Our History of Educational Development in Schools

Gould's Successful Model

During the formative years of the organisation, Gould developed an effective and successful model of changing behaviours in children and their families through its bird conservation program. This program was so effective that by 1940's bird and nature study was a part of every school curriculum and attitudes and actions towards birds had changed profoundly.

We may have broadened our base to include the whole of environment, but our proven approach has not changed. The key elements we focus on include embedding within school's curriculum, interactive education programs and resources, educating and engaging the community with practical responses.

Summarised below are the key phases in our educational development:-

1909-1940 - Bird Protection & Conservation

The Gould League of Bird Lovers was established to protect Australian birds and to prevent the unnecessary collection of wild birds’ eggs. It also sought to disseminate knowledge regarding our birds, to help children and adults to identify them, to cultivate a more positive attitude towards birds by fostering an interest in them and their habits, and to encourage the formation of bird sanctuaries.  As part of this process the Gould League developed Australia’s first environmental education program via schools.

By the 1940s, the study of birds and nature was part of every school curriculum. The Gould League had changed attitudes to birds profoundly over this period. A report on the Gould League in the Emu in 1939 attests to the success of the campaign:

• Egg collecting by children reduced to a minimum.
• The killing of birds left almost entirely to the sportsman.
• The public is definitely becoming more ‘nature minded’.
• Laws are passed to protect wildlife as attitudes change.

1930-1960 - Nature Study

During this period the Gould League remained focused on creating increased appreciation and awareness of birds and ran a great many competitions and field days and produced and sponsored several publications, the most famous of which was Cayleys What Bird is that?

Gould widened its range of educational programs to animals and nature studies producing a range of publications and resources which remain in popular demand some forty years later. Hundreds of thousands of children entered competitions, joined the Gould League and signed the pledge; new generations of Australians are introduced to the concept of conservation through the Gould League.

1960 –1990 - Environmental Education

As people began to see the connection between environment, wildlife and humans after the publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, the Gould League changed its name from Gould League of Bird Lovers to simply Gould League.  It was at the forefront of the introduction of Environmental Education to Australian schools with the production of highly original and innovative curriculum materials and the creation of Field Studies Centres in NSW and many more follow.

Many publications are produced including posters, animal stickers, information materials field guides, school materials and books. Environmental education becomes part of the school curricula.

Gould developed its first sustainability education programs with litter reduction and recycling programs in schools and the mobile Waste Wise caravan in 1986 which was supported by the Department of Employment and Education in Canberra. The travelling Waste Wise toured schools in country areas of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales.

1990 –2007 Sustainabilty Education

In 1990, the Gould League of Victoria extended their Waste Wise Schools program with the creation and opening of Australia’s first Recycling Education Centre in Melbourne. It was one of the first initiatives in Australia to address education for sustainability on the key issue of waste.  Gould continued to receive onging funding support for Waste WIse schools program from the Commonwealth government, Department of Education Victoria and New South Wales,, Visy and other corporate supporters.

The Gould League produced a wealth of materials for schools including materials on biodiversity, energy use, water saving and waste reduction. The Gould League waste wise school programs expanded rapidly during this period. Over 60,000 school children per year on average were visiting the centre participating in the range of popular waste and sustainability education programs until December 2005 when the Victorian government funding for school participation in centre based part of Waste Wise Schools program was changed to the in-school approach for major education-related projects.

Through the 1990s, the Gould League led outcomes-based sustainability-focused environmental education through its litter reduction, recycling and waste education programs, publications and resources. Its main promotional message was reduce, recycle and reuse which still remains a prominent feature in all sustainability messages to schools.

Gould obtained additional funding support for the Waste Wise Schools program in 1998 from EcoRecycle Victoria to help grown the program into schools and provide professional development for teachers.

Gould League has continued to produce programs that emphasise organisational and systemic change in sustainability. This cultural change approach creates more permanent and effective individual behaviour change within schools in waste issues. Gould identified other sustainbilty issues in schools such as water, energy and biodiversity and was supported by independent evaluation reports and case studies of Waste Wise Schools.

The original concept of Sustainable Schools in Australia came out of the carefully evaluated successes of the Ecorecycle Waste Wise Schools Program in Victoria. Gould League staff have developed the concept, the intellectual property and capital of the schools program, tools, teacher training and the school accreditation system of Sustainable Schools since the late 1990’s.

Gould League continued to develop the Sustainable Schools concept while undertaking numerous discussions with various Commonwealth government personnel over a lengthy period of time.  In subsequent proposals, the Gould League recommended to the Department of Environment and Heritage (DEH) that the methods developed in the Waste Wise Schools Program could be extended to water, energy and biodiversity. This was the origin of the Sustainable Schools program.

DEH advised the Gould League that to create a national pilot it would need to involve at least two States via their state education departments. The Gould League targeted Victoria and New South Wales to develop this concept into a national program.  Gould League was advised to submit this proposal to NEEN via the NSW representatives as a strategy to obtain endorsed support. Political processes required the proposal to be presented by a government official (the NEEN representative) rather than by Gould League as a non-government organisation.

This then facilitated the approval of DEH funding for this project which was channelled to the New South Wales and Victorian education departments to fund the respective state pilots. The Sustainable Schools pilot project went on to win the Eureka Award in 2005 and was also a finalist in the Banksia Awards that year.

The Sustainable Schools Program is producing measurable changes in energy use, water use, school ground biodiversity and waste to landfill in schools throughout Australia.

Gould League establishes new program for schools under the name Masterplanning to help schools transform their schoolgrounds into a green environment. Funding is secured from Department of Education and Helen MacPherson trust to evolve the program across Victoria.

Following four years of concept development on edible gardens, Gould League runs successful pilot program at Sunshine North Primary Schools under the name Multicultural School Gardens. This program successfully secures government funding from the Community Support Fund and the Department of Education to run the program over the next three years for over 40 low socio economic schools with a high multicultural demographic.

The Gould League undergoes a name change to the Gould Group and develops a wide range of sustainability education programs for schools including:-

• Multicultural School Gardens - created, developed and managed by the Gould Group
• Schoolgrounds for Learning (Masterplanning) - created, developed and managed by Gould Group
• Enterprise Schools - created and piloted by Gould in Victorian Schools
• Sustainable Schools and Communities e.g Gippsland Sustainability Project created, developed and managed by Gould Group
• Sustainable Cities - created, developed and piloted by Gould
• Sustainability Wiz - created and developed by Gould in partnership with Etech

The Multicultural School Gardens project wins National Multicultural Marketing Award.

Gould Group also project manages The Sustainables Challenge for DSE.

New Era

In recognition of the emerging elearning market for schools, Gould Group has been developing its online sustainability education program "Sustainability Wiz" since 2006. It has been trialled in schools in USA, UK, Asia and Australia before its global launch at BETT in January 2008. The program has attracted a lot of interest particularly in schools and local councils in Great Britain, Scotland, Ireland, France, Scandanavia, Belguim, Holland, Asia and USA.

This licensed program will be launched into Australian schools from July 2008 and is now available for schools to purchase and become a participant with schools around the world. We welcome our new schools in the program from Australia, UK and Asia.