Spring-Summer Update ACT Chapter HERE

Welcome to the Spring / Summer edition of the ACT Chapter Update, sent every quarter to members, colleagues and friends of Earth, environmental and sustainability education in the ACT.

Remember, if you missed it you can still read all the national EE news from the September 2019 OzEEnews: it's available here in the members area.

But first, have a quick read of the local update, and save some dates for all the good things happening in both National Recycling Week and Australian Pollinator Week (both starting Nov 11).Some events will need to be booked ahead so get in now to not miss out.

Mighty Mobile Muster - We are all starting to herd our household and workplace mobile devices for the Actsmart Mobile Roundup - ACT is going for the World Record this year, and if we all pitch in apparently we are in with a good chance. No need to book to join the attempt at the World's Biggest Mobile Muster in National Recycling Week. Collection is at the Canberra Times Fountain on City Walk 8 am - 8 pm - more details about what can be deposited here.

Calendar

November 2019

Monday 4 - Call for Abstracts now open for 'Science Revealed',  CONASTA 69, the annual science education conference of the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA) being held in Canberra at the ANU 5-8 July 2020. Abstract submissions close 6 December 2019

Sunday 11-18 - Australian Pollinator Week, also check ACT for Bees website more information. Join the Wild Pollinator Count, which you can support by looking for ten minutes at one flower in your garden, nearby bush reserve or school. Take photos which help with identification (ID), iNaturalist and Canberra Nature Map are good resources for ID too. This engaging and vital project has now been running since 2014 (!).

Thursday 14 10.30 am Australian National Botanic Gardens Wild Pollinator Count walk. Please RSVP (actforbees@gmail.com ). This is an informal walk at the Australian National Botanic Gardens with Peter Abbott on Thursday 10.30 AM. Learn more about the native bees in the Botanic Gardens and also take part in the Wild Pollinator Count.

Monday 11-17 - National Recycling Week - lots on, too many to mention, head to the website ASAP.

Wednesday 20 - Actsmart Schools Awards Morning tea More about Actsmart Schools here (youtube)

Monday 25 - OzEENews member articles deadline for December 'EfS in 2019' edition - notes for contributors here.

December 2019

Tuesday 3 - AAEE Learning Circle - The New Sustainability Cross-Curricular priority Curriculum Map Resource. ZOOM 4.30-6 PM All welcome. RSVP aaeeact@gmail.com

Thursday 5 - World Soil day

Thursday 5 - Reminder if you are booked for the FREE Teacher workshop at Australian National Botanic Gardens. Very popular, let’s hope Bush Blitz and ANBG can run this again next year.

Term 1 2020
February Tues 11 and Thursday 13 - Parliament of Youth on Sustainability Teacher Sessions.

Term 4 2020
September TBC - National Biennial Environmental Education Conference - Mandurah, Western Australia.

Great news - AAEE have commissioned an Environmental Education 2020 calendar and Sea Week themed calendar-art competition, coming out soon for free download.

News, Thank you's and Congratulations

 Members and friends may like to congratulate Julia Landford - Nature Art Lab - and Taz Whan - Caroline Chisholm School - next time you see them. Julia has taken out the ACT Environmental Educator of the Year award for 2019, marking 3 decades of educational innovation and the beginning of a new creative and social business phase in EE.

Taz has taken out the inaugural ACT Environmental Educator Early Career Excellence award for 2019, with a list of EfS accomplishments as a new teacher that has to be seen to be believed.

Thank you to Professor Keith Skamp and Jenny Dibley for expert adjudication, and thank you Taz and Julia for all you do,  in particular for your wide-ranging and strategic environmental education leadership.

Look out for what these two AAEE members accomplish in 2020.

Just a few short weeks from now we will all be on the edge of our seats to see who has taken out the highly competitive ACTsmart Schools awards for 2019.

We'd just like to wish a very impartial Good Luck to all the nominees - some of whom are probably pictured here on the ACTsmart Schools recent EcoBus Day.

AAEE would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to ACT Smart Schools team, who have been doing such wonderful work in our schools delivering not only hands-on education for the sustainability cross-curriculum priority for our students but also high-quality world-leading EfS PD for our teachers.





NEWS JUST IN Nov 20 2019 Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Shane Rattenbury today presented Merici College with the 2019 Sustainable School of the Year Award at the Actsmart Schools Awards.

Thank you to our retiring chapter secretary, NoWaste's, Robbie Ladbrook. Huge congratulations to Robbie and the NoWaste team for recently collecting a Sustainable Stories excellence award for NoWaste's education facility, the very amazing Recycling Discovery Hub. Book a public tour and see for yourself!

Thank you and congratulations to Bren Weatherstone and the TSCAC team on conclusion of another fabulous year of the ever-growing Threatened Species Childrens' Art Competition, one of the best and best run environmental education programs available for 5-12 year old's to engage with in Australia.






Thank you and congratulations to our retiring Youth Advisory Board member, first-year ANU student Clara McArthur, who a little bird told us might have received a special mention at the ACT Young Environmentalist of 2019 awards for her work mentoring SchoolStrike4Climate primary and high school students over the last 2 years. Well done Clara. 

It was wonderful to have both Robbie and Clara on the AAEE ACT team in 2019, and we wish them all the best in 2020.

Thank you to members Julie Armstrong (Act for Bees) and Kate Rhook (Icon Water) for help progressing the new ACT EE Directory - it is getting there and is going to be a wonderful way of taking the ACT Environmental Education network to new heights.

Thank you and welcome to the incoming committee for 2019-2020: Sue Jones (DanceKids), Viv Pearce (Australian National Botanic Gardens), Jodie Green (Young Persons' Plan for the Planet and AAEE), Tarun Whan (Science Educators Association ACT and ACT Education), Bren Weatherstone (Threatened Species Childrens' Art Competition) and Julia Landford (Nature Art Lab).

Viv and Jodie for the ACT AAEE team