Minds On
Sustainability
What does the word sustainability mean to you? What words come to mind?
Complete the Sustainability Brainstorming Web activity in your notebook, in the following fillable and printable documents, or in a method of your choice.
Press the Activity button to access the Sustainability Brainstorming Web.
Activity(Opens in a new tab)When you are finished your brainstorm, press Definition to learn more about sustainability.
Sustainability means living within the limits of available resources. The Earth’s natural resources and the human labour of a society both have physical limits.
Sustainability also means distributing natural resources and the benefits of land use equitably. It is important for us to understand the interrelationships between societies, natural environments, and economies.
Action
Promoting sustainability
Using land and natural resources always impacts the environment.
To be sustainable, we must change our impacts on the environment so that future generations can use the same land and natural resources that we are able to use.
Let’s explore some actions that we can take to promote sustainability.
Sustainability in industry
Many different industries are taking action to make sure they are doing their part to be as sustainable as possible and help everyday citizens do the same.
Press the following tabs to explore some examples of industries and ways they are helping promote sustainability.
Farming and harvesting practices (also known as agriculture) create greenhouse gas emissions and often use chemicals on the land.
To help reduce the impacts of these negative effects, many farmers are using practices such as rotating their crops through different plots of land to keep the soils rich in nutrients which means better growth.
Some farmers are also reducing the amount of tilling (which is like raking the soil) to avoid bringing to the surface chemicals and gasses that might be buried in the soil.
Fishing reduces the amount of wildlife in our waters and boats and equipment pollute the water.
To help sustainability, rules are often set in place to make sure that those who are fishing know where they can fish and how many particular fish they can catch. This allows fish populations and habitats to be healthier and not at risk of disappearing.
Forestry is an industry that has to do with planning and managing our forests. Sometimes this involves removing trees which can impact wildlife and their habitats.
To help sustainability, rules are set in place to make sure that foresters know where they can cut down trees and which specific trees they can cut down. This makes sure that habitats are not totally destroyed and that the plants and animals of the forest can maintain a healthy forest ecosystem.
Practices such as replacing trees that are cut down help reduce the impacts of logging.
Brainstorm
Brainstorm
Can you think of any other examples of industries and ways that they might be trying to promote sustainability?
Record your thinking in a notebook or using another method of your choice.
If possible, share your thinking with a partner.
Activism
Activism is one way that we can promote sustainability.
We can take many types of action to raise awareness of human impacts on the natural environment including sharing our knowledge and opinions on ways increase sustainability.
Explore the following video, in which water protector Autumn Peltier explains the importance of water, and why she feels it’s worth taking action to protect it.
We can direct our activism to share and teach others about small actions that they can take in their daily lives to address the need for more sustainable uses of our land and resources.
Some examples of actions are:
- not polluting our land by recycling and properly disposing of garbage
- trying not to waste water
- reducing or eliminating single-use plastics in our daily lives
- when interacting with nature, leaving it as we found it
Brainstorm
Brainstorm
Can you think of any other small actions that people can take in their daily lives to promote sustainability on our planet?
Record your thinking in a notebook or using another method of your choice.
If possible, share your ideas with a partner.
Consolidation
Sharing information about sustainability
Now that we have learned about some actions that we can take to promote sustainability, we are going to practice telling others about the importance of protecting the natural environment.
Choose one action that people can take to increase sustainability in their community. Consider actions that communities can take together, not just individual actions.
Think of a creative way to present information about the action you have chosen. You can create:
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An audio or video recording |
A brochure |
A collage or drawing |
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A poster |
A slide show |
Another method of your choice |
Sharing information checklist
Make sure that you include the following information:
Reflection
As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel...
Now, record your ideas using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.