Australian climate change program in classrooms

The online Climate Change Education Program, made in Australia, is being piloted in Britain by the Gould Group and will be released in London at the Environmental Trade Show BETTS.

“The $5 million project has been undertaken by Australian Software Company Etech and the Gould Group, Australia's major environmental education organisation with a 98-year-old history,” Ann-Maree Colborne, CEO of the Gould Group said.

“Apart from the UK, there are pilot schools in New York State, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Canberra Grammar. The modules being tested at the moment are waste and water.

“The Sustainability Wiz application, which has inbuilt monitoring tools allowing schools to cut their energy and water costs by thousands of dollars, has already been piloted in Melbourne.”

Colborne said, “A special part of the program also allows parents to participate in the Climate Change program as part of the strategy to influence behaviour change in the home and is designed to engage the whole community, not just students.

“We see this program supporting the federal and state government policies in climate change in Australia and we are hoping that various governments will be able to recognise the advantages this program will offer to students and the bottom line gains of cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

“For federal and state governments, the Sustainability Wiz is an infrastructure investment in the future which will help schools cut their energy and water costs.”

Colbourne said that the Gould Group is now looking for partners in the energy and water field that have an interest in being part of a national education program of climate change to take part in and invest in the development of the Sustainability Wiz as part of environmental policies.