Education for Sustainable Development
Encyclopedia
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 level 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.
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:
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.
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:
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:
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.
In other parts of the world, some active organizations are
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
. ESD is the term most used internationally level and by the United Nations. Agenda 21
Agenda 21
Agenda 21 is an action plan of the United Nations related to sustainable development and was an outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992...
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 thinkingSystems thinking
Systems thinking is the process of understanding how things influence one another within a whole. In nature, systems thinking examples include ecosystems in which various elements such as air, water, movement, plants, and animals work together to survive or perish...
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 thinkingCritical thinkingCritical thinking is the process or method of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic...
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 thinkingSystems thinkingSystems thinking is the process of understanding how things influence one another within a whole. In nature, systems thinking examples include ecosystems in which various elements such as air, water, movement, plants, and animals work together to survive or perish...
– 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 NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
General Assembly declared 2005-2014 the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD). UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
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:
- How the Decade could be leveraged to advance education for sustainable development (ESD) in the United States;
- What were the opportunities for collaboration within and across sectors; and
- 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 CloudJaimie CloudJaimie P. Cloud is a sustainability educator and advocate in New York City, New York. Cloud has been recognized for her contributions to the fields of sustainability education and school reform...
- Richard KahnRichard V. KahnRichard Kahn is Core Faculty in Education at Antioch University Los Angeles, where he specializes in ecopedagogy, a form of education for sustainability...
Educational institutions
Professional organizations often produce their own standards and best practices lists. The North American Association for Environmental Educationhttp://www.naaee.org/ has produced a detailed "Guidelines for Excellence" in educational programming. Some educational institutions that focus on ESD include:- London South Bank UniversityLondon South Bank UniversityLondon South Bank University is a university in south London. With over 25,000 students and 1,700 staff, it is based in the London Borough of Southwark, near the South Bank of the River Thames, from which it takes its name...
, with a Masters program in Education for Sustainability - Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education
- Ramapo CollegeRamapo CollegeRamapo College of New Jersey is a public liberal arts and professional studies institution of the New Jersey system of higher education.- Location :...
- St Francis Xavier College (Canberra)
- Prescott CollegePrescott CollegePrescott College is a private liberal arts college in Prescott, Arizona, founded in 1966. It is a non-profit organization which has an undergraduate body of roughly 800 students, and an average student to faculty ratio of 7:1 in on-campus classrooms...
, with a PhD program in Sustainability Education - Ithaca CollegeIthaca CollegeIthaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
- Göncöl FoundationGöncöl FoundationThe Göncöl Foundation is a Hungarian environmental organisation, seated in the Göncöl House in Vác, Hungary. The Foundation, created in his present form in 1989, is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organisation independent of any political or commercial interest...
- Hermit Park State School
- Centre for SustainabilityCentre for SustainabilityThe Continuing Studies Centre for Sustainability is an educational organization at the University of British Columbia. The Centre’s aim is to bring academic and industry expertise to the wider community by providing sustainability education and training programs for individuals, organizations and...
- Creative Change Educational Solutions
- Learning for a Sustainable Future
- Green Education Foundation
In other parts of the world, some active organizations are
- SWEDESD, the Swedish International Centre of Education for Sustainable Development, Stockholm
- Global Action Plan (GAP) InternationalGlobal Action PlanGlobal Action Plan is an NGO that specialises in sustainable behaviour change, and in particular in ESD. There are programs for schools and youth, households and communities, and workplaces...
- The NOW! OrganizationThe NOW! OrganizationThe NOW! Organization is a Canadian non-profit, youth-run, sustainability organization based in Vancouver, British Columbia.-History:...
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.