/ 6 June 2008

Throwing convention out the box

Companies and organisations with innovative environmental strategies that improve business performance: Out of the Box

Why won’t a teabag draw when you place it in cold water? That’s the kind of question posed to stimulate analytical thinking about everyday life in the Out of the Box Environmental Education Programme, funded by Old Mutual.

The programme has at least 35 000 learners and 2 500 teachers across the country literally thinking outside the box. It is centred on a box of equipment for basic science and maths experiments.

It provides practical support for the primary school curriculum and takes aim at issues such as climate change, access to basic services and sustainable use of natural resources. “Since the programme was implemented many children who used to stay at home now attend school,” says Liyanda Maseko, programme manager for the Old Mutual Foundation.

The kit is distributed free of charge at 235 schools and includes a stopwatch, thermometer and air-pollution testing set. The accompanying manual is divided into nine themes that include fresh water, waste management, recycling and climate change.

“Learners using the kit have the opportunity to grasp the maths and science principles that underlie each topic and see their relevance in the curriculum, which enhances critical and analytical thinking,” Maseko says.

“Primary school children learn a lot better with their senses,” says Fraser Baard, principal of Maxonia Primary School near Grabouw. His school started implementing the programme three years ago, with practical environmental lessons such as how to run a food garden.

The boxes include beans, wheat and mielies, which schoolchildren are encouraged to grow. At least 73 food gardens were established at various schools, helping to supplement feeding programmes in rural areas.

“Learners really love the outdoor learning experience working in the food gardens,” says Maseko. They are taught self-sufficiency and responsibility through maintaining their own garden and feel empowered when they see their fruit and vegetables grow.

The programme also focuses on saving water and waste management. “Buckets were placed under each tap on the school premises for excess water to be used in the food gardens. Children are taught not to drink water from a running tap, but rather from a cup,” says Baard.

The foundation constantly refines the handbook and the components of the box in consultation with national curriculum developers. Organisations such as the Maths Centre, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa, Eco-Schools, Primary Science Projects and the Schools Development Unit at the University of Cape Town help to plan lessons and provide relevant themes and materials for the kit.

The programme is implemented in a school only after teachers have attended a training workshop.

“It empowers our teachers to provide the best, most relevant education possible for the next generation of economically active South Africans,” says Maseko.

For those who don’t know, particles of tea are “excited” by heat, which causes the bonds of the particles to break down and release the “flavour” into the water. The more energy available to break the bonds, the more tea flavour you get from a teabag. Cold water has little energy, which is why a teabag won’t draw when you place it in cold water.

The Greening the Future judges said the project was “fantastic”, but it could not qualify as a winner in its category because it was a corporate social investment project and was not an integral part of Old Mutual’s company structure. They awarded it a special commendation to recognise it as an exemplary programme.