The Planet Protectors Handbook

Contents Planet Protector 4 Ideas are born when people come together and help each other 16 What inspires you? 20 Hope creates ideas ideas create hope 24 Creating hope 32 From Sigtuna to Copenhagen 36 How did we manage to achieve so much? 58 Your idea 64 If we work together, something already big can get even bigger! 68 Make your idea grow 72 We educate Planet Protectors! 87 So long for a while 88

Planet Protector Does that sound an inspiring thing to be? Where did the name spring from and what could the Planet Protector concept mean for the future? Are you a Planet Protector or is it the case that we are all Planet Protectors, it s just that some times we do more than at other times? This book can help you. It can serve as a useful tool in everything you do for the environment, animals, people and the climate for the whole planet really. See these pages as a way of celebrating good ideas new ideas, old ideas and ideas for the future. It s all about an idea that adults and children came up with in Sigtuna, just north of the Swedish capital, Stockholm. It s the story of how that idea resulted in four thousand young Planet Protectors who between them thought up over twenty thousand ideas for our planet. See the book as a creative tool for the future, something that will help you come up with ideas at work and as you go about your daily life. Because, like so many other amazing things in this world of ours, the whole Planet Protector concept came out of precisely that, the germ of an idea. Put your rubbish in the bin Oliver Save the environment Fädek Save the world! Semak Turn the lights off when you leave the room Wilma Don t go to school by car Oliver Support the WWF and Save the Children Jordan 4 5

Feed the birds in the winter Arvid Sort your rubbish Jennifer Return your bottles Christian Don t fly, take the train Emil Wind-powered planes Alexander Protect nature Madeleine Walk or cycle to school Julia Don t burn plastic Papola Don t chop down all the forests Marcus Don t drop litter Valentin Go by train instead of by car Percilia Don t dump rubbish in the countryside Simon 6 7

Use biofuel I don t want buses to give off gas Make electric cars and charging stations for them Cycle more No hairspray Play less video games HORSE Walk to school No exhaust Don t use hair straighteners Give things away I promise to take my old things to Brista (a recycling station)

Ideas are born when people This very book is proof of that come together and help each other 16 17

The first seeds of our idea came from an exhibition on the climate threat. The exhibition led to over four thousand children each drawing a hand. They then filled their hands with over twenty thousand ideas for the future of the environment and the climate. And so the idea of the climate hands was born. The climate hands themselves then led on to the idea of showing these hands to the people who actually make the big decisions. The vast number of messages they contained also gave us the idea and the opportunity of launching the Planet Protector concept. This in turn gave rise to the idea of putting together a book describing the children s commitment to the environment and their creativity. That sowed the seeds for this book, and so the story goes on 18 19

What inspires you? Think about it for a moment and write down different ideas for the environment they could be big things or little ones, ideas that you think are good and that inspire you. It might be a book you have read or a good speaker you have heard, it might be a film, or a way of watering the garden. Or it might even be an idea you heard someone talking about on the bus. 20 21

22 Fizzy water, crisps, the telescope and penicillin are all ideas that came out of what their inventors thought were failures. Columbus idea was to reach India, not America. If an idea doesn t seem to work, try to rework it, but never throw it out altogether. 23

Hope creates ideas ideas create hope 24 25

In autumn 2009 all the schools and all four thousand children in Sigtuna visited the Grasping Climate exhibition run by Naturskolan. Naturskolan works to give children and young people a positive experience of the natural environment, the natural sciences and outdoor recreation at an early age. All the children in the municipality of Sigtuna spend time out in the forests and the countryside with Naturskolan. Through play, they learn about the balance between animals and nature, and small and large ecosystems. Situated on the shore of Lake Mälaren, Naturskolan has given tens of thousands of children and young people their first experience of the natural world. Year after year, instead of talking about environmental problems, Naturskolan has focussed on experiences that will foster commitment to the environment in the future. 26 27

In autumn 2009, however, that changed. The climate and the environment were suddenly high on the agenda. At the time, the media, society and politicians were buzzing with what was called the climate threat. Al Gore s film and numerous reports told us of the dangers we faced if we sat there and did nothing. The only way Naturskolan could respond was with hope. For the teachers and youth workers at Naturskolan, the climate issue was in no way new, but everyone was shaken up by the news of the climate threat. However, instead of admitting defeat, the school decided to turn all this worry into a force for change. Naturskolan decided to hold an exhibition on the climate for the children of Sigtuna to teach some simple messages. The exhibition was called Grasping Climate and the idea behind it was to: teach children basic facts about energy, sources of energy and the reasons for climate change help children to understand that climate change is affected by our choices and what we do give children hope and faith in the future At the exhibition, the students were guided through the world of energy. They were able to see how people use energy, how energy behaves and the effect our energy consumption has on the future. The aim of showing children that something hopeless can be turned into hope for the future succeeded. All the children who visited the exhibition drew round their hands to create their own climate hand. On every finger they wrote an idea, a promise or a 28 29

thought that could help the environment, now and in the future. Four thousand children had suddenly come up with twenty thousand ideas. The children knew then that they were, and are, the Planet Protectors of the future. Passing that hope on to the rest of the world was our job. Naturskolan North of Stockholm between Märsta and Sigtuna, Naturskolan is set in a beautiful waterside location on a promontory called Näsudden on the shore of Lake Mälaren. Naturskolan supports teachers as they help their students succeed in their studies. Naturskolan s aim is to save the world. Working in partnership with the school s teachers to train Planet Protectors is one step along the way 30 31

Creating hope Pick something that you think feels completely hopeless. It has to be something you haven t already got an answer for. But you can have fun trying to find one. Don t rule anything out, keep an open mind and look at the problem from every angle. Play around with a possible solution and then give your solution a name. 32 33

Naturskolan wasn t immune to everything being written about the climate threat but chose not to cry over spilt milk. Find a way of using the spilt milk or invent better milk packaging. 34 35

From Sigtuna to Copenhagen 37

Five ideas from every visitor, one for each finger, four thousand children, twenty thousand ideas in total. That s what you call a force to be reckoned with! Naturskolan promised to show the hands to people who are better placed to change things politicians and decision-makers. It was decided that the climate hands would go on a journey and be represented at the major COP 15 Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December 2009. And they were. Five representatives from Sigtuna went with them, including three pupils from year nine. It was to be an exciting journey from Sweden all the way to Denmark. Over the two days, the Sigtuna delegation wandered around Copenhagen with four thousand hands in a large transparent container. The climate hands attracted attention, curiosity and appreciation out on the streets of the Danish capital. They were shown to a theatre audience and displayed in the WWF tent on Strøget. The climate hands also took part in the major demonstration and were shown to negotiators from Bella Center, where COP 15 was being held. They were passed on in digital format on a DVD, with a copy sent to Sweden s Environment Minister. And a blog made sure that anyone who wanted to could follow their journey online. On returning to Sweden and to Sigtuna, Naturskolan and the decision-makers in Sigtuna municipality looked in more detail at the actual messages and what the climate hands had to say. Staff and decision-makers became increasingly aware of how big this could be. 38 39

Many people felt that the least they could do for these young Planet Protectors was to document their climate hands. And so we did. A book was made for all the children in Sigtuna, just like the one you are holding now. The book was filled with all the climate hands and the story of their journey to Copenhagen. COP 15 was the UN s Climate Summit held in Copenhagen on 7-18 December 2009. The summit was attended by a great many representatives from different countries, who were there to try and reach an agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The hands are not just about the journey and climate change they also give a complete picture of the challenges humanity faces if we are to safeguard the future. The climate hands and their four thousand ideas are all we need to know to become good Planet Protectors. 40 41

Never give up. The best ideas often come when things feel most hopeless. To start with, ideas are fragile little seeds. Comments, questions or scepticism on the part of their creator can make them disappear completely. Ideas must always be nurtured and respected. If you dream it, you can do it. Will the enthusiasm for your idea be any greater tomorrow than it is today? If not, what are you waiting for? Get started. 43

Don t stress More solar panels I won t put batteries in the rubbish bin Switch the light off Don t write graffiti on walls I can switch to low energy bulbs Candles instead of lightbulbs Throw away less aluminium Play more Sort your rubbish for recycling Buying eggs from Anderssons Sort your rubbish for recycling Produce electric cars or cars that run on solar power

How did we manage to achieve so much? Naturskolan has always had faith in the power, knowledge and wisdom of the group. Faith in the way big ideas come about when people help each other, creating a joint force for change. But if anything is to be achieved at all, there must be trust that the group, for example a school class, is capable of finding and creating solutions. As long as they are given a chance and enough time. Sometimes it happens instantly, and sometimes it needs to take its time. The role Naturskolan has played has been one of confirming, reinforcing and exuding enthusiasm to increase the group dynamic. The climate hands are just one example that shows that this actually works. Every encounter with a new group of students is different, which means resetting the parameters every time. Because even if the group of people is 58 59

the same, each and every situation is still unique the way things were yesterday differs from the way things are today and the meetings you will have tomorrow. Of course, if you need to, you can use old and tested tools to inspire creativity and ideas. But you need to allow plenty of space and keep an open mind. New tools can emerge at any time, born from that unique situation. Quite often this happens at precisely the point when the situation feels most hopeless. The Grasping Climate exhibition ran for three months, guiding children through the world of energy every day. No one at the time realised that it would ever be anything more. But just around the corner were twenty thousand ideas, a trip to Copenhagen, meetings with decision-makers, a book and now this book too. 60 61

Because although new climate hands were being created all the time, nobody had thought about what would become of them. In the end what we had was an enormous heap of colourful bits of paper bursting with ideas. It was only when the hands were being photographed for documentation, that the teachers and youth workers at Naturskolan realised that what had started out as a fairly simple school assignment was actually something really big. The drawn hands with a climate idea on every finger had an awful lot to say. 62 63

Your idea On pages 32 we asked you to play around with a solution to a problem you wanted to solve. You were also prompted to give your idea a name. How many more ideas might there be, lurking inside what you have just started to invent? Play around with your solution a bit more maybe you ll come up with even more new ideas! 64 65

Unleash your creativity. Nobody can ever be criticised for having too many ideas. 66 67

If we work together, something already big can get even bigger! Without a belief in what the climate hands could achieve, the project would never have been able to grow and take off. It is clear that the enthusiasm of Naturskolan and of the children themselves was contagious. Enthusiasm often is. Maybe that is also why the climate hands have always been taken seriously when presented to top executives and investors. The people who created them really believed in the idea. One small but key example: Once Naturskolan had decided that the climate hands were to travel to Copenhagen, there was a lot of thinking to be done. Naturskolan tried contacting organisations and people who might be able to take the climate hands to the COP 15 negotiations in Copenhagen and show them to the delegates. 68 69

But then Naturskolan heard that the head of another school in the municipality was thinking about taking leave to travel to Copenhagen. The idea of the journey and the climate hands was put to the head, who jumped at it, and suddenly it made perfect sense that Naturskolan should go too. This happened to coincide with the deadline for applying for the municipality s environment grant. In its thank-you speech Naturskolan was able to tell all the local politicians about the climate hands and the work that the adults and children were involved in. Being brave enough to ask for help can be all it takes to turn an idea into reality. Naturskolan did and it worked. An outline of the journey was produced, and the application was written up and submitted as quickly as possible. Naturskolan was told in advance that it was in with a good chance of winning the grant. They were therefore able to ask interested students and organise train tickets and accommodation in Copenhagen. Soon afterwards the grant was awarded in a ceremony with trumpet fanfares at the town council meet ing, brought forward due to the timing of trip. Will anyone else carry out your idea? If not, do it yourself! 70 71

Make your idea grow Who do you know who you could ask for help in Think for a moment. turning Who your could idea into you reality? ask for help in turning your idea into reality? It doesn t have to be someone you know personally, It doesn t have but to be there someone are sure you to know be several personally, people you would but there are sure be able to be to several contact. people you would be able to contact. Write a short list. Write a short list. 72 73

Experiment, see how you go, and never get bogged down in everything having to be a certain way. 74 75

Raw food is yummy Green cars I will row more in a boat Car sharing Think what I m buying Go by train instead of by car Stop playing COD 4 Use biofuel Get out into the countryside Locally produced food Stop driving the bloody car Save bottle tops

We educate Planet Protectors! In the municipality of Sigtuna we have made a decision. We are going to take responsibility for the transition to a sustainable society. The students in our schools created the world s first The Planet Protectors Handbook, a book by young people, for young people. It will make the environ ment and climate issues natural elements in many of the subjects in our schools. We ve all got to do our bit. Why don t you join us? Anders Johansson, Mayor of the Municipality of Sigtuna Handbok för Planetskötare Sun, wind and water only green electricity in our sockets! Our rubbish turned into fuel for our buses and cars. More ethical and organic food on our plates! Clean water and lots of nature reserves saved forever! Politicians who take responsibility = Planet Protectors! 87

So long for a while and welcome back soon as a Planet Protector Who do you know who you could ask for help in turning your idea into reality? colleague It doesn t have to be someone you know personally, but there are sure to be several people you would be able to contact. Write a short list. 88 89

90 Take the risk. An idea usually involves bringing together things that no one has ever put together before. To have an idea you first have to take the risk of combining things in a new way. 91

Municipality of Sigtuna 2011 Production: Blomquist Annonsbyrå Illustrations of hands: All the children in all Sigtuna s schools autumn 2009 Photography: Peja Snöbohm, Christoffer Landberg, Matton Image Printed by: Åtta.45 Tryckeri

Södergatan 20, 185 95 Märsta, Sweden. www.sigtuna.se