1:30-2:15pm

As educators and members of a community we impact upon people every day, both via our personal actions and values, and through our formal teaching material. Our actions and activities influence those with whom we mix. Each day we have to make small and large decisions about purchases we make. As a practicing environmentalist you wish to make the best decision you can: which product is the most appropriate one to purchase - and why? How can we do this on a day-to-day basis? This short workshop will help you make some of these decisions based upon the recognised sustainability framework, The Natural Step, and also including some of the latest material about how to map a product to assist in this process.

"Grow Me Instead" is a booklet that has been produced and distributed throughout the nursery and the environment community in the Sydney Basin. It identifies the main plants the D.A.G.E (Discovering Alternatives to Garden Escapes) committee identified that should be targeted to be avoided by nurseries and gardeners in the Sydney Basin. The booklet also describes alternatives that gardeners could use instead of the 'garden escapee'. The booklet has been very highly sought after, but the success of this project lies in the working group that came together from both the nursery industry and the environment community. It is a model of a good working partnership.

This workshop will talk about community partnership projects. In particular, we will look at the case studies of the Biodiversity Survey and Nature Watch diary projects. This is an opportunity for educators to learn how to form partnerships as well as discuss pitfalls and budgetry constraints.

This hands-on practical, informative and fun workshop is designed to encourage people to rethink their attitudes and behaviours towards the use of chemical cleaning agents in and around the home and to show how easy it is to use non-toxic cleaning practices and still get great results in everyday housecleaning.

The workshop will initially examine current behaviours related to the achievement of sustainable development outcomes. It will then explore:
* Why is behaviour change critical to the achievement of sustainable development?
* How do we change behaviours for sustainable development?
* What is the role of education in achieving sustainability behaviours?
* How do we measure the success of education activities in achieving sustainability behaviours?
* How do we sustain sustainability behaviours?

At the conclusion of the workshop, a strategic framework will be provided that can help in planning sustainability education activities for individuals and institutions. Case studies will be used throughout the workshop as practical examples.

Neil Dufty is a Senior Consultant with Molino Stewart Pty Ltd. Neil is an experienced educator who has completed a broad range of environmental education projects for government agencies, local councils and industries. He has developed several regional strategic plans involving behaviour change related to sustainable development.

How do you know: * what is important to your community? * if your education program is needed? * what strategies will work best with your particular audience? * whether your program makes a difference? Educators are under increasing pressure to have solid evidence for program design, management and reporting. The NSW Department of Environment and Conservation has a depth of experience in using social research and evaluation to produce better environmental education programs. In this workshop you will explore how social research can improve programs, what forms of social research can be used, and what existing data sources are available. The workshop activity involves working with others through an innovative and enjoyable design exercise to make decisions about how best to use research.

2:25-3:10pm

Business exists to make a profit and it is only when we build successful 'business cases' for sustainability that industry education will fully succeed. This presentation will look at the profit arguments that can be used to engage business irrespective of where they are placed on the path to sustainability. It will look at key issues such as financial and reputation risk (rejection or non-response to compliance requirements), missed opportunities (minimum compliance), cost savings (efficiency / cleaner production) and competitive advantage (strategic and sustaining corporations). When companies understand that improved ecological and human sustainability is a business advantage, rather than an impediment, they are in a better position to make an 'incremental' or 'tranformational' move in their journey to sustainability.

This paper illustrates the value of the three pronged approach (strong legislation, economic disincentives and education) to changing behaviour, whether it be that of the community or business. We will use the Warringah Golf Course prosecution case to illustrate how education works well in conjunction with a high profile environmental incident. The unfortunate pollution of Manly Lagoon by a pesticide spill was to have such far-reaching effects on the individual and the golf club concerned that it has received enormous publicity throughout the industry. This has ensured that NSW golf superintendents and their clubs are interested in demonstrating environmental compliance and are far more interested in participating in education programs than they otherwise may have been. The Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) is currently conducting an education program built on the environmental assessments of a number of individual golf courses. This process, conducted with councils as the regulatory authorities, will assist golf clubs develop their own Environmental Management Plan to address their site-specific environmental issues. Thus, for most industry sectors, education and regulation are inevitable twins - one doesn't work without the other.

Workshop that builds the capacity among educators to select and apply the right approach for community environmental education

Come for a walk in Mt Penang Parklands, visit the Parklands Community Preschool working worm farm (in an old bathtub). Share your experiences with worm farms - small and large. Show and tell about your favourite resources. Celebrate the important work of the humble worm.

Earthwatch Institute is an international non-profit organisation which supports scientific research worldwide by offering members of the public unique opportunities to work alongside leading field scientists and researchers. Our mission is to engage people worldwide in conservation, scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. Earthwatch Australia offers unique educational opportunities for teachers and students. Imagine spending time during holidays or the school term on an Earthwatch expedition, making a very personal contribution to the survival of many of our best loved species and helping to preserve some of the most beautiful wild places in the world. You will learn intimately about conservation field research and can bring this learning experience back to the classroom. This session will highlight recent educational experiences of teachers and students in the Earthwatch "Teach Live" initiative, the "Tertiary Fellowship Program", and the school "Student Challenge program". Future opportunities for educators and students to participate in Australian and international conservation and scientific field research projects will also be presented.

Leading practice is something we aim for, but rarely achieve fully formed. It involves a process of learning from experience, through shared ideas, and the discovery of new possibilities and approaches. Leading practice takes time to develop, and continuously changes. This workshop will outline a set of leading practice principles for effective environmental education drawn from a Meta evaluation (evaluation of project evaluations) that capture the learnings of the Urban Stormwater Program. Case studies will be used to illustrate the principles and will combine experiences and ideas from local councils across NSW. Participants will actively engage in critically analysing and applying the leading practice principles to plan, implement, and assess achievements for sustainable pollution prevention outcomes.

11:45am- 12:30pm

Workshop / group discussion looking at how civics education is taught in schools and how this can be used to help with interpretation of the way the environment is dealt with in and by local government. We would appreciate input from community, community group reps, teachers and local government people.

Some goals of civics education are to:

This workshop will provide a presentation on the "It’s a Living Thing" program and its success. We will also showcase materials available for other educators to use.

"From Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) to Education for Sustainable Living (ESL)
There is a growing recognition that our present efforts to create a sustainable environment have only been partially successful. Research on the causes of our ecological crises based on depth psychology that has addressed this issue shows that we have so far widely neglected the emotional and psychosocial causes of environmentally destructive behaviours. The research concludes that we will have to expand our present educational paradigm (ESD) to a more inclusive paradigm - called here ESL — that fosters both transformative learning and eco-self development.

Werner Sattmann-Frese has been working as a psychotherapist since 1984. He attained a Master of Applied Science degree in Social Ecology in 1988 and is presently completing a postgraduate research degree on the interrelationships between personal, social, and environmental, sustainability at the University of Western Sydney. Recently he has been presenting workshops on depth psychology perspectives in environmental education at conferences in Australia.

Presentation providing links to the weather and climate aspects / outcomes of the NSW syllabus.

A discussion of the Hows and Whys of Aboriginal Environmental Education. The Department of Environment and Conservation will share how Aboriginal environmental education was initiated and developed by the department and what were the outcomes for Aboriginal communities. We will hear from other organisations who have conducted Aboriginal environmental education projects and programs. At the workshop we will share our learnings and discuss what we need to do to improve our practice and increase Aboriginal involvement in planning, developing and implementing environmental education programs and projects.

This seminar will explore the concept of environmental connectedness, look at how it adds value to student learning in environmental education and devises strategies to help students develop or strengthen environmental connectedness - as part of their environmental studies.

At this workshop we will discuss the outcomes of the eco-friendly communities partnership program & workshop opportunities to use the Eco-friendly Communities Kit for working with local community groups. Through the Eco-friendly Communities program the Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) has worked with a key women's network, the Local Community Services Association to deliver sustainability education with local community & neighbourhood centres. The project has used a community development model which is flexible and democratic to support communities to undertake local projects to promote sustainability. Key issues discussed in this workshop will include: * what other audiences can we reach with this type of approach? * How can the environmental education community reach out to other community networks? * How can we work together to strengthen existing community networks? Copies of the Eco-friendly Communities resource kit will be available.

Workshop describes how the Wetlands Environmental Education Centre has been involved in the Sustainable Schools program with 20 schools in the Hunter including conducting audits. The workshop gives and introduction then some activities that include brief audits of the site.

From a passional desire to create a marine and coastal environmental education centre - through to the reality of actually doing it! The highs, the lows and (with luck) some inspiration for others to grow EE in NSW. www.marinediscovery.org.au

Geographic Information Systems are widely using in environmental management and there is a need for schools to develop competencies in this area. Ross has wide experience in both education and threatened species management. He will be demonstrating applications of GIS for schools.

2:25-3:10pm

Game devised at Schumaker College (UK) and described by Joanna Macy in Coming Back to Life (1996). Illustrates through participation the interconnectedness of elements in ecosystems. Includes discussion of experience.

This workshop will showcase the "Eco Detective Trail", a value-added walk. It will give participants a hands-on look at how the "Trail" can be adapted to their area and environmental concerns. The "Eco-Detective Trail' was developed initially for the Hawkesbury Nepean Great River Walk, but Baulkham Hills Shire Council has adapted it to suit many school and community events that it holds. The "Trail" consists of a booklet and picture boards. The booklet leads you on a trail where questions are asked, and plants and animals need to be observed. The picture boards give an opportunity for plants and animals not normally present to be observed and discussed.

This seminar will describe a collaboration between university education in resource management, the local community, National Parks and Wildlife, and community environmental organisation with the aim of educating students about bush regeneration and actively participating in regeneration of Wamberal Lagoon Nature Reserve.

This workshop will provide a variety of easy school based activities to engage students with their environment. This will include approaches such as sensory awareness, observation and listening skills, Aboriginal education and a show and tell of useful resources.

Sally will be conducting a virtual catchment crawl. Participants will travel on a virtual bus and conduct water quality and bug survey sampling along the way. The workshop will include discussion of how to conduct a catchment crawl with your school or group. We will also discuss how water quality results can be interpreted with regards to the health of the catchment.

This seminar will provide an overview of the EDO (Environmental Defenders Office) community education program, including a critical assessment of community based workshops in rural and regional areas.