Lesson Idea | Sustainability: How Our Actions Affect the Environment

Grade Range: 5th
Group Size: 4 students
Active Time: 3.5 hours
Total Time: 3.5 hours
Area of Science: Environmental science
Key Concepts: Sustainability, environmental impact, and carbon footprint
Credits: Svenja Lohner, PhD, Science Buddies

Overview

How do our everyday actions contribute to our ecological footprint? Can we change our individual actions to be more environmentally friendly and create a more sustainable lifestyle? In this lesson, students will evaluate their own environmental impact using an online tool called Your Plan, Your Planet, and evaluate simple ways to reduce their ecological footprint as an individual or community.

Learning Objectives

- Understand the concept of sustainability and the impacts of human activities on earth
Use evidence to describe how a given everyday activity affects the environment
- Identify solutions (actions) that can reduce the environmental impact of an individual or community

Materials

- Computer, Chromebook, tablet, or mobile phone with internet access
- Access to the online tool Your Plan, Your Planet

Background Information for Teachers

This section contains a quick review for teachers of the science and concepts covered in this lesson.

Sustainability has become an increasingly important topic over the last century, especially when considering the projected worldwide population growth as shown in Figure 1. But what is sustainability? The United Nations (UN) defines sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". To achieve sustainability, the UN advises thinking about three main factors: the economic, social, and environmental impact of our lives. How can we create an economically, socially and environmentally balanced system for our planet and the people on it? This requires a smarter use and fair distribution of natural resources; equal opportunities for education, safety, food, and medicine; and the protection of our environment to maintain functional ecosystems. While all three factors are important, this lesson will focus on the environmental aspect of sustainability.

For further information, please visit Science Buddies website.