Prof Clarke’s 2012 publication ‘Education for Sustainability: Becoming Naturally Smart’ is all about sustainability – examining human attitudes and behaviours and how the use of education can encourage positive choices that lead to sustainable living.
As well as outlining what needs to be done in order for a cultural behaviour towards sustainability to develop, Prof Clarke has created a trial model with education specialists, and communities, including How-To cyclical solutions on growing food, generating and using energy, and managing waste and water.
International Influence
As an open-source initiative, the Education for Sustainability programme became the first education partner for the World Bank Connect4Climate project. Working in collaboration with the World Bank, and personally commissioned by HRH the Prince of Wales, The Pop-Up Foundation run a school-specific ‘Pop-Up Farm’ project in rural Uganda, which encourages sustainability and connects schools in the area with local coffee growing projects, and the sustainable revenue they provide.
The Pop-Up Foundation programme also leads projects within indigenous communities in Canada, Australia, USA, France, and China.
Pop-Up Farm takes a local perspective on a global challenge
How to live sustainable lives by bringing sustainability education into schools and the wider community, making the global into the local. It combines thinking and action around patterns of sustainable knowledge – the basic elements of water, waste, energy, food, growing, buildings, health and wellbeing to demonstrate different ways people can change their lives to the mutual benefit of communities and the planet.
Pop-Up Farm is driven from the grass roots up and connects people with ideas and challenges to make their own pattern for sustainable living. They pop up in unexpected places, initiated by the schools, groups and the wider community, and are always practical and solution driven.
Home Soil
In addition to the vital work in Uganda, Prof Clarke’s initiative has enabled a network of primary schools in East Lancashire who utilise the trial model set out in Clarke’s book to build a sustainable community of their own. Additionally, the first School of Sustainability has been set up in Burnley, and development consultancy has taken place at organisations such as Burnley FC, Liverpool FC and Mott MacDonald.
Did You Know?
- Uganda has suffered civil war for 20 years; the profits from the Happy Coffee Bean Company are returned to the Pop-Up Farm schools to support their post-war regeneration.
- The Pop-Up Foundation was awarded the global industry Sustainability Solution of the year of award in 2013.
- An orchard of people was 'planted' at Battersea Power Station by the Popup Foundation as part of the Chelsea Fringe Flower Show.
What’s Next?
As part of the Pop-Up Foundation projects, the team are developing a sustainable coffee project with Seeds for Development, an NGO working in Uganda. Seeds for Development enhances the resilience, wellbeing and capacity of farming communities.
It does this by supporting enterprise opportunities consistent with the goals and activity of the Foundation.