Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
Education for Sustainable Development is a term most used internationally and by the United Nations relating to the practice of teaching for sustainability. Agenda 21 was the first international document that identified education as an essential tool for achieving sustainable development and highlighted areas of action for education.
«Education for Sustainable Development promotes sustainable thinking and acting. It enables children and adults to make decisions and at the same time understand how those decisions affect future generations and the life of others.» - UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe).
Sustainable Development is closely connected to:
- conservation management and biodiversity;
- climate change education;
- disaster risk reduction;
- efficient waste management;
- sustainable transport planning;
- energy-efficient architecture;
- renewable energy generation;
- sustainable land management;
- sustainable agricultural practices;
- water resources management;
- food security and social protection;
- cultural diversity;
- peace and human security;
- poverty reduction;
- values and ethics for development;
- public health;
- trade policy;
- green economy and wise investments;
- ecotourism;
- an immense number of new job opportunities;
- community building;
- thinking globally and acting locally;
- and many other exciting possibilities!
«Education for Sustainable Development allows every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future. Education for Sustainable Development means including key sustainable development issues into teaching and learning. It also requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behavior and take action for sustainable development. Education for Sustainable Development consequently promotes competencies like critical thinking, imagining future scenarios and making decisions in a collaborative way. Education for Sustainable Development requires far-reaching changes in the way education is often practiced today.» - UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
For a sustainable development project to flourish a large number of professionals and citizens are invited to contribute. Among many others, some examples of important stakeholders in this process are:
- educators, teachers, trainers and public speakers;
- ecologists, biologists and geologists;
- engineers, architects and designers;
- anthropologists, sociologists and psychologists;
- entrepreneurs and managers;
- decision-makers and politicians;
- economists;
- mass media (radio and TV reporters, documentary film makers, journalists, web designers);
- spiritual leaders;
- health care professionals;
- farmers;
- merchants and artisans;
- artists;
- technicians;
- eco-tour guides;
- students;
- and many other citizens.
Education for Sustainable Development is a term most used internationally and by the United Nations relating to the practice of teaching for sustainability. Agenda 21 was the first international document that identified education as an essential tool for achieving sustainable development and highlighted areas of action for education.
«Education for Sustainable Development promotes sustainable thinking and acting. It enables children and adults to make decisions and at the same time understand how those decisions affect future generations and the life of others.» - UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe).
Sustainable Development is closely connected to:
- conservation management and biodiversity;
- climate change education;
- disaster risk reduction;
- efficient waste management;
- sustainable transport planning;
- energy-efficient architecture;
- renewable energy generation;
- sustainable land management;
- sustainable agricultural practices;
- water resources management;
- food security and social protection;
- cultural diversity;
- peace and human security;
- poverty reduction;
- values and ethics for development;
- public health;
- trade policy;
- green economy and wise investments;
- ecotourism;
- an immense number of new job opportunities;
- community building;
- thinking globally and acting locally;
- and many other exciting possibilities!
«Education for Sustainable Development allows every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future. Education for Sustainable Development means including key sustainable development issues into teaching and learning. It also requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behavior and take action for sustainable development. Education for Sustainable Development consequently promotes competencies like critical thinking, imagining future scenarios and making decisions in a collaborative way. Education for Sustainable Development requires far-reaching changes in the way education is often practiced today.» - UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
For a sustainable development project to flourish a large number of professionals and citizens are invited to contribute. Among many others, some examples of important stakeholders in this process are:
- educators, teachers, trainers and public speakers;
- ecologists, biologists and geologists;
- engineers, architects and designers;
- anthropologists, sociologists and psychologists;
- entrepreneurs and managers;
- decision-makers and politicians;
- economists;
- mass media (radio and TV reporters, documentary film makers, journalists, web designers);
- spiritual leaders;
- health care professionals;
- farmers;
- merchants and artisans;
- artists;
- technicians;
- eco-tour guides;
- students;
- and many other citizens.