Summer 2005

Education for sustainability

Sustainability@home

‘Last year I undertook two significant projects. On a personal level, I decided to undertake some home improvements (what was I thinking?). Professionally I landed a project intended to educate students about the built environment and sustainable living’. Little did Stacey Hattensen realise that the two would link and continue to influence her decisions in the future.

A 12-year old son of a friend told me very earnestly that sustainability was putting things in the recycling bin so that we wouldn’t have to waste them. A sibling told me that sustainability had a lot to do with being responsible about how we used our natural resources. A very intent 15-year old explained (in that special way teenagers do) that sustainability was the responsibility of governments so that big business didn’t pollute and deplete our planet. And an environmentalist friend made a passionate statement about the importance of protecting even the smallest species of plant due to its interconnectedness with the ecosystem.

Making decisions

It’s clear that when we talk about sustainability, we talk about different things—being environmentally responsible, making things last. We are guided by economics, plans, demographics and consumption. And we often think of large-scale projects with outcomes that stretch for decades. Too often we forget that while these projects are important, it is the little things that add up to something big!

My understanding came sharply into focus when I began to make choices about my house—what would I use to paint the walls? Which tap would I select? What insulation would I have installed? Little decisions in the overall scheme of things but issues all the same that affect my life and the sustainability of my footprint on the environment.

For most of us, the biggest investment of our lives may well be the roof under which we live. And if you are like me, with a sizeable mortgage, it is clear that this may be my home for many years to come. As such, I need to plan for a changing life that provides safety, security and support for me through the stages of my life.

The brief

In 2004, the Year of the Built Environment (YBE) provided an opportunity for the world to reflect on the impact of humans on the environment. In Queensland, the state government YBE project described its mission as: ‘To encourage Queenslanders to celebrate and understand how the built environment improves their quality of life and fosters a sense of community.’

It was with this brief in mind that the Departments of Public Works and Housing approached our team to create an educational legacy resource for YBE 2004. We were asked to create a learning object that would enable students to understand that the way we build and live in our homes can positively affect our environment and health. We also needed to create a resource that would continue to challenge students beyond the life of the project itself. In essence, to create a resource about sustainable living that was itself sustainable.

The project

Sustainability is a REALLY big subject. Google the terms ‘sustainable’, ‘sustainability’ or ‘built environment’ and you get over 300 million hits. Examine some of the publicly available learning objects on the topics and you quickly find that you can investigate ways to save water, be more energy efficient, and more effectively recycle or compost at home. What we discovered was that it was easy to find examples that focused on one or two issues but almost impossible to find objects that dealt with all the aspects that a person faces when designing a home environment. Finally, it seemed that there was virtually nothing that actually dealt with the impact of design on the people who lived in these houses now and in the future.

Using the Queensland Government’s ‘Smart Housing’ design principles we designed an interactive learning object that enables a user to mimic the decisions a person works through in designing a home. To further cement the object in reality, we drew on the considerable findings of another Queensland Government project, Central Queensland’s Research House.

‘Designing for Sustainable Living’ allows a user to design and build a home to meet personal preferences. The user ‘buys’ a virtual block of land and sets about selecting a design, determining how to most effectively orient the building (to make the most of passive design principles) and then, section by section, begins to make design decisions.

This is no futuristic concept house. Users select from items and materials commonly available in the marketplace and used in real houses. Decisions are based upon Smart Housing principles:

• social sustainability—design that is safe, secure and accommodating of various lifestyles and abilities
• environmental sustainability— water, energy and waste efficiency
• economic sustainability—cost efficiency both in building, maintenance and running costs.

As in life, there is no single correct answer to how to design your home. Students are encouraged to consider the key principles when deciding on issues from what materials to build with to what type of doorknob should be used. Information on the pros and cons of each choice is provided and constant feedback via a running score and a sustainability report is provided. And the best thing … this is virtual land after all and every decision can be altered or reversed.

Of course, what’s good for sunny Central Queensland (where our fictional house is situated) is not good for more temperate climes and so a gallery of award-winning homes illustrates good design suitable for other climatic zones. Teacher notes and resource list of sustainable living web resources are included.

The acid test

How do you know you got it right? We tested the learning object with boys from middle and senior classrooms on a warm Friday afternoon. As they do, the students jumped right in (avoiding any tutorials or help pages) and bingo! The classroom was rife with talk about which shower was best, whether tile or carpet was better for a hot climate (one theory was that is was faster to vacuum a tile floor and therefore better in any climate!) Feedback and rollover comments were greeted with triumph, and debated.

We watched as the boys discussed design choices, compared options to those in their own homes and inevitably started to question other issues such as how something would work in a set of units. This is what we had hoped for— challenging, meaningful and realistic understanding of what it means to design for sustainable living.

What’s more, an unexpected user group has discovered the object. Homebuilders are using the site to test out ideas for their new homes, illustrating that people really are keen to build better and smarter homes.

… and for me?

As I said, this learning object paralleled my renovations at home. Despite agonising long and hard about colours and brands, I decided that low toxic paint was my best option and instantly narrowed my selection. I am now satisfied that the roof insulation choice I made was the right one and the tap … well my beautiful designer kitchen tap has a low maintenance ceramic core with a flow restriction device which limits water wastage. And now to the choice of range hoods …

Websites

Designing for Sustainable Living Learning Object available at www.build.qld.gov.au

Smart Housing at www.housing.qld.gov.au/initiatives/smarthousing/index.htm

Research House at www.housing.qld.gov.au/initiatives/researchhouse/index.htm

Stacey Hattensen is a team leader with the Queensland Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting project at the Queensland Studies Authority in Brisbane.

The author owns the copyright in this article. For information related to the reuse of this work in any form please contact the publisher denise.quinn@curriculum.edu.au