Week 1: Introducing the SDGs

Welcome to week one of the Life Below Water programme. You can get started whenever you’re ready by watching this video exploring the UN Sustainable Development Goals with Craig and Silvia, which explores how the UN Sustainable Goals can be integrated into classroom practice.

Follow up by exploring more of Learning for Sustainability here:

• GTCS

• Education Scotland Case Studies

We’re now going to explore a tool called the Sustainability Compass. Start off by reading an overview to the compass here, and then watch the video where Climate Scientist Nadia talks you through it.

Once you have familiarised yourself with the compass, have a practice of using it in your own school setting. Take a walk around your school grounds taking note of where things you see are connected to Nature, Economy, Society and Wellbeing. For example, the bins could be linked to nature, protecting animals from rubbish, the playground equipment could be to do with wellbeing, and if there is a bike rack this could be linked to economy through jobs to make the bikes. You will notice most things fit more than one point on the compass.

You can see our example from around Dynamic Earth here. Give it a try yourself with the template and see what you come up with!