Quiz
Quiz-based discussions and self-tests can be other examples of learning activities that can introduce sustainability issues into the teaching.
Ecological footprint
A learning activity relating the issue of Sustainable Development can be quantified, and is therefore, with such measurements, an exercise on ecological footprints. By allowing the student to test several different calculation applications and making notes on his/her results - further discussion is quickly initiated about what activities and data are reflected in the size of the ecological footprint, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of these individual-based measurements. There are many examples of websites where the student can test his/her ecological footprint. Here are some below:
Myfootprint
WWF - Footprint
Climatsmartcommunity
But there are also apps to download for different devices
Which sustainability discourse are you?
Find out what you really think about sustainable development!
By allowing students to answer a quiz (a questionnaire with multiple choice questions), such as "Which sustainability discourse are you?" and then to discuss the answers two and two, or in larger groups, different perspectives and priorities can be highlighted and set against each other. By asking students to agree on one answer per question, position-taking and argumentation technique are practised. It is an advantage if the students first complete the quiz individually because this makes it easier for them to adopt their own position.
This quiz is from Environmental Aspects of the Built Environment, AG 2806, Josefin Wangel,
josefin.wangel@abe.kth.se
1. Sustainable development is…
A. a win-win-(win) situation between economical and social development, and environmental protection
B. a concept coined by environmentalists in the 70s which today has been hi-jacked by other interests and deprived from all meaning
C. all about managing the natural capital wisely and not exceeding carrying capacity
2. The relationship between different aspects of sustainable development is best described as:
A. Hierarchal
B. Horizontal/mutual
C. Something like this! (make your own)
3. Sustainable development is best achieved by…
A. Making the environment a part of the economic system, e.g. by emission trading, pricing ecosystem services and eco-tourism
B. Radical reforms of society. Dominant political ideologies are all corrupt by growth-mania and inevitably lead to consumerism and resource depletion.
C. Individual responsibility. Make green ‘the new black’ instead of protesting.
4. Nature is…
A. the resource base for all human activity, and has its value only as a utility for mankind
B. the resource base for all human activity, and has a value on its own
C. the new culture. And culture has become nature.
5. Environmental degradation…
A. is an objective fact which can be measured.
B. is a social construction, there are no facts
C. is a socially constructed way to describe natural facts.
6. When planning for sustainable development it is important that we strive for…
A. consensus on the meaning of the concept and in this process, planners should be neutral mediators.
B. No way! Consensus only internalizes conflicts at the expense of everything but economy. Planners should be advocates for the voiceless.
C. Consensus is worth striving for, but the planner should actively advocate for the interests of weak or voiceless stakeholders.
7. Halting environmental degradation and mitigating climate change is the responsibility of…
A. citizens as consumers. We all vote with our wallets. If we just stopped our life-styles of consumerism and started to make demands on the industry and the market, then we would see some changes!
B. the industry. It was long since the industry merely supplied what consumers need and want. Today, the industry tells us through commercials what to want and need.
C. the politicians. They have the power to put harder demands on both the industry and citizens. Topdown regulation is the key to success.
8. You are planning a new city district and the board of politicians says that you have to prioritize amongst your environmental aspects and measures. You…
A. let them do the prioritizing
B. argue that most of the measures such as e.g. energy-efficient building, and Best Available EcoTechnologies are cost-effective AND can contribute to economic growth for the municipality
C. Prioritize?! Obviously the politicians need some encouragement. You start lobbying; you contact old friends from the SUPD-program, drum up a grass-root movement, and launch a campaign.
9. But why is sustainable development so hard to achieve?
A. Because people are egoistic and ignorant
B. Because policy-makers are ignorant and only thinks in terms of office
C. Because the stakeholder in power gain on the business-as-usual