Art for Sustainability

Sustainability is perhaps the greatest challenge of the twenty-first century. Climate change, depletion of resources, species extinction, disappearing forests, destruction of ecosystems, the health of the ocean are but a few issues to be addressed imminently to secure our planet’s future.

The issues are complex and remedying the problems caused by human over consumption will require a shift in values, mass societal change and superior innovation. It is no wonder then that education is of paramount importance to achieving these goals. Sustainability is therefore being embedded into the classroom with the new Australian Curriculum which puts mandates that it be a cross-curricular focus.

Educating for a Sustainable Future, a National Environmental Education Statement for Australian Schools, describes education for sustainability as “a concept encompassing a vision of education that seeks to empower people of all ages to assume responsibility for creating a sustainable future.” The report goes on to say “Beyond a utilitarian view of the natural environment as something for humans to use is recognition that the environment has intrinsic natural and cultural values to be fostered.” (Australian Government Department of Environment and Heritage, 2005)

In my humble opinion, the arts are essential to achieving these objectives. The arts can help develop appreciation for the intrinsic and aesthetic value of nature. “The Beauty of a landscape or organism affects human emotions as well as ecological sensitivities.” (Kovacs, Zsuzsi , 2006) Students become attuned to the aesthetics of nature when they study a scene and apply that vision to the creation of their own artwork. As well, studying the art of others like Emily Carr who make nature the subject of their art can inspire wonder and further dedication to the environment.

Moreover, the arts provide an important vehicle for students to take action as well as provide vehicles to act. “Various art forms can serve as a means for communicating ecological concepts to the public, including theatre, visual art, music and multimedia performances.” (Curtis, 2003).

Some of my favourite examples of young people using the arts to inspire environmental stewardship include:

Fling Physical Theatre, a NSW regional youth dance company used dance and multimedia to create a compelling performance about Australian wildlife.

Hervey Bay Special School and Art for Earth staged an aerial instillation of a dugong family to promote conservation of the Mary River.

Year one students in California collected trash from beaches and used it to create a whale mural for a local aquarium.

St Mary’s Anglican School in Perth are spearheading an initiative to get schools from across the world to make origami whales to send to Japan in an attempt to stop whaling.

The above examples show how even the youngest students can use the arts to create powerful messages, engage the community and serve as catalysts for change. However, it’s not good enough to talk the talk. Teachers need to model sustainable practices in their classroom. With that in mind, I wondered what a sustainable art class might look like.

After some research, I found that the following practices are easily incorporated into any classroom:

1. Turn lights off when leaving the classroom and use natural light whenever possible
2. Have a recycling bin and better yet a compost
3. Use water based paints whenever possible and never pour paints down the drain.
4. Use sketchbooks -- every inch of them -- for sketching and planning projects
5. Use real plants (native species if possible) for class pets
6. Make your own cleaning kit with non-toxic environmentally friendly cleaning supplies
7. Organize a car pool
8. recharge batteries instead of throwing them out
9. Make sure water faucets are off and check for leaks
10. Write on the board or use powerpoint instead of handing out worksheets

I found the following great resources:

- 50 Ways to Go Green in the Classroom

- Making Art without Unmaking the Environment

-The Green Art Classroom

-It’s Easy Being Green

-Eco-Friendly Tips for the Busy Teacher