Educating our youth to provide a more sustainable future
Aloha! As students of Kamehameha Schools, we are currently faced with the task of identifying and solving an issue that is related to sustainability. This project will be looking into analyzing a problem within our campus and then sharing out the contreversy to our peers. Within this project our group found a major obstacle many face is the lack of knowledge towards sustainability. To initiate change we first have to know and therefore educate our peers further about the matter at hand. People need to be made aware of the issue, and learn about it, that is why we firmly believe that if people are made more aware of sustainability then it will allow others as well as ourselves to make this world a better place.
Proposal For Sustainability
Project Idea
The main idea of our project is educating younger generations so they are encouraged to live sustainably and not have a sustainable lifestyle be a one time thing. This could make Kamehameha a better place by simply educating the people who will spend most of the time here. If people know the differences they can make and power they have to help the campus become more sustainable then there is a greater chance that positive change will occur. The children will benefit from this because the more they know, the more they can do to help a cause. By educating our keiki we not only changing their actions, but also their overall behaviors. Sometimes people donʻt help a solution simply because they donʻt know about the problem.
Proposed Solution
Our proposed solution is to try and reach out to elementary students and find out what they know about sustainability. We will try and develop questions that would allow us to further analyze how we can reach these kids. The goal is to achieve growth in their knowledge about sustainability. We will achieve this through an engaging presentation. The growth will be gauged through two surveys, one occurring prior to a kid-friendly presentation about sustainability and one after. We hope to see an increase not only in the understanding of sustainable practices but also an increase of interest in the subject. We want to encourage sustainability and it seems the most effective way to do so is to reach out to the leaders of tomorrow.
Our proposed method, or solution, is a bit unorthodox in comparison to proposals who seek to reduce energy or water use on campus. However we chose this method because there is a greater indirect effect on the future. Energy saving methods will do wonders and immediately affect the campus is a positive way however we are on the quest to affect the future so that energy saving wonʻt be dependant on a contraption that you plug into the wall. Instead, there will be no need for a gizmo since sustainable practices will be a norm. We feel that our proposed solution will have a greater effect on the future and the way people live.
The beauty of our possible solution is that it is intangible. It is not something that can go wrong mechanically. As a result of that there is no need for mechanical maintenance and the potential for longevity is vast. The solution is practical and shouldnʻt take much to achieve.
We firmly believe that to change the future we need to educate the people who will change the world. Although the children we are teaching are actually in the same generation as we are they should be educated about these types of problems that our world is facing today. We will not necessarily be asking these children to change the world everyday of their lives from this point on, we will simply be planting the seeds in their minds so that they can be aware of these types of problems and give them options to as how they can help in their everyday lives.
Currently we are working on developing a worksheet to give to the third graders that we will be using as our data. Basically it will be a gauge on how much they know or may not know.
The Plan
Basically the plan is to meet with a third grade class and conduct an experiment with the students as our test subjects. The goal is to get them psyched about sustainability and also to learn more about it. The data we will collect is basically how the students respond to all the information and through a survey, we can analyze how well the students response to the information that we were giving them. We also plan to incorporate a hands on type of work so that it makes a strong impact on them. We plan to have them sort vermicast as a way to engage them better and show them how fun sustainability can be. We are also going to have them plant a few tomato plants so they can practice sustainability. This will make them feel like they are having a positive impact on the world immediately. Hopefully this will encourage them to continue sustainable practice and have it become a lifestyle for them.
We believe that our plan will truly have a positive impact on the children. Our job is to make sure that we give out all the positive encouragement to live sustainably and to do our best to make sure that they know what it is. Perhaps after this, they will bring the mindset home with them and they will have the ability to influence their family to do things that will help the planet. As they grow up, sustainability to them will not be so foreign. Instead, it will be an everyday thing for them and they will be the role models for their peers and generations ahead. If we can get the ball rolling about sustainability then hopefully they can preserve the practice and have it become a norm.
Project Idea
The main idea of our project is educating younger generations so they are encouraged to live sustainably and not have a sustainable lifestyle be a one time thing. This could make Kamehameha a better place by simply educating the people who will spend most of the time here. If people know the differences they can make and power they have to help the campus become more sustainable then there is a greater chance that positive change will occur. The children will benefit from this because the more they know, the more they can do to help a cause. By educating our keiki we not only changing their actions, but also their overall behaviors. Sometimes people donʻt help a solution simply because they donʻt know about the problem.
Proposed Solution
Our proposed solution is to try and reach out to elementary students and find out what they know about sustainability. We will try and develop questions that would allow us to further analyze how we can reach these kids. The goal is to achieve growth in their knowledge about sustainability. We will achieve this through an engaging presentation. The growth will be gauged through two surveys, one occurring prior to a kid-friendly presentation about sustainability and one after. We hope to see an increase not only in the understanding of sustainable practices but also an increase of interest in the subject. We want to encourage sustainability and it seems the most effective way to do so is to reach out to the leaders of tomorrow.
Our proposed method, or solution, is a bit unorthodox in comparison to proposals who seek to reduce energy or water use on campus. However we chose this method because there is a greater indirect effect on the future. Energy saving methods will do wonders and immediately affect the campus is a positive way however we are on the quest to affect the future so that energy saving wonʻt be dependant on a contraption that you plug into the wall. Instead, there will be no need for a gizmo since sustainable practices will be a norm. We feel that our proposed solution will have a greater effect on the future and the way people live.
The beauty of our possible solution is that it is intangible. It is not something that can go wrong mechanically. As a result of that there is no need for mechanical maintenance and the potential for longevity is vast. The solution is practical and shouldnʻt take much to achieve.
We firmly believe that to change the future we need to educate the people who will change the world. Although the children we are teaching are actually in the same generation as we are they should be educated about these types of problems that our world is facing today. We will not necessarily be asking these children to change the world everyday of their lives from this point on, we will simply be planting the seeds in their minds so that they can be aware of these types of problems and give them options to as how they can help in their everyday lives.
Currently we are working on developing a worksheet to give to the third graders that we will be using as our data. Basically it will be a gauge on how much they know or may not know.
The Plan
Basically the plan is to meet with a third grade class and conduct an experiment with the students as our test subjects. The goal is to get them psyched about sustainability and also to learn more about it. The data we will collect is basically how the students respond to all the information and through a survey, we can analyze how well the students response to the information that we were giving them. We also plan to incorporate a hands on type of work so that it makes a strong impact on them. We plan to have them sort vermicast as a way to engage them better and show them how fun sustainability can be. We are also going to have them plant a few tomato plants so they can practice sustainability. This will make them feel like they are having a positive impact on the world immediately. Hopefully this will encourage them to continue sustainable practice and have it become a lifestyle for them.
We believe that our plan will truly have a positive impact on the children. Our job is to make sure that we give out all the positive encouragement to live sustainably and to do our best to make sure that they know what it is. Perhaps after this, they will bring the mindset home with them and they will have the ability to influence their family to do things that will help the planet. As they grow up, sustainability to them will not be so foreign. Instead, it will be an everyday thing for them and they will be the role models for their peers and generations ahead. If we can get the ball rolling about sustainability then hopefully they can preserve the practice and have it become a norm.