What does sustainability really mean? Mrs. Gauthier’s Gr. 5 class at J.A. Laird Elementary got to find out how decision making impacts the future through an exciting game of “Fishing for Sustainability”. For a few weeks now, Invermere’s Beyond Recycling class has been discussing the need for sustainable practices and its impact on our planet. In “Fishing for Sustainability” villages of students took fish from their lakes to eat and buy other essential supplies. Some villages planned ahead, using exactly only what they needed to survive, while others took a different approach, compiling a few extra fish or extra dollars “just in case”. The game became particularly interesting when disaster hit and villages were forced to dig into their coffers and use up extra supplies. The students learned first-hand the importance of sustainability: using some of a resource now, while saving some for later – for another day, another generation, another being. The day finished with an intelligent discussion of needs vs. wants.
