This study focused on global issues of ecological sustainability in a variety of local early childhood education contexts, drawing from both kaupapa Maori and Western perspectives. Ecological sustainability as a teaching and learning issue (Gruenewald, 2003) was, within this project, philosophically grounded in an ethic of care (Martin, 2007; Noddings, 2005) and an ethics of place (Smith, 2001), with a particular focus on respect for Papatuanuku, the Earth Mother (Marsden, 2003). The teachers, tamariki and whanau of 10 early childhood centres from across Aotearoa New Zealand participated in the project. (author abstract)