Presentation by Charles Hopkins

1. Embedding ESD
In
Mainstream Education
Charles Hopkins
UNESCO Chair, York University
Toronto, Canada

2. Year of Peak Fish Harvest
Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and Sea Around Us project
Harvest peak

3. Year of Peak Fish Harvest
Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and Sea Around Us project
Harvest peak

4. Biomass of Table Fish (tons per km2)
2000
1900
Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment; Christensen et al. 2003

8. Origin of ESD
• Agenda 21 - 40 negotiated issues grouped in four sections:
Social & economic issues
Environmental issues
Major groups to be engaged
Means of implementation
• ESD came from the section on “means of Implementation”
– Plus part of every other chapter of Agenda 21
– ESD is found in the UN Conventions on CC, Biodiversity,
Desertification, Forestry, all UN Conferences Work Programmes
etc.

9. Activity/Implementation
Emergence of ESD
?
???
1992
96
2000
02
05
09
12
14

10. Vision Statement…
a region characterized by sustainable
development, including economic
vitality, justice, social cohesion,
environmental protection and the
sustainable management of natural
resources.

14. • What are your country’s sustainability
challenges?
– Now?
– Future?

15. A Key Question
• How are school systems addressing these
issues?
• How could your school systems address these
issues?

16. What is Education FOR Sustainable Development
ESD/EDS is the contribution of the world’s
education systems,
public awareness systems,
training systems
to enable us to learn our way towards a more
sustainable future.
Education, Public Awareness and Training (ESD)
(Chapter 36 of Agenda 21)

17. The 4 Thrusts of ESD
1
2
3
4
Access to quality basic education
Reorienting existing education
Public awareness and understanding
Training programs for all sectors
Agenda 21 -92, UNESCO-96, UNCSD -98, JPOI-2002

19. Many Possible Responses to ESD in Schools
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Ignore:
Form a club: (eco-school or UNESCO ASP)
Teach ABOUT sustainable development
Invent another adj. “Sustainability Ed”
Engaging ESD in core disciplines: (Projects)
ESD as very purpose of our education
systems (educate FOR Sust. Dev) including
TEI, Ministry of Ed, private sector, etc.
Embed within the sustainable community
initiatives (RCE)

20. AIDS
ED
Geography
History
Science
Ethics
Values
P.E.
Language
Art
Peace
ED
Racism
Economics
Dev
ED
Math
Religion
Music
Env.
ED
Social
Studies
Anti
Smoking
The Curriculum Castle
Bio diversity
Pop
ED
Disaster
ED

21. Understanding ESD
Environmental Education, Population Education, Development
Education, Energy Education, HIV/AIDS Education, Permaculture
Education, Citizenship Education, Democracy Education, Consumer
Education, Media Education, Outdoor Education, Experiential Education,
Workplace Education, Conservation Education, Anti-Racist Education,
Religious Education, Equity Education, Gender Education, Holocaust
Education, Entrepreneurship Education, Horticulture Education, Water
Education, Global Education, Drug Education, Sex Education,
International Studies, Family Studies, Human Rights Education, Women's
Studies, Native Studies, Values Education, Natural History Education,
Vocational Education, Economic Education, Anti-smoking Education,
Conflict Resolution Education, Workplace education, Disaster Prevention
Education, Computer Studies, Life-Skills Education, Recycling Education,
Civics Education, Heritage Education, Community Studies, Multicultural
Education, Anti-Violence Education, Systems Thinking Education, Futures
Education, Biodiversity Education, Pioneer Studies, Nutrition Education,
Resource Management Education, Self-Image Education, Peace
Education, Leadership Education, Cooperative Education, Character
Education, Sexual orientation Education…………….(100 plus)

22. Many Possible Responses to ESD in Schools
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Ignore: (ESD obligation not an option)(Bonn)
Form a club: (eco-school or UNESCO ASP)
Teach ABOUT sustainable development
Invent another adj. “Sustainability Ed”
Engaging ESD in core disciplines: (Projects)
ESD as very purpose of our education
systems (educate FOR Sust. Dev) including
TEI, Ministry of Ed, private sector, etc.
Embed within the community (RCE)

23. 7 Phases in a School/System’s Sustainability Roadmap
* Phase 1: INSIGHT - consisting of stakeholder views, a science or fact-based
*
*
*
•
•
*
understanding of SD and ESD and rational as to why ESD is necessary.
Phase 2: Making a public commitment in terms of the “headline goal” –
perhaps reducing carbon by 30%, for example – but also in more
qualitative terms where you need to go
Phase 3: Now that an overall target(s) has been established, it requires a
baseline that says where you are now. Even for qualitative targets, you
need to be able to say what the status is .
Phase 4: Allocating responsibility for action, you need to get the system to
own the baseline, own the target and own the achievement of the goal
Phase 5: Public reporting of progress – including annual reports. This is
where you revisit what you said you’d do, and work to create the sense of
continuity and recommitment
Phase 6: Celebration
Phase 7: Transparently revisit and challenge the original goal.

24. Manitoba Ed Goals
1/ To ensure education in Manitoba supports
students experiencing and learning about what
it means to live in a sustainable manner.

25. Goal of Education - Finland
“Our aim is to enhance pupils’ coherent identity and
positive self-conception, develop their generic competences
and subject-specific knowledge and skills and through that
help pupils to develop themselves as humans and citizen
who are able and willing to live in a sustainable way and
build a sustainable future.”
“We also say that our schools have to develop their working
culture so that by their own activities they both exemplify
as well as promote sustainable wellbeing”.
Irmeli Halinen, Finnish National Board of Education

26. The Sustainability Vision
Enough
For “all”
Forever !
African elder - 2002

27. The Sustainability Vision
Well-being
For “all”
Forever !
Emerging Scandinavian perspective

28. Key drivers of subjective well-being
ENVIRONMENT
- Natural environment
- Infrastructure
- Technologies
- Product markets
- Organizations
- Culture (values &
norms)
- Institutions (laws
&
regulations)
- Public policies
- Media & marketing
RESOURCES AND
CAPABILITIES
- Income & wealth
- Knowledge & skills
- Psychological
resources
- Physical health
- Social capital
- Information
- Time
- Political power
Source: Timo Hämäläinen (2012):
MEANINGFULNESS
- Exceeding self-interest
- Serving others
- Higher purpose
EVERYDAY
ACTIVITIES
AND ROLES
- Worker
- Consumer
- Family member
- Relative
- Friend
- Hobbyist
- Citizen
SUBJECTIVE
WELL-BEING
& HAPPINESS
MENTAL COHERENCE
- Comprehensibility of life
- Manageability of life
MASLOWIAN NEEDS
- Self-actualization
- Self- and social esteem
- Love and belonging
- Security
- Physiological needs
(thirst, hunger,…)
FEEDBACK

29. Strengths Model: Starting Point for Formal ed.
• No single discipline/group/teacher/ministry can do it all
• Every discipline/group/teacher/ministry can contribute
• Some individuals or sectors can take lead roles in
directing/managing the reorientation at all levels
• Senior leadership and coordination of these “strengths”
are key as we systemically “learn” our way forward
• “Train the trainers” becomes “learn with the learners”

30. Sustainable
Development
(ESD)

31. Here’s a hundred Dollars

32. $10,000

33. One Million Dollars!!!

34. $100 MILLION

35. 1 BILLION

36. $1 Trillion dollars...
And notice those pallets are double stacked $100 dollar bills – not
singles!

40. Mainstreaming ESD: initial steps
 ESD is derived from existing pedagogies; inquiry, problembased, place-based, and service learning; make connections
explicit.
 Deal with the social and economic pillars in ESD.
 Engage others: explore the strengths’ model
 Build a more substantive research base:
 models of professional development;
pedagogical approaches: critical pedagogies for teaching
values without indoctrination, for social justice, and for
dealing with controversy.
 develop monitoring and evaluation techniques;

41. For Best ESD Performance: some assembly is required!

42. Engaging Senior Education Officials
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
It is not just the curriculum!
It is also policy – purchasing/hiring/….
Its about what and how we teach
It is about the buildings (modeling sustainability)
What we fund, evaluate and report upon
Why do we teach what we teach?
What is a quality education for the 21st Century?

52. Presenting ESD
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Awareness at all levels and sectors
Understandable
A “must-have/do”, popular choice but also ethical
Seen as “Do-able”- Digestible and manageable
Exemplars from prestigious sources
Cost saving or affordable or prestigious
An opportunity verses a problem
Bottom line- It is an essential element of “QUALITY”
Tony Piggott – CEO, J.W. Thompson

53. Possible ESD contributions to Quality
•
•
•
•
•
•
Achievement
Engagement
Attendance/retention
Relevant learning
Attitudinal change
Skill set development:
–
–
–
–
Collaboration
Communication
Learning to learn
Applying disciplinary
skills
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Behaviour
Relationships
Creativity
School safety
Reduced vandalism
Equity in achievement
Problem solving
Responsibility
Global citizenship
Concern for others

54. ESD Reflected in Quality Education Systems
Purpose:
Priority:
Policy:
Program:
Practice:
Professionalism:
Partnering:
Perceptions:
PISA:
“Puts”: Outputs, Inputs etc.

55. ESD and Academic Excellence

56. Our Collective Responsibility
• Now that we are aware, what are our
responsibilities to help our students and
those of “others”?
- The Learning Teacher Network
- Our home institutions
- Personally
• What is the future of ESD in the LTN?

57. Radical Hope!!
We need more
“Sustainability
Handprints”
www.handsforchange.org