The Environment and Strathallan
The curriculum at Strathallan has an environmental aspect starting in the Prep School. Where even the youngest pupils follow a broad curriculum including: British Science Week, innovations for the future, learning about Scottish rivers and hydroelectric power, waste management, and constructing bird feeders and bug hotels for our numerous outdoor classrooms.
We are also very privileged to have been invited to take part in the UNESCO Futures of Education Initiative.
UNESCO Futures of Education Initiative
The UNESCO Futures of Education Initiative is a global initiative to reimagine how knowledge and learning can shape the future of humanity and the planet.
The Futures of Education: Learning to Become initiative is about sparking conversations on how knowledge and learning can shape the future of humanity and the planet. Inputs from individuals, networks, and organizations will inform the work of the International Commission and shape the global debate. The initiative is catalyzing a global debate on how knowledge, education and learning need to be reimagined in a world of increasing complexity, uncertainty, and precarity.
Zero Water Day Partnership; supporting action for the Futures of Education Initiative
The Zero Water Day Partnership is a voluntary partnership of schools with teachers and children learning with and from each other to act on water and sustainable development in their homes, schools and communities. A key focus for 2021 / 22 is on the protection of mountain areas against the impacts of climate change and mountains as water towers of the world, as well as promoting the #mountainsmatter campaign in schools to empower youth to play an active role in protecting ecosystems around the world’s summits for future generations. The Zero Water Day Partnership aims to support UNESCO Futures of Education Initiative through learning and whole school-whole community action.
With the world turning to Scotland and Glasgow, in particular, for the upcoming COP 26 conference in November, we are delighted to have been asked to represent the UK in this project and we are all hoping that we can go to COP 26 to represent Scotland and virtually host all the other schools who are taking part.
The Zero Water Day Partnership is based on the UNESCO resources for Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship Education. These involve education in sustainability, health promotion and community. Part of this has been to look at the importance of water to the Earth, Humanity and all living things
Julian Fisher, Coordinator of the Zero Water Day Partnership, said, "The Zero Water Day Partnership is about learning from and with each other to empower children and Youth to take action on some of the world’s most complex challenges, as well as helping them to actively engage in the political processes for climate action. Zero Water Day Partnership holds both the problem Zero Water Day and the solutions through Water Partnerships in local communities and globally'."
During this project, Strathallan pupils have been asked to look at the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and use those goals to build a model for the development of a sustainable plant, human health and equity for all.
Our Third Form have been working on the project throughout the year, crafting their own rain gauges to measure rainfall at Strathallan as well as looking at the way in which Scottish people use water.
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They have also looked at their vision for education in 2050 and how they see education as an important thing for everyone, and how it could and should evolve over time:
The Headmaster, Mark Lauder, has supported the club in formulating a whole school campus plan for the rewilding and sustainable development of the campus. Which will include planting bee-friendly wildflower meadows around the rough areas of the golf course; planting hedgerows around the campus boundaries and developing nature walks around the campus with an information board discussing biodiversity and the local ecosystems.
The Prep School will also develop small kitchen gardens and the Combined Cadet Force are helping to re-wild campus and plant fruit trees and shrubs around the campus. These projects will be developed by various groups of pupils at different times throughout the next few years.
Litter has to be one of our main targets and although we currently don’t have a problem with litter, we are trying to work on misuse of chewing gum and at the same time maintaining the low prevalence of litter around the campus.
The Eco-Schools team is also seeking to reduce food waste in the dining hall. To this end, we have installed a new recycling system and conveyer belt which separates compostable food waste from non-recyclable material. We hope in the future to set up a in school composting system to allow us to make our own compost for the school.
We will update this page regularly to keep you abreast of what the pupils are up to.