Education for sustainable development

Sustainability education (ES), Education for Sustainability (EfS), and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) are interchangeable terms describing the practice of teaching for sustainability. ESD is the term most used internationally and by the United Nations. Agenda 21 was the first international document that identified education as an essential tool for achieving sustainable development and highlighted areas of action for education.

Background

Groundwork has been laid for sustainability education worldwide. Recent changes in service learning, a focus on literacies and skills, standards that support interdisciplinary thinking, and the role of systems thinking have all increased the visibility of the movement. Various approaches to ESD encourage people to understand the complexities of, and synergies between, the issues threatening planetary sustainability and understand and assess their own values and those of the society in which they live in the context of sustainability. ESD seeks to engage people in negotiating a sustainable future, making decisions and acting on them. While it is generally agreed on that sustainability education must be customized for individual learners, according to Tilbury and Wortman, the following skills are essential to ESD:

• Envisioning – being able to imagine a better future. The premise is that if we know where we want to go, we will be better able to work out how to get there.
• Critical thinking and reflection – learning to question our current belief systems and to recognize the assumptions underlying our knowledge, perspective and opinions. Critical thinking skills help people learn to examine economic, environmental, social and cultural structures in the context of sustainable development.
• Systemic thinking – acknowledging complexities and looking for links and synergies when trying to find solutions to problems.
• Building partnerships – promoting dialogue and negotiation, learning to work together.
• Participation in decision-making – empowering people.

The Green Education Foundation (GEF) promotes sustainability education with a K-12 curriculum. GEF's National Green Week encourages students to become environmental stewards within the context of their own lives. GEF offers the Green Energy Challenge, Green Thumb Challenge and Green Building Program as part of its sustainability education efforts.

The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD)

In recognition of the importance of ESD, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2005-2014 the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD). UNESCO leads the Decade and has developed an International Implementation Scheme for the Decade. The goals of the decade are to provide an opportunity for refining and promoting the vision of, and transition to, sustainable development – through all forms of education, public awareness and training; and to give an enhanced profile to the important role of education and learning in sustainable development.

The objectives of the DESD are to:

• facilitate networking linkages, exchange and interaction among stakeholders in ESD;
• foster increased quality of teaching and learning in ESD;
• help countries make progress towards and attain the Millennium Development Goals through ESD efforts;
• provide countries with new opportunities to incorporate ESD into education reform efforts.

U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development

The U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development (USPESD) consists of individuals, organizations and institutions in the United States dedicated to education for sustainable development (ESD). It acts as a convener, catalyst, and communicator working across all sectors of American society.

The U.S. Partnership was conceived at a November 2003 "Open Space" gathering held in Washington, DC that included almost 100 participants from a diverse range of sectors including K-12 and higher education, science and research organizations, conservation and environmental NGOs, faith communities, living institutions, youth advocacy organizations, government agencies and others. Convened by the National Council on Science and the Environment and University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, the group met to respond to the call by the UN General Assembly for a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005 through 2014) and to consider specifically:

1. How the Decade could be leveraged to advance education for sustainable development (ESD) in the United States;
2. What were the opportunities for collaboration within and across sectors; and
3. How could widespread engagement in the Decade by U.S. organizations be facilitated.

A subsequent strategic planning retreat on the campus of Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania gave shape to the emerging Partnership. Hosted by the International Center for Leadership Results and facilitated by Group Jazz, participants agreed upon the Partnership's Vision - "sustainable development integrated into education and learning in the United States;" and Mission - to "leverage the UN Decade to foster education for sustainable development in the United States". They also conceived of an operating structure for the Partnership, including Action Teams (Marketing, Outreach, Funding, ICT, Youth etc.) and Sector Teams (K-12, Higher Education, Faith Communities, Business, and Communities.), whose volunteer leadership would comprise an Executive Team. An "Interim Steward" would provide ongoing facilitation and leadership.

Participants decided that the Partnership would not design or implement programs of its own. Rather, it would serve as a clearing house - helping to connect, highlight, and foster collaboration among partners - and serving as a catalyst to convene groups and build community to support existing and emerging initiatives.

The Partnership supports its vision and mission through periodic conference calls, in-person meetings and events, and its website. Action and Sector Teams remain key operational components of the Partnership, carrying out a range of activities in support of its mission and vision. Action Teams are responsible for planning and carrying out joint activities that support the entire partnership (e.g. Funding, ICT, Marketing). Sector Teams focus on the needs of their own sector (e.g. Higher Ed., K-12, Faith Communities). The Sector Teams have compiled ESD tools and resources and worked together to advance ESD through initiatives held "in collaboration with the U.S. Partnership". The Decade and the U.S. Partnership provide international and national context for such efforts, helping to promote and strengthen education for sustainable development in the United States.

Individuals

The following individuals are associated with the sustainability education movement:

• Jaimie Cloud

Educational institutions

Professional organizations often produce their own standards and best practices lists. The North American Association for Environmental Education[1] has produced a detailed "Guidelines for Excellence" in educational programming. Some educational institutions that focus on ESD include:

• London South Bank University, with a Masters program in Education for Sustainability
• Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education
• Ramapo College
• St Francis Xavier College (Canberra)
• Prescott College, with a PhD program in Sustainability Education
• Ithaca College
• Göncöl Foundation
• Hermit Park State School
• Centre for Sustainability
• Creative Change Educational Solutions
• Learning for a Sustainable Future
• Green Education Foundation
• Centre for Alternative Technology's Education Department

In other parts of the world, some active organizations are

• Baltic University Programme, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
• Global Action Plan (GAP) International
• SWEDESD, the Swedish International Centre of Education for Sustainable Development, Stockholm
• The NOW! Organization

Awards for education programs aimed at promoting sustainability programs such as EfS

The Zayed Future Energy Prize, was proud to announce the launch of the new "Global High School Prize" category in 2012. High Schools from around the world will be requested to submit a business case for how they plan on utilizing the prize for the purpose of raising awareness on the importance of sustainability and improving the school’s environmental footprint. The Global High School Prize is also a UAE commitment to the UN Secretary General’s Year of Sustainable Energy for All, which was launched from Abu Dhabi on January 16th, 2012.

Other Sources

The Walmart corporation offers a program for employees focused on sustainability education that includes the skill sets of EfS.

Biography

• Jones, P., Selby, D., Sterling, S. (2010) Sustainability Education: Perspectives and Practice Across Higher Education. Renouf Publishing.
• Sims, G.D. (2007) Sustainability education: where does it belong? Minnesota State University.
• Li, Z., and Williams, M. (2006) Environmental and geographical education for sustainability: cultural contexts. Nova Publishers.
• Lang, J. (2007) How to succeed with education for sustainability. Curriculum Corporation.

External links

• Learning for Sustainability
• Journal of Sustainability Education
• Education and Sustainability by RCE-Barcelona