“Converting the bubble wrap generation into eco warriors”: Results on the effectiveness of a co-signed protocol

In the face of a global environmental crisis, schools are at the forefront of the campaign to influence the

young on how to live more sustainably. However, paradoxically, the very children that they are attempting

to convert into eco warriors are being bubble wrapped by their parents and the institutions that are

attempting to convert them. This paper will analyse the evolvement of environmental education in

Australia, and the dilemma that it faces in trying to equip the bubble wrap generation with action

competence. One means of empowering the young to become eco warriors is through positioning them as

change agents, influencing their families on ways to live more sustainably. This paper will explore a

research project that tests the effectiveness of a Protocol, co-signed by a group of fourteen-year-old

students and their families. The findings of this research shed light on the ability of a Protocol to bring

about intergenerational influence between students and their families; the reception that such a tool has on

the students and family members; and the implications for further research and practices.