Educating sustainable practitioners of veterinary nursing
Abstract
Sustainability is now a part of everyday life. The word is everywhere, but what does it mean and how can educators go about educating sustainable practitioners of veterinary nursing and of life. It is first important to understand what sustainability is, how everything is cyclical and how big an impact prople are really having and then look at how individuals and small groups of students can collectively make a big difference. Is plastic really worse than paper, how can people make good choices, what are the other factors that need to be considered? It is not just the environment that is affected, but economics, society and cultures too. Educators must walk to talk and actively show that sustainability is important and everyone can make a difference.
‘We need to teach our children and students the fundamental facts of life — that one species’ waste is another species’ food; that matter cycles continually through the web of life; that the energy driving the ecological cycles flows from the sun; that diversity assures resilience; and that life, from its beginning more than three billion years ago, did not take over the planet by combat but by networking.’ (Fritjof Capra, 2011).
The definition of sustainability is: the capacity to endure (Wikipedia, 2011) or in other words meeting the demands of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (University of Canterbury, 2011a). According to the Global Footprint Network (2011) humans currently use the equivalent of 1.5 planets to provide the resources they use and absorb their waste so resources are being used much faster than the earth can regenerate them. Change to how resources are used is required now otherwise these precious resources will run out and there will be nothing left.
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