Manchester Environmental Education Network (MEEN)

MEEN is a network of teachers, organisations and individuals working to promote sustainable development education in the Manchester area (UK).

Teachers who were concerned to bring environmental issues into their teaching practice set up MEEN informally in 1994. In recent years the concept of 'Education for Sustainable Development' (ESD) has arisen and thus MEEN now has the broader remit of promoting all aspects of sustainable development, including global development issues.

Aim
The main aim of MEEN is to inspire and motivate learning about sustainability by building a network of people actively committed to education for sustainable development (ESD) in Manchester.

Our work

Consultation
MEEN is all about the needs of its members, and therefore the first step in establishing the network involved a process of active consultation. This was done through questionnaires and one to one meetings with teachers. However, consultation is an ongoing process and we would love to hear your views. We would be particularly interested to hearing from teachers who would like to be part of a MEEN working group to share good practice and to develop resources.

Sharing Good Practice Conference
Networking to share good practice is a key part of the work of MEEN. In March 2001, MEEN jointly organised a national conference with the Development Education Project and Manchester Environmental Resource Centre initiative to share good practice in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The day involved speakers from Dorset and Worcester ESD networks, regional discussion groups and workshops led by teachers and others working in the field.

Newsletter
'Beehive' is the newsletter of Manchester Environmental Education Network. It is produced once a term and is free to all Manchester schools and network members. Beehive provides information about the latest network activities and events, and also resource reviews and useful contacts.

Training
MEEN has run training workshops on citizenship and sustainable development for teachers and PGCE students. MEEN has worked with Manchester Healthy Schools Partnership to provide training on sustainability issues.

Healthy Schools, Eco-Schools and ESD
MEEN works closely with Manchester Healthy Schools Partnership. The aim of this partnership is to help schools become healthier learning communities by taking part in the Healthy Schools Award Scheme. Eco-Schools is a similar award scheme, with a particular focus upon environmental sustainability. As part of Eco-Schools, schools address seven key areas: litter, waste minimisation, energy, water, transport, healthy living and school grounds. Both initiatives emphasise the importance of active involvement and ownership by pupils.