Coming Soon

Austin Green School is in the beginning stages of development and planning. We hope to open our doors by fall 2013. Our school will be kinder through high school with the possibility of an early childhood center.
If you are interested in helping us in any way please email us at info@austingreenschool.com.
In the mean time please enjoy our blog as we make public our efforts and experiences.
We know the road ahead will be filled with many challenges but we are determined to give the community of Austin
the gift of a progressive educational community. Wish us luck!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

"Big ideas of Sustainability"

Sustainability
We understand the importance of sustainability in this ever changing and evolving world. We have plan to build Austin Green School using as many sustainable materials as possible including but not limited to the installation of solar panels and the use of a wealth of recycled materials during the construction of the school. We consider sustainability to be a crucial part of our program and will encourage sustainable practices in many ways.
We plan on incorporating "Big Ideas of Sustainability" from http://www.sustainableschoolsproject.org/education/big-ideas
The Big Ideas of Sustainability - when we talk about sustainability, especially with young students, it is critical to break out important concepts and ideas to make the word come alive. Below is a list of big ideas we use to help frame curriculum, projects, and build student understanding.

• Ability to make a difference: everyone has the ability to affect change or impact a system, community, self.
• Change over time: all organisms/places/systems are constantly changing.
• Community: all communities involve nested economic, environmental, and social systems. We need to understand the interconnections to come up with sustainable solutions.
• Cycles: every organism/system goes through different stages.
• Diversity: systems/places function because of variety.
• Equilibrium: a state of balance.
• Equity/Fairness: resources need to be shared to meet the needs of living things across places and generations.
• Interdependence: all living things are connected. Every organism/system/place depends on others.
• Limits: every system has a carrying capacity.
• Long-term effects: we can project that actions will have effects beyond immediate reactions.
• Place: natural and human communities together make up one’s place. Every place has its own needs and limits.
• Systems: elements that affect each other and are connected through larger patterns. http://www.sustainableschoolsproject.org/education/big-ideas