EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (ESD)

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (ESD) Brian Chalkley Director of Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) University of Plymouth Stephen Sterling Centre for Sustainable Futures (ESD CETL) University of Plymouth Workshop at University of Northampton 3rd May 2007

OUR KEY QUESTIONS • What is ESD’s present position in UK HE? • Why engage with the ESD agenda? • What is currently being done at Northampton? • What steps are being taken in other HEIs? • What more could you consider doing?

Question 1 WHAT IS THE CURRENT POSITION? • Small number of courses focused on SD • ESD quite strong in a few disciplines • But most QAA Benchmarks are silent • ESD is absent from most L&T strategies • Most UK graduates are not “sustainability literate” • But ………. new surge of interest!

THE NEW SURGE OF INTEREST • Evidence of planetary deterioration • HEFCE’s SD Strategy • UN Decade for ESD (2005-15) • HE Academy, CETLs and Ecoversity • Recognition that HE’s previous failings must be remedied

HEFCE’s NEW SD STRATEGY • Embed principles of SD across HE • Develop appropriate curricula • Build new SD research programmes • Reduce HE’s ecological footprint

HEFCE’S SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AMBITION “Our vision is that within the next ten years, the higher education sector will be recognised as a major contributor to society’s efforts to achieve sustainability”

HEFCE’s PRIORITY “The greatest contribution higher education has to make to sustainable development is by enabling students to develop new skills and knowledge”

THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACADEMY Through its 24 Subject Centres the Academy will: • Raise awareness of ESD in the subjects/disciplines • Provide support and guidance for academic staff (capacity building) • Produce ESD teaching resources • Share good practice (conferences, websites, etc.) • Work with other organisations

THE TWO ESD CENTRES FOR EXCELLENCE (CETLs) They will develop a Plymouth whole-University approach to SD involving all students and staff and all areas of the Institutions’ work. They will provide models for other Universities to follow. Kingston

BRADFORD’S ECOVERSITY Working towards • sustainable education • a healthy environment • social well-being • a thriving economy

RECOGNITION OF PREVIOUS EDUCATIONAL FAILINGS “the volume of education has increased, yet so have the dangers of ecological catastrophe. If still more education is to save us, it will have to be education of a very different kind” Schumacher

EDUCATION AND THE PLANET “The destruction of the planet is not the work of ignorant people. Rather it is largely the result of work by people with BAs, BScs, LLBs, MBAs and PhDs.” David Orr

Question 2WHY SHOULD UNIVERSITIES ENGAGE WITH THIS AGENDA? • Involvement with major global/national issue • Education of tomorrow’s leaders, citizens and employer(e)s • Growing business interest in CSR and SD • Marketing and recruitment (student interest) • HEFCE’s SD Strategy • Capitalising on existing expertise at Northampton

WHAT/HOW ARE YOU CURRENTLY DOING? It’s time for Audit!

Question 3WHAT IS CURRENTLY BEING DONE AT NORTHAMPTON? A QUIZ • Does SD feature in your mission or your corporate plan? • Does the University have an SD strategy? • Is ESD part of your L & T strategy? • How strongly does SD feature in courses and curricula? • What proportion of your students would know how : a) to ‘green’ an organisation? b) to assess their own ecological footprint?

Question 4WHAT STEPS ARE BEING TAKEN ELSEWHERE IN HE? THE FOUR C MODEL • Curriculum: Knowledge, skills and values • Community: Regional partnerships • Campus: buildings, energy, waste • Culture: new perspectives and priorities

ESD INITIATIVES • SD and L & T policies • Course approval/review procedures • Staff development (capacity building) • Exhibitions, public lectures, displays and competitions • Student Union activities • Audits and champions

COURSES AND CURRICULA • New programmes • New modules • New “podules” (infusionism) • Generic modules (electives) • Cross-disciplinary events • ESD in PDP

BA/BSc Hons Geography (Plymouth) Year 2 Option Geographical Research: Principles & Practice Option Option Sustainability: Policy & Practice Geography & Employability Fieldwork in Geography TERM 1 TERM 2 20 20 20 20 20 20

A SUBJECT-BASED MODULE (Plymouth) Sustainability: policy and practice AIMS: to examine issues involved in • Translating SD principles into policy • Encouraging organisations to adopt SD practices CONTENT: SD in government, business and the voluntary sector. Corporate Social Responsibility and “greening organisations”

ESD AND PEDAGOGY • Student-centred • Interactive • Holistic • Action research • Interdisciplinary

ESD ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES • Sociology eg consumerism • Architecture eg low energy design • Engineering eg sea defences • Economics eg Stern Report • Philosophy eg ethics and nature

ESD IN MORE DISCIPLINES • Business eg corporate social responsibility • Languages eg SD in France, China, etc. • History eg role of environment • Computing eg IT and energy saving • English eg ecoliteracy

SO, IN SUMMARY • ESD may be an idea whose time has come • It poses professional and personal challenges • There are plenty of opportunities in the GEES disciplines and more widely across HE

FOOD FOR THOUGHT “Higher education institutions bear a profound Moral responsibility to increase the awareness, knowledge, skills and values needed to create a just and sustainable society” (Tony Cortese, 1992) “(The HEFCE SD Strategy) is one of the most pernicious and dangerous circulars ever to be issued…… it is not the job of universities to promote a particular political orthodoxy” (Peter Knight, 2005)

SO, NOW IT’S TIME FOR (Fair Trade?) COFFEE And soon its time for : DISCUSSION AND ACTION PLANNING

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (ESD)