Sustainability
can be interpreted as a challenge to the education system due to a number of
reasons. For example, decision-makers’ and public’s inadequate understanding of
sustainability is a key barrier to addressing it effectively.
That
education should play a key role addressing sustainability has now achieved
global recognition, as shown by the following:
§ Chapter 36 of Agenda
21: ‘Education is critical for promoting sustainable development and improving
the capacity of the people to address environment and development issues’ (UN
Sustainable Development 1993)
§ The UNESCO website: ‘Education is essential to sustainable development. Citizens of the world
need to learn their way to sustainability’ (UNESCO 2012)
§ The UN DESD (Decade
for Education for Sustainable Development) emphasises ‘the indispensible role
of education for achieving sustainable development’ (Zilahy et al 2009)
Education’s
key role in sustainability has coined the phrase ‘Education for Sustainable
Development’ (ESD) (or ‘Education for Sustainability’ EfS). ESD is ‘a process of
learning how to make decisions that consider the long-term future of the
economy, ecology and equity of all communities’ (UNESCO 2004 in Djordjevic and
Cotton 2011). Its aim is to equip people with the knowledge, skills, values and
competencies needed to bring about change. Like sustainability, ESD is a
contested term.
ESD
has risen to global limelight with the UN Decade of ESD 2005-2014. With one of
its four thrusts being reorienting education
to address sustainability, this decade strives to integrate SD into all
education and all areas of life, from communities to society in general, with a
view of generating the behaviour changes needed for building a more sustainable
society.
Within
education, what role has higher education got to play in building a sustainable
world. The next blog entry will explore that…
Resources on
education and sustainability
2013
Educationfor sustainable development (Higher Education Academy)Educationfor Sustainability Guides (University of Gloucestershire)
2012
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) (UNESCO)Educationfor Sustainable Development (UN University)
Education for Sustainable Development (Wikipedia)
2002
Educationfor Sustainable Development Toolkit
Undated
Education for Sustainable Development (UK National
Commission for UNESCO)Education for Sustainable Development (ESD resources)
References &
Bibliography
Blake,
J. and Sterling, S. (2011) Tensions and transitions: effecting change towards
sustainability at a mainstream university through staff living and learning at
an alternative, civil society college. Environmental Education Research,
17(1), pp.125-144.
Chalkley,
B. and Sterling, S. (2011) Hard times in higher education: the closure of
subject centres and the implications for education for sustainable development
(ESD). Sustainability, 3, pp. 666-677.
Djordjevic, A. and Cotton, D.R.E. (2011) Communicating the sustainability message in
higher education institutions. International
Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 12(4), pp. 381-394.
Ferrer-Balas, D; Lozano, R; Huisingh, D; Buckland, H;
Ysern, P; Zilahy, G (2010) Going beyond the rhetoric: system-wide changes in
universities for sustainable societies, Journal of Cleaner Production, 18, pp.607-610
Jones,
P., Trier, C.J., and Richards, J.P. (2008) Embedding Education for Sustainable
Development in higher education: A case study examining common challenges and
opportunities for undergraduate programmes. International
Journal of Educational Research, 47,
pp.341-350.
Hopkinson,
P., Hughes, P. and Layer, G. (2008) Sustainable graduates: linking formal,
informal and campus curricula to embed education for sustainable development in
the student learning experience. Environmental Education Research, 14(4), pp.435-454.
Raivio,
K. (2011) Sustainability as an educational agenda. Journal of Cleaner Production, 19,
pp. 1906-1907.
Sterling,
S. and Scott, W. (2008) Higher education and ESD in England: a critical
commentary on recent initiatives. Environmental Education Research, 14 (4), pp. 386-398.
UNESCO
(2004) United Nations Decade for
Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014: Draft international
implementation scheme. Paris: UNESCO.
UNESCO
(2006) ESD: The United Nations decade
(2005-2014). Paris: UNESCO.
UNESCO
(2012) Education for Sustainable Development [Online] Available from: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-sustainable-development/education-for-sustainable-development/
(Accessed 27 November 2012)
UN
Sustainable Development (1993) Agenda 21 [Online] Available from: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf
(Accessed 23 November 2012)
Yarime,
M., Trencher, G, Mino, T., Scholz, R.W., Olsson, L., Ness, B., Frantzeskaki, N.
and Rotmans, J. (2012) Establishing sustainability science in higher education
institutions: towards an integration of academic development,
institutionalization, and stakeholder collaborations. Sustainability Science, 7
(Supplement 1), pp. 101-113.
Zilahy.
G., Huisingh, D. Melanen, M., Phillips, V.D. and Sheffy, J. (2009) Roles of
academia in regional sustainability initiatives: outreach for a more
sustainable future. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 17, pp. 1053–1056.
Photograph by Asitha Jayawardena
The Sustainable University One-stop Shop:
Central platform: http://www.sustainableuni.kk5.org/
Satellite websites: News and Information, Research, Good Practice, Quotes and Facts, Blog, Micro-blog (Twitter)
