Design and technology is well placed to make a major contribution to education for sustainable development and the new citizenship curriculum, which starts in September. This is an exciting challenge for teachers, requiring them to explore questions about value at the heart of designing and making such as: what is “good” design; can “improvements” be made; what “needs” does it meet? It goes further, in asking questions about the life-cycle of products from manufacture to disposal. It also provides real scope for cross-curricular projects and the joined-up thinking implicit in citizenship education.

Many design and technology teachers feel daunted by the complexity of sustainability. The good news is that there is some excellent help out there.

Organisations

The Intermediate Development Technology Group www.stepin.org A British-based international charity with many years’ experience running small-scale, successful sustainable projects in developing countries. Its Sustainable Technology Education Project (STEP), co-funded by the EU, aims to raise young people’s awareness about sustainable technology from both European and Southern perspectives. It links pupils and teachers across the world to produce case studies and activities on sustainable technology.

The Centre For Alternative Technology Tel: 01654 703605 www.cat.org.ukindexnf.tmpl Europe’s largest eco-centre is at Machynlleth in north Wales. Seven acres of the site are open to the public, showing working examples of wind, water and solar power, energy conservation and environmentally sound buildings. The site is visited by thousands of school and college students every year and the education department runs a wide range of courses for students and teachers.

Publications

Guidelines For Global Issues in Technology From Intermediate TechnologyPrice: pound;4.50 Tel: 020 7436 9761 www.itdg.org This excellent introduction to global awareness, sustainability and appropriate technology for teachers and advisers starts with definitions and goes on to unpick some of the prejudices teachers find among pupils. It explores the importance of positive images, values and the concept of needs and wants, and uses case studies to illustrate important issues. It concludes with a list of contacts and resources.

STEP: Live Well, Live Wisely, Technology for Sustainable Development Intermediate Technology PublicationsPrice: pound;10 Tel: 020 7436 9761 www.stepin.org This attractive key stage 3 pack includes teacher’s notes, photocopiable student resources and case studies with supporting picture cards. It introduces a range of key issues through successful innovations such as the Upesi stove developed by a women’s group in Kenya. These starting points generate ideas for projects and class discussion.

Teacher’s Guide to Solar Electricity Projects

Price: pound;4 Pupil’s Guide to Solar Power Price: pound;3 Teacher’s Guide to Wind Power Projects Price: pound;4.50 Pupil’s Guide to Wind Power Price: pound;3 All by Ann MacGarry Centre For Alternative Technology Publications These teacher’s guides offer advice on developing successful projects. It is assumed teachers have been teaching about solar or wind power and are now ready to use these renewable energy sources in an entertaining, practical way with their pupils. The guides explore questions about weather, design possibilities, pitfalls, materials and equipment, construction techniques, how to measure output and test performance. These flexible materials are suitable for use with pupils from KS1 to A-level. The pupils’ guides, suitable for secondary students, cover underlying scientific and technological principles of solar and wind power and where the energy comes from, how it is used and measured and what devices work. Each guide also looks at environmental, social and financial implications.

Teaching About Energy By Claire Eastland Southgate Publishers in association with the Centre for Alternative Technology Price: pound;7.95.

This award-winning handbook for teachers of KS2 deals with different sources of energy, starting with basic concepts and moving on to a deeper understanding of how energy can be used, stored and saved. Plenty of enjoyable practical activities encourage pupils to design and make models and products from readily available, cheap materials. There are also investigations, experiments, games and photocopiable worksheets. National curriculum links are clearly listed with details of teacher’s resources.

The Total Beauty of Sustainable Products By Edwin Datschefski RotoVision Price: pound;27.50 Tel: 01273 727268 www.rotovision.com This visually powerful book is a great resource for design and technology and will inspire students on KS4, AS and A-level courses. Drawing on years of experience as a consultant in environmental management and sustainable product design, the author makes an irresistible argument for rethinking product design. “Only one in 10,000 products is designed with the environment in mind,” he writes.

He has developed five criteria by which to judge any product - cyclic, solar, safe, efficient, social - and uses them to analyse “the hidden ugliness” of some everyday products and contrasts them with “the total beauty of a sustainable day”. From waking up to the sunlight flooding into his ecological house to going to bed on his completely sustainable mattress, pillow and bed base, he explores a wide range of innovative products used during the day.

Packaging Prototypes 3: Thinking Green By Edward Denison and Guang Yu Ren RotoVision Price: pound;29.50 Graphics products teachers who were inspired by Edward Denison’s excellent Packaging Prototypes 1 will love this latest addition to the series. Packaging epitomises our throwaway consumer culture. The authors describe case studies where really imaginative design has turned empty beer bottles into building “bricks” and recycled plastics into a host of useful products. At the book’s heart are the prototypes themselves: 56 beautifully presented examples simply explained and classified.

Pl@net.Com, Education For Sustainable Development for 9-13 Year Olds Video by Channel 4 Price: pound;19.99 Teacher’s Guide Published by Channel Four Learning Price: pound;3.95 Seven 20-minute programmes look at environmental case studies from the UK and abroad, supported by an excellent teacher’s guide. There is a section for governors and senior managers on incorporating education for sustainable development in the curriculum. The message “think global, act local” permeates the programmes and develops key concepts about waste, pollution, global interdependence and action. A website provides a news service and forum for young people to make contact with organisations involved with sustainable development: http:planet.channel4.com Websites Council for Environmental Education www.cee.org.uk The CEE has a large network of affiliated organisations. It runs seminars, workshops and annual conferences and publishes regular newsletters. It also has an extensive reference library. The website includes details of educational materials for schools for every key stage and subject area and whole-school staff development.

Schools and Homes Energy Education Project www.pluggingintothesun.org.uk This Sheffield-based organisation provides information and resources for design and technology teachers. The website gives details of events and workshops on renewable energy. Educational products and resources include interactive demonstrations, videos and assembly kits for model solar cars, solar electric clocks and other devices. Flexible solar cells can also be bought online quite cheaply.

Department for International Development www.globaldimension.org.uk DFID’s education website includes the Global Express newsletter which provides teachers and students with up-to-date news. But the beauty of this site is its vast database. You can search by keyword or use advanced search to get a wide range of information. Type in “design amp; technology” to get information on 19 different organisations providing packs of resources on relevant projects from around the world to suit every key stage. Type in “sustainability” and you will get even more.

Roz Reyburn is a consultant for design and technology