Powerhouse Museum EcoLogic Kits
Educational resources about ecological sustainability for regional communities
The Powerhouse Museum has created and released mobile educational resource kits to help regional communicators engage people of all ages on the topic of design for sustainability. Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is the lucky recipient of one of only three 'prototype' kits to test in the local community in 2009.
The EcoLogic Kit has been developed specifically for regional communities and provides easy-to-use resources for teachers and council educators. It contains products which provide tangible evidence that it's possible to meet our needs using fewer resources. Each Kit contains a ready-made small exhibition for schools or local libraries, as well as information and product samples to be used and handled in classrooms. The principles of 'design for environment' espoused in the Kit can help people make the right choices when shopping, and guide the thinking of young people who will go on to become designers of the future.
The EcoLogic Kit contains lesson plans to guide teachers through the Kit's multiple resources about climate change, the carbon cycle, product lifecycles, local environmental issues and design for sustainability. There are also videos about soil salinity, conservation farming and the creation of a bird sanctuary. Forty two historic photographs from the Museum's collection are included to encourage thoughtful discussion about social issues and the use of land, energy, materials and water.
Using the Ecologic kit - for teachers and educators
Attached below are pdfs for download, of the user guide and lesson plans that accompany the kit. Please have a look at these documents to help plan how to use the kit during the school year. A booking calendar is currently being developed for schools to reserve the kit for use during lessons. Contact Nicky Julian, Waste Strategies & Education Officer on nicky.julian@pmhc.nsw.gov.au or 6581 8577 to make a booking or for more information.
Further information
Each of the EcoLogic kits also contains a user's manual, four posters, a copy of the Bigfoot ecological footprint calculator on CD, information about each of the products, and a copy of the publication, EcoLogic: creating a sustainable future by Sandra McEwen, Powerhouse Publishing, 2004. It also contains the following items:
- On the topic of water use
A water efficiency rating sticker, an efficient shower head, a shower timer, flow restrictors for taps, a toilet cistern water saver. - On the topic of energy use
An energy rating sticker, fluorescent light bulb, sample of Hebel brick, wind-up radio, Solio hybrid charger, sample of wool insulation, sample of polyester insulation, sample of aluminium insulation, light-emitting diode torch, Varta 15 minute battery charger, solar panel. - On the topic of recycling
A plastic milk bottle, chipped PET (polyethylene terephthalate), a Polartec® beanie, a cardboard milk carton, recycled paper cards, toilet paper, sectioned cricket ball, wine corks, sample of cork tile, recycled plastic pens, sample of Regupol rubber matting made from car tyres, sample of Recopol recycled plastic made from phone casings, Rejuiced purse made from drink cartons, sample of recycled glass tiles, sample of Interface carpet tile, samples of recycled copper and steel. - On the topic of design for environment
Envirofill starch packaging beads, BioDoggy waste bags, biodegradable chocolate trays, biodegradeable bin liners, Bambooware tumbler, and a toothbrush with replaceable head. - On the topics of natural resources, biodiversity and social equity
Samples of bauxite, alumina, coal, fish packaging, linoleum, sisal floor covering, Fairtrade tea packaging, Termimesh and a sustainable seafood guide.
