Young girl students at the green school project in Bahir Dar, by Sasha Rubel, Creative Commons Licence.
Education for Sustainability (ESD) has been particularly supported by UNESCO. Their website sets out the arguments for, and approaches to, how such knowledge can be gained.
Overall, it believes that ESD:
- is based on the principles and values that underlie sustainable development
- deals with the wellbeing of all four dimensions of sustainability: environment, society, culture and economy
- uses a variety of pedagogical techniques that promote participatory learning and higher-order thinking skills
- promotes lifelong learning
- is locally relevant and culturally appropriate
- engages formal, non-formal and informal education
- accommodates the evolving nature of the concept of sustainability
- addresses content, taking into account context, global issues and local priorities
- builds civil capacity for community based decision-making, social tolerance, environmental stewardship, an adaptable workforce and a good quality of life
- is interdisciplinary. No single discipline can claim ESD for itself; all disciplines can contribute to ESD.
Learningforsustainability.net is a portal that acts as a “reference guide for those working to support social learning and collective action around sustainability issues. Annotated links provide direct access to hundreds of key resources internationally.”
One example of an academic institution that promotes such learning is the Swedish International Centre of Education for Sustainable Development (SWEDESD) at Uppsala University, which promotes ESD through capacity development, research and policy development.
Link
More details via unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-sustainable-development
