Taking personal responsibility for the environment

Overview

Framework:
RQF
Level:
Level 1
Unit No:
M/650/2082
Credits:
3
Guided learning hours:
30 hours

Assessment Guidance

Portfolio of evidence

Aim

To develop learners' awareness of the ways in which they as individuals can be environmentally responsible.

Unit Learning Outcomes

1

Be able to research ways individuals can help fight climate change.  

  • Research as a means to identify the different ways individuals can have an impact and to generate ideas for own personal responsibility project.
  • Newspaper articles, downloadable leaflets, websites.
  • Actions/changes individuals can make to reduce own impact, focusing on reducing own carbon footprint.
  • The role of individuals in influencing others – friends/family/household; employers or school/college; groups they belong to; politicians or others in authority.
  • Actions of individuals need to be undertaken by large numbers to have impact; governments and corporations also need to take action to reach climate change targets.

Assessment Criteria

  • 1.1

    Use different sources to find out about the role of individuals in slowing climate change. 

2

Be able to identify ways to reduce own negative impact on the environment.

  • Assessment should include different areas such as travel, energy-saving (habits. devices and renewables), food (food miles, food waste, composting, meat/), recycling, use of plastics, fashion, choice of products (personal care/beauty and cleaning products), use of water (e.g. shower/bath; tap/bottled water). Learners do not need to cover all of these and might focus on others depending on their lifestyles and interests.

Assessment Criteria

  • 2.1

    Assess own strengths and areas for improvement in terms of living as sustainably as possible.

  • 2.2

    Outline changes they could make to different aspects of their lifestyle.

3

Be able to implement actions or changes to reduce their negative impact on the environment.

  • Actions or changes should relate directly to areas for improvement identified in self-assessment. They should relate to more than one aspect of their lifestyle (e.g. travel and personal grooming) and include different types of change (e.g. replacing products and increasing recycling).
  • Agreed period of time – to be negotiated between tutor and learner but typically between a fortnight and a month.

Assessment Criteria

  • 3.1

    Select actions or changes and implement them over an agreed period of time.

4

Be able to reflect on how effectively they have reduced their negative impact on the environment.

  • Changes in behaviours and choices, frequency, number of times applied, ease or difficulty of maintaining changes, any lapses and reasons for them.
  • Impact on carbon footprint, comparison of previous behaviours/choices with new ones in terms of negative impact.
  • Consideration of, for example, emissions, renewable resources, sustainable methods as relevant to chosen actions.
  • Next steps – further reduction of impact in same aspects; consideration of different aspects.

Assessment Criteria

  • 4.1

    Describe the changes they made and how effectively they implemented them over the agreed period.

  • 4.2

    Outline how the changes have helped reduce their negative impact on the environment.

  • 4.3

    Set out next steps to continue to reduce their negative impact on the environment.