The Blossom Model: A leisure-based proposal for environmental sustainability

Abstract

The Blossom Model is an interdisciplinary, integral and systemic proposal of the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional for environmental education, inspired by the concept of the five skins of the painter Friedensreich Hundertwasser and developed by the ‘Environment and Curriculum’ group of the University. The model consists of six skins or levels, ten dimensions or petals, the spiral, and the actors. The skins represent the spiral interaction of the environment (the body, the home, the university, the city, the region, and the planet) with the cosmovision of indigenous communities as an alternative to hegemonic environmental models. The petals represent the dimensions of environmental education (epistemological, ontological, cultural, aesthetic, playful, creative, economic, political, ethical and leisure) and address, among others, knowledge, emotions, culture and aesthetics. Finally, the model includes relationships with the educational context based on a circular interaction between the personal and the collective, mediated by educational processes and social actors. The objective of this work was to analyze the playful dimension of this model to address environmental issues from an interdisciplinary perspective, with special emphasis on physical education. This analysis highlights the role of leisure in creating deep environmental awareness and promoting sustainable practices inside and outside the university.