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The Birmingham Environmental
Partnership handbook
Somewhere, on the bookshelf of an SMT member or Head of Department you will find a copy of The Birmingham Environmental Partnership handbook/brochure.
The message on the front cover clearly conveys the overall aim of the partnership.
Enhance your local area with the
Birmingham Environmental Partnership
It goes on to highlight the desire to create safer, cleaner and greener public spaces, neighbour hood renewal, community initiatives and the restoration of a sense of civic pride.
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| For staff wishing to address “community involvement” within the curriculum, access to the BEP handbook is a must. Between the covers is contained a wealth of background information on those contributing help, advice and expertise in the advancement of projects to improve the local environment and enhance local areas.
More than this, each contributor offers a name, number and email address so as to make contact easy and hassle free.
As the BEP is just one of a family of partnerships under the Birmingham Strategic Partnership (BSP), it is able to inform and influence City policy and practice over a wide range of environmental issues.
The partnership exists to meet the increasing challenges facing the City, (local, national and global).
Issues of energy consumption, urban design and land use, transportation and biodiversity form only part of a “sustainable” agenda.
With the curriculum being enriched by education for sustainable development (esd) (and esd being seen by the Prime Minister as more than “a bureaucratic add on”) more schools will want to access support from those Directorates and agencies who offer services within the BEP.
The DfES has already published its Sustainable Development Action Plan 2005/2006(which builds on the achievements and lessons learnt from the first SDAP of 2003) and, within the coming months, will be offering schools further guidance on how best to integrate esd into the wider curriculum.
As with all partnerships, they work best when contributions from members offer effective, mutual support and advice.
A representative from the Directorate of Children, Young People and Families is invited to attend the monthly meeting of the partnership and an education sub group of the BEP exist, mainly to carry sustainability/climate change issues forward within the education sector but also to ensure that other Directorates are aware of the good practice going on in schools.
Those involved in leading on environmental issues in school should seek out the newly published (March 2006) BEP brochure and ensure that it is made available to all staff.
Whereas the BEP does not directly provide services, those agencies, contributing to the partnership, exist to provide well thought through solutions to a wide variety of environmental concerns, often with logistical support alongside professional advice.
The partnership is yours. Please use it so as it may continue to thrive in supporting the education of Birmingham’s young people towards “effective environmental citizenship”.
Kevin Mitchell is co-chair of the Birmingham Environmental Partnership and members of his team may be contacted on 0121 303 6107.
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