J1 Sustainability Day

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76 pupils in J1 were taken out of their usual timetabled lessons for an innovative and exciting day of discussion and action; the focus of their energies was sustainability.

They were using a new resource called Let’s talk Sustainability. This has been developed and written by Mrs Marjorie Smith, Head of Biotechnology at Dollar. It is in the process of being trialled throughout Scotland and is part of a wider group of resources she has produced with the primary aim of stimulating discussion among pupils and teachers and of providing interesting ways of exploring ethical issues in science in the classroom.

The pupils not only discussed sustainability across the globe but also explored the topic in a very practical way in our local area. They went out in small groups to visit local businesses. These included the Co-operative; Lloyds’ Pharmacy; Brian Devlin’s, the Butchers; the Dollar Museum; the Cullens at Dollarbank, a local farm; David Tait at Tait’s Joiners; The Paper Shop; Mrs Zoe Macleod in The Flower Room; the Clydesdale Bank; the Dollar Civic Centre , and Stephen’s Bakery. Mr Douglas Johnstone from SEPA also met a small group at the Burnside and discussed the town’s need for clean water. The pupils asked a series of questions at each location and once completed returned to the Captain’s Room and collated all their information.

Just before a ‘sustainable’ lunch, provided by our own catering team in the Dining Hall, Mr and Mrs Niven from Loch Leven Larder near Kinross talked to the pupils about the paths food takes to get to our table. The children looked at seeds and the resulting plants, including the biggest leeks, carrots and potatoes ever! In one case they learned about a crate of broccoli that had been harvested at the farm and then travelled down to London for one wholesaler only to be bought by another wholesaler in Glasgow who then sold it to a hotel only minutes from the farm! By this time the broccoli was four days old. The message was certainly understood – buy local produce for the freshest food.

In the afternoon the groups gathered to listen to a short presentation from SEPA on water use and then they discussed the ethical issues involved in wind farms and dams. The Junior 1 pupils were well able to express their ideas and opinions on the pros and cons of wind farms, and having listened carefully to Mr Johnstone’s talk about fish ladders, they were much better informed on the placement of dams. Finally they broke into six larger groups to discuss our findings from our morning visits.

It is hoped that the day stimulated and provoked discussion with the pupils’ families when they returned home and that there will be many follow up activities and investigations when the pupils return to their classrooms.

With the changes in the curriculum to include more discussion and integration of topics, the day provided an excellent opportunity to take a more holistic approach to sustainability.

May 26th 2009
Mrs Pam Ferguson