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.

For the full unit details, please download the latest version of the qualification specification. This is available for download on the relevant qualifications page.

Unit Learning Outcomes

To view the assessment criteria and any additional content, please expand the relevant learning outcome below.

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.