Consumer Choices: The Power to Change the Planet

Spring Term 2024-25

Project Overview

Learning about sustainable living and consumer choices, especially regarding food and fast fashion, is crucial because our daily decisions have a direct impact on the environment. By making conscious choices, we can reduce waste, lower carbon footprints, and promote more ethical practices.

Understanding the environmental consequences of things like overconsumption or choosing unsustainable products helps us take responsibility for the planet’s future, ensuring that natural resources are preserved for future generations. Plus, small shifts in how we consume can drive larger cultural and industry-wide change.

Through inquiry into research, data analysis, and practical activities (such as science experiments and digital technology), students will create a project that reflects their understanding of sustainability and how their consumer choices can help protect the environment.

"We don’t have to be experts to make a difference. Every small action—whether it’s choosing sustainable fashion or mindful food choices—adds up to a healthier planet."

— Robert Swan, Environmentalist and Explorer

Project End Goal: to empower students to become mindful, responsible consumers

This project was co-designed with the members of the Hedgehog's class.

The Key Areas of Competence (KAoC)

This term's cross-curricular project will develop the children's skills in the following curriculum areas:

ROOTS: Personal, Social and Emotional Development

TRUNK: Communication and Language, Critical Thinking, Environmentalism and Sustainability, Creative Technology and Digital Communication

CROWN: Creative Arts and Design, Understanding the World (Geography and Science skills)

Project Introduction

The Hedgehogs kicked off their Spring Project by discussing its focus: protecting the environment. We brainstormed ideas on whiteboard tables, sharing and exploring each other's thoughts. We also delved into the concept of being an 'influencer,' identifying four key ways to make an impact: protesting to change rules and ideas, educating others, fundraising, and taking direct action. We explored how the project would integrate elements of math, digital technology and design, generating additional ideas. Our final goal was to influence and empower others, and we outlined the steps necessary to achieve this. Finally, we wrote and presented project proposals before voting on our favourite one.

Steps to Success:

1. What is the problem with consumerism?

2. What can we investigate to better understand sustainability in our daily lives?

3. What solutions can we create to promote ethical consumer choices?

4. How can we share our knowledge?

5. What will our exhibition look like?

Update #1: 14th February

We kicked off our topic with a "mystery box" containing a selection of everyday products, including Fairtrade items like coffee, chocolate sauce, tea, bananas, eggs, honey, and overpackaged oats. We discussed several key questions: What is each product? Do we think it's sustainable or wasteful? What environmental impact might it have? To emphasize the significance of these discussions, we revealed a shocking statistic, such as the amount of clothing waste that ends up in landfills each year or the global scale of food waste. For example, we shared the startling fact that the average person buys 60% more clothing than 20 years ago but keeps it for half as long, or that a third of all food produced is wasted—imagine how many people we could feed if we reduced food waste by half.

Step 1: What is the problem with consumerism?

Next, we defined 'consumer' and 'consumerism' and watched several videos highlighting the issues associated with consumerism. We explored fascinating ideas, such as the connection between life satisfaction and overconsumption. We also delved into the history of the sewing machine, discovering how its invention, along with the rise of factories, dramatically impacted the mass production of textiles.

Following that, we researched a major clothing brand of our choice and examined its environmental impact. It was fantastic to see students using critical thinking to identify how some companies fail to disclose important information about their environmental practices.

It also opened up an avenue to explore: where fabric dyes originate from and whether natural dyes are better for the environment. We decided to plan an experiment with what natural materials would make the most effective dyes.

Questions for home:

What is Fairtrade and how does it help the environment?
How do consumer habits contribute to environmental degradation?
Is it possible for a company to reach 'net zero' carbon emissions?

Update #2: 14th March

Afterward, the Hedgehogs explored and analysed key statistics related to clothing waste.

We presented the data using bar charts, converted percentages into angles to create pie charts, and designed our own infographics to visualise the information.

Next, we explored the impact of food waste. We illustrated how rotting food produces methane and discussed its harmful effects on the atmosphere. We learned that food waste requires proper aeration to break down effectively. We also discovered the important role worms play in the soil—how their tunnels help with aeration and how they consume food scraps, aiding in the breakdown process. Additionally, we had the opportunity to hear from Jenny about how she manages composting and how this process benefits the environment.

Next, we explored where Fairtrade products are grown and the reasons behind their cultivation in these regions. We marked these locations on a world map with a key to represent the products.

We then researched the prices of Fairtrade products at popular UK supermarkets and compared them to non-Fairtrade alternatives, finding that they weren’t always more expensive. Our subsequent activities focused on the 3 R's—reduce, reuse, recycle—and how they apply to both food and clothing waste.

Finally, we went shopping! We visited a local clothing charity store to explore the variety of clothes available for reuse. Each of us selected an item with plans to upcycle it in an upcoming workshop.

Questions for home:

Should all food products from foreign countries be Fairtrade?
How do we feel when we make a positive impact on our world by reusing and upcycling clothing?
How do consumer habits contribute to environmental degradation?

Update #3: 4th April

After an exciting shopping spree, the Hedgehogs took part in a fantastic upcycling workshop at Chillie London. Fashion designers Lydia and Natalie, who run a vintage clothing store on Portobello Road, guided students in creatively transforming their clothing items. Shirts became pillows, jeans were repurposed into bags, and hoodies were redesigned with unique embellishments.

Next, we moved on to Step 2: How can we investigate sustainability in our daily lives? The Hedgehogs explored three key areas:

Natural Dyes – We experimented with dyeing cotton fabric using natural ingredients such as turmeric, beetroot, spinach, and cabbage

2. Mini Worm Farms – We created small worm farms and fed them food scraps, observing how the worms helped reduce waste.

3. Fabric Decomposition – We sorted clothing by material—cotton, polyester, linen, and wool—then researched how long each takes to decompose. To test this firsthand, we buried different fabrics outside our den and will monitor their breakdown over time. However, we acknowledge that polyester, which takes over 200 years to degrade, will not show significant results.

Step 3 focused on Solutions for ethical consumer choices

Using the coding app Scratch, students designed a program that guides users on whether to compost food waste or send it to landfill, highlighting the importance of waste reduction. Additionally, we researched innovative solutions to food and textile waste.

Discussions included harnessing heat from composting, implementing global sustainability education, and finding creative ways to minimize waste—like turning bread crusts into breadcrumbs. We also explored the success of Fairtrade as a model for ethical consumerism.

Now, we are preparing to share our findings with you all at our upcoming exhibition. Stay tuned!

Page updated

Report abuse