Unit 10: Introducing
the Personal
Eco-Challenge
Spot the
sustainable
choices activity
guide
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Unit 10: Introducing the Personal Eco-Challenge
Spot the sustainable choice activity guide
Estimated duration: 20 minutes
Aim

To review four key areas of sustainability
Objective
By the end of the activity, students will be able to:
 Identify energy, water and waste as key areas of sustainability
 Identify transport as a key area of sustainability (if this optional component
has been included in the activity)
 Review and develop an awareness of personal action that can reduce water,
and energy use and reduce the environmental impact from waste generation
(and optionally transport).
Resources


Spot the sustainable choices poster – printed as A3 (or A2 if you have this
option) for group work and/or A4 for individual work, with a large class copy
to collate results on
Textas/pens
Activity Description
Group Option
1. The teacher invites students to break into groups of four. Each group is given an
A3 (or A2) poster and four textas (blue, green, red and black). The teacher asks each
group to circle parts of the drawing on the poster that portray sustainable behaviour,
using a:

blue texta for sustainable water use

green for waste

red for energy

black for transport (optional)
2. Allocate groups ten minutes to work as a team and identify the sustainable
choices on the poster. When the time is up, invite them to share their findings with
the group, moving through each sustainability topic one at a time.
3. Sharing can be done via another blank copy of the poster being used by the
groups to identify all the options they found. Have each group target one area such
as water and have remaining groups add items that were missed by the previous
group.
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4. When groups have exhausted their suggestions identify other sustainable choice
in the poster that they may have missed.
Individual option
1. The teacher provides all students with an A4 copy of the poster. They individually
complete the task as set for the group task.
2. The results are shared again by using an A3 (or A2) central poster to collate all the
identified options. Ensure that all participants have the opportunity to share some of
their results.
List of possible answers
Below is a list of possible answers. The list include some items which can’t be clearly
seen in the poster (e.g. whether its an efficient fridge or not), but have been
included in case they are useful talking points. Note that some items fit into more
than one category, e.g. water efficient showerheads reduce water but also reduced
the amount of energy used to heat water.
Energy
 wind turbines
 solar panels
 shower timer and water efficient showerhead – shorter showers use less hot
water therefore less energy
 using task lighting in bedroom to read
 using blanket/doona in bed to keep warm
 not using an electric blanket or turning it off when you go to bed
 closing curtains to hold in the heat
 insulation in the roof to trap heat/keep cool
 pelmets above windows (pelmets are boxes which cover the curtain rod and stop
heat transfer through windows)
 lounge task lighting for person doing activity
 ceiling fan used to cool or distribute warm air
 wearing a jumper rather than turning up the heat
 door snake to keep out draughts
 efficient five star gas heating
 turning TV, washing machine, etc. off at the wall
 pelmet and blind in kitchen
 awning to keep out summer sun
 energy efficient light globes
 energy efficient five star fridge
 fridge door seals properly
 air circulates behind fridge to cool coils
 lids on cooking pots make them boil quicker
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

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

microwave turned off at power point
kettle only filled with amount of water required
front loader washing machine is five star energy efficient
using cold water clothes wash saves on energy
clothes dried on clothes line rather than clothes dryer
fuel efficient car
Water












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shower timer
water efficient shower head
dual flush toilet
children sharing bath
water collected in bucket for garden
not leaving the tap running while brushing teeth
collecting rain water for garden
using trigger nozzle on hose
mulching garden to reduce amount of watering needed
growing local variety plants
watering using buckets and watering cans
grey water collected and used in garden
water efficient front loader washing machine
only doing washing with a full load
veggies rinsed in sink of water, not under a running tap
Waste




composting veggies from the kitchen
worm or compost bin
recycling bin
reusing grey water on the garden
Transport





growing own food reduces transport
using public transport
using bike for short and medium trips
car pooling to reduce the number of cars driven
fuel efficient car
Student Roles and Responsibilities
Participate in agreed tasks
Contribute to class discussions
Complete activities and worksheets
Work cooperatively with others
Seek teacher assistance and support when needed
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Level of Teacher Support
Facilitate discussion
Organise materials and equipment
Provide encouragement
Introduce tasks and activities
Provide assistance when requested.
Assessment
To use this learning activity as an assessment task, collect evidence such as:
Teacher checklist and observation
Copies of student materials and worksheets
Teacher checklist for oral presentation
Teacher checklist for class discussions
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