Study Unit 2

Learning outcomes:
− Explain the concept of sustainable development and Education for Sustainable Development
− Synthesise how you plan to reoriente education for a sustainable future
− Develop and justify your own motivation to live more sustainably;
− Explain the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals;
− Motivate on which Sustainable Development Goals need to be focussed in education
− Discuss the importance and implementation of an Environmental Management
− System for sustainable development in a school

What is environmental education

− Environmental education is a process that allows learners to
✓ Become aware of the environment
 how do become aware??
o Acknowledging
o Observing
o Reporting
✓ Explore environmental issues
 Biophysical
 Economical
 Social
✓ Engage in problem solving
 action vs proactive
✓ take action to improve the environment
 proposed solution i.e. sustainability vs unsustainability

The concept of sustainability

Definition
− Sustainability means to keep on doing something without compromising future generations to
keep on doing the same thing

what is sustainability and how is it justified

− What are we trying to sustain?
− Obviously, not everything that is sustainable is worth sustaining!!!

what makes some things worth sustaining and others not?

− Different answers have been given by different groups that reflect their own interests.
How are we to judge among competing interests?
− To answer these questions, we will argue that sustainability is, at its heart, a matter of “ethics”.
Three pillars of sustainability according to Adams
− There has been an explosion of literature in which sustainability is the main concern and is used
to describe matters pertaining to technology, economic development, and approaches to
management in areas such as “sustainable business,” “sustainable technology,” “sustainable
agriculture,” “sustainable economics,” etc.
− Sustainability refers to a moral way of acting, and ideally habitual, in which the person or group
intends to avoid deleterious effects on the environmental, social, and economic domains, and
which is consistent with a harmonious relationship with those domains that is conducive to a
flourishing life

That introduce us to when development unsustainable

− When economic performance outweighs other considerations such as the environment.
− In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development declared that developments
is sustainable if it……….
✓ “meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generation
to meet their own needs”
Sustainable development continues
− Some conflicting views of sustainability but what is the standing consensus?
✓ Many definitions abound when talking about sustainable development
✓ Some fundamental aspects of sustainable development is that it is intergenerational
equity
✓ The overall goal of sustainable development (SD) is the long-term stability of the
economy and environment; this is only achievable through the integration and
acknowledgement of economic, environmental, and social concerns throughout the
decision making process.
 − Read the section on sustainability in the study guide and formulate your own definition.
− It is important for all teachers to follow the principles of the National Curriculum Statement in
all school subjects.
− Environmental education for sustainability provides the opportunity to meet these principles
across subject disciplinary boundaries by addressing real life situations that makes sense to the
learner
− Please read the statement carefully and make sure you adhere to it in your education

National curriculum statement grades R-12

− The National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12 aims to produce learners that are able to:
− Identify and solve problems and make decisions using critical and creative thinking;
− Work effectively as individuals and with others as members of a team;
− Organize and manage themselves and their activities responsibly and effectively;
− Collect, analyze, organize and critically evaluate information;
− Communicate effectively using visual, symbolic and/or language skills in various modes;
− Use science and technology effectively and critically showing responsibility towards the
− environment and the health of others; and
− Demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognizing that
problem solving contexts do not exist in isolation

Integrated sustainable development

− If further economic development is to be sustainable
− it cannot neglect biophysical constraints or be based on the destruction of natural resources
− it cannot succeed without the parallel development of human resources (social component)
− it will require transformation of the existing industrial base and the development and diffusion
of more Earth-friendly technologies (economic component).

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

− Please ensure that you are familiar with the origins and objectives of the United Nations (UN)
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

2030 agenda for sustainable development

− The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, and of its 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) called for a broader holistic understanding of prosperity in its social and ecological
dimensions

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A holistic approach to sustainability
− A contemporary, and tragic example of the necessity of a holistic approach to sustainability, is
that of the Covid-19 pandemic.
− Covid is not only a world wide medical condition but also resulted in conditions of poverty, food
security, nutrition, employment, as well as gender and racial equality (SDGs1, 2, 5, 8, 10). The
risks of the spreading of viruses are exemplified by habitats change and climate change (SDGs 13
and 15).

The 17 sustainable developmental goals

− The 17 Sustainable Development Goals have been adopted by all UN Member States.
− That’s great, but now what?
− Governments will be busy for the next 15 years working to achieve the goals, but that
− doesn’t mean all the work falls on them.
− The private sector, civil society organization and regular people can all help accelerate the
achievement of the SDGs.
− But sometimes it’s not that easy to know where to start.
− There are 17 goals after all, each one with different targets and indicators

Important goals for education

− Goal 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning
opportunities for all.
✓ "by 2030 ensure all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote
sustainable development, including among others through education for sustainable
development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a
culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural
diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development"
− Goal 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
✓ "ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for
sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature" by 2030.
− Goal 13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
✓ “improve education, awareness raising and human and institutional capacity on climate
change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning” in order to help
combat climate change.

What can be done in schools regarding the SDGS

− The National Curriculum Statement state that learners must be able to demonstrate an
understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognizing that problem solving
contexts do not exist in isolation
− Empowering your learners to offer solutions to local issues for a more sustainable society will
give them the confidence they need to apply the learnings in other situations in their lives.

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Problem solving for sustainability
− As we are rapidly moving into a more interdependent world, we as educators should therefore
equip our learners to understand this growing inter- connectedness of the world in order to
move towards a more sustainable future.
− To create a more sustainable school environment we must help our learners to use integrative
approaches that are capable of analyzing and elucidating the dynamic effects of
interdependencies.
− We must consider across subject disciplinary lines how the environment influences human life
and how humans affect the environment.
− To create a more sustainable school environment we must help our learners to use integrative
approaches that are capable of analyzing and elucidating the dynamic effects of
interdependencies.
− We must consider across subject disciplinary lines how the environment influences human life
and how humans affect the environment.

Interconnectedness
− From a biological perspective, everything is reliant upon something else for growth and survival.
− Humans need food, air, and water, and plants need carbon dioxide and sunlight.
− Every organism is dependent on something else, to survive
− Non- living objects are also reliant on other elements: a wooden table needs a tree to provide
wood, and a computer needs electricity distribution to power it.

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Synthesis
− A learning outcome for this module is that you should be able to synthesize and plan how to
reorient education for a sustainable future.

What is meant by synthesis?

− Synthesis is about the ability to see interconnectedness, the relationships and the connections
that make up the dynamics of the whole.
− When elements come together to function as a whole the whole emergence as more important
than the smaller elements.

Causality
− Schools are dynamic systems and causality refers to how one element in the school results in
another thing in this dynamic and constantly evolving environment
− For example, if the school fees are not paid, it has implications for building maintenance, sport
and cultural activities and the educational programme.

Feedback loops
− Feedback loops refer to the constant and dynamic flows between the interconnected elements
of a system.
− The two main types of feedback loops are reinforcing and balancing.
− Example - high learner enrolment in a school can benefit the school’s financial situation but it
can be negative regarding the teacher-learner ratio in the classroom
− Feedback cannot influence the past but only the future: therefore feedback design must
consider those transformation processes that need to be adjusted to achieve desired objectives.
Visual system representation
− To represent a dynamic school environment, the technique of a visual system can be used to
understand the different elements which comprise the school.

Teacher’s role
− In such a representation there should be an indication of the interdependence of elements as
well as the positive and negative feedback links in the school system to understand the
relationships of the elements and how it can be acted upon to make the school a more
sustainable environment.

Education for sustainable development (ESD)

− Two different definitions were identified:
✓ ESD as a threefold approach to education based on questions concerning education
about, in and for the environment.
✓ ESD as an approach to education that includes three interrelated dimensions (economic,
social and biophysical)

Educating learners to act for change

− Analyze social issues in a critical way in order to understand environmental problems.
 − Teaching for change involves children identifying a problem, learning more about it and, finally,
acting to solve it.
− ESD links facts about how the environment works, learn to view it in a critical way and, finally,
learn to act for change in the society where they live.

The concept of sustainable growth

− Sustaining growth countries needs to manage the natural life supporting basis very carefully so
that it can still replenish itself and provide the life sustaining goods that are needed
− Sustaining growth countries needs to manage the natural life supporting basis very carefully so
that it can still replenish itself and provide the life sustaining goods that are needed

Environmental management system for sustainable development

− The last outcome for the module is that as a future teacher you should be able to discuss the
importance and implementation of an Environmental Management System for Sustainable
Development in a School.

Whole School Approach

− A whole-school approach recognizes that all aspects of the school, as a community, can impact
upon the learner’s teaching, learning and wellbeing, and are linked.

Environmental Management System (EMS) for Sustainable Development (SD) in schools

− Study the model for an Environmental Management System developed by Dr De Sousa.
− Show how you plan to implement the OBS in your school.