Sustainable Solutions: Addressing the Impacts and Interconnections of Electronic Waste
These resources are part of the Geographies of Interconnections: Understanding E-Waste suite of resources, created in collaboration with Comsol.
This Year 9 Geography unit, Sustainable Solutions: Addressing the Impacts and Interconnections of Electronic Waste, is designed to
- support educators to teach students about the impacts of the fastest growing waste stream globally—electronic waste—on society and the environment
- explore the interconnectedness of human activities, environments and the global impact of our electronic consumption
- develop students’ understanding of the circular economy and explore how governments, businesses and consumers are tackling e-waste through sustainable practices
- delve into the lifecycle of electronic products and explore the positive aspects of technology and how the digital divide affects people in Australia
- cement understanding of sustainable strategies through the development of student-created social media, awareness campaigns
- inspire and equip students to become informed advocates for sustainable practices
- support educators with a library of factsheets on topics like the e-waste crisis, the Rs of Sustainability and tools and techniques for iterative learning and designing for the future
- enhance teaching and learning with 36 bespoke video interviews created for these in collaboration with Comsol specifically for this unit. Each unit features global businesses and experts providing real-world insights into the consequences of current consumption patterns and showcasing sustainable initiatives and innovations.
Interviews with experts are woven into lessons and we recommend that this unit are delivered as a whole package in sequence. However, all interviews and video content created for this unit can be accessed through Vimeo. To make the videos easier to find and use, download our guide to the main topics and areas, organisations and links to the Rs of sustainability. Find it here.
Tune In
Through assessing their own personal electronic device, students explore the e-waste crisis and its impacts and compare the current linear take-make-waste system and the circular economy model.
Find Out
Students delve into the societal and environmental impacts of each stage of the life cycle of an electronic product. They also explore strategies utilising sustainability principles and the circular economy to address the e-waste crisis.
Take Action
Students explore sustainability and its application in real-life companies as well as new designs, focusing on the impact of electronic devices and the three pillars of sustainability.
