UK, 17 April 2007: BlueSky has created a set of aerial playmats for Europe’s environmental display centre to help to illustrate the impact of day-to-day activities on the environment.
Each playmat designed by Bluesky features detailed aerial photography of the Dyfi Valley in mid-Wales (UK) and will be used in a community project to analyse ecological footprints. The map will be used as a prompt to discussion and as a focus for the creation of a vision of a sustainable future.
Ann MacGarry, Education Officer at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) said, “The aerial playmats provide a real world representation of the environment”. He added, “We have previously used traditional maps and people have represented their ideas for a low footprint future plasticine models and labels but the aerial imagery is far more appealing, encouraging participation and interaction with groups of all ages”.
The ‘ecofootprinting’ education project, a joint venture between CAT and Ecodyfi (the local regeneration organisation for the Dyfi Valley), is designed to get members of the local community thinking about the impact of their everyday consumption on the environment. By understanding how much productive land and sea space is needed to support and sustain a particular lifestyle participants can then look at ways and decisions that can be taken to reduce the size of the footprint.
The playmats feature very large scale aerial photography which in turn provide a detailed aerial view of the wealth of natural attractions offered by the region including award-winning beaches, the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and several Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). When placed together the playmats cover a floor area of approximately 3.2 metres by 2.5 metres and have a wipe clean laminated surface and are foam backed so they can be used safely in the classroom.
The CAT is Europe’s leading environmental display centre demonstrating and promoting the use of technology to achieve a sustainable lifestyle. The visitor centre, the largest tourist attraction in the Dyfi Valley, offers a range of educational courses covering various aspects of the curriculum, particularly science, technology and geography.
