The Sustainability Symbol

One Hundred and Fifty excited and attentive 9 and 10 year olds of Kowloon Junior School attended a morning presentation of “DragonThink - Your Future’s So Bright, You’ve Got to Wear Shades!” in late May. Coordinated by KJS teacher Pamela Riordan, the presentation was made by the McMaster Institute’s chairman, “Professor P!” in the main hall of the ESF school.

Wearing the same hat he has worn in the Amazon jungles of Brazil, and wilderness of his home country, Canada, Professor P! amused and amazed the students, reflecting and celebrating their extensive knowledge of the issues of Climate Change and Global Warming.

Professor P! first made it clear that the world was not coming to an end, and that although the climate and everything else on Earth are constantly changing, there are postitive things that we can do and think about to stop speeding up the natural process.
 ”DragonThink” was introduced as a special “secret” thinking technique that students could learn, share and test on others.

Core to the presentation was the concept of the “Hand of Gaia” - that healing the Earth begins with healing ourselves, thinking in responsible ways, and seeking balance and fun in our thinking and actions. The goal discussed with the students was how we can make Hong Kong China’s Most Sustainable City by the time they were grown up.

To guage the support for various ideas, understandings and passions, the “Sustain-o-Meter”, a magical device designed to inspirePhilip McMaster Professor P! introduces the Sustain-o-Meter to Students at Kowloon Junior School and encourage sustainable thinking (DragonThink) was used to great effect.

Professor P! then introduced the 3 Dragons of DragonThink ( Meter-long stuffed marionnettes), representing Society, Environment and Economy. Lucky students from the audience were chosen to be Dragon guardians and perform special duties to bring them alive and learn from them.

Philip McMaster interviews students at Kowloon Junior School about their sustainable futureToward the end of the presentation, students were interviewed ten years in the future… asked what they were experiencing “today” in 2017. Professor P! got out his recorder, put on his “future hat” (covered in aluminum foil) and interviewed the student who also wore aluminum-foil-hats-of-the-future.

When the presentation was fininshed, everyone who learned the Secret Symbol of Sustainability recieved a certificate. The 3 Dragons were also donated to the school by the McMaster Institute on the condition that the students, school teachers and administrators care for them and display them in a prominent place.The hope of the Institute is that educators and students areKowloon Junior School Children LOVE sustainabilty! encouraged to create their own small theatrical plays and short skits using the marionnette Dragons, and that these interpretations of DragonThink are shared with other students, other schools and the local community.

For more information on the Jr. Dragonpreneur presentation: “Your Future’s So Bright You Gotta Wear Shades” please contact PhilipMcMaster (a) gmail (d) com

Features, News