10th APEID International ConferenceBangkok, December, 2006

By Sue Coad

“Education for Sustainable Development – the South Australian Initiative”

Abstract Education for Sustainable Development is most effectively achieved through a whole-school approach that is student and community centred, integrates curriculum and school management, and is committed to developing a values-driven sustainability culture and ethos. The South Australian Sustainable School model demonstrates this approach. The workshop will present the SA model and explain its background, development and implementation strategy. An example of the way one school has moved from a strong environmental education focus into sustainable schooling will also be presented.

Introduction

The Millennium Development GoalsIn September 2000, the largest-ever United Nations gathering of Heads of State ushered in the new millennium by adopting the Millennium Declaration. The Declaration, endorsed by all 191 member countries, was then translated into a roadmap setting out goals and targets to be reached by 2015.

The Millennium Goals are to:Goal 1- Eradicate extreme poverty and hungerGoal 2- Achieve universal primary education Goal 3- Promote gender equality and empower womenGoal 4- Reduce child mortalityGoal 5- Improve maternal healthGoal 6- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseasesGoal 7- Ensure environmental sustainabilityGoal 8- Develop a global partnership for development

This was an ambitious undertaking but one which the countries involved understood to be the agenda for a new and different kind of world than the one we are currently experiencing. From many perspectives, the need for environmental sustainability overarches the other goals - without a planet with healthy ecosystems and services the other goals cannot be achieved for the long term.

Sustainable Development There are many definitions of sustainable development and this paper is based on two of them, ie

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.(World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987)

Sustainable development is improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems. (World Conservation Union {IUCN}, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Wide Fund For Nature {WWF}, 1991)

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These definitions highlight fundamental points ie that we in the developed countries are overusing resources and putting ‘sinks’ under enormous pressure in a lifestyle which focuses on wants rather than needs. Many people in developing countries are also aspiring to and reaching a similar lifestyle. In doing so we are all risking the ability of

future generations even have a basic lifestyle. The second quote refers to the needed improvements in the quality of life for the majority of people on the planet and the imperative to do so within healthy ecosystems.

The UNESCO model of sustainable development (left) highlights integration and the areas to consider ie social, natural (environmental), political and economic.

For Hill (2003) “sustainability relates to ways of thinking about the world, and forms of social and personal practice that lead to:

• ethical, empowered and personally fulfilled individuals; • communities built on collaborative engagement, tolerance and equity; • social systems and institutions that are participatory, transparent and just; and,• environmental practices that value and sustain biodiversity and life-supporting

ecological processes.”

These areas exist within the context of culture ie “ways of being, relating, behaving, believing and acting that differ according to context, history and tradition, and within which human beings live out their lives. This is to recognise that practices, identity and values – the software of human development – play a big role in setting directions and building common commitments.” (Ronald Wright)

Stephen Sterling in his book Sustainable Education – Re-visioning learning and change, highlights a set of key concepts for Sustainable Development. These are:

Needs and rights of future generations Interdependence – of society, economy, and the natural environment, from global

to local Citizenship and stewardship – rights and responsibilities, participation and

cooperation Diversity – cultural, social, economic, and biological Quality of life, equity and justice Sustainable change – development and carrying capacity, and Uncertainty and the precautionary principle Integration of short and long-term decision-making.

The Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) In order to move to sustainable development and the achievement of the Millennium Development goals the United Nations has decreed 2005 - 2014 as the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. The overall goal of the DESD is to integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education

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and learning. The UN believes that the educational effort required will encourage changes in behaviour to create a more sustainable future in terms of environmental integrity, economic viability, and a just society for present and future generations. They also recognise the challenge of sustainable development as not being about the maintenance of the status quo, but the direction and implications of change.

“ESD is a dynamic and expansive undertaking that envisions a world where every person has the chance to benefit from educational opportunities and to learn the lifestyles, behaviours and values necessary to create a sustainable future. It is not restricted to young learners in the formal education system. ESD is for everyone, at all stages of life and in all possible learning contexts. “ (UNESCO Bangkok, March 2005)

The Need for a Paradigm Shift Albert Einstein is often quoted as saying, “No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it. We have to learn to see the world anew.”

It becomes increasingly clear that to achieve the kind of thinking and behaviours that are required to achieve sustainable development we need a fundamental paradigm shift (a new way of looking at the world). One of the fundamental shifts is from fragmentation and compartmentalisation to the recognition that all aspects of life on Earth are interconnected and interdependent. With most of the world’s population now living in large cities we are disconnected from the physical world that supplies our needs (ie food, water and shelter) and thus even further disconnected from thinking or caring about it. Traditional lifestyles of indigenous peoples have this link and the push for globalisation and development mean that we are rapidly losing not only the indigenous peoples and their languages and cultures but also their wisdom about relationships with land, biodiversity, air and water. There is a need to learn wise ways of living within and respecting ecosystems with remaining indigenous peoples.

"Until recently, the planet was a large world in which human activities and their effects were neatly compartmentalized within nations, within sectors (energy, agriculture, trade) and within broad areas of concern (environmental, economic, social). These compartments have begun to dissolve. This applies particularly to the various global crises that have seized public concern, particularly over the past decade. These are not separate crises: an environmental crisis, a development crisis, an energy crisis. They are all one.”(The World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987)

There are many great thinkers and leaders in the world who agree with this need to reconnect.

“In our world we need a clear awareness of the interdependent nature of nations, of humans, animals and the world. Everything is of interdependent nature. I feel that many problems, especially man-made problems, are due to a lack of knowledge about this interdependent nature.” (His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, 1998)

“It is absolutely essential to change the way we think. All other attempts at change will fail if we do not transform our thinking … A proper understanding of the way the world works requires people to think systematically, holistically, integratively, and in futures mode.”(Lester Milbraith, 1996)

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“In the present time there is a lot of talk about sustainable development and gearing to economy to the ecology. For the economy to be healthy, nature must also be healthy. This is a recognition of the necessity for compromise …. True success in this regard lies with our ability to change our basic views on the objective of life and our concepts of happiness and freedom.” (P.A. Payutto, 1996)

A paradigm shift that recognises interconnections is a shift from a mechanistic view to an ecological view. This means a shift from:

competition to cooperation a teaching focus to a learning focus (for everyone) exclusion of some to inclusion of everyone transmissive to transformative learning content based to process based top-down control to democratic and participative processes fixed knowledge and ‘truth’ to provisional knowledge disciplines and defense of borders to trans disciplinary/ domains of interest accountability to responsibility from short-term thinking to long-term thinking

(Adapted from: Sterling, 2001)

These two positions can be seen as polarities on a continuum however in reality, we function at many positions along the continuum at given times and circumstances. The level of change as outlined by Sterling is a challenge to dominant institutions and systems structures. It also challenges the short-term political thinking that dominates the cycles of planning and change in our institutions. At a basic level it even challenges traditional classroom power relationships. This challenges educators to question their role as ‘sage on the stage or guide at the side’.

The roles of education If we are to make the kinds and levels of change indicated by a fundamental paradigm shift then we need to go right back to the question of ‘what is education for?” ie what role education performs in our societies and who this education is for.

Education has many roles, some of which are, to maintain society as it is ie the status quo, to prepare students for employment, to realise the full potential of the individual, to create a better world.

And those we choose to educate also reflects the role we think education plays eg basic education for all, university education for those who can afford it, education only for boys.

Sustainable development calls for education to be re-oriented to not exclude the first roles of status quo and employment but to also actively include the last two roles of realising the full potential of the individual and creating a better world. We are growing in the understanding that education for the 21st century needs to be focused on learning and change. By enabling the individual and their potential we can achieve a better world for everyone within a sustainable environment.

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“It is vital that all those concerned about education should discuss debate and develop some vision of sustainable education. A changing climate of debate and practice is necessary to effect a real change in policy climate, and reciprocally, a change in policy can only be effective where conditions are fertile for change. In other words, to use Gandhi’s phrase, “We have to be the change we want to see.” (Sterling, 2001)

“We need a new educational paradigm which embraces the totality of the human person, develops his intellectual, emotional and behavioural powers and faculties, an education of the mind, heart and will; an education that respects the sacredness and the uniqueness of every individual, prepares the student to be a free, responsible, critical and creative, just, peaceful and caring citizen of a nation and a global citizen of a multi-diverse, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural world.” (Lourdes R. Quisumbing, 1999)

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) According to the DESD, key roles for education include: Inspiring the belief that each of us has both the power and the responsibility to effect

positive change on a global scale. Being the primary agent of transformation towards sustainable development,

increasing people’s capacities to transform their visions for society into reality. Fostering the values, behaviour and lifestyles required for a sustainable future. Being a process of learning how to make decisions that consider the long-term future

of the equity, economy and ecology of all communities. Building the capacity for such futures-oriented thinking.

Education in the new paradigm must take on new roles and dimensions to achieve the level of change required for sustainable development. Stephen Sterling outlines three levels of learning that can be used to think about and plan for ESD:

Traditionally we have learned ‘about’ sustainability. This is seen to be an accommodating response with an emphasis on content, information, and knowledge. It is easily integrated into existing curriculum outlines and paradigms and may not change values and behaviours.

Increasingly we are promoting learning ‘for’ sustainability. This is an adaptive response in that we are learning to achieve change. It includes knowledge, values and skills. It involves reforming curriculum outlines but still within existing paradigms. Values contradictions may occur between taught and practised values and behaviours.

The need is to move to learning ‘as’ sustainability. This is the transformative response where we are participating in learning as change. There is an emphasis on process, quality learning, development of the whole person, involvement of the whole school community, and transformative learning experiences. It is creative, participative, dynamic, integrated, holistic, relational, and collaborative.

Sterling’s third level of learning ie ‘as’ sustainability reflects and supports what is already considered to be ‘quality’ education in that teaching and learning approaches reflect what we know about learning and brain function ie “it develops the potential of the whole child, is presented holistically and integrated ie

cognitive, (‘head’), affective (‘heart’), behavioural (‘hands’) and spiritual it is driven by values and principles

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it encourages critical thinking and problem solving to challenge prevailing paradigms and assumptions

it uses multiple methodologies that reflect the range of learning and thinking styles eg visual, verbal, oral, written, art, experience

it is participatory and encourages and expects learners to be part of all decision-making

it is applicable and meaningful in the learner’s everyday life it is relevant to the learner and their lives and includes their everyday experiences (at

both a local and global level), and values their culture and language”. (Adapted from DESD and J. de Leo)

The Role of Educators “To transform the world we must begin with ourselves: and what is important in the beginning with ourselves is the intention … this is our responsibility, yours and mine, because however small may be the world we live in, if we can bring about a radically different point of view in our daily existence then perhaps we shall affect the world at large.” (J. Krishnamurti)

There are about 60 million educators in the world. They spend most of the week with students and, to a lesser degree, their families. They are mostly members of their community and in many countries are held in high esteem. It is important that the urgency of sustainable development is brought to the attention of all the educators in the world. They can be a force to be reckoned with and hold the capacity to change the world.

If educators are going to take on this important paradigm shift they need to question what they believe education is for and therefore what they value and reflect in their classroom practices. If they see their role as maintaining the status quo of society then they will not value and encourage debate and thinking in students. If they believe that students are being educated only to get a job then they will ensure they have a level of skill and knowledge to perform certain functions in a workplace. Education for full potential and for sustainable development requires a different orientation to the role of educator and to relationships with students and their families. The change is from passing on a body of knowledge (transmissive) to recognition that we are all learners learning together and moving into unknown territory to invent and discover more sustainable practices (transformative).

The Place of Values “Values are the priorities individuals and society attach to certain beliefs, experiences and objects in deciding how they will live and what they will treasure.” (Hill, 2004)

“The ideals that give significance to our lives that are reflected through the priorities we choose and that we act on consistently and repeatedly.” (Hill, 2004)

Previously education has been touted as values free when in fact the very way that educators greet their students every day speaks volumes about their own values and educational principles. The move to make values more explicit is part of challenging the current paradigms promoted by the media of consumerism and materialism.

There is an interesting tension between educating for the development of the whole person and the achievement of the common good of sustainable development. A set of

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values that we live by and ascribe to provide us with personal growth (eg responsibility, and identity) as well as a sound basis for developing values that include others (eg compassion, interdependence). A values approach to living more sustainably integrates the head (knowledge), hands (skills) and heart (caring) aspects of life and is personally challenging for all of us.

“Values are not there to serve philosophers or theologians, but to help people live their lives and organize their societies. … And we need to find within ourselves the will to live by the values we proclaim – in our private lives, in our local and national societies, and in the world.” (UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, December 2003)

A set of universally shared values have been put together by the United Nations to illustrate that people on the planet, despite cultural and religious differences, share a large amount of common values that we can use to develop sustainable development together.

These values are: Equality, Equity, Justice, Fairness Freedom Peace and Non-violence Respect, Diversity, Tolerance, Acceptance, Understanding Mutual respect, Human dignity, Individual worth Responsibility- personal, social, civic, environmental Caring, Compassion, Collective wellbeing, Sharing Honesty, Integrity, Transparency, Accountability, Reconciliation, Truth, Forgiveness, Stewardship, Simplicity, Care for Nature, Balance, Harmony.

Education for sustainability “is fundamentally about values, with respect at the centre: respect for others, including those of present and future generations, for difference and diversity, for the environment, for the resources of the planet we inhabit.” (DESD, Draft Implementation Plan, 2005)

In Sterling’s second and third levels of learning and in the development of the whole child values are strongly featured. The development of values as part of effective learning is recognised as a fundamental link in the learning chain. Learning about issues and concerns can be disempowering without developing the emotional and valuing response and the personal confidence and commitment to take action.

Sterling also provides a model of Levels of Knowing that can support individuals, schools and other institutions to reflect on their actions to determine the underpinning values and beliefs. Even more powerful is the process of clarifying and developing values and beliefs before determining actions.

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Whole School Approaches Because schools are placed in communities and have a fundamental purpose to educate children, they are ideal places to develop the paradigm shift needed for sustainable development. However, the level of change required to achieve sustainable development will involve the whole school in an integrated approach, not only to learning but also in the way that the school models its values, manages its resources and develops learning relationships with the community.

Whole schools that focus on education for sustainable development ie sustainable schooling are rapidly growing in numbers across the world. Many countries now have examples of whole school approaches to educating for sustainability. Examples include Green Schools in China and the United States, Enviroschools in New Zealand, Sustainable Schools in Australia, Taiwan and Canada, and Eco-schools in Europe. Why has this particular movement captured people’s attention and enthusiasm? We believe it is because, “there is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come.” (Anon.)

“Key considerations for an effective and wide reaching whole-school program include the need for programs to be:

relevant - to school, community and stakeholder needs as well as national curriculum and environmental priorities;

resourced - with environmental education/ education for sustainable development expertise, supporting materials /facilitators and long-term financing;

reflective - skilled in critical reflection and evaluation at all levels – striving to become a 'learning organisation';

responsive - flexible structure in order to receive and respond to current models of theory and examples of best practice –responsive to local and cultural settings; and

reformative - have capacity to change according to new ways of thinking and practice.”

(Australian Research Institute for Education for Sustainability (ARIES), 2005.)

There are many benefits in whole school approaches. Some of these are: • achievement of curriculum requirements in learning areas eg conducting an

environmental audit of the school addresses mathematics and English outcomes• the school is a model for sustainability within the local community• professional development opportunities for the whole school staff

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• educators and students work on real-life problems and outcomes• reduced consumption of resources and improved management of the school

grounds • opportunities to develop important learning partnerships • achievement of significant environmental outcomes in the school and local

communities• achievement of significant financial savings through effective management of

utilities and resources• having access to a range of resources including human, physical and financial

through networks and support agencies, and • being an active member of a force to change the world!

(AuSSI-SA management guide and Joy de Leo, 2006)

The Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI) The Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI) is a partnership of the Australian, State and Territory governments supporting school systems to work towards a sustainable future. The impetus for the sustainable schools initiative came from the National Environmental Education Network (NEEN) which is a representative group from education and environment bodies in each state and territory. Sustainable schools is part funded by the Australian Department of the Environment and Heritage

The AuSSI (which is now active in every state and territory of Australia) integrates sustainability education into a holistic program with a focus on all of environmental, economic, educational and social outcomes. The management of school resources and grounds (including energy, waste, water, biodiversity, landscape design, products and materials) is integrated with the curriculum and daily practices of the school. The program is action based and recognises that the school has a vital role to play within its community as a model and activist for sustainable practices. The vision of the AuSSI is ‘For all Australian schools and their communities to be sustainable’.

The South Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI – SA) The South Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI-SA) is a partnership between the South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH) and the Department of Education and Children’s Services (DECS). It is based on the aim that South Australian schools, preschools and their communities will have the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours necessary to pursue sustainable practices. This is realised through active participation in leadership, management, and decision-making with the school as part of its communities ie learning together to bring about change.

AuSSI-SA builds from the South Australian and national work in environmental education over the past two decades, and more recently, a shifting focus onto sustainable education and sustainable schooling. The Initiative seeks to develop a broad understanding of environmental issues and the links that exist between social, economic and environmental dimensions in all decision making. The sustainable schools initiative provides an integrating model which provides an umbrella for the many environmental education projects available to schools eg waste, energy, biodiversity and water conservation as well as the social aspects of schooling eg reconciliation, social justice, peace studies with consideration of the economic aspects of all areas

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Development of AuSSI - SA South Australia is a small state of about 1 million people, and the initiative has been developed from the ‘ground up’ through sessions and forums asking both formal educators and environmental educators for their visions, values and practices to achieve sustainable development for South Australia. This ‘ground up’ approach has been important because there is a strong belief that “ownership of the process is crucial for people to engage in and maintain the journey and that there is great wisdom created in groups of contributors who share deeply from their insight”. (Jo Bishop, DEH in conversation)

In 2005, 22 schools and preschools were involved in further developing the model; providing examples of best practice and stories of significant change that illustrate processes involved in sustainability learning. During this time the matrices were also evolving as a self-assessment tool for schools to consider their development in sustainability education. In 2006 there are eighteen schools who are trialing the matrices and writing of their experiences. Early in 2007 a management guide and web site will encourage and support all schools to move towards sustainability education.

Infrastructure Another important role of AuSSI – SA has been to integrate with and influence the broader education system to support sustainability developments. For example savings in energy and water made by schools has been returned to the central education department funds, which discourages schools from making changes. There is now a move to change the policy so that schools can keep these savings and use them to drive other sustainability changes. Solar energy is being increasingly used in schools and curriculum materials support student community learning about the benefits of renewable energy sources.

AuSSI-SA is also actively involved with other initiatives and programs that support sustainability education, for example environmental education programs, values programs, and quality teacher programs. In particular, environmental educators have developed an appreciation of the effectiveness of whole school approaches and there are now more examples of programs that will work only with whole schools eg Wipe Out Waste.

(Model design attributed to David Butler, DECS)

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The South Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI – SA) Model The elements of the model, which reflect the paradigm shift towards sustainable development, are: A school culture based on a values driven vision of sustainability Understanding sustainability Learning including curriculum, and pedagogy Community as central to the school Management of resources and systems

Culture The culture of a school or site reflects its particular identity and sense of purpose. It includes the context of local priorities and needs. By being involved in the development of a shared vision and values for the school, everyone has ownership of the ideals and values. This provides a sound basis for the further work of developing priorities, plans and actions, which recognise and reflect the interdependence of perspectives, curriculum and management.

Understanding In order to continue to develop sustainability as a journey it is important that ongoing learning and reflection guide practices. What may be considered to be sustainable at this time may not be so in a year’s time and the capacity to grow and learn is critical to sustainability. The move to make and remake connections and interconnections and recognise that between the connections there is now something new emerging requires a new way of questioning and accepting ‘reality’. This is Sterling’s ecological view of the world where knowledge is ‘provisional’ and the process of learning is critical to develop lifelong learners who can create the space within which new and creative lifestyle options can emerge.

Learning The schools are encouraged to integrate better practices for sustainability into all aspects of learning and the learning environment. Students as citizens develop the understandings, skills, and values to achieve sustainability through real and purposeful actions. This is realized through the curriculum and active pedagogies. Students learn to be sustainable, peaceful and democratic by being sustainable, peaceful and democratic in their classrooms and school.

South Australian educators are fortunate to have a curriculum that values sustainability education. The South Australian Curriculum Standards and Accountability (SACSA) Framework provides statements about sustainability learning. It appears explicitly in the learning areas of science and society and environment and implicitly in other learning areas. There are also five Essential Learnings, which weave through planning in all the learning areas. These are Futures, Identity, Interdependence, Thinking and Communication, which aim to develop capacities and dispositions to challenge prevailing paradigms and move towards sustainable lifestyles. The learning approach of constructivism also provides strong directives about active, hands-on learning in real situations and for purposeful outcomes making it another ideal vehicle for the achievement of sustainability education. Using the Framework schools can develop an appropriate sustainability curriculum for their context.

Community

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Sustainable schools develop and nurture integration within their communities, building capacities, growing competencies and changing the way communities relate and function. They also recognise that they are members of global communities and take respectful actions for other people and situations in the world.

ManagementDecision-making involves all stakeholders in developing management and reporting structures. Leadership is not confined to the school’s principal or head teacher but, through capacity building can be demonstrated by any member of the school and community. Sustainability education is informed by collaborative decision-making and ongoing improvement cycles. There is also further impetus for sustainability through the State Strategic Plan and DECS’ strategic directions.

Resource management Critical elements of resource management in schools include the cycle of auditing, planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and taking further action in order to continuously improve environmental outcomes. Learners are involved in all aspects of this learning cycle as part of achieving environmental and educational goals. Behavioural changes are encouraged as well as infrastructure changes that support environmental initiatives. The environmental focus covers the areas of water conservation and quality, waste minimisation, biodiversity improvement, energy conservation, and atmosphere and transport.

Self-assessment matricesIn keeping with the ecological view that schools should not have sustainability imposed as a top-down, bureaucratic regulation the AuSSI-SA has developed matrices for each area of the model (ie Culture, Understanding, Learning, Community and Management). The matrices evolve through columns ie Starting, Establishing, Committing and Excelling with descriptions of each stage. These are designed for schools to be able to assess themselves on the journey and plan for further developments using their results. Feedback on these has been positive with many schools highlighting the value of them as a discussion raiser.

Stories of most significant change Another evaluation tool has been the gathering of stories of most significant change. Because sustainability education is more about process than content it can be difficult to pinpoint and highlight the significant changes along the way. Asking staffs, parents and students to write reflective stories of what happened, why it was significant and where they will go next has been a very meaningful way to gather sustainability ‘journeys’. The discussion within the school of what is ‘a significant change’ is a very powerful discussion raiser. These stories will be shared with other schools through the AuSSI-SA web site.

Student participationIn the AuSSI –SA model of sustainability education, students are considered to be equal partners in any planning and decision-making processes. This reflects many of the principles in Sterling’s shift from a mechanistic view to an ecological view as well as the values of sustainability eg inclusion, democratic and participative processes, and responsibility. Not only is there an emphasis on student ‘voice’ but also a strong mandate

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for student ‘agency’. The ‘participation ladder’ below demonstrates this move of ‘voice’ to ‘agency’.

Sharing decision-making, implementation of action and reflection on the action, with young people

Incorporating youth/student views into action taken by others

Being listened to and with respect (including a willingness to argue with students with logic and evidence)

Being listened to

Being heard

Youth/student voice: ‘speaking out’

(Roger Holdsworth)

“While it is recognised that the capacity and willingness to both ’do’ (relatively trivial things) and ‘ask’ (making requests or demands which tend to lead to rejection and reinforcement of students’ powerlessness), is important for the individual development of a student’s own agency, the more important structural challenge has been to encourage a movement towards the ‘share’ role in which students (as other parties do) work with others through accountable, decision-making partnerships.” (Roger Holdsworth)

There is also a growing recognition that voice and agency need to be for all students, not just an elite few. Students feeling they have power to shape and influence their school and community decision-making and actions is a powerful way to engage them back in their school lives. To achieve a broader representation of voices, many schools are replacing the traditional Student Representative Council with student forums where all students can be active. Representatives from each of the forums then become a form of executive to meet with other decision-making groups in governance of the school.

An exciting aspect of the SA initiative is the inclusion of preschools and childcare centres. These sites are also working to further develop the place of student voice and agency. The three and four year old children are already influencing their families with sustainable practices and actions. The following is an example from Hallett Cove Preschool:

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A four-year old child and her mother are standing at the supermarket counter. The child picks up an egg and examines it carefully. “We can’t buy these, Mummy,” she says, “they don’t have recycle symbols on them!”

Student voice and agency are important aspects of sustainability education as they bring to the fore two critical values ie optimism and hope. Our children will inherit this planet in whatever state we leave it in. It is vital that they learn now that their positive actions can make a difference now as they are moving into the future. Not the faraway and never-reached future but the future that is every next minute of our lives, that of everyday realities.

AuSSI-SA and the DESD “The basic vision of the DESD is a world where everyone has the opportunity to benefit from education and learn the values, behaviour and lifestyles required for a sustainable future and for positive societal transformation.

This translates into five objectives, to: 1. Give an enhanced profile to the central role of education and learning in the common pursuit of sustainable development; 2. Facilitate links and networking, exchange and interaction among stakeholders in ESD; 3. Provide a space and opportunity for refining and promoting the vision of, and transition to sustainable development – through all forms of learning and public awareness; 4. Foster increased quality of teaching and learning in education for sustainable development; 5. Develop strategies at every level to strengthen capacity in ESD.” (DESD Implementation Plan, 2005)

AuSSI-SA has been evolving and developing over several years. The environmental actions and impacts in many of the trialing and associated schools have been happening for many years longer. The journey from environmental education into sustainability education has been about the recognition that effective environmental education had social and economic outcomes and inclusive processes that work with local cultural contexts. The environmental outcomes were highlighted (as this was the focus) but there were also distinct social and economic outcomes as well.

The change appears to be in a collaboratively developed vision and values as a driving force to achieve real shifts in sustainable lifestyles. AuSSI-SA is reflecting the objectives of the DESD in its focus and working processes.

Aldgate Primary School – a sustainable school Aldgate Primary School, in the hills overlooking the capital city-Adelaide, is an example of a school with a strong environmental focus for over 20 years winning many prestigious state and national awards.

Initially the parents provided the strong impetus for a community recycling centre and protecting the biodiversity of the school. Meanwhile Aldgate staff were undertaking lots of professional learning in values and futures education and applying this learning with students and this provided further understanding and skills to move towards sustainability education.

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Broad consultation processes (using futures tools and graphic organizers) with all students, parents and staff (including the grounds person, and administration officers), brought together the vision and values for sustainability. The school motto of Learning Together for a Sustainable Future was developed and agreed to.

Planning for being a Sustainable School was the next step with a representative group of students, staff and parents and a broad range of community and government ‘experts’ in sustainability education and environmental education. This group worked on the large and daunting task of determining what a sustainable school would be like, ie what would be important, how would it behave, what learning would take place, what sustainable school practices would be in evidence. From this volume of material the plans and program for the sustainable school were developed and ratified by the school’s Governing Council, student representative council and the staff. The plans were also accepted at the District Office level. The school plan focuses on environmental, social and economic outcomes always keeping in mind the vision and values of more sustainable lifestyles.

One example of achieving multiple outcomes was the development of a school hire agreement that outlines the environmental expectations of community groups who hire the school facilities. This agreement includes expectations about waste reduction, and water and energy conservation. The group who worked on the hire agreement was representative of students, parents, staff and the community. It was recognised that this agreement would need ongoing communication, review and improvement processes so that the expectations of hirers would be realistic and manageable.

Despite changes in staff and leadership, the school still has a strong commitment to being a sustainable school. By embedding the values and vision of sustainability into planning and policy development there is a far greater chance that the ‘sustainability’ of the sustainable school concept will be maintained over time.

In conclusion “Education for sustainable development is a life-wide and lifelong endeavour which challenges individuals, institutions, and societies to view tomorrow as a day that belongs to all of us, or it will not belong to anyone." (DESD Implementation Plan, 2005)

The formal education sector through its schools and communities can be effective agents of change for sustainability. We need to continue to communicate the agenda and importance of sustainability. Sustainability education is still not ‘on the radar’ of many educators who are caught up in the day-to-day ‘busy-ness’ of classroom management and short-term achievements and outcomes. Educators who have taken on sustainability are excited and inspired to be part of something worthwhile and important. We owe it to our children to keep spreading the message to all educators that they, with the children, can ‘make the difference’ needed. Schools can be true learning and cultural centres in their communities and beacons of sustainability in the world.

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References:

Annan, Kofi, UN Secretary-General, Tubingen University, Germany, 12 December 2003

Australian Research Institute for Education for Sustainability (ARIES) International review of whole school sustainability programs, 2005.

de Leo, Joy, President, UNESCO APNIEVE Australia, Reorienting teacher education to address sustainability and international understanding - teaching and whole school approaches to ESD/EIU, Malaysia, 2006

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Author: Sue Coad is a curriculum officer in sustainability education with the Department for Environment and Heritage in South Australia. She is the former Principal of Aldgate primary school a sustainable school close to the capital city of Adelaide. Sue is also working with APNIEVE running ‘Values and Sustainability’ workshops around Australia. Sue was a resource person this year for an education for sustainable development workshop in Tehran, Iran.

Co-presenter: Owen Secombe currently works at Flinders University supervising pre-service teachers during their teaching practicum in schools. He has extensive experience as a primary school principal and has focused on values education and restorative justice in disadvantaged schools.

Sue Coad 16.