Nature and sustainability education at the Eden Project — Sam Kendall

Eden Project is an ecological visitor attraction in a transformed quarry in Cornwall. At its heart it’s an education charity where for 25 years we’ve been delivering education that enables learners and the planet to thrive. Currently our system allows us to behave as irresponsible passengers aboard ‘Spaceship Earth’, and we are seeing the impacts of those behaviours manifest within the unfolding climate and biodiversity crises. What we need now is an informed and responsible crew and an ‘operating manual’ at a time when we’re all asking - ‘How do we fly this thing?’. Eden Project education is an exploration of Spaceship Earth crew training designed that instils connection to and love for the natural world, and inspires and empowers young people to stand up for nature and each other.

Drawn from our experience of running education programmes at Eden and our grounding in the evidence on the power of Nature Connection and Learning for Sustainability, we’ll share the approaches that underpin our teaching and learning work with children, young people and schools – all contextualised within learning programmes currently delivered at Eden and the work of our collaborators Morecambe Bay curriculum and Sky Primary and Eden Project Nursery.

And for the trainers of this crew, we’ll be sharing an opportunity to join us in a new residential experience at Eden Project in Cornwall in February, delivered in partnership with Portland Education. Designed for curriculum and sustainability leads with a passion for nature based, outdoor and sustainability focused learning, as well as for those at the start of their teaching career, we’ll explore professional and planetary wellbeing and purpose, in the company of fellow travellers from across Whole Education and beyond.

About the speaker

Sam leads the Eden Project’s work with schools, young people and their teachers delivering Eden’s charitable aim to reconnect people with the natural world and demonstrate positive transformation. She has been part of Eden’s Education Team since the project opened the doors to its iconic Cornish attraction in 2001, and has established Eden as a trusted voice in nature-based and education for sustainability. She began her career teaching in rural and urban primary schools in the UK, Pakistan and South Africa. Some of her favourite things are nature, and sharing with others her love of the natural world and how we can better care for it.