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Environmental Health (EH) is an essential profession for protecting human health and yet as a discipline it is under-recognised, overlooked and misunderstood. Too few students undertake EH studies, culminating in a dearth of qualified Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) in Australia. A major deterrent to students enrolling in EH courses is a lack of appreciation of the relevance to their own lives. This is symptomatic of a wider problem of scientific literacy: the relevance gap and how to bridge it. Employing a cultural hook offers a means to connect students to science and the fundamental elements of EH. Zombies feature prominently in the contemporary cultural landscape--movies, TV, gaming, music, cosplay, 'Zombie Marches'. A Zombie Apocalypse provides an engaging platform to convey key EH concepts such as microbes and toxins, whilst improving the scientific literacy skills of both science and non-science students. Engaging students through this cultural hook bridged the relevance gap, connected students to science, and inspired an increased interest in EH.

There is evidence indicating that students are rarely asked about what they want to learn, but when they are asked, the students readily identify topics of personal relevance with a hands-on component. They want topics that are curiosity-based and not knowledge based. This paper draws on data that gave voice to 199 students studying geography and their teachers. A short survey explored students' interest in a variety of topics commonly found in geography curriculum documents. Interviews were used to increase reliability and validity. The analysis of the survey followed a "Whole Group Mean Score" and allowed for the generation of a ranked order of topics from which zones of High Interest, Low Interest, and Ambivalence were determined. The central issue that this paper addresses is that there is a misalignment in the topics that students find of interest to learn about, and those that their teachers find of interest to teach about. It is postulated that a better fit between curriculum and students' interests could lead to improved cognitive and affective geographical learning outcomes, as well as an increase in geography enrolments.

Purpose: This paper seeks to provide details of Griffith University's (GU) approach for sustainably dealing with electronic waste (e-waste) and the benefits of using the e-waste programme as a valuable educational case study for ESD. Design/methodology/approach: The e-waste programme is explained with reference to key resources and literature, so as to provide a practical approach for any organisation looking to sustainably manage its e-waste stream. The rationale and structure for the e-waste educational case study is also presented so that other academics may use it as a template or study aid within their own teaching. Findings: The paper provides references to web resources and GU internal resources so that readers can access valuable information, and to show how those resources can be applied to their own organisation. The paper also identifies and discusses the factors which may hinder the implementation of a sustainable e-waste programme. Research limitations/implications: The paper has been written to be as succinct and as accessible to readers as possible and, as such, has not presented each of the aspects of the sustainable e-waste programme in depth. This information, for those requiring more detail, is accessible through the resources presented. Practical implications: The paper is a useful source on how e-wastes can be sustainably managed by Universities and presents a modelled approach. Originality/value: This paper highlights an individual response to an increasingly complex and potentially polluting and unsustainable waste stream. It provides a practical institution-wide approach for dealing with e-wastes; and in particular, raises the awareness of the issues associated with e-waste to those institutions who may not be aware. (Contains 2 figures.)

This paper is part of an on-going project to examine outdoor education related deaths in Australia since 1960. It records eleven incidents not included in previous papers in this series. A total of 14 students or staff died in the incidents. The paper reviews the incidents and identifies what further lessons can be learned about fatality prevention when these are added to the 114 fatalities previously analysed. Several incidents differed from those previously recorded: an incident of suicide reportedly following bullying on a school camp, two deaths from food-induced anaphylactic shock, and one death apparently from hyperthermia. It discusses some examples of a trend in the news media to focus on the impact of tragedy on families and survivors. Taking into account some new and previously unrecorded incidents, it argues that deaths from falling trees and branches should be considered as a distinct phenomenon in Australian outdoor education, and more attention devoted to prevention. It suggests that deaths due to drowning as part of an end-of-school- year activity be considered a distinct syndrome. Previous conclusions about supervision of teenagers in hazardous conditions, the significant proportion of deaths due to motor vehicle incidents, and the importance of planning for outside assistance are re-emphasised. It concludes that the study of fatal incidents remains essential to fatality prevention.

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 40 adolescents who reported inhaling volatile solvents. All were aware of the short-term health risks involved in use, and most reported experiencing ill effects. Offers suggestions for intervention. (Author/GCP)

Discusses how the mining of gold has impacted the development of both Australia and Papua, New Guinea. Outlines the essential chemistry of small scale mining, the impact of gold on the economy, and the environmental effect of mercury on both the miners and the environment. (Author/CCM)