Showing papers in "Journal of Education for Sustainable Development in 2010"
TL;DR: In this article, the potentialities of education practices guided by the idea of sustainability and how they can contribute to the reformulation of the contents and methods of learning and how to improve the quality of education.
Abstract: This article reflects on the potentialities of education practices guided by the idea of sustainability and how they can contribute to the reformulation of the contents and methods of learning and ...
95 citations
TL;DR: A transformative educational agenda in response to climate change is offered in this article, where the authors argue that mainstream education for sustainable development tacitly embraces economic growth and an instrumentalist and managerial view of nature, with an emphasis on the technical and the tangible rather than the axiological and intangible.
Abstract: Education for sustainable development (ESD) is the latest and thickest manifestation of the ‘closing circle’ of policy-driven environmental education. Characterised by definitional haziness, a tendency to blur rather than lay bare inconsistencies and incompatibilities, and a cozy but ill-considered association with the globalisation agenda, the field has allowed the neoliberal marketplace worldview into the circle so that mainstream education for sustainable development tacitly embraces economic growth and an instrumentalist and managerial view of nature that goes hand in glove with an emphasis on the technical and the tangible rather than the axiological and intangible. Runaway climate change is imminent but there is widespread climate change denial, including within mainstream ESD. A transformative educational agenda in response to climate change is offered here. Recent calls for the integration of climate change education (CCE) within mainstream education for sustainable development should be resisted ...
66 citations
TL;DR: The importance of recognising the mismatch between a shared perception of separateness in Western thinking and the systemic and inevitably participative nature of the world is outlined in this article, and a plea for sustainable education denoting a change of educational culture that is at heart relational and in accord with the Earth Charter is made.
Abstract: The importance of recognising the mismatch between a shared perception of separateness in Western thinking and the systemic and inevitably participative nature of the world is outlined. The article then traces the development of forms of ‘education for change’ that seek to address sustainability issues that stem from dissociation, and notes that diversity of forms has led to a degree of fragmentation, while calls for an integrative and coherent approach to educational reform are becoming stronger. Less attention and loyalty should be paid to labels, and more to meaning and values informing educational thinking and practice. Whilst diverse forms of education for change have value, an imperative remains to rethink education more widely so that it is fully responsive to the times we live in. A plea for ‘Sustainable education’ denoting a change of educational culture that is at heart relational and in accord with the Earth Charter, is made.
63 citations
TL;DR: The ESDinds project as mentioned in this paper aims to develop approaches, indicators and tools for Civil Society Organisations to be able to measure values-based aspects and impacts of their work at the project level.
Abstract: This descriptive report outlines an innovative project in which Earth Charter International is actively involved. The project aims to develop approaches, indicators and tools for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to be able to measure values-based aspects and impacts of their work at the project level. Many CSOs have an intuitive feeling that their projects are more successful when there is a resonance of values with those involved; this project aims to make such aspects tangible, measurable and transferable to other CSOs. The two year, EU-funded project called ESDinds is characterised by a collaborative partnership between a geographically and culturally diverse consortium consisting of four CSOs (including the Earth Charter International Secretariat) and two universities. The research design takes an iterative, grounded research approach to indicator development.
36 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that the Bonn Declaration ignores economic and political realities and argue for a more critical form of education for sustainable development (ESD) linked to global citizenship education, by reference to the limitations of the green new deals being carried out as part of the stimulus packages, the alternatives proposed by ecosocialists, and the partly confl icting and partly complementary nature of forms of critical ESD based in social and cultural theory.
Abstract: At a time when the global capitalist economy is in crisis, UNESCO’s Bonn Declaration ignores economic and political realities. I argue here for a more critical form of education for sustainable development (ESD) linked to global citizenship education. I do so by reference to the limitations of the ‘green new deals’ being carried out as part of fi scal stimulus packages, the alternatives proposed by ecosocialists, and the partly confl icting and partly complementary nature of forms of critical ESD based in social and cultural theory. In late March/early April 2009, 700 participants met in Bonn at the UNESCO World Conference on ESD to carry out a stocktaking of the implementation of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and develop strategies for the way ahead (See Journal of Education for Sustainable Development [JESD] 2009, multiple articles). At the same time, leaders of the world’s richest countries met at the G20 summit in London to agree on a package of measures designed to inject new resources into a moribund global economy and clean up fi nancial markets. The summit brought anti-capitalist protestors onto the streets to draw attention to the latest crises of capitalism (the credit crunch of 2007, the fi nancial crash of 2008 and the recession of 2009) and the need to radically reshape the global political economy so that more sustainable forms of development can be realised.
23 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the development of the World Environmental Congress movement and its establishment as an important international forum is traced. Reflecting on the 5th Congress, it notes the particular c...
Abstract: This article traces the development of the World Environmental Congress movement and its establishment as an important international forum. Reflecting on the 5th Congress, it notes the particular c...
17 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a global perspective on education initiatives by and for young people that promote a transition to sustainability, drawing inspiration from the Earth Charter and considering education in its broad form, including formal education, non-formal education and values education.
Abstract: This volume offers a global perspective on education initiatives by and for young people that promote a transition to sustainability. The book draws inspiration from the Earth Charter and considers education in its broad form, including formal education, nonformal education and values education. The purpose of the book is three-fold. First, it seeks to elucidate theories, principles, practices and approaches at the intersection of young people, education and sustainable development. Second, it documents local and global educational initiatives designed for young people that are geared towards promoting sustainable development in different parts of the world. Third, it seeks to draw the attention of policy makers, educators and donor agencies to the critical importance of involvement and participation of young people in sustainable development governance. The chapters of the book are organised in three parts. Part one, ‘Principles’, describes educational philosophy for environmental education and education for sustainable development across varied geographical and cultural locations. Part two, ‘Perspectives’, contains contributions from a range of applied research, policy analysis and reviews on young people, education and sustainable development. Part three, ‘Praxis’, contains specifi c examples of projects, institutions and processes of education for young people to enhance their participation and involvement in advancing sustainable development. Many chapters are authored by Earth Charter practitioners and describe the utility of the Earth Charter in education for sustainable development.
16 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the Earth Charter and the Decade of education for sustainable development are discussed in the course of Environmental Literature at Florida Gulf Coast University, where students and instructors explore traditional definitions of ethics and sustainability, which sets the stage for engaging with the Earth charter and thinking beyond anthropocentric views.
Abstract: Journal of Education for Sustainable Development 4:2 (2010): 307–312 occurs in the Environmental Literature course at Florida Gulf Coast University. Here, humanities education becomes eco-education through exploring the relationships of humans not only to their internal worlds but also to their external worlds. In the course, students and instructors explore traditional defi nitions of ethics and sustainability, which sets the stage for engaging with the Earth Charter and thinking beyond anthropocentric views. The study of literary words through the lens of the Earth Charter allows students the opportunity to broaden their listening to include the forgotten voices of the natural world and of our elders. Because true learning of sustainability must be enacted in space and time, students complete a service learning project that allows them to bring their nascent ethics of sustainability to life. In ‘Utopianism and Education Processes in the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development: A Critical Refl ection’, Heila Lotz-Sisitka writes that recent international policy literature on education for sustainable development puts forward utopian concepts of sustainable development and transformed learning as objects for educational thinking and practice. The essay draws on three illustrative educational investigations with youth in a South African context to critically examine how educators and scholars might engage with utopian concepts such as those proposed in the Earth Charter and the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. It incorporates an engagement with other related utopian concepts, such as democracy and social justice. The author argues that if we are to keep valuable utopian concepts such as democracy, sustainability and social justice from becoming ‘toxic knowledge’, a refl exive realist orientation must guide educational engagements with such concepts.
15 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of how the values and principles of the Earth Charter initiative relate to two specific innovative movements of educational transformation, namely, peace education and education transformation, is presented.
Abstract: This article provides a review of how the values and principles of the Earth Charter initiative relate to two specific innovative movements of educational transformation, namely peace education and...
14 citations
TL;DR: The City High/Middle Centre for Economicology as mentioned in this paper is the first United Nations University (UNU) Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) on education for sustainable development (ESD) in the United States.
Abstract: Grand Rapids is the first United Nations University (UNU) Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) on education for sustainable development (ESD) in the United States. It builds on the region’s long history and deep foundation in research, planning and problem solving to build a sustainable future. This article explores the concept of RCEs as social learning for sustainability communities of practice in the context of experiences with creating our first flagship project, the City High/Middle Centre for Economicology. This model is used to broach the question of evaluation, indirectly, by suggesting the importance of identifying early indicators of likely success. It closes with six ‘meditations’ that were used to guide the flagship project and which may have wider relevance to the global RCE community.
13 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that for successful implementation of ESD principles at school, the school education system should be changed into a resource centre that initiates and supports students' inclusion into processes of sustainable development in their own communities.
Abstract: The Earth Charter represents the philosophy and ethics necessary to create a new period of human civilization. Understanding and adoption of this new vision is the most important mission of education for sustainable development (ESD). This article argues that for successful implementation of ESD principles at school, the school education system should be changed into a resource centre that initiates and supports students’ inclusion into processes of sustainable development in their own communities. Teachers’ self-definition as co-learners in the educational process is an essential part of this change. Moreover, in many instances the integration of nonformal educational initiatives led by youth into the formal educational system makes the transition to ESD more effective and sustainable. By introducing the activities of Youth International Education Club NEWLINE (Belarus), the authors provide examples of nonformal educational tools and methods implemented in several Belarusian schools.
TL;DR: In this paper, the meaning of sustainable development and education for sustainable development through the lens of the Earth Channels is explored. And the authors frame the sustainability challenges we face and explore the meaning and purpose of sustainable education.
Abstract: This introductory article frames the sustainability challenges we face and explores the meaning of sustainable development and education for sustainable development through the lens of the Earth Ch...
TL;DR: In the first half of the UN DESD, UNU acknowledged 74 Regional Centres of Expertise on education for sustainable development (RCEs) around the world as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: As its major contribution to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UN DESD, 2005–2014), the United Nations University (UNU) has promoted the establishment of Regional Centres of Expertise on education for sustainable development (RCEs) and their net-working to build innovative multistakeholder platforms for ESD locally and globally. In the first half of the UN DESD, UNU acknowledged 74 RCEs around the world. As an introduction to the special section on RCEs, this article highlights diverse roles that RCEs have taken and presents issues and challenges they have faced. It discusses RCEs as an engine for mobilising diverse stakeholders for ESD, a coordinator and an intermediary support structure for local-regional ESD activities and related initiatives in the region, and a facilitator of ‘social learning’.
TL;DR: In this paper, the possibilities for Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) to become "experiments" in social learning are discussed, and a broader research agenda is discussed.
Abstract: This article deliberates the possibilities for Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) to become ‘experiments’ in social learning. The purpose of the article is to advance the broader research agenda ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore Earth Charter education as a form of values education that is integral to education for sustainable development and conclude that the contradiction between the values and vision of the Earth Charter and the culture of affluent societies must be confronted.
Abstract: This article explores Earth Charter education as a form of values education that is integral to education for sustainable development. Initially, it outlines how Earth Charter education rests on an ecocentric worldview and a social analysis of ecojustice—terms that are defined and explained. Moving from this rationale, the article explores issues in implementing Earth Charter education in affluent societies and concludes that the contradiction between the values and vision of the Earth Charter and the culture of affluent societies must be confronted. Some pedagogical strategies for meeting this challenge are introduced.
TL;DR: Forging Inclusive Solutions describes the aims, methodology and outcomes of Inclusive Leadership Adventures, an experiential education curriculum for exploring the Earth Charter as discussed by the authors, which builds meaningful relationships, skills, awareness and an inclusive community based on the Earth charter principles.
Abstract: Forging Inclusive Solutions describes the aims, methodology and outcomes of Inclusive Leadership Adventures, an experiential education curriculum for exploring the Earth Charter. Experiential education builds meaningful relationships, skills, awareness and an inclusive community based on the Earth Charter principles. When we meet people where they are, it becomes easy and enjoyable for all participants to organise their thoughts, feelings and experiences into realistic and motivating action plans. In the words of one recent participant, ‘I’ve learned that we are leaders of a future society which is sustainable and unified.’
TL;DR: The authors examined the relationship between the Earth Charter and education for sustainable development (ESD), as part of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DECADE 2011-2013).
Abstract: This article examines the relationship between the Earth Charter and education for sustainable development (ESD), as part of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. The areas of shared interest between the two are assessed and the invaluable nature of the Earth Charter as a resource outlining global values and principles for a sustainable, peaceful Earth asserted. Through an examination of the traditional Chinese philosophies of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism, symmetries with the Earth Charter principles are explored and the importance of linking the Earth Charter and ESD with local culture, belief systems and indigenous knowledge is emphasised. Methods for infusing these values and principles in education are proposed and the role of the Earth Charter as a base for linking the local and global in order to foster knowledge, values and skills for sustainable development at the individual, institutional and societal levels through formal, nonformal and informal learning settings is highli...
TL;DR: A teacher training course called Education for Sustainable Development Regional Course (CREADS) was implemented by the Costa Rican government as mentioned in this paper, where the Earth Charter was used as the course framework and a coalition of governmental and nongovernmental organisations coordinated by the Ministry of Education and IPN was put in place to deliver the course.
Abstract: After the Costa Rican government signed a commitment to implement the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), the challenge was how to put the commitment into action. Fortunately, an opportunity presented itself with an initiative called Peace with Nature (Iniciativa Paz con la Naturaleza–IPN), under which a teacher training course called Education for Sustainable Development Regional Course (CREADS) was implemented. A ‘coalition’ of governmental and nongovernmental organisations, coordinated by the Ministry of Education and IPN, was put in place to deliver the course and it was decided to use the Earth Charter as the course framework. This article describes the process of creating this course, its content and methodology, and analyses the course impact, lessons learned and challenges ahead.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors highlighted some of the efforts that the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) has organised in promoting the Earth Charter over the years and shed light on how inspiration and determination by one individual has led many of SGI's activities to success.
Abstract: This article is the edited text of the presentation made by the author at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne, Australia, 3–9 December 2009. The session was titled ‘Healing the Earth with Care and Concern: Religious Responses to the Earth Charter’. The article highlights some of the efforts that the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) has organised in promoting the Earth Charter over the years. It also sheds light on how the inspiration and determination by one individual has led many of SGI’s activities to success while discussing the resonance between the Earth Charter and Buddhist principles as well as the ideals of SGI. Lastly, the article provides some thoughts on how the Earth Charter can increase its contribution to the UN.
TL;DR: The e-GLO course as discussed by the authors is the Earth Charter Global Learning Opportunity (GLO) course, which is an online leadership course inspired by the Earth-Charter International.
Abstract: For ten years now the Earth Charter has been inspiring global citizens to engage in conversations and actions that benefit everybody. This article describes e-GLO, the Earth Charter Global Learning Opportunity, the Earth Charter International’s semester-long, online leadership course inspired by the Earth Charter. It is developed and implemented in collaboration with BeatBoard Education and Training and Heart in Action Enterprises.
TL;DR: The Methodist University Sustainable Program was developed in a bottom-up way and began with the introduction of sustainability as a core value in the Institutional Political-Pedagogical Plan, followed by the creation of a Sustainability Committee and actions defined in an Education Program and a Structural Diagnosis of three environmental resources: water, energy and greenhouse gas emissions as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: This article describes a pioneering initiative of a Brazilian university to introduce sustainability in all undergraduate curricula and in its operations. The Methodist University Sustainable Program was developed in a bottom-up way and began with the introduction of sustainability as a core value in the Institutional Political-Pedagogical Plan, followed by the creation of a Sustainability Committee and actions defined in an Education Program and a Structural Diagnosis of three environmental resources: water, energy and greenhouse gas emissions. The first step of the Education Program was to establish how and where sustainability could be included within the curricula of undergraduate courses. The second step was to prepare the professors and lecturers of the identified subjects to mainstream sustainability in their curricula using the Earth Charter as a guideline. The first module of an education leadership program was conducted and resulted in the Sustainability Academy seed. The second module is alread...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the process of widespread teacher training based on the Earth Charter in the municipal area of Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America, which diffused knowledge of the Earth charter through 800 educators and by means of them, to one million children.
Abstract: This article presents the process of widespread teacher training based on the Earth Charter in the municipal area of Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America. This effort diffused knowledge of the Earth Charter through 800 educators and by means of them, to one million children. This process was developed by the team from UMAPAZ—Open University of the Environment and the Culture of Peace—working with the city Office of Greening and the Environment and the city secretary of education. It was one of a set of municipal initiatives regarding climate change.
TL;DR: Ashlawn Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, began the implementation of the Global Citizenship Project (GCP) which is designed around the four guiding principles of the Earth Cha... as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In July 2008, the Ashlawn Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, began the implementation of the Global Citizenship Project, which is designed around the four guiding principles of the Earth Cha...
TL;DR: The integration of Earth Charter into everyday practice of schools in Germany has to be combined with curriculum development in different subjects as mentioned in this paper, and two states of Germany started this process by organizing inservice training for primary and secondary teachers.
Abstract: The integration of Earth Charter into everyday practice of schools in Germany has to be combined with the curriculum development in different subjects. Two states of Germany started this process by organizing inservice training for primary and secondary teachers. Additionally they translated and adopted the Earth Charter Teachers Guidebook to improve the integration of Earth Charter ideas and content in German schools.
TL;DR: The Regional Centre of Expertise in education for sustainable development (RCE) is endeavouring to create an innovative learning space by engaging with local knowledge strengths as discussed by the authors, which is a key task of RCE North East, located in the North East of England, will be to tackle problems of inequality in education and to meet local and global challenges.
Abstract: A key task of RCE North East, located in the North East of England, will be to tackle problems of inequality in education and to meet local and global challenges by promoting an expansive program of education for sustainable development. The article describes how the Regional Centre of Expertise in education for sustainable development (RCE) is endeavouring to create an innovative learning space by engaging with local knowledge strengths.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors highlight the critical role of higher education in shaping societal trends and policies, but admit that complacency (in some circles known as "tradition" keeps institutions "mired in the Stone Age" (p. 5, quoting M. Crow from Arizona state).
Abstract: An inspiring foreword by Anthony Cortese, a guru of sustainability in higher education, launches the reader into the book with a good understanding of the impact higher education can have on global sustainability. The introduction, perhaps unnecessarily heavy on quotes from other visionaries, is a reminder of the importance of understanding our interconnectedness with global society, the economy and ecology. The authors emphasise the critical role of higher education in shaping societal trends and policies, but admit that, in many cases, complacency (in some circles known as ‘tradition’) keeps institutions ‘mired in the Stone Age’ (p. 5, quoting M. Crow from Arizona state). The point of the book, they note, is to ‘offer higher education leaders a strategy for breaking through the static and capturing the attention of a world overwhelmed with a barrage of information’ (p. 7). Through innovation and inclusion, the authors believe, universities can create long-term value for themselves and their communities, and they provide ample examples of universities actively doing this. The book is well targeted at an audience of college and university administrators, but can also be useful to anyone promoting sustainability on campus. Its publisher, the National Association of College and University Business Offi cers (NACUBO), is a membership organisation representing more than 2,500 colleges, universities and
TL;DR: The Gota Verde Project in Yoro, Honduras as mentioned in this paper demonstrated the technical and economic feasibility of small-scale biofuel production for local use by implementing a distinctive approach to feedstock production that encourages small farm sizes, mixed cropping of biofuel feedstock from Jatropha and food crops, particularly corn and beans, grown side by side on the same farmland.
Abstract: Biofuels may contribute to both rural economic development and climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Gota Verde Project in Yoro, Honduras, attempts to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of small-scale biofuel production for local use by implementing a distinctive approach to feedstock production that encourages small farm sizes, mixed cropping of biofuel feedstock from Jatropha and food crops, particularly corn and beans, grown side by side on the same farmland and the total involvement of small rural farmers. But is the project sustainable? Using EC-Assess, the Earth Charter ethics-based assessment tool, to assess the sustainability of this project, the author found that in some assessment categories the actions surpassed the intended objectives, showing that the project was achieving certain Earth Charter goals without specifi cally stating its intention to address them.