The Big Ideas of Sustainability
Artwork
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Science, Social Studies, Visual and Performing Arts
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Shelburne Farms
What it is
- This poster simplifies the main concepts and ideas of sustainability into one easy-to-follow poster.
- The main ideas are summarized and connect to the three dimensions of sustainability identified: environmental integrity, social vitality, and economic prosperity.
Teaching tips
Positives
- Each idea and concept is defined on the poster.
- This resource serves as an excellent introductory tool to the intersectionality of sustainability.
Additional Prerequisites
- The concepts are not listed in any specific order.
- The three dimensions of sustainability at the top of the poster are not defined.
Differentiation
- It may be best to help link concepts like "equilibrium" and "cycles" to sustainability as a class, as it might be unclear to students how certain concepts tie into sustainability and its dimensions.
- It is essential that students understand that many of these concepts like "Diversity" and "Limits" apply to both humans and the natural world even though their definition may not obviously suggest this.
- This poster can be used in science classes during lessons about ecology and climate change, in civics classes during lessons about the importance of inclusion and diversity in decision making and the impacts of environmental degradation on different peoples, and in economics classes during lessons about the role of economic growth in development and climate change.
From the scientist review
This poster presents basic ideas in sustainability science. The idea is suitable for students to plan for immediate, short-term, and long-term sustainability action in their community. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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