Sustainable Education

What is it about?

Definition/Description The concept of sustainable education is based on the terms sustainability and education. The term “sustainability” is derived from the Latin word sustinere and the term “education” from the Latin word educatio. The former is a model of thinking in which the quality of life is improved through balancing the environment, society, and the economy (Jeronen 2013). The latter refers to an activity or process for acquiring or sharing knowledge or skills, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and intellectually preparing oneself or others for life (Thesaurus 2021). Many of today’s challenges require a veritable shift in thought and behavior to support sustainable living. According to Stephen Sterling (2008), the necessary cultural change can be achieved through sustainable education (SE). He defines the concept as: a change of educational culture, one which develops and embodies the theory and practice of sustainability in a way which is critically aware. It is therefore a transformative paradigm which values, sustains and realises human potential in relation to the need to attain and sustain social, economic and ecological well being, recognising that they must be part of the same dynamic. (Sterling 2001, p. 22) The concept of SE thus refers to finding sustainable solutions to environmental, social, and economic problems through education (Prabakaran 2020). It is a concept that challenges both formal and non-formal educational sectors to actively participate in the creation of economic, social, and environmental programs that improve quality of life, increase empowerment, and respect interdependence (Abduganiev and Abdurakhmanov 2020).

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Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Summary The issues of sustainability and SD have received more national and international attention in recent decades. Numerous concepts are used interchangeably in education of sustainability. The following terms are most commonly used: “sustainability Education,” “education for sustainable development (ESD),” “education for sustainability (EfS),” and “sustainable education (SE).” Although they contain similar ideas, their starting points, goals, and approaches differ somewhat. Over the years, sustainability education has expanded from an original ecological perspective to include social, ethical, and transformative aspects as well. Also ESD and EfS aim to find sustainable solutions to local and global problems through a transformative perspective. The core ideas of ESD are social justice and cultural diversity while EfS emphasizes the agency of human being in order to achieve sustainable change from a value perspective. Like early sustainability education, also SE is based on ecological orientation. Ecological orientation means that the sustainable use of natural resources must also be taken into account when promoting justice and improving the quality of life and well-being. SE should support students’ understanding of social reality. Teaching and learning of SE should be based on values and in the holistic, systemic, and cross-disciplinary planning and implementation processes. Today, the crucial goal is to learn to live sustainably. This requires education systems, educational institutions, and educators with a willingness to tackle sustainability problems and the ability to respond to them.