EnviroSmartThe Minerals Council of Australia is acknowledged as the provider of this resource.EnviroSmart is an investigative learning resource for teachers and students. It provides student activities, teacher notes, case studies and fact sheets which encourage students to investigate their school environment and their impact on it. It uses the context of the minerals and energy industry to learn about environmental management and leads to the development of a Sustainable Environmental Management Plan for the school.Activities are designed around the use and management of air, water, land, energy and waste. |
How we mineThe Minerals Council of Australia is acknowledged as the provider of this resource.Many things that people use are made from minerals and metals. In order to have these things the minerals or metals to make them can come from recycled materials or are mined. The recycling of metals provides a small percentage of the materials demanded by consumers. Therefore to provide for this demand particularly in developing countries minerals are mined and processed. Australia has large and accessible deposits of iron ore, gold, copper, silver, lead, zinc and nickel as well as the energy resources - coal and uranium. These provide over 30% of Australias commodity exports. The mining and processing of these minerals occupies 0.05% of Australias land mass. |
Sustainable School Environmental Management PlanThe Minerals Council of Australia is acknowledged as the provider of this resource.This is a plan for a sequence of lessons in which students survey their school environment and develop a Sustainable School Environmental Management Plan (SSEMP). It contains links to a variety of activities and worksheets to facilitate the process. |
Sustainable Land Use in AustraliaThe Minerals Council of Australia is acknowledged as the provider of this resource.This is a lesson plan in which students examine land use in Australia and in their own school. It includes worksheets for three student activities. Students explore existing land use and make predictions about future requirements. |
Enduring ValueThe Minerals Council of Australia is acknowledged as the provider of this resource.This is a lesson plan with a focus on exploring the Australian mineral industrys framework for sustainable development, entitled Enduring Value. Students analyse the main ideas underlying the framework and evaluate the importance of some of its principles. |
Who owns the apples?The Minerals Council of Australia is acknowledged as the provider of this resource.This is a lesson plan which focuses on the complexities of resource management and the associated decision-making. Students are asked to discuss how a number of apples should be used by the class. Various options are discussed, a consensus is attempted, and students reflect on the dynamics of the decision-making process. |
Why we MineThe Minerals Council of Australia is acknowledged as the provider of this resource.Nearly everything we own is either grown or mined! We often dont stop to think where items such as cars, houses, laptops even toothpaste comes from.This is an activity where students look at everyday objects and examine their origins. They learn about minerals, metals, their properties and uses and start to develop ideas around conservation of materials and recycling.The lesson includes a student worksheet and an information sheet about the mineral derivation of common objects. |