Empowering Educators for a Sustainable Future: Highlights from the KEL Nature-based Solutions Workshop

On January 24, Civic Exchange hosted the KEL Nature-Based Solutions Workshop, bringing together educators to explore practical ways to promote sustainability, climate change awareness, and decarbonisation efforts within schools and communities. The workshop began with a talk on environmental education by Dr. Xoni Ma from Outdoor Wildlife Learning Hong Kong. He emphasised the urgency and importance of environmental education in Hong Kong and explained how biodiversity is categorised into genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity. Participants then engaged in a hands-on biodiversity board game, Law of the Forest, designed by Dr. Ma and his team. The game introduced various habitats and species in Hong Kong, such as wild boars, snakes, and birds, while illustrating the intricate relationships between species as they compete for survival. The game highlighted the remarkable biodiversity Hong Kong enjoys despite its small land area.

In the second part of the workshop, participants took a guided tour of The Harbour School’s Marine Science Centre, a teaching and research facility where students can closely interact with marine creatures and conduct their own research. Participants were introduced to various marine species housed within the facility, including different types of reef fish, jellyfish, corals, crabs, and more. They even had the opportunity to touch a horseshoe crab and a stingray in the touch tank. After the tour, interactive stations were set up where participants engaged in hands-on experiments, such as squid dissection and examining seaweed under a microscope. The centre provided a rare opportunity to observe the diverse marine creatures commonly found in Hong Kong—many of which are typically only seen by divers.

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all the participants who attended the workshop and contributed valuable insights on integrating environmental education into schools under UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) framework. Teachers strongly expressed the need to incorporate ESD into school curricula to ensure students receive proper exposure to sustainability topics. They also suggested including student projects and research related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and making ESD a mandatory component within the values education framework in the short term.

Civic Exchange would like to express our gratitude for all educators who participated in the workshop. This event served as a powerful reminder of the essential role educators play in shaping a sustainable future. By equipping teachers with the tools and knowledge to inspire their students, we take one step closer to fostering a greener, more conscious generation.