to create art that reflects their understanding of climate change and its impacts.
iv) Promote Sustainable Transportation- Cycling to school Clubs/ Walk on Wednesdays etc
v) Upcycling projects- encourage students to reuse old items into new items to help promote a circular economy.
vi) Planting more trees in the school/local community.
vii) Rainwater harvesting initiatives to be used in the school/local businesses and on local farms.
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I love the idea of getting the children involved in upcycling projects. This would not only prove a popular activitiy with the children but would also get them used to reusing rather than creating waste. My own sister is brilliant for upcycling and has great ideas so I would love to try this with my class, drawing from my sisters experience. It could be something as simple as upcycling old wood materials to make a fraction wall, etc.
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I love the idea of getting the children involved in upcycling projects. This would not only prove a popular activity with the children but would also get them used to reusing rather than creating waste. My own sister is brilliant for upcycling and has great ideas so I would love to try this with my class, drawing from my sisters experience. It could be something as simple as upcycling old wood materials to make a fraction wall, etc.
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Climate change is increasingly impacting my local area of Sligo, with noticeable changes in weather patterns, such as more frequent heavy rainfall leading to flooding, and warmer temperatures affecting local wildlife and agriculture. To engage my pupils in exploring this further, I would start by having them observe and document local climate-related changes, such as shifts in plant blooming periods or increased flooding incidents. We could also invite local experts to discuss the impacts of climate change on our community. To make the world a better place and slow down climate change, we can:
1) Promote and participate in tree planting and reforestation projects
2) Encourage reducing, reusing, and recycling materials to minimise waste
3) Support the use of renewable energy sources both at school and at home.
Using these actions as a foundation, I would incorporate them into lessons, fostering a sense of responsibility and proactive behavior in students. Reflecting on the Development Education modules, they can significantly enhance School Self-Evaluation (SSE) by providing frameworks for integrating global awareness and sustainability into our school’s ethos and practices, ensuring a comprehensive approach to education.
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Hi Rían,
Thank you for your post and for sharing some of the first hand impacts of climate changes on your own locality. I think the idea of children tracking climate trends is a really interesting one – very often we are trying to get children to give informed opinions that are backed up with relevant research or evidence. This is a perfect example of an action research project that can be conducted, giving them experience of validating opinions or thoughts, and also providing some first-hand information of the rate of climate change evident in the local area.
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Climate change is very evident in my local area, as it is throughout the country and the world. The weather has changed greatly and there are a lot more storms and flooding impacting my local area as a result with fallen trees, blocked roads, flooded roads, etc.
I think climate change is a very important topic to raise with students and one that will impact them and their lives. I couldn’t believe that Ireland is ranked worst in the EU for their performance on climate change action. This certainly needs to be addressed. I think the lessons in this module are a great starting point and they will make the children more aware of the problems we face as a society in relation to climate change.
Actions i would introduce in my school to help climate change:
School wide recycling and education around recycling and waste. There is so much paper waste in our school and I think it is something we could address as a staff as well as with the students, making sure correct bins are used etc.
Energy conservation in school and at home. Complete surveys both in school and at home, monitoring how much electricity is used and trying to improve on results.
Encourage use of public transport and initiatives such as Walk on Wednesday. The majority of our students live close enough to walk/cycle/scoot to school and there are plenty of public transport options in the town also.-
Hi Martina,
Thanks for your post here. I fully agree with you regarding the amount of paper waste that happens in our schools. I spoke to a secondary school teacher who estimated their photocopying costs for the year to be in the region of €40,000. Most schools have invested significantly in interactive whiteboards and panels, and perhaps more training on how these can be used would be useful in reducing the paper wastage.
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In my area there has been very obvious increased rainfall which has been linked to climate change, particularly evident in a record breaking wet July of 2023. There are constant issues with flood water from local rivers which costs taxpayers money as county and city councils battle to keep flooding at bay. Wet weather also means more blight affecting potato, fruits and other crops, as well as the need for increased chemical spraying to combat this. And of course farmers struggling to save hay in wet summers means prices increase so they are unable to keep as many cattle in winter, with a subsequent knock on affect on farm produce the following spring.
Chats / talks to older local farmers, or visits to their farms world enable children to discover how long climate change has been affecting the agriculture industry, and may learn ways in which they can help.
Three actions which students can take in school to help combat climate change are:
1. Creating a School Garden is an an excellent way of empowering children to grow their own fruit and vegetables and it’s a hands on way for them to learn about producing crops themselves. They can incorporate recycled items such as yogurt pots and other plastic pots, as well as using biodegradable paper pots that can go straight into the ground. They call also learn how to turn food waste and cardboard into compost, as well as learning about ways to control insects without the use of pesticides. Other areas of the school garden could be given to biodiversity, such as a pond where frogs would naturally maintain the insect population, a hen coop where their manure could fertilize the ground, and learn how to do these things to regulation standard. Again, local community members could visit and help with this initiative.
2. Rainwater harvesting…. Create a safe rainwater collection area to be used for the school garden and possibly school toilets.
3. Energy Saving – give the students responsibility for making sure the lights are turned off and switches are off. Incorporate this with obtaining the schools Green Flag (Set up Green Flag committee) as a motivator to continue with energy saving.
As part of the school’s SSE we can look at ways the school can help by fundraising to install PV/solar panels for replace traditional electricity consumption. Have walk to school days, encourage cycling, and keep children in touch with their environment by having outdoor activities, classes, walks, and observation of nature during all seasons. Recording rainfall at their local MetOffice for one month each session, would help them “see’ any tiny improvements over time / year to year.
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Hi Karen,
Thanks for your post here and for sharing many excellent ideas for promoting climate activism in schools. I love how your ideas really centre on the children taking ownership of this around the school. Maintaining the school garden, planting crops and seeds, etc. can really create a real sense of sustainability within the children. I’m sure there’s not a school in the country that wouldn’t have a significant water accumulation from the rainfall harvesting systems. Getting children involved and invested in these initiatives is a crucial part of them being able to apply these outside of the school building and in their own communities.
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The effects of climate change are profound in Ireland and in our neighborhood. There are a lot of extreme weather occurrences happening right now, like storms, flooding, temperature swings, and heavy rain. Students are highly aware of the issues surrounding climate change since the local media covers it extensively. Three things we could think about include setting up an outdoor classroom and school garden where students can learn about biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, and the value of green places. We could carry out an energy audit to find places where the school might save costs on power and then put together a plan to make these savings happen. In order to involve students, we could conduct fieldwork in the form of local environmental studies, field trips to local sites, or areas affected by flooding. Another option is to have a guest speaker discuss how climate change is affecting the neighborhood.
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Climate change is having very obvious impacts on our local area. There are now regular extreme weather events that can prevent people getting to work or school. In the past few years we have missed school due to weather warnings about snow and ice, wind and rain. My own parent’s home was badly flooded and they had to move out for a year. Many people in Ireland have had their homes or businesses destroyed due to flooding. In Cork alone, the city centre, Midleton and Bandon have experienced extreme flooding. Farmers are losing crops and having to keep their animals indoors.
Looking at news articles online about events caused by climate change in their local area, field trips to sites affected by climate change and class discussions on changes in weather patterns would all serve to engage children on the topic of climate change. I think we have all noticed that the weather can change so much in the course of a day this summer.
Three actions to make the world a better place:
1. Organise a school wide recycling drive, encouraging recycling and ensuring that all classes are aware of what we can put in the recycling bins. Encourage that these actions are extended to the home.
2. Encourage a zero waste school. Apart from the recycling bin and tissues in the waste bin, we should not have any other waste in school. Children should be using reusable bottles and packaging. Items such as yoghurt cartons can be washed and recycled.
3. Maintaining the school garden and tree planting.
Climate change is a good focus for SSE. It is an easy one to measure in terms of surveying the children and checking waste reduction in the school.-
Hi Ciara,
Thank you for your post here and for your engagement throughout the course. Cork is an area that really does get hit hardest by extreme weather, particularly rainfall in Ireland. It’s likely that children will have heard their parents speak of people they know whose homes and/or businesses have been destroyed by flood waters. This will really hammer home the negative impacts of these extreme events and the importance of taking steps to reduce these and ensure they are less commonplace than they have been in recent years. You have provided three suggestions that are very achievable and will get the whole school community involved in efforts to reduce waste and become more sustainable.
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In Kerry , where I live , the impacts of climate change are increasingly evident. We’re experiencing more frequent and intense storms, rising sea levels, and changes in seasonal weather patterns, which affect agriculture, tourism, and daily life. Coastal erosion is also a growing concern, particularly along the Dingle Peninsula and other vulnerable coastal areas.
To engage students in exploring these impacts, I would integrate climate change topics across various subjects. For instance, in geography, students could study local weather patterns and their changes over time. Encouraging children to travel more sustainably and reduce their waste and energy usage are other ways I would promote this at school.
We can use the SSE to track progress in integrating sustainability across the curriculum, promoting active citizenship, and fostering a culture of environmental responsibility. -
Climate change is becoming more noticeable in our area, with more extreme weather, rising and flooding of river levels, unpredictable seasons, and rising temperatures affecting agriculture and daily life. As a teacher, I believe it’s important to help my students understand these changes and their broader impact. To engage them, I would first have them observe and document changes in our local environment, like unusual weather or shifts in wildlife. This makes climate change more relatable. Next, I would introduce the idea of carbon footprints and help them calculate their own, showing how individual actions contribute to climate change. We would then focus on three actions to make a difference: reducing energy use by turning off lights and electronics, starting a recycling program, and planting trees or a garden to absorb carbon dioxide. By involving students in these activities, I want to empower them to see how their actions can help slow down climate change and improve our world.
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The effects of climate change are very evident in the area in which my school is based. We are a country school, with farms all around us and a lot of our children come from farming backgrounds. These children are being affected first hand as the increased temperatures and weeks of rain have affected their family farms crops and sillage.
A school garden is a great initiative to start as it teaches the children a sustainable way of providing food for themselves and it can also teach the children that trees and plants are a great way to tackle climate change, as trees and plants absorb CO2 and give us oxygen.
Having debates in class is a great way to open children’s minds to what’s going on in the world around us. Although some children might not have seen or been affected by climate change yet, it is a good idea to show them children from other countries and how their lives are changing due to climate change.
A recycling scheme is also a fantastic idea that is easily implemented in primary schools. Children enjoy learning about how they can help their planet and being climate conscious is something that children should be taught from a young age as they will carry this with them for their lives.
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Hi Bill,
Thanks for your post and your engagement throughout the course. Farmers really seem to be bearing much of the brunt of the extreme weather conditions in recent years. Waterlogged lands and ruined crops are just some issues that they face. Children experiencing this at home will know the devastation that weather can cause to livelihoods. This gives them a real purpose to bring about actionable change that will help prevent these and make them less common as they grow up. I like your idea around debating, and getting the children to really dig deeper into the causes and solutions of this, arguing their thoughts and rationale in the process.
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Climate change is effecting everyone, on a daily basis. I find that I am consciously aware of it as my father is a farmer. He grows crops every year mostly grains so the prime season would be spring and summer. We have noticed the biggest change in climate in the last 3 years. The yield from his crop growth has been declining each year based on the weather, the extremes of rain, wind and cold has meant a reduction in crop produces each year and unfortunately this year will be no different. I look out and see golden fields with patches of green which would have been a foreign sight 10 years ago. Climate change can also be seen in the length of time animal were kept indoors due to the bad weather (again cold, rain etc.) and the limited grass growth this in turn put pressure on farmers to find grass substitutes to feed their animals. This is where I see the impacts of climate change most due to my family circumstances.
1. Green Committee in each class – encouraging every class to complete actions that will help the environment and slow down climate change; recycling, using the compost bin correctly, switching off lights, using reusable plastic bottles etc.
2. Tidiest Class – in a school I previously taught in, there was an award for the class that had the least amount of rubbish in the class bin and they won a trophy and it was announced at the end of the week. This encouraged the children to think about the foods they were bringing to school, what they were covered in, using paper efficiently etc. The students can up with fantastic ways of reducing the amount of waste in the bin thus promoting a culture of reducing waste in the long term.
3. Sustainable transport day/week – if possible depending on location set up a week where staff and students reduce the amount of emissions from their cars, by walking, cycling, taking the bus etc. Encourage families to try a climate friendly way of making it to school where possible.
I think recycling correctly could be easily inputted in the school self evaluation plan. A lot of students don’t know what materials are recyclable and just throw it in the bin and never think about where it goes after and what effect this has. By completing lesson on what is recycling, what materials can be recycled, the recycling symbols and the benefit of benefit of recycling. This could significantly reduce the waste in the school and achieve a target with the school.
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Climate change is becoming more evident in our local environment. Weather is more extreme. We are experiencing floods, storms, higher temperatures, water shortages and movement in seasons. It is up to us to play our part in slowing down climate change.
Through the Green Schools program we work to educate the children on the changes they can make at school and in their homes to have a positive effect on the environment. The following are 3 actions that we are working on:
1. Reduce Energy: Use of energy is the main driver for climate change. We can reduce our energy consumption by turning off lights and electrical devices when not in use. We can reduce fossil fuel usage by walking to school, car pooling or using buses.
2. Reduce water usage: We need to be careful of how we use water. The school was fitted with all pump taps to stop water running unnecessarily. Rain water is harvested and used where possible.
3. Increase knowledge of biodiverity: Children are educated on our local environment and how important it is to protect it. A gardening project has been introduced in the school and the children grew their own vegetables. This is very popular and is fostering an interest in gardening with the children. -
Climate change is a huge issue that is only getting more worrying with every passing year. The seasons for example – every year we are discussing the seasons in class , the weather often doesn’t align anymore with the traditional signs of the seasons.
In our school we have a few initiatives that we implement to encourage the children to do their part to slow down climate change. These include:
1. When no-one is in the classroom or hall, lights must be turned off. This also applies to smart boards. Once the children get into the habit of it, they are great for reminding teachers!!!! We need to teach and show the children that every little step helps. Hopefully this will also encourage them to do the same at home.
2. Recycling- In the classrooms we have 3 bins- A compost, A recycling and then the black bin. Any rubbish from the children’s lunches must be put into their lunchboxes and brought home. Again the repetitive nature of dividing the rubbish is a good learning curve for the children.
3. We encourage the children to walk or cycle to school. We understand this is not always possible but even one day a week. I have often showed the children videos about how all these small steps are helping to combat climate change.
I think the topic of Development Education needs to be prioritised in School Self-Evaluation (SSE). It just ensures that really important issues are being spoken about, taught and part of each teachers plans on a monthly basis. I feel I have gained a huge insight into DE throughout this course and I look forward to sharing with colleagues when school returns.
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Recycling is a great one to focus on. I found that even in 5th class a lot of my students were not recycling properly and being careless with which bins they used. I would love to get a compost bin for our school. We don’t even have on in the staffroom. Definitely prompted me to sort that out next year.
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Hi Aoife,
Thanks for your post here and your participation and engagement throughout the course. You have highlighted what we are all seeing for ourselves in terms of the growing number of extreme weather events, both here and around the world, each year. It’s clear from your post that your school is already taking a number of small, but very effective steps to become more sustainable, and reduce ‘wasting’ electricity. The lights and whiteboards are a huge one in all schools – in many cases these may be on for hours each day needlessly. It’s great to hand control for things like this over to children in senior classes, who are often very willing to enforce such initiatives.
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The pupils in my school are already witnessing climate change in action with the increase of severe weather warnings and school closures due to this. For them it can seem exciting to have a day off school but it would be a great talking point for them to explore how in many counties where children are already not having their rights met are also being impacted by climate change meaning they cannot go to school and their education is being disrupted. It would be interesting to delve into water quality and how to test for it. In our area we have had beaches close because the water isn’t deemed clean enough for swimming. We could research the standards our country keeps for us and our water and then research water qualities across the world and what water people are deeming acceptable to drink, cook and wash with in other countries. In our school we had many children who went to the climate march in 2019 and felt very passionate about impacting change. I feel with covid they haven’t had as much of an opportunity to continue with this work so I would like to do these lessons with my 6th class this year and see if they can see how climate change is impacting on their lives already and what they can do as a group to help. We are lucky enough to have a great gardening module in our school so we could incorporate that with our research and see how farmers are being impacted in Ireland.
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Hi Roisin,
Thanks for your post and congratulations for reaching the end of the course. I think there’s nothing like a school closure day unexpectedly to relate global issues to the lives of individual children. However, despite the initial euphoria they may feel around an extra day off school, it’s important to dig deeper into the reasons for this. As well as making comparisons with other countries, they could take a look at the number of enforced school closure days due to weather in their own school over a significant period of time.
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Climate Change in Tullamore: A Local Perspective
Tullamore has experienced firsthand the impacts of climate change. Increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, from heavy rainfall leading to flooding to prolonged periods of drought, have become a concern. Our local River Shannon has witnessed altered flow rates, impacting biodiversity and recreational activities.
To engage students, I would introduce climate change as a local issue through data analysis, examining weather patterns over time. Field trips to the river and surrounding areas could provide firsthand observations of environmental changes. Students could also interview local farmers or community members to understand how their lives have been affected.
Three actions to combat climate change:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Emphasizing the importance of waste reduction and proper disposal, encouraging recycling and upcycling initiatives within the school.
Energy Conservation: Promoting energy-efficient practices in the school, such as switching off lights and electronics when not in use, and exploring renewable energy options.
Biodiversity Protection: Creating school gardens or participating in local tree-planting initiatives to enhance biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
By fostering a sense of responsibility and equipping students with knowledge and skills, we can empower them to become agents of change for a sustainable future.Note: I have incorporated details specific to Tullamore, such as the River Shannon, to make the response more relevant to the location.
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Climate change is something that is affecting us all. In Ireland we are seeing more increasingly heavy rainstorms and erratic weather – in one week we can wear t shirts and shorts to the beach and yet the next day weather heavy clothes and need an umbrella.
Students can collect and then analyse weather data from the local area.
School garden, where they can learn how to plant and take care of vegetables and fruits, a skill that they can take home with them.
Organise tree planting in the school garden or local area.
Classroom and school recycling, green school initiatives.
To promote renewable energy methods such as solar panels and turbines or windmills which help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
Classroom discussions on how to tackle climate change.
Lessons on how climate change is affecting our planet.
Have experts come in to talk to the class/school climate change and use practical ways to tackle it.
Have initiatives such as WOW – walk on Wednesdays, which will help children learn alternative methods to reduce reliance on vehicles.
Have classroom/school monitors who will switch off lights and devices when not in use or not needed. Use energy saving lightbulbs and rechargeable batteries.
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I would encourage my students to investigate how climate change is affecting the migration patterns and habitat of Brent Geese in our local area.
To encourage pupils to participate in this project, I would first spark their curiosity by sharing the fascinating journey of Brent Geese, which migrate thousands of miles to our local area each year. I’d highlight how these birds are indicators of environmental health, making them an important focus for studying the impacts of climate change.
I would organise a visit to Bull Island where Brent Geese are known to gather, allowing students to observe them. This firsthand experience would make the research more engaging and relevant. We could also collaborate with local wildlife enthusiasts, who could offer insights and help guide our research.
In class, I would involve students in collecting data on Brent Geese sightings, weather conditions, and changes in habitat over time. Using digital tools, they could track and analyse patterns, fostering skills in data analysis and critical thinking. Finally, I would encourage students to present their findings to the community via the local website demonstrating how their research can contribute to protecting these migratory birds. By linking their efforts to real-world conservation, students would feel a sense of purpose and ownership in the project, motivating them to actively participate.
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hi Claire I really enjoyed reading your post about the impact of Climate change on the migration of the Brent Geese, I had to google them to see what they looked like. This sounds like a fun engaging project for your students . I agree that by showcasing their work to the community they will feel a sense of purpose and ownership in the project, motivating them to actively participate.
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In my local rural area climate change is impacting our local farmers food produce , A lot of the children in my school would have a farming background, I think the children would enjoy interviewing and gathering data from the local farmers who would also be related to them to find out “How climate change has impacted local farmers crops ? The children could begin by researching the crops that the farmers grow, finding out how, much is produced every year and has it been affected by the weather? They could analyse the data from different farmers and compare their land if they use fertilizers or not etc . I’m sure that the children would come up with much more exciting research questions but to start it off and to keep it simple maybe we could collect data such as the amount of rainfall in each farmers field and comparison with the yield of crop they have that year.This would be a wide and varied research piece allowing all classes to become involved and would lead to some critical thinking into how we do things currently. This inquiry-based learning and investigation would be hugely beneficial to all.
Three actions that we can do to make the world a better place and slow down climate change are 1. Adopt Sustainable Living: Reduce waste, recycle, and choose eco-friendly products to minimize your carbon footprint.2. Use Renewable Energy: Switch to renewable energy sources like solar or wind, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels 3. Support Reforestation: Plant trees or support organizations focused on reforestation to absorb carbon dioxide and restore ecosystems.-
Hi Emma,
Thank you for your post. Regardless of being based in an urban or rural area, climate change is beginning to wreak havoc with the lives and livelihoods of people in communities throughout the country. Others here have also referred to the plight of farmers and their crops being ravaged by extreme weather. This applies both ways and can relate to either flooded or parched lands. It’s hard for them to catch a break at times. Like we have said throughout the course, being able to relate this to the children’s own lives and to the local area is key for getting buy in for these initiatives.
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Climate change is increasingly evident in my local area, where we are witnessing more frequent and severe weather events, such as intense storms and unusual temperature fluctuations. The biodiversity around us is also changing, with some species of plants and animals becoming less common, while others, typically found in warmer climates, are beginning to appear. These changes have a direct impact on our community, from disruptions in daily life to shifts in agricultural practices.
To engage my pupils in exploring climate change, I would incorporate local examples into our lessons, making the issue more tangible and relevant to them. For instance, we could investigate the effects of recent storms on our community or conduct a project that tracks local temperature changes over time. By involving students in hands-on activities, such as tree planting or creating a school garden, they can see the positive impact they can have on the environment.
Three actions I can take to slow down climate change include reducing energy consumption at school by incorporating energy-efficient practices and encouraging the use of renewable energy sources. Promoting a zero-waste policy, emphasising recycling, composting, and reducing single-use plastics in the classroom, is another step. Finally, advocating for sustainable transportation, such as walking, biking, or carpooling to school, can reduce carbon emissions.
The Development Education modules offer a wealth of resources and strategies that can be integrated into School Self-Evaluation (SSE) by promoting a global and ethical perspective within the curriculum. These modules encourage critical thinking and active citizenship, which align with the goals of SSE to foster continuous improvement and holistic education. By embedding Development Education into SSE, we can ensure that our school’s approach to teaching and learning is both reflective of global challenges and proactive in addressing them. This integration supports the development of a more aware, responsible, and engaged student body, capable of contributing to sustainable development both locally and globally.
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Some changes happening at a local level as a result of climate change are weather patterns changing which contribute to shifts in farming practices and increased pests and viruses; changes in ecosystems and habitats; water management and flooding; also increased awareness and sustainability efforts. Ways to engage children in these topics would be through observing weather patterns locally and planting / taking care of plants in the school garden and noticing the affect the weather has on growth; also measuring and monitoring energy usuage in the classroom and brainstorming how to reduce usuage – and empowering students to act in the class and school.
Three ways to make the world a better place; to reduce energy output at home and in school; support and advocate for sustainable practices; reduce, reuse and recycle – adopt this mantra in all areas at home and in school and get excited about ways to be creative about it!
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Climate change has already begun to affect our local area, manifesting in more unpredictable weather patterns, warmer winters, and a noticeable increase in heavy rainfall and flooding. These changes not only disrupt our daily lives but also threaten local ecosystems and agriculture. To engage my pupils in exploring this issue, I would start by incorporating local examples into our discussions. We could examine recent weather events, such as a significant flood or an unusually warm winter, and discuss how these could be linked to climate change. I would also encourage pupils to talk to their families and neighbours about any changes they’ve noticed over the years. This would help them understand that climate change isn’t just a distant problem but something impacting their community.
Three Actions to Slow Down Climate Change:
Promote Energy Efficiency: Encourage pupils and their families to reduce energy consumption by turning off lights, using energy-efficient appliances, and minimising car use.
Reduce Waste: Teach students about the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling. We could set up a school-wide recycling program and a composting initiative for organic waste.
Support Local Green Initiatives: Engage students in local tree-planting events or clean-up drives to foster a sense of stewardship for the environment.
In the classroom, I would integrate these actions into daily routines, making them part of the school culture. For example, we could monitor energy use in the classroom, encourage waste reduction during lunchtime, and participate in local environmental projects.Integrating Development Education into School Self-Evaluation (SSE)
The Development Education modules from this course can play a vital role in enhancing School Self-Evaluation (SSE) by embedding global citizenship and sustainability into the core values of the school. These modules provide tools and resources to critically assess how well the school is fostering awareness of global issues like climate change, social justice, and sustainable development among students. Through SSE, the school can evaluate the effectiveness of its environmental education programs, identify areas for improvement, and set actionable goals to strengthen students’ understanding and commitment to these critical issues. By integrating these principles into the SSE process, the school can ensure that it is not only meeting educational standards but also nurturing responsible, informed global citizens. -
In our local area, costal flooding is a real threat. There has already been a number of floods in Clontarf nearby which has caused damage to property and businesses. There is an organisation which has been trying to address this for over ten years but unfortunately, due to local complaints, none of the plans have been implemented. Our school community is very nearby this area and is very much also at risk. This is an issue to many of the families in the school community and would form a fantastic basis for active engagement by the children in the school on the issue. The children could start a campaign to help slow down climate change by three small steps. They could implement a strict recycling programme in the school, they could do classroom and school checks that electricity is not being used when not needed and they could raise awareness though engaging in a project to learn about climate change and how it would effect our community.
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