ISPG - Protecting the Global Commons ideas

INTERNATIONAL HOLISTIC TOURISM EDUCATION CENTRE - IHTEC



INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PEACE GARDENS
PROTECTING THE GLOBAL COMMONS.
CLASSROOM IDEAS


A whole school approach


Written by Julia Morton-Marr

What are the Global Commons?

The concept of the ‘commons’ came from villages in England where the centre of the village is a grassed area. Each member of the community could graze their cattle on the green. However the natural balance had to be monitored before the carrying capacity was exceeded, and the usefulness of the commons was ruined.

The Global Commons refers to concepts around the biosphere use of planet earth. IHTEC uses the Council on Global Issues (CGI) whose concepts which include: scientific primary values, Eco-system health, soil, water, oceans, species, energy, space, atmosphere, international relations, population, consumerism, technology, and media. IHTEC has developed an education module for each of these. As the people on earth have created the 6th extinction, all education is now seen as ‘education for sustainability’, which is essential for all species in the ‘web of life’ on earth.

The role of the International School Peace Gardens program is to protect the Global Commons, through Global Sustainability Education (GSE) is very significant. The school and it’s community can help promote sustainability with Local Governments in their towns worldwide.

What is Global Sustainability Education (GSE)?

IHTEC has developed the use of Global Sustainability Education around current curriculum content. See http://www.ihtec.org/index.php?id=29

You will find three sides. The first describes GSE from the CGI perspective; the second explains how the IHTEC curriculum fits into the first; and the third explains how subject areas around the peace garden fit with the first GSE slide.

How can the ISPG programme, promote GSE?

General
1. Register your school with IHTEC on-line. www.ihtec.org
2. Hold a dedication ceremony in your school’s peace garden to initiate actions to solve global commons issues at the local level. (See the dedications on water and biodiversity) Invite local government representatives.
3. Contact your local government to see what areas you can help them with, regarding the global commons.
4. Encourage the formation of a Data-Base at Local Government level, for gathering all environmental programs within schools and community groups. This is to ensure that a variety of activities are achieved.
5. When planting your peace garden ensure that all of the designs and development of the garden resolves past or present conflicts in your area. ie: water, waste, food security, Eco-system protection, food for migrating species, coastal protection and ocean monitoring.
6. Develop strategies with students and the school community, for using the peace garden as a stimulus for writing about their problems.

Curriculum
7. Re-evaluate your curriculum to ensure all that is taught uses the ‘Precautionary Principal’ and focuses on the unintended consequences, to protect the survival of the ‘web of life’ on the global commons.
8. Links your current curriculum through an integrated study approach, to the global commons.
9. Builds on solutions for the global commons by asking how the issue studied affects other areas of the global commons. Peace and the Environment cannot be separated.

Environmental Integrity
10. Test the soil in your ISPG before you plant your peace garden, for proper soil balance. This is the same mixture of substances that are required for human nutrition.
11. Plant a ‘Bush Tucker’(Australia) Garden or plant your local bio-diversity. Label each species.
12. Bring copies of household water bills to school and work on reduction of water costs in every household in the community. House points for achievable results.
13. Invent ways to conserve more water: Create a card for the points in the ‘water dedication’. ie: “shower in 3 minutes”. Sign it at your dedication ceremony.
14. Use the ISPG to learn how to recycle water. Give house points to families who recycle their water.
15. Hold celebrations and discussions in your ISPG of United Nations Days, especially around Global Commons concerns, such as Bio-diversity day and UN International Bio-Diversity Year 2010. http://www.unac.org/en/news_events/un_days/index.asp
16. Use solar and wind energy in your peace garden, this could also extend to your buildings, in their design and management, water heating etc.
17. Build your own solar car and race it.
18. Know what substances deplete the ozone and encourage all families remove substances from their homes that cause harm.
19. Encourage the school to check and use cleaning supplies that protect the ‘web of life’. Remove all environmental pollutants. This too could involve all families.
20. Collect natural seeds and work with Dept of Environment or Natural Resources on seed collection. Plant a section of your ISPG with original seed stock.
21. Count the number of species in the garden, all kinds.
22. Leave a section of the ground free of activity, and monitor how the soil replenishes itself.

Societal Integrity
23. By using music and the arts to create songs, rap music using major sentences or catch phrases such as:
“There’s nowhere to throw away to!”
24. Reduce consumerism in every way possible.
25. Conflict resolution will be most important if we are to prevent wars.
a. Discuss the role of peace in yourselves, your school and community, and how your country as a member of the UN, participates in peacebuilding in the world.
26. If your country is a member of the United Nations, then you are member of the United Nations.
27. Create a school website to upload all the achievements as part of your ISPG.
28. Encourage new car owners in the district to purchase hybrid (lower fuel use) vehicles.
29. Food Security: Plant various food gardens: pizza garden, three sisters garden.
30. Only plant seeds that are not genetically modified.
31. Plant migrating species food and monitor who visits. This includes you as part of the Creature Corridors module.
32. Encourage non-pollution of the rivers in your area. Work with river and streams organizations. This is part of the Watershed Peace Pathways module.
33. Encourage non-pollution of the oceans in your area. Work with coastal and marine organizations in your area. This is part of the Marine Peace Parks module.
34. IHTEC encourages the protection of our Children’s Health in their Environment.
35. Remove all use of plastics near food (plastics produce estrogen).

Conflict Resolution
36. Build two friendship benches, in a ‘V’ shape, to be used for conflict resolution.
37. Protect local endangered species of all kinds.
38. Use the IIPT Credo of the Peaceful Traveler.

UN International Law; Local Environmental Laws.
39. Log onto the ‘Earth Charter’, www.earthcharter.org download, read, discuss and distribute it. Register your support on-line. The Earth Charter has be approved by UNESCO at their conference between October 30 - November 30, 2004. The IUCN World Congress endorsed it on November 24, 2004. IHTEC endorsed it in 2003.
40. Check local government By-Laws to ensure that they are “Protecting the Earth for Children”.

The Arts
41. We suggest that a visible outcome of the expression of the above items, could be reflected in the peace garden. Children may use language arts and performing arts, which can also can be presented in the peace garden.


Media
42. Create your own “Peace Garden News”.