Imagine that our earth and every living creature (including ourselves) on it are part of a giant soccer match – but everyone is losing. The Earth United team needs to work a lot harder to ensure that we win the game, and that our earth and the life it sustains are able to carry on.

This is the message of a new environmental education product developed by the City’s Environmental Resource Management Department. Consisting of a poster and a teacher’s guide, the Soccer and the Environment “Making Connections” project is one of more than 40 identified for implementation in South Africa’s 2010 Green Goal Action Plan.

The ‘game’ is aimed at Grade Seven learners, helping them to become more environmentally aware and sensitive to local issues.

The unique feature of Making Connections is that the exploration of environmental issues is developed through the game of soccer, and every soccer action on the poster has an environmental action linked to it.

For example, while learning about First Aid and injuries, Grade Sevens discover that the world is like a human body: the more ‘knocks’ it takes, the more damage is done, and the longer it takes to heal. ‘Injuries’ to the planet include soil erosion, climate change, and water and air pollution.

Our earth has already been weakened by years of damage, so it is more likely to suffer injury. We need to repair it through good environmental practices (injury prevention) and preparedness to step in when disasters occur (first aid)…

The coach trains the players to use their skills and passion for the benefit of the team. You too, Grade Sevens learn, can coach others to become champions for the environment…

Perhaps learners would like to model themselves on the referee instead? The match officials ensure fair play, and uphold the rules of the game they learn. Similarly, government and environmental activists enforce the laws that are there to protect the environment.

With each soccer action or role player, class activities are designed to show learners how to score a ‘green goal’ and make a positive impact on our earth.

The project is funded by the City of Cape Town and the Royal Danish Embassy.

To download a copy of the poster and the teacher’s guide, visit the ‘What's New’ page of the Environmental Resource Management’s website.