Sustainability Education Handbook

Introduction:

"By what is included or excluded or ignored, students learn that they are a part of or a part from the natural world."  -- David Orr, 1995

Who is this handbook for?

This handbook has been created to help K-12 teachers understand sustainability concepts and incorporate them into their classroom. In the course of writing this Handbook, the Michigan State Framework Standards and Benchmarks have been evaluated comprehensively for opportunities to integrate sustainability concepts into your existing curriculum. Every sample activity provided in the Handbook correlates to particular state standards and benchmarks.

Please click here to send us your comments:

While we have attempted to be exhaustive in creating an easy to use, informative resource guide, we are really only perched on the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Your comments and suggestions are crucial to making future updates to this handbook better serve the needs of Michigan teachers and students and beyond.

A broad variety of literature and curriculum exists both in print and on the web discussing the many meanings of sustainability. But how, as a busy, over-extended K-12 teacher, do you wade through this information, let alone introduce these complex and often subtle concepts in a fair, reliable, equitable, and thorough way to your students?  Furthermore, is there a singular, widely accepted definition of sustainability?  And how would you begin presenting sustainability concepts and issues into your classroom?

Living Sustainably:

On the most fundamental level, the idea of living 'sustainably' refers to the notion that one's everyday actions and practices create a lifestyle that in turn produces a more healthy, habitable and equitable world for all beings.  But, even this broad definition raises issues and conflicts and can be challenging. This, in part, is the magic and power of bringing sustainability concepts and issues into your classroom.

For a more in depth discussion of sustainability in the classroom, check out "Teaching Tools" and / or "The Benefits of Sustainability Education".

Click here to continue to the next section: "Sample Activities"

Sustainable Education Handbook Table of Contents:

List of Contributors, Acknowledgments, Terms of Use
Introduction
Sample Activities
Teaching Tools
The Benefits
The Approach
Customize Your Curriculum
Evaluation Criteria Chart
Sustainability Topics
Web Sites
Curriculum
Sustainability / State Standards
Standards Quick Guide
Renewable Energy and Efficiency Success Stories