Category Archives: Education

If you have friends, children, grandchildren who are comfortable with internet technology (we call them “digital natives”), there are growing resources on the internet that are of value for promoting action on climate change and adopting fairer and more sustainable lifestyles.

Below are two sites that have successfully created a wide appeal and are suitable for general consumption.

http://manpollo.org/ – a site that aggregates (or “mashes up” to use the correct term) a series of youtube videos using a risk management matrix for climate change. Created by a (science?) teacher using rational argument. Strong and simple, states that doing nothing to address climate change is unacceptable using the RM matrix. The creator has used Youtube to request “peer review” to validate assumptions and refine argument. There are seven hours (!) of video and they are chunked up nicely. I have watched the first nine minutes. The first video is well worth watching for opening the discussion about climate change action vs inaction. Aimed at inquiring minds (secondary students and up).

http://storyofstuff.com/ – clever animation showing the hidden cost of “stuff”. The cost to the environment and the third world. Very well packaged, weakness for analytical minds is that many “facts” are thrown to support the argument and they are not well cited. One “fact” is that computer manufacturers make a new chip every year that requires the entire computer to be thrown out rather than replaced. Having worked in ICT for 20 years I haven’t seen that chip! It is perhaps a comment on the rapid evolution of the tool rather than some planned obsolescence conspiracy on the part of the ICT PC manfacturers. Errors like this will diminish the value of the video, although the intent and thrust of the video is sincere. Aimed at impressionable rather than inquiring minds.

Are there more – have you seen short, sharp, punchy, succinct presentations? The internet is a great vehicle for moving information/knowledge/wisdom rapidly to a wide audience. These “useful” items are still small boats in a sea of self-indulgence and triviality, but they are there.

Andy