Environmental Sustainability Project - Research Proposal Example

Environmental Sustainability Project Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Environmental Sustainability Project In the current world, it is not only about Environmental Education, but most importantly Education for Sustainable Development. As a result, environmental education is mostly focused on bringing out sustainable outcomes at the end of learning. Additionally, the environmental ethics are incorporated so as to foster how human beings are going to relate to the environment and other living things (Gibson, Rose, & Fincher, 2015). In the classroom, I have learned that many sustainability perspectives can be undertaken by people so as to have desirable outcomes when handling the environment. One of the most interesting topics I picked and which I will focus on as my sustainability issue in this project is the Anthropocene era. Anthropocene era just means that the human beings are in a position, have the potential and creativity that they can use to reduce the harm that they put on the environment and instead cause biodiversity flourishing. While there are many sustainability perspectives, scholars, scientists, and geologists believe that Anthropocene is better suited for environmental sustainability. Project Overview, Rationale, and Aims Critical examination of the world by the geologists shows that the planet is already in Anthropocene. Lorimer (2015) argued that the Anthropocene began when humans started to undertake projects that were aimed not only at changing the environment but also recorded on the fossils. Notably, few processes, forms, among other natural issues lack human touch in the world today. As a result, it is worth to learn, therefore how to utilize the human interaction for the benefit of the environment. Evidently, not all the human actions have been beneficial to the environment. For instance, in my country, Saudi Arabia, the mining of the oil has caused for implications to the environment than the economic benefits that the country has enjoyed. In short, there are those planetary impacts that require more cognitive dissonance so as to bring out effective conservation of the environment. The Aims of the Project: To incorporate field trips, students learning with other living creatures, and walks in environmental education subject. To expound on the Anthropocene context and create an understanding of the Saudi Arabia natural environment To determine the activities that the Saudi Arabians can carry out while mining oil to minimize the harm that is caused to the environment. To identify the indigenous cultural elements of the Saudi Arabia environment aspects To determine non-westernized aspects that the country can utilize in environmental sustainability especially in educating the students In the project, the research uses the learning module three and four so as to bring out how people can use the knowledge and ability they have to create a sustainable environment for themselves and the future generations. Learning module three discusses how the human can incorporate environmental ethics in learning so as to promote the necessity of individuals to protect the environment. This module is relevant to my project because it portrays how human beings can interact and use the natural resources to the benefit of the native inhabitants. At times, each and every living thing that is in the environment has a purpose and knowing how to live together is what causes ecosystem balances. On the other hand, learning module four talks about an indigenous bush walk in a Non-Western atmosphere, specifically in Australia. This module is interesting because it does not only improve the understanding of how Aboriginal people have been able to maintain a sustainable environment across generations but also creates more interest. The module in particular motivated the inception of this project. Project Context The project analysis takes place in my country Saudi Arabia. As a science teacher, I will incorporate field trips, student’s days to spend in the environment, and walks while teaching about environmental sustainability in the next semester. Specifically, the project looks into the mining of the petroleum products and how the country can do it at sustainable levels without causing any destruction to the environment. First of all, it is worthwhile to note that aspect of environmental education and protection in the Saudi Arabian context is connected to the natural resource since the country depends on the petroleum reserves for any significant economic wellbeing. Therefore when thinking about environmental issues is viewed as also thinking about the natural gasses and oil that occur as a result of the economic developments. As a much as the country and the world requires the Kingdom to think about the environmental well being it should be done in a way that the social, economic well-being is considered (Almasoud,& Gandayh, 2015). The world points fingers at how the fossil fuels are harmful to the environment, but countries such as Saudi Arabia have to mine these oils so as to maintain sustainable living standards. Currently, the state is trying as much as possible to ensure that these procedures that they use are environmentally friendly and will help the people in the long run. In short, the Anthropocene of the Saudi Arabia community on the environment in pursuit of sustainability has created different outcomes to the environment and other habitats. As we all know, the mining of petroleum products causes most of the worst consequences to the environment. On the other hand, since the activity is the most significant activity in Saudi Arabia, then consensus must be reached (Almasoud,& Gandayh, 2015). In short, there must be Anthropocene activities that allow both inhabitants and environmental sustainability at the same time. The projects fit into the curriculum since it seeks to identify ways of environmental sustainability development. Project Research The sustainability issues raised in this project are associated with how Non-Westernized communities can have Anthropocene activities that create their sustainable developments. A study by Lorimer (2015) showed that the Anthropocene activities and challenges are diagnosed in Westernized actions, politics, and thoughts, and the other countries are expected to adopt without questioning. Though nature is single, pure, and timeless if untouched by the different societies, it is evident that with the growing population’s people have to take up some steps so as to make the lives that they are living sustainable. Societies in different areas have adopted activities that seek to make their lives better. For instance, Saudi Arabia mines and exports petroleum products so as to give people an opportunity to lead a sustainable life. At the same time, these communities seek to ensure that they maintain their environment so that in future it can still provide food to their children. However, it becomes difficult to balance both, and that is why there have been issues with the environmental wellbeing (Almasoud,& Gandayh, 2015). As a result, many perspectives have been adopted by the developed countries in pursuit of ensuring that people lead sustainable lives. In short, such actions and objectives to nature are known as actual science that seeks to defend and restore the prudent management of the environment. Anthropocene in this context seeks to describe a hybrid environment which combines both social and natural aspects to create a nonlinear situation which is not balancing. Evidently, there are many forms of nature which cannot be classified as human or scientific and thus causing more confusion when it comes to how to manage the environment. As a result, there is no single model of the natural knowledge that environmentalists can consider as the right way to push people to use (Steffen et al., 2011).Learning module three shows that the human beings have the potential to create an environment that rather reduces social harm to the environment and at the same creates flourishing. In short, there should be positive coexistence between the ecosystems. While devising a way that can foster a great Anthropocene one must consider the different forms of community expansion into the inhabitant. The factors considered are the economy, culture, ecology, social sciences and natural sciences. Notably, the learning of the environmental humanities equips the students with the necessity to protect the environment. A study by Gibson, Rose, & Fincher (2015), showed that the ability to use ethical Anthropocene on the environment is what has contributed to greater skills of safeguarding the environmental ecosystems. The way people interact with the environment is better discussed in ecological, political, philosophy and histories of the environment. During the learning, it is easier to identify justice, ethics, meanings, and values that influence the decisions made and associated with the environmental surrounding. In short, the cultural diversity and history enable people to shape their activities in a way that safer and protective to the environment. Learning module four talks about the sustainability ethics in a Non-Westernized community. My project borrows some of the ideologies since my country is also from a non-westernized community. The indigenous bush walk program opens up ways of which children can be taught about environmental sustainability without going through features that they are not accustomed to in books. As a science teacher, we only teach children about the largest dessert in Gulf region, but despite being in our country, we have never taken these kids to see it. Neither the students nor the teachers are aware of how the dessert looks. The desert must have indigenous fauna and flora, but nobody can pin them down expect for what we have learned in school. The Gossans Hill Bush Walk opened me to the reality of a natural habitat which has succeeded to be sustainable for its people without the use of any modernization. People only use their natural habitats and has passed the information from one generation to the next by use of informal methods such as songs. As a result, the most popular approach emerging for the environmentalists is the use of Anthropocene since seemingly creates “dream of mastery” (Lorimer, 2015). Notably, Anthropocene appears as a scientific and at the same time an economic opportunity which requires that people are modernized. In other words, it demands that people use more technology, knowledge and other aspects when dealing with the environment so create sustainable situations. Explicitly, Anthropocene provides ideal concepts that enable the people to boost the environment to sustainable not only for human beings but also all the other creatures. Humans are super animals when compared to the others, but that does not erode the fact even the other things are relevant to the environment. Thus, all the creatures need a safer and sustainable environment to live. Project Implementation Plan The implementation of the project takes place in the school curriculum for the fourth and fifth grades. However, for starters, the classrooms will be divided into two; there are those students who will purely make field trips with few notes to guide them, while the other group is given written notes for the same topic. I will personally discuss with our principal to incorporate the field trips, walks, and to study with some animals such as the sea birds so as to learn about environmental sustainability. The main aim of the procedures is to ensure that students spend enough times in the environment so as to understand what they will learn.In the field trips, the students will visit the mines and water bodies and make observations about the different aspects such as energy forms used, the pollution in the water bodies, how the animals are surrounding the oil companies among many other environmental issues. Additionally, these students will be allowed to interact with the people around and understand how they carry out their daily activities. The students will write reports of what they have observed and learned about the environment, and most importantly from the other creatures. The evaluation criteria for the effectiveness of the project will be examined through a similar test for the different groups subjected to different learning programs. Students from both programs will be given same exams, and the performance will be recorded by the group that does well. In short, I will be able to conclude whether or not there was education sustainability in the group that stayed in the classroom or the one that went on the field trip. In brief, the project will examine how knowledge can create environmental sustainability for the students and future generations. Evidently, Anthropocene era shows that the human actions can be used to build a sustainable environment through creativity. Additionally, observation and human interaction have also been seen as successful in passing environmental protection and sustainability. References Almasoud, A. H., & Gandayh, H. M. (2015). Future of solar energy in Saudi Arabia. Journal of King Saud University-Engineering Sciences, 27(2), 153-157. Gibson, K., Rose, D. B., & Fincher, R. (2015). Manifesto for Living in the Anthropocene. Punctum Books, New York. Lorimer, J. (2015). Wildlife in the Anthropocene. University of Minnesota Press. Rose, D. B., van Dooren, T., Chrulew, M., Cooke, S., Kearnes, M., & O'Gorman, E. (2012). Thinking through the environment, unsettling the humanities. Steffen, W., Grinevald, J., Crutzen, P., & McNeill, J. (2011). The Anthropocene: conceptual and historical perspectives. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 369(1938), 842-867. Read More