Education for sustainability

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. These goals can also be implemented in a holistic and sustainable education system. Especially the SGDs connected to education: SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

Under this topic, we show you a selection of examples of sustainable institutions, as well as projects for sustainability in education on any level. The examples show various aspects of sustainability in education and educational institutions - from nationwide and worldwide campaigns to university courses or schools implementing sustainability into the curricula and everyday life. The examples are in random order.

 

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Examples

EfD

EfD is spearheading the creation and launch of a multi-country Collaborative Program in Climate Change and Sustainable Development (3CSD) that will be rolled out to all EfD centers and beyond.

iBOX

This project, coordinated by LIFELONG LEARNING PLATFORM (LLLP) aims at ensuring more inclusive organisations, more inclusive education approaches and actions, through a capacity building process to better face and respond to current and future societal challenges.

Springer

A book by Arjen E.J. Wals, Birgitte Bjønness, Astrid Sinnes and Ingrid Eikeland. In response to urgent global sustainability challenges, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Global Citizenship Education have been prioritized in the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 under SDG 4.7. There is a growing awareness that treating concepts such as global citizenship, sustainable development, climate urgency, and health and well-being as separate subjects or topics to be added to a curriculum is ineffective as they are highly interconnected. Additionally, this approach is problematic as schools already have an overcrowded curriculum.

climate ambassadors

The Climate Ambassadors scheme exists to provide free expertise and support to nurseries, schools and colleges to develop and deliver impactful climate action plans.

perosh logo

Training on emerging risks in R&D and production of new and advanced materials and nanomaterials: providing systematic approaches to deal with uncertainties.

You Count logo

Citizen Social Science is defined as involving equal collaboration between citizen groups (co-researchers) that are sharing a social concern and academic researchers.

unesco logo

Digital technology is rapidly transforming many aspects of society and the economy in Southeast Asia and is beginning to leave its stamp on education. This edition accompanies the 2023Global Education Monitoring Report, which acknowledges technology as a useful tool but invites the education community to question on whose terms it is deployed.

UNESCO_PEER

Profiles Enhancing Education Reviews (PEER) provides systematic and comprehensive descriptions of countries’ education legislation and policies related to the themes of the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report. Data collection for each chapter is driven by a thematic framework, which draws on the concept note for every edition of the GEM Report. The profiles focus on the themes of the GEM Reports and also cover additional topics on key SDG4 issues.

Gothenburg University

The University of Gothenburg leads a global network of universities working together to develop expertise and share knowledge addressing the Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8) of the Agenda 2030. The aim is to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

uni_wien_logo

In the summer of 2016, the Institute of Sociology launched the longitudinal study “Paths into the Future”, which analyzes the socialization of a specific group of young people in Vienna from a holistic perspective. The focus of interest is on various, interconnected areas of the youth life phase.

University Grants Commission

All students at India’s universities will have to study subjects such as environmental education and climate change in order to graduate, starting from the about-to-begin 2023 to 2024 academic year, according to guidelines from the University Grants Commission (UGC), the country’s higher education apex body.

Aalborg University logo

CapFoodS is the meeting place for Captive Foodscape Studies community. It contains news, events and other important information in the growing field of Captive Foodscape Studies (CFS) Foodscape studies is a growing area of research among scientists engaged in the study of foodways and it claims to be offering a well suited conceptual foundation that can be used to accommodate the holistic approach that is needed to understand the complex social interactions taking place in relation to eating in an early age in preschool.

European Commission

Database with many examples of innovative teaching for sustainability. The database ca be filtered according to country, keywords, level of education and project year.

European Commission

Database providing a couple of different learning materials.

makers red box logo

Maker’s Red Box: More than education - Unique story-based curriculums for schools.

LEARN logo

This LEARN! Flash report focuses on how education on traffic safety and sustainable mobility can be linked and supported to ensure that children receive high-quality education that teaches them to move around safely and sustainably.

Ungdomsbyen logo

It takes a lot of courage to be young today. Youth Town (“Ungdomsbyen”) gives students courage for citizenship and equips students and teachers to make sustainable choices that create value for themselves and others. Through our activities, Ungdomsbyen will contribute to young people and their teachers developing their knowledge of and desire to engage in a democratic society.

Ungdomsbyen logo

Youth Town (“Ungdomsbyen”) developed a process tool which can be used to adapt existing, or design new, activities with a sustainability focus.

intercultural classroom

UGT Public Services promotes the Intercultural Classroom project with the interest of facilitating teacher training, teaching materials, research, workshops with the students, awareness campaigns, publications to advance in the construction of an education in pursuit of respect and coexistence between different cultures.

LBzM logo

In the context of "school" (due to the corona, among other things) there were increasing technical and infrastructural issues Prerequisites for the use of digital media created, but the potential of digital change in the context of "inclusion/dealing with heterogeneity" for equal opportunities, individualized learning in an inclusive school context is hardly exhausted.

EIS logo

This joint commitment reflects the ambition of both the EIS and the Scottish Government to empower teachers and schools in minimising the damage that poverty does to the education and life-chances of too many of Scotland’s children.

EduKid logo

Meet Eric, a young talented boy from Kenya who uses waste electronics to create electric torch that would potentially light up many homes living without electricity in the slums.

Guidelines cover

The Education Guidelines for the World of Work was produced by the Directorate-General for Education (DGE) of the Ministry of Education of Portugal, in collaboration with national partner entities: Authority for Working Conditions (ACT), Office of the International Labour Organization for Portugal (ILO Lisbon), National Agency for Qualification and Vocational Education (ANQEP), Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP).
The document is part of the set of guiding documents provided in the National Strategy for Citizenship Education aiming to contribute to the achievement of the Students’ Profile by the End of Compulsory Schooling, a document that establishes the matrix of principles, values, and competence areas to which the development of the national curriculum must conform.

DataSkop logo

DataSkop is a platform for data donations. Data donations can help shed light on the black boxes of social media algorithms and automated decision systems. With the help of these "data donations", the students are to find out about the function of algorithms; e.g. the functioning of recommendation systems like Youtube Videos.

Yasar University logo

UNESCO Chair on International Migration established at Yasar University offers an intersectional approach by associating all its teaching and research activities with the SGDs. The case demonstrates how migration as a cross-cutting issue is researched at the university with reference to contributing SDGs especially by developing a wide range of national and international partnerships.

SimE logo

Ethics is a fundamental part of health care professionals’ competence and one of the major quality factors in good nursing care. Research shows challenges in learning and applying ethics. Ethical Coffee Room (ECR) is an electronic platform, where the students, nurses and teachers discuss anonymously ethical issues during students’ clinical practice.

Clean Cities logo

Cities are where the negative impacts of traffic and congestion are most obvious. Air pollution, mostly from diesel vehicles, is a public health emergency and responsible for around 300,000 early deaths across Europe each year. The road transport sector is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions driving up dangerous global heating.

Eco Schools logo

Eco-Schools is a growing phenomenon, which encourages young people to engage in their environment by allowing them the opportunity to actively protect it. It starts in the classroom, it expands to the school and eventually fosters change in the community at large. Through this programme, young people experience a sense of achievement at being able to have a say in the environmental management policies of their schools, ultimately steering them towards certification and the prestige which comes with being awarded a Green Flag. The Eco-Schools programme is an ideal way for schools to embark on a meaningful path towards improving the environment in both the school and the local community while at the same time having a life-long positive impact on the lives of young people, their families, school staff and local authorities.

schools climate action planner logo

Transform Our World and its partners have developed this free, easy-to-use digital tool to enable teachers, students and staff to identify actions they can take to reduce their school's environmental impact. After answering some yes or no questions, the tool will show you the personalised actions that would have the greatest impact at your school by pointing to resources, initiatives and programmes from various organisations.

UCL Logo

A project within the PGCE (teacher-training) programme at UCL's Institute of Education is promoting sustainability across the secondary school curriculum by developing teachers’ knowledge and skills.

HESI Logo

This initiative provides higher education institutions with a unique interface between education, science, and policy making.

PassaPortugal logo

PASSAPORTUGAL was born on the initiative of GONKSYS , as a promoting company, and from the will of the associated Partners, all sharing the common desire to contribute to the education of the youngest, those who are the future of our society!

EBA logo

Education Bridge for Afghanistan (EBA) is a non-profit organization established by a group of volunteer education activists in Afghanistan and around the world. EBA provides a practical, indigenous, online education platform for secondary-level students in Afghanistan, especially for girls who are currently excluded from school.

Danish ASP

The Danish UNESCO-ASP (Associated Schools Project) network is part of the International UNESCO ASP Network, which presently includes 11,500 schools and educational institutions in 182 countries.

UWSP logo

If you are interested in building socially, ecologically and economically sustainable communities and interested in transforming systems of teaching, learning and leadership, you are encouraged to apply for the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Sustainability program at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Teachers guide cover

This book “Teacher’s Guide for Education for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean”, released by UNESCO, gives an overview on the topic education for sustainability. Education must effectively empower all people to make responsible and informed decisions, both individually and collectively, thus preparing them to successfully deal with present and future challenges and to commit their active participation in the construction of common future for all.

YouthLink Scotland logo

YouthLink Scotland is committed to the role that Learning for Sustainability has in both a current and future practice as a youth work sector. On this website, you can find the current projects that YouthLink Scotland is supporting, resources on LfS and opportunities on how to get involved.

Education for sustainability logo

Education for Sustainability executes a variety of educational programmes such as workshops, teacher training and a 10-week climate literacy course for 6th class up to transition year. It is the vision to create a world where young people are actively engaged in taking action for sustainable development by making environmental education and sustainability a fundamental part of the national curriculum.

Auckland Council Logo

This campaign by Auckland Council in New Zealand aims to promote sustainable education for Students as well as for educators.

WSA graphic

The Whole School Approach supports schools to embed the principles of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for 2030 in a fundamental way.

Wageningen University and Research logo

This report provides provides an analysis of practical examples of the use of a WSA to help achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) - Quality Education for all, and all the other connecting SDGs.

Education Partnerships Africa logo

This initiative partners with rural school communities in East Africa to improve the quality of secondary education.

Blue Engineering logo

Interactive university teaching, which gives students the chance to deal with their social and ecological responsibility, is possible. Blue Engineering is an innovative course offered by TU Berlin which calls for future engineers as well as students of other backgrounds generally interested in technology.

Education and Sustainability need to reflect the active process of evolving into becoming citizens who understand that we are all inherently intertwined with nature, and the natural processes of becoming that all life on this planet shares.

AESA was an alliance of organisations in the education, union, youth and environment sectors that wanted all Australians to have access to the skills, practices and values of sustainability, through formal education and throughout life.

The Sustainability Challenge (SC) is a renowned inter- and transdisciplinary university course jointly offered by the 4 largest universities of Vienna – University of Economics and Business, Technical University, University of Natural Resources and Life Science and University of Vienna – and coordinated by RCE Vienna (Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development, located at the University of Economics and Business).

To build local human capacity for economic development in rural Cambodia through targeted educational and livelihood opportunities. Sustainable schools International maintains a set of core values when it comes to education: participation, communication, honesty, trust, solidarity and gender equality.

The sustainable schools project is a program of Shelburne Farms located in Shelburne, Vermont. The Sustainable schools Project works with schools to cultivate responsible, informed citizens, engaged in building sustainable communities.

As an International Baccalaureate school, Copenhagen International school offers student-centred and inquiry-based learning to children from the age of 3 to the high school diploma.

This Guide is designed to help leaders and practitioners of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in improving their understanding and implementation of education for sustainable development (ESD) using a whole-institution approach to greening their institutions.

The UNESCO Associated schools Project Network (ASPnet) in Action: Global Citizens for Sustainable Development student guide aims to introduce secondary school students to Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and provide them with ideas and activities to contribute proactively to a more peaceful and sustainable world.

The Global Citizens for Sustainable Development Teachers’ guide aims to introduce teachers to Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). It provides secondary school teachers with ideas and activities to help students become global citizens and sustainable development actors

This guide has been developed for use by people who want to make their school more sustainable and climate-friendly. Often, teachers are the ones to lead whole-school projects within their schools.

More and more schools around the world are adopting whole-school approaches to climate action. In a whole-school approach, students’ classroom learning about climate change is reinforced by the formal and informal messages promoted by the school’s values and actions.

The purpose of the publication is to describe ways in which education for sustainable development (ESD) can be integrated into primary and secondary schooling. This collection of briefs is designed to complement other ESD materials published by UNESCO.

The successful Your Sustainable school programme started in Wellington is going nationwide. With help from the Ministry for the Environment, it is offering free Train the Trainer workshops to help teachers roll out sustainability focussed, climate action, waste reduction systems at their kura/school or kōhanga/early childhood centre.

With the purpose of providing an opportunity for students to explore ways in which they can “leave their mark” in the world the University designed and implemented the Positive Action program.

With the aim of integrating Sustainable Development as a cross-cutting element in all university courses in the science/technology field, the research group of Engineering Sciences and Global Development (EScGD) implemented the project “Integrate and Promote Global Issues in Scientific-Technical Education”.

Lund University in Sweden offers, in the scope of its Agenda 2030, PhD courses based on the issues defined by the sustainable development goals.

Sustainable St Albans is a charity (no. 1173118) set up by a group of ordinary people across St Albans, Harpenden and the villages. Together we find positive and creative ways to act locally to raise awareness and address the challenges of climate change; live more sustainably and move towards a low-carbon economy.

Sustainable schools began as a government initiative in collaboration with the SDC over 5 years ago and was a result of the first Education SD Action Plan published in 2003.

Continually increase the number of schools in the region that reduce the impact of their buildings and grounds on their local watershed, environment and human health through best practices, including student-led protection and restoration projects.

The project looks toward fulfilling the ambitious UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, so the plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity cannot be met without acknowledging the important connection between educational development and a sustainable learning environment.

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