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The introduction to the workbook is very
important. In the programme, the starting point is matched
to the environmental sensibility of the child. This is one
of the essential elements for increasing the environmental
awareness of children. The aim of the first page of the workbook
is to begin awakening the environmental awareness of children.
Please remember that the objective of
this programme is not to provide knowledge on environmental
issues, but to stimulate environmental awareness. Once children
are attracted in this direction, then they will seek knowledge
by themselves.
The colours, the typography and illustrations
are chosen to appeal to children.
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Click on
each illustration for
an enlarged version
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| The programme
follows six operating steps. During the first week, children,
assisted by their family, record the data on consumption of
electricity, gas, water, or amount of waste generated in their
home. Then, children evaluate their life style via a check sheet.
Next, children think about what improvements they can make.
Many hints are provided in the workbook. Children decide what
steps to take and ask their family members to cooperate. During
the second week, children again read and record the data. Children
find the difference by checking and comparing with the data
of the previous week. These operations are illustrated in a
six-step procedure in the workbook. It is not necessary to carry
out all the steps and some can be replaced. |
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Children start the work by recording data on daily consumption
of electricity. They read the meter with help of their family
members and record the data in the workbook.
This data is used as the baseline for future comparison.
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| By comparing "global
warming" to the fever which the human body develops in
reaction to a cold, children obtain some idea of the problem.
Recording data is important to get children thinking about environmental
issues. This leads children to check their life style in relation
to the aspect of energy. |
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Next, children check their life style by use of the check
sheet, item by item.
After they have checked all the times, they count the average
number of points for their life style by a simplified calculation.
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In order to get children thinking about
what to do, many hints are given. This part of the workbook
should be rewritten to take account of the differences in
regional and national cultures. A great deal of local wisdom
exists.
It is very important to respect children's
local culture. It is also important to give children scientific
and technological information with regard to environmental
issues that arise in daily life.
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After children decide what to do, they then
write it as a declaration. This is important because decisions flowing
from a written declaration tend to be firm ones. In addition, other
family members can understand what is being undertaken and know
what to do.
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Children who have decided on what action
to take, for example, to reduce the number of times the family's
refrigerator is opened, ask their family members to cooperate
with them.
Next, children record data of electricity
consumption for a week in the workbook.
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Through reading and recording data, and comparing
it with the data of the previous week, children are motivated to
try to achieve further reductions. This leads children to think
about the origins of electricity consumption in the household, and
they start to try finding other ways to reduce consumption. One
of the advantages of this numbers approach is that children notice
a difference even when it is very small. Even if the difference
is negative (consumption has increased) then children ask themselves
"Why?" This generates motivation.
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Next, children fill out the summary chart.
They can again compare the difference and also compare it
with the local average consumption and amount of discharge
of burnable waste from the household.
This gives some idea about the situation
of their household in relation to their district or region,
and thus further enhances the stimulation of their environmental
awareness.
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Finally, children write about what they thought
throughout this operation. Parents too are requested to record their
comments.
The written work is quite an important accomplishment.
As far as the children are concerned, we find increased environmental
awareness, increased communication among family members, and many
other positive developments. Many children mention that "it's
great" to find out that they can do something, for example,
to mitigate global warming.
It is also important for parents to write about
their thoughts during the operation this programme. Many of them
realize that adults too have to "behave" with regard to
environmental issues, since the eyes of their children are on them
in their home.
The workbooks completed by the children are
collected in the schools and returned to ArTech or the ArTech representative.
The Eco-Kids Instructor (level 1) then evaluates the workbook by
means of the evaluation manual, and issues evaluation sheets. These
sheets are sent to the children together with their workbook.
Environmental awareness and management capability
are evaluated on the management sheet and the performance of operations
is evaluated on the data evaluation sheet.
The environmental awareness of children is
further stimulated in this way and confidence in life begins to
blossom in the children's minds.
Many local government administrations organize
events in conjunction with this programme. For example, they return
the evaluation sheets and the workbooks to the children at ceremonies
at which the city's major, or the presidents of local companies
are present.
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At the Primary Level, children learn
to apply the methodology of environmental management based
on the PDCA cycle of ISO 14001 over a period of eight weeks
working in their homes. International certificates are given
to those who accomplish this work well.
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| At the Middle
Level, children who have hold Primary Level certificates are
challenged to address regional environmental issues and bring
about improvement as a group. International certificates are
given to those who accomplish this wail. At the Highest Level,
groups of children who hold Middle Level certificates take on
the challenge of collaborating on an international basis to
address environmental issues. Again, international certificates
reward those who achieve satisfactory accomplishments. |
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