Planning NRM education

Visit the website of the Department of Education, Training and the Arts to find out about:

• school term dates and holidays
• names and addresses of schools in your area
• information about curriculum and initiatives  
• real world science  
• your local outdoor and environmental education centre  
• the Queensland Environmentally Sustainable Schools Initiative (QESSI)—an alliance of environmental educators.

Professional associations

• The Science Teachers Association of Queensland is the professional association of primary, secondary and tertiary level science teachers in Queensland.
• The Geography Teachers’ Association Queensland   

Programs

Weedbusters is a national program that aims to raise awareness about the damage weeds cause. It culminates each October, with Weedbuster Week, which incorporates local on-ground weedbusting and site rehabilitation. The Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries website provides activities and educational resources.

Researching NRM and sustainability

• The ABC has several sites dealing with natural resources:
  • The Scribbly Gum site for kids is about ‘animals, plants, weather and weird stuff’.
  • One Environment is an education package designed for school students aged 9–14. Its aim is to help students learn about the environment in the framework of civics and citizenship.
• The Australian Government website provides a good overview of NRM across Australia.
• The Australian Museum website includes a long list of fact sheets relating to biodiversity.
• Australian Natural Resource Management Links is a useful, regularly updated site with a broad range of links to NRM sites of interest.
• The Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage, and the Arts has information for teachers, students and the community on sustainability education including publications, resources, web links and funding sources.
• The Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) program is an Australian Government funded initiative with a strong education component focused on producing graduates with skills relevant to industry needs in a wide range of fields.
  • Australian Weed Management CRC     
  • Desert Knowledge CRC 
  • Invasive animals CRC  
  • Water quality and treatment CRC    
• The CSIRO website has comprehensive information on NRM topics including sustainability, protection of rivers, catchments and groundwater reserves, and contaminants in the environment.
• The Department of Primary Industries’ Biosecurity Queensland website has information on weeds, feral animals, and other biosecurity topics.
• The Environmental Protection Agency Queensland website includes Queensland-specific information on environmental management, sustainability, parks and forests, nature conservation and cultural heritage information.
• The Gould Group provides environmental education packages and education for sustainability.
• The Queensland Museum website has a wealth of information and publications on science and the environment and ‘what’s on’, and resources available for loan.

International websites (we're not alone)

• Eco Kids is Canada's environmental destination for kids.
• The ESD Toolkit a list of websites dealing with ecologically sustainable development.