Chris Graham

Green Careers Week From Biology Field Trip to a Green Career When I was at school, my original plan was to study Accountancy. It seemed sensible and a financially secure career path. Then came my A-level Biology field trip. It was one of those rare weeks of blistering sunshine on the coast of Wales, and I loved every minute of it. Being outdoors, surrounded by nature, collecting data with the sea breeze in my hair (I had more hair back then) — I was completely in my element.

It is @greencareersweek.bsky.social 💚
Check out our post full of useful links and an environmental careers story from @head-in-the-clouds.bsky.social
Did you have a #GreenJob before teaching? How are you celebrating this week? Let us know below!
#GCW2025 #GreenCareers #GreenSkills

Plants, Sustainability & Science Education🌱🌎🍎

Join us with @chrisgraham.bsky.social for a session at the Secondary Science Festival at Bedford College on 8th July.

For more info & to book, use the QR code. 📲

@cleapss.bsky.social @fieldstudiesc.bsky.social @stemlearning.bsky.social

Course outcomes.

Dandelion. Credit: Pixabay.

Dandelion under the microscope. Credit: Chris Graham.

Are you looking to build your confidence in microscopy?

Join us in partnership with @associationscied.bsky.social
on 04/06 for a twilight event (1/3). Suitable for teachers with all levels of experience🔬🌱🧑‍🏫
For more: www.ase.org.uk/events/build...
@stemlearning.bsky.social @royalsocbio.bsky.social

A rare find - very nice.

Check out the new L3 certificate in sustainability: teach.ocr.org.uk/level-3-cert...

I’m developing the teaching resources for it for OCR and I’m teaching it at Hills Road Sixth Form College in Sept 2025.

I love the spec they’ve come up with - such a useful qualification for students. #EduSky

This image shows 8 BSA members near or holding plants and smiling. Text: “International Plant Appreciation Day, April 13, 2025. Support BSA with an Unrestricted Gift Today!” The image also includes the BSA logo.

🌱It's International Plant Appreciation Day!🌿

Support the plants & community that inspire you. Please consider making an unrestricted gift—it provides flexible support, ensuring resources go where they’re needed most: crm.botany.org/makeadonation

Share your plant story! #LetsGoPlants #IamaBotanist

Have a look at this newsletter for what I’ve been doing to support students learning how to use microscopes. 🔬

Lots of other great stuff too. 🌳

Cluster of sclereids (stone cells) in pear tissue, stained with toluidine blue to show lignin (x400 magnification).

Looking for guidance teaching #Microscopy? 🔬🌱

Chris' latest article also featured in @associationscied.bsky.social School Science Review is available here with a presentation to download: www.saps.org.uk/growth-hub/t...

#plantsci @chrisgraham.bsky.social @stemlearning.bsky.social

We can:
Link our teaching to local biodiversity - particularly plants since they are really obvious.
Model the enthusiasm for nature.
Run nature walks around the school site to share exciting facts about local biodiversity - we have a small urban site but there’s plenty of moss, liverworts, ivy etc.

Environment Leaders Programme The Environment Leaders Programme, developed by WWF, RSPB and the Leadership Skills Foundation, supports young people to deliver positive change for the planet.

The environment leaders programme is good: www.wwf.org.uk/get-involved....
I run it as an enrichment at college. I’ve got 14 students with a variety of local biodiversity enhancing projects going. One student has 50 free dogwood plants arriving next week to boost our native plant life. 🌳

Sustainable Futures - free secondary schools programme Sustainable Futures is a free UK programme for secondary schools and colleges that equips young people with knowledge and skills to help them in a green economy

And sustainable futures from wwf:

www.wwf.org.uk/get-involved...

Grow Your Future: new digital careers hub from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew set to inspire the next generation into green careers

There’s this from Kew too:

www.kew.org/about-us/pre...

In case you missed it the amazing @chrisgraham.bsky.social will be joining us for #ChatBiologyLive 🙌🏻

Looking forward to meeting some of my biology education heroes in person for the first time, catching up with others and meeting new people.

Excited to have the opportunity to talk.

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The #CANBill simply says that we will
- do what we say we’re going to do
- be informed by experts and by the people.
I, and many, will feel a massive betrayal if this doesn’t pass its second reading today.
@teamlabouruk.bsky.social
@conservatives.bsky.social
@libdems.org.uk
@greenparty.org.uk

One of the many really interesting points that Hannah writes about in her book ‘Not the end of the World’.

There is lots that needs to be done but there is hope. Hope that comes from data like these, past successes and the growing awareness of a need for action and participation in this action.

Image showing relative contributions of different emissions sources to the atmosphere and then how much natural sinks take out of the atmosphere (about 40% of what goes in)

Does this image mean that we need to reduce global emissions by about 60% to stop increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

Does this count as ‘Net Zero’?

It’s from: drawdown.org/drawdown-fou...

What would figures look like for 2024?

#Sustainability

The Wild Dozen: Prized as ingredients, vulnerable wild plants face surging demand A new FAO report raises awareness about the need for their sustainable use

Check out the Wild Check report from the FAO (www.fao.org/newsroom/det...).

There are some great examples and data about the importance of plants and it shows how connected we are to ecosystems even though we usually feel quite separated from the rest of nature.
#ITeachBio🧬
@saps-news.bsky.social

Thanks - will investigate.

I’m exploring setting up savings accounts for my children (8, 9, and 11) and would like to choose a bank/building society with strong sustainability credentials. Does anyone have any advice?

Front cover of Hannah Ritchie’s book ‘Not the end of the world - How we can be the first generation to build a sustainable planet’

Just read @hannahritchie.bsky.social ‘s book in 2 days (unheard of for me!). So quick because:
1) it’s very easy to read
2) it’s fascinating and I couldn’t put it down
3) we’re at the grandparents house and they’re entertaining the children.

Lots to reflect on - highly recommended
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Love the dried pasta idea.

Always meant to try this but never have.

Very interested in this!

Yes to supportive. We do some at the end of Y12 and the rest at the start of Y13 so weather is fine. All done onsite. Lesson time pressure due to overfull spec is biggest constraint. Then it would be planning something for 400 students per year group that isn’t ecologically destructive! #chatbiology

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Seeing chloroplasts moving in pondweed shows the dynamic nature of cells well. But maybe we should focus on the wonder and importance of photosynthesis itself. E.g. every carbon atom in our bodies has recently been through photosynthesis. 🤯💚🌳💚 (a bit like isolating DNA turns white gloop into 🤯)

Is that a foxglove too? 💚🌿💚

Looks really interesting Joe. Will pick myself up a copy.