The concepts of environmental education and education for sustainability have been acknowledged by many tertiary institutions for over a decade. An appreciable number of institutions have signed agreements to educate students in all disciplines about sustainability. Although several Australian institutions of higher education have signed the Talloire Declaration, a recent survey finds little indication that their curricula have been changed to include sustainability education. Despite the apparent widespread support for the concept of student education in sustainability, there is little implementation. The experience of Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University suggests that those concerned about education and environment/sustainability need more than conviction and vision. A strategic approach – based on change management and supported by staff development – is needed to implement these sorts of changes. Rather than attempting to outline a grand plan or model for implementation, this paper identifies key issues and looks into the current experience associated with implementation approaches.

Sustainability in tertiary curricula: what is stopping it happening?

Purpose – To show that the practices, processes and resources for the management of the university environment should be aligned to meet the ever‐growing demands of sustainability and its motivations should be clearly spelt out to all stakeholders. Universities should also strive to become leaders in the development of effective environmental programmes and work to overcome the barriers that may exist in this regard.Design/methodology/approach – The general focus of this inquiry was based on the qualitative research paradigm. Information was gathered from a wide variety of formats, both printed and online databases which was used to build a foundation for analysis, consideration, description, explanation and prediction. It is maintained that universities – which arguably have played a significant role in bringing mankind to its current position – must practice, demonstrate and educate on the path to sustainability.Findings – Effective environmental management systems (EMSs), must be adopted so as to manag...

The implementation of environmental management towards sustainable universities and education for sustainable development as an ethical imperative

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to comparatively analyse activities to integrate sustainability in teaching, research and operational practice in different higher education institutions, which differ both in the degree of how far implementation goes and in regards to the most active stakeholders Against that background, the paper explores, in a process‐oriented focus, which drivers and barriers are experienced as most important and how they relate to each otherDesign/methodology/approach – A comparative multi‐case study has been conducted, with two main steps to structure the research process: first, desktop research was used to select appropriate cases in a theoretical sampling Second, data from interviews with relevant stakeholders in each case were analysed according to the constant comparison methodFindings – Across all cases, three distinctive patterns of implementation processes emerged, each of them with a unique set of influencing factors For each pattern, drivers and barriers, as well

Many roads lead to sustainability: a process‐oriented analysis of change in higher education

The reported research examines the level of environmental knowledge of Michigan State University students relative to the results of a biannual national study of the environmental knowledge of the general population of the United States. While the university students were found to possess higher levels of environmental knowledge than the general public, the students' overall environmental knowledge, on average, was deficient with only 66% of them receiving a passing grade. The findings suggest a positive correlation between academic level, field of study and environmental knowledge.

How Environmental Knowledge Measures up at a Big Ten University.

While Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory has been widely applied to various populations, it has seldom been tested on college students This study extends VBN theory to examine what socio-psychological factors influence sustainability behaviors among university students Undergraduate students are an interesting and novel population, as they are still forming their values and beliefs, and therefore may be more open to engage in sustainability efforts This study assessed five sustainability behaviors: (a) support for political candidates who say they will strengthen environmental policies, (b) recycling, (c) electricity use, (d) food selection, and (e) transportation choices Findings support the notion that one’s values matter in environmental decision-making, but that different values are associated with different behaviors Those who adhere to biospheric and altruistic values were more likely to engage in a range of sustainability behaviors whereas those who adhere to egoistic values were less like

Sustainability behaviors among college students: an application of the VBN theory

Chief academic officers at four‐year institutions in the USA were surveyed electronically to examine the extent to which these institutions provide for the environmental education of students in non‐environmental majors, and to identify various approaches to increasing environmental literacy at the college level. Of the 496 responding institutions (representing a 42.3 percent response rate), 11.6 percent indicated that an “environmental literacy” course was required of all students, and 55.0 percent reported that such a course was available and countable toward the institution’s general education requirements. At least one “environmental” minor (e.g. Environmental Science, Environmental Studies) was offered at 33.7 percent of the institutions; 39 percent reported the existence of an “environmental” academic program that offered a course appropriate for non‐majors. Discusses various approaches to achieving environmental literacy at the college level and statistical differences in survey responses among Carnegie classifications, from Research to Baccalaureate; between public and private institutions; and among geographical regions.

Vickie L. Wolfe

Papers

A survey of the environmental education of students in non‐environmental majors at four‐year institutions in the USA