31.12.2014
Svanborg R. Jónsdóttir and Julie Davis
Designing for a childhood focusing on conservation and sustainability: The Lone Pine Child and Family Centre project in Australia

The ideas for the Lone Pine childcare centre build on the Reggio Emilia philosophy of the whole community raising the child and respecting children’s strengths and interests. The intention for early learning in the centre is that experiences will be enhanced by an environmental and conservation focus including routine excursions to the sanctuary. Lone Pine Sanctuary leaders initiated a collaborative project with the Queensland University of Technology, based on their expertise in Early Childhood Education for Sustainability. The collaboration created a cross-disciplinary network between academics and students from Early Childhood Education and Design. A visiting author from Iceland and an author involved on site discuss the importance of sustainability education (SE), describe the project and conclude that the Lone Pine Project is an example of ambitious goal setting in SE based on quality collaborations between multiple partners.