Modelling sustainable behaviour is a powerful strategy for affecting those around you. Listen to Diana Solovyova from eastern Russia as she talks about three different aspects of being sustainable. As a professional ornithologist who does extensive fieldwork in the tundra and elsewhere, she is only too aware of the effects of waste packaging in the river environment of her study species.

1. There were many complaints about the old Soviet system but Diana describes how the fact that containers were not one-use and were of standard design made for a very sustainable system of food packaging.
2. She then talks about a recent incident in her home in eastern Russia where the act of refusing individual packaging for her cakes in a bakery led to animated discussion between her and the other customers in the shop who were surprised to find out that the effect of waste is real and not something that they just read about in the newspapers.
3. Finally she talks about how difficult it will be to find local tradesmen to help her and her husband to build a sustainable house since many of the old skills have been forgotten.

Suggested use in training EfS for vocational teachers

• A recording like this could be used as an etivity to start a discussion about how to influence others (stakeholders), the lessons of the past and the importance of personal actions.
• The recording can also be edited down to include only one of the topics.
• Do you have similar personal stories which could be used to illustrate sustainability points in your teaching?
• You could elicit similar stories from your students.
• You could ask students to be on the lookout for sustainability incidents such as the second one in the recording while they are at work or on work practice.

Can you think of any others?

Music: Dexter Britain Seeing the Future

Image: Pixabay