Sustainable living is important for everyone on the planet. We can all reduce our personal impact on the environment – and this free website contains lots of ideas for living a 'greener' life.

But being 'green' isn't enough – society also needs scientists, engineers and new technology to help us lead more sustainable lives. And to have enough scientists and engineers in the future, we need to ensure today's students are inspired to select STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) when the time comes to choosing qualifications.

The new geography section looks at some of the worldwide issues surrounding sustainable land and resource management. As a technology company, 3M understands society's need for scientists. Our community programme in the UK and Ireland is therefore focused on supporting the teaching of STEM subjects.

Designed for use with 11–16 year-old students, 3M Worldlywise looks beyond the obvious advice and considers the complexity of sustainability issues.

Overview

3M has sponsored the development of this free online classroom resource as part of its community programme in the UK.

The site has been designed to help stimulate and maintain pupils' interest in sustainability and in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths); to encourage more students to select STEM subjects for their qualifications – and to then pursue degrees and careers in science.

How to use this site

When students enter the site, they are greeted by an overview of 'Future Town', a generic town that they explore by clicking on the arrows or moving the mouse. Despite the name, this isn't a futuristic town – it is an ordinary town making adaptations to be more sustainable and therefore more suited to the future.

Various items in the town are active elements. These active elements are highlighted by a question-mark. Clicking on the active elements in the town opens a deeper section of the site. Each section of the site explores the issue of sustainability from a different perspective and covers a different part of the curriculum. There are more details about which sections cover which topics in the subject sections.