Education for Sustainable Development

1. Education for Sustainable Development ~ Making the abstract real ~ www.earthcharter.org www.cartadelatierra.org www.chartedelaterre.org

2. Structure • Education for Sustainable • Development (ESD) • The Earth Charter and Education • Resources • Conclusions

3. What is Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)? • “It seeks to develop the knowledge, skills, perspectives and values to empower people of all ages to assume responsibility for creating and enjoying a sustainable future.”(1) • ESD is also a process of learning how to make decisions that consider the long-term future of the economy, ecology and equity of all. (1) UNDESD Framework for the Int’l Implementation Scheme, UNESCO

4. ESD helps us to shift from a fragmented to an integrated approach of problem solving

5. Some Key Themes of ESD • Human Rights • Intercultural Understanding and Peace • Sustainable Production and Consumption • Cultural Diversity • Participatory • Processes • Overcoming Poverty • Gender Equality • Health • Environmental Protection • Rural Transformation

6. SOCIAL ESD ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT ESD brings together different spheres

7. ESD helps one to: • Collaborate & cooperate with others • Move from awareness to action • Be a life-long learner • Have a systemic view of the world • Motivate others towards sustainability • Think critically • Make good decisions • Solve problems • Plan with an integrated approach • Resolve Conflicts • Communicate effectively

8. Pedagogical approaches for ESD • Educational process should be: • Participatory and inclusive • Inter-disciplinary • Student-centered • View students as both learners and teachers • Contextualized and flexible • Collaborative • Transformative • … The ‘how’ we educate needs to be just as important as the ‘what’!

9. Why ESD? Sustainable development is an urgent social and ecological need, and education is an indispensable element for achieving it. The United Nations declared the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development which began in 2005.

10. Structure • Education for Sustainable • Development (ESD) • The Earth Charter and Education • Resources • Conclusions

11. What is the Earth Charter? • A declaration of ethical principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society. • A process of dialogue, partnerships and activities that have become an ‘Initiative’.

12. A Brief History of the Earth Charter Initiative

13. The Earth Charter represents a Global Consensus on Sustainability and anEthical Call to Action Protect ... Care ... Transmit ... Adopt ... Support ... Reduce ... Require ... Eliminate ... Honor ... Core sustainability values + Responsibility to act = I. Respect for nature II. Universal human rights III. Economic justice IV. Culture of peace

14. The Earth Charter is aUnifying Platform for Change • Clarifies sustainability • Covers all aspects • Builds legitimacy • Inspires and informs • Links local to global • Reaches from boardroom to community • Provides a common platform for action • Sets a high performance standard

15. The core themes of the Earth Charter answer the needs of our society Need: A framework for being able to critically evaluate one’s situation Need: An advanced understanding of our shared global problems Core Themes Interdependence Partnerships The Community of Life Peace and Non-violence Universal Responsibility Differentiated Responsibility Critical Challenges and Choices Need: A culture of collaboration

16. Application Of values Consciousness –raising Call for action • Guiding principles • Creation of partnerships: • Civil society • Business • Governments • Environmental problems • Social problems • Economic problems The Earth Charter can help advance three fundamental educational objectives

17. Why is the Earth Charter an important tool for ESD? • The Earth Charter: • Offers and integrated approach • Articulates the principles for promoting a sustainable future • A pedagogical tool for a culture of peace

18. The Earth Charter helps provide a high-level perspective, while empowering to act locally

19. Structure • Education for Sustainable • Development (ESD) • The Earth Charter and Education • Resources • Conclusions

20. The Earth Charter Initiative had developed a number of resources • Posters • Brochures • Videos • Earth Charter in Action Book • Earth Charter Bibliography • Earth Charter Case Studies • Workbook for schools • Guidebook for teachers • Univ. course on ESD • Presentations An Online Resource Center is available at www.earthcharter.org

21. Earth Charter in ActionBook • Demonstrates what sustainability principles mean in practice • Examples from all over the world ... from biodiversity to business to rehabilitating child soldiers • Authors include Mikhail Gorbachev, Wangari Maathai, Jane Goodall, Ruud Lubbers, HRH Princess Basma Bint Talal ... over 70 co-authors • Is available to download at www.earthcharter.org

22. Conclusions • ESD is about content as well as skills and values • The ‘how’ is often more important than the ‘what’ • The Decade offers an opportunity to advance ESD initiatives at all education levels • The Earth Charter provides a valuable educational framework

23. T H E E A R T H C H A R T E R I N I T I A T I V E www.EarthCharter.org Contact: Earth Charter International info@earthcharter.org