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Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
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Coastal region and small island papers 19
12
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Marches and demonstrations help make people aware of environmental issues, as seen here in the British Virgin Islands, in 1992. |
.Education for sustainable development
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in December 2002 establishing a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. The resolution designates the ten-year period 2005–2014, and names UNESCO as the lead agency to promote this decade.
Education for sustainable development (ESD) is a dynamic concept that encompasses a new vision of education that seeks to empower people of all ages to assume responsibility for creating and enjoying a sustainable future. The overall aim of ESD is to empower citizens to act for positive environmental and social change, implying a participatory and action-orientated approach.
ESD integrates concepts and analytical tools from a variety of disciplines to help people better understand the world in which they live. Pursuing sustainable development through education requires educators and learners to reflect critically on their own communities, identify non-viable elements in their lives, and explore tensions among conflicting values and goals. ESD brings a new motivation to learning as people become empowered to develop and evaluate alternative visions of a sustainable future and to work to collectively fulfil these visions (UNESCO, 2003).
During a Sandwatch workshop in Dominica (Cambers, 2003), several islands shared experiences of how they were trying to change the lifestyle and habits of youth and adults on a community-wide basis, and to develop awareness of the fragile nature of the marine and coastal environment and the need to use it wisely. Two of these experiences, which illustrate ways in which Sandwatch is providing examples of ESD in action, are described here.
Community Sandwatch case study from Dominica
The students from Dublanc Primary School in Dominica started Sandwatch monitoring activities in 2003. There were 22 students involved in this project with ages ranging from 8 to 11 years.
Four key questions were put to the students:
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QUESTIONNAIRE
SURVEY –
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MESSAGES DISPLAYED ON PLACARDS
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Students
from Dublanc
Primary School displaying some of their beach artwork at a Sandwatch workshop in 2003. |
Students were taken out to observe the beach, after which they then recorded their observations by drawing pictures of the beach, writing stories and poems.
They conducted a survey of the debris and garbage on the beach, collecting and counting different items. Then a one-on-one interview survey was undertaken with people using the beach.
All survey respondents stated that they appreciated visiting a clean, safe beach. Yet some stated that they had contributed to the appearance of the beach by throwing leftovers, snack wrappers, styrofoam cups and lunch boxes, and bottles. In addition, some people urinated and passed their faeces on the beach. The students said that on several occasions they had seen people disposing of garbage and passing faeces on the beach. Some students tried to influence the polluters, who on occasion responded negatively by swearing and rejecting advice.
The students felt there was a need to sensitize and educate the community about the appearance of the beach and the effects of a polluted beach. So they made placards showing what they had learnt in the project.
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Some of the students who took part in the march and their teachers, June 2004. |
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In March 2003, the entire student body along with the Principal and teachers marched through the community of Dublanc holding their placards and chanting their slogan ‘Listen and get it right.’ They stopped in areas where people were gathered, such as by the restaurant, health centre, pre-school, fisheries building, and on the street near the homes of villagers. Many community members left their homes and came to find out what was happening.
It was a successful march. The following day community members voluntarily cleaned the beach.
A year later, the school and students were still busy with related activities such as painting garbage cans for the school and community. Furthermore, their efforts had had a lasting impact in that now the community has taken over responsibility for keeping the beach clean and for planting and caring for trees behind the beach.
Community Sandwatch case study from St Vincent and the Grenadines
Students and teachers at Bequia Community High School in St Vincent and the Grenadines have been actively involved in Sandwatch activities for several years.
Most of the teachers at the school are involved in Sandwatch which is integrated into the curriculum – into science and social science, into practical subjects such as woodworking, into mathematics and English, and into information technology. Sandwatch activities have been the subject of recent School-Based Assessments, e.g. measuring coastal erosion was the subject of one assessment for geography, and designing a crushing device for discarded glass bottles was the topic of an assessment for drawing and design.
Through their information technology classes, and in their own
after-school time, the
Sandwatch students share their activities with other students around
the world through
the Small Islands Voice Youth Internet forum (www.sivyouth.org with
username view and
password only). They have also travelled to other schools in the
Grenadines and in mainland
St Vincent to share their experiences and train other students in
Sandwatch.
Language, drama and arts are other areas where Sandwatch has been
incorporated into
school subjects. In 2004 a poetry competition focusing on Sandwatch
and environmental
action encouraged several students to write inspiring poems, nearly
all of them with action-orientated
messages.
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BE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY By TRACHIA SIMMONS, Bequia Community High School First Prize Winner
Have you ever thought of the things we
need in life? From the land to the sea and wherever
land may be, We spoil the calm, sapphire blue
waters we call the Caribbean Sea, Advanced countries are only concerned
with their industrial economies The ozone layer will soon disappear as
quickly as the trees. Soon there’ll be nowhere left to
laugh, walk and talk, So my plea, friends, is that we take
matters into our own hands |
Not content with poetry, they have also turned to drama. During a Sandwatch workshop in Dominica in 2003, they presented an inspiring dramatic monologue ‘Up from the deep’ which was performed to drums. This portrays the ocean responding to decades and centuries of misuse by humans.
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UP FROM THE DEEP Extract from a dramatic monologue by VERNETTE OLLIVIERRE Written
for presentation by Racquel Phillips and Michael Penniston
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Sandwatch does not, however, remain limited to the school
environment in Bequia. In 2003, the school won the
Commonwealth Youth Award for their efforts to monitor the changes in
Bequia’s beaches and their role in protecting the environment. Having
monitored beach changes for several years now, the Sandwatch group are
at times consulted by authorities such as the Planning Department
relating to their observations and knowledge about certain beaches. They
monitored beaches in the Tobago Cays before and after the filming of the
movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ in order to determine the extent of
human impact. They have also voiced their environmental concerns at
meetings with the Hotel and Tourism Association.
Other activities have included stabilizing a hillside at Park Bay so the sediment does not wash onto the nearby coral reef, beach cleanups, and glass recycling – making their Sandwatch a real community initiative.
These two case studies provide a glimpse of Sandwatch in practice and they also provide examples of community involvement in environmental management initiatives. The case studies are based on detailed observations of beaches, accurate measurements repeated over time, careful recording of the data, and analysis and sharing of the results, all of which lead to a greater scientific understanding of the environment. These same steps are also the basis of environmental management, which is founded on scientific knowledge (both natural and human sciences), and has as its goal, the sustainable use of resources. So that we use those resources wisely, taking what we need for today, whilst always ensuring that sufficient remain for the generations still to come.
Sandwatch provides the potential for students, teachers and community members to work together to critically evaluate the problems and conflicts facing their beach environments, and to develop sustainable approaches for addressing some of these problems. It teaches students to apply their school-based learning to everyday life, to develop skills relating to critical thinking and conflict resolution, and perhaps most importantly instils a sense of ‘caring’ for their beaches – their environment.
