Education and Sustainable Development

1. GOLDEN JUBILEE CONCLAVE Prof. M.M. Pant Education and Sustainable Development

2. Malthus ( 1798) re-surrected • The Limits to Growth is a 1972 book modeling the consequences of a rapidly growing world population and finite resource supplies, commissioned by the Club of Rome. • Its authors were Donella H. Meadows, Dennis L. Meadows, Jørgen Randers, and William W. Behrens III. The book used the World3 model to simulate the consequence of interactions between the Earth's and human systems.

3. Modelling the world ? • Five variables were examined in the original model, on the assumptions that exponential growth accurately described their patterns of increase, and that the ability of technology to increase the availability of resources grows only linearly. • These variables are: world population, industrialization , pollution, food production and resource depletion. • The authors intended to explore the possibility of a sustainable feedback pattern that would be achieved by altering growth trends among the five variables.

4. The Updates • The most recent updated version was published on June 1, 2004 by Chelsea Green Publishing Company and Earthscan under the name Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update. • Donnella Meadows, Jørgen Randers, and Dennis Meadows have updated and expanded the original version. • They had previously published Beyond the Limits in 1993 as a 20 year update on the original material.

5. Stages of Growth • Initial slow linear • Rapid acceleration • Leveling off : plateau • Stable or maybe decline

6. Gompertz Curve • A Gompertz curve or Gompertz function, named after Benjamin Gompertz, is a sigmoid function. • It is a type of mathematical model , where growth is slowest at the start and end of a time period. • The right-hand or future value asymptote of the function is approached much more gradually by the curve than the left-hand or lower valued asymptote. • This isin contrast to the logistic function in which both asymptotes are approached by the curve symmetrically.

7. The Theme Today is Technology for Sustainable Development • So, how does education figure? • Education is the key to sustainable development. • And it is not about knowledge alone • But about behavioral change: changing mindsets

8. Six Blind Man and Elephant

9. Introduction • Once upon a time, there lived six blind men in a village. One day the villagers told them, "Hey, there is an elephant in the village today." • They had no idea what an elephant is. They decided, "Even though we would not be able to see it, let us go and feel it anyway." All of them went where the elephant was. Everyone of them touched the elephant.

10. 1st Man "Hey, the elephant is a pillar,” — said the first man who touched his leg.

11. 2nd Man "Oh, no! it is like a rope” —said the second man who touched the tail.

12. 3rd Man "Oh, no! it is like a thick branch of a tree” —said the third man who touched the trunk of the elephant.

13. 4th Man "It is like a big hand fan" —said the fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant.

14. 5th Man • "It is like a huge wall," said the fifth man who touched the belly of the elephant.

15. 6th Man "It is like a solid pipe" —said the sixth man who touched the tusk of the elephant.

16. Everyone insisted he was right • A wise man passing by saw this and enquired. • They said, "We cannot agree to what the elephant is like." Each one of them told what he thought the elephant was like. • The wise man calmly explained to them, "All of you are right. The reason every one of you is telling it differently because each one of you touched the different part of the elephant. So, actually the elephant has all those features what you all said." • And more……. • "Oh!" everyone said. There was no more fight. They felt happy that they were all right.

17. Multiple Perspectives: • So, rather than arguing like the blind men, we should say, "Maybe you have your reasons." • This way we don’t get in arguments. • Truth can be stated in seven different ways. • We have to be tolerant towards other viewpoints.

18. So, what is education? • Is it a Technology? • Is it infra-structure? • Is it a Philosophy? • Eco-pedagogy ? • Eco-literacy ? “Education is the indispensable foundation of all human excellence”

19. Andwhat is the purpose of Education? • Gaining Knowledge • Becoming Employable • Responsible Citizen • Making the world a better place “ Education at all levels can shape the world of tomorrow” — UNESCO

20. Background/ History… 1987 The Brundtland Commission… • Sustainable Development = Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. 1992 The Rio Earth Summit… • Agenda 21 - Action Plan/ “Blueprint for Sustainable Development” (40 chapters, 300 pages) • Chapter 36: Promoting Education, Public Awareness and Training

21. 2000 UN Millenium Summit Reverse spread of diseases, esp. HIV/AIDS, Malaria Halve Extreme Poverty Reduce <5 Mortality by 2/3 Universal Primary Education Millennium Development Goals by 2015 Ensure Environmental Sustainability Reduce maternal mortality by 3/4 Form a Global Development Partnership for aid, trade, debt relief Empowerment of Women/ gender equality

22. 2002 The World Summit on Sustainable Development… 27% coral reefs Seriously threatened (up from 10%) 2.8 billion living on < $2/day) Extinctions on the rise 10 years after Rio Declining indicators 1.1 billion lack clean water Greenhouse gas emissions up 9% 6 million children died from hunger In 10 years Growing gap between rich & poor

23. The Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014 “Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea that seems abstract -- sustainable development -- and turn it into a reality for all the world's people.” — Kofi Annan, UNSG, 2001 UNESCO: appointed lead UN agency Approved by UN Gen. Assy. 2002

24. Action Areas 1. Promotion and improvement of basic education; 2. Reorienting existing education at all levels to address sustainable development; Action Areas 4. Training the workforce with knowledge and skills to perform their work in a sustainable manner. 3. Developing public understanding and awarenessof sustainability;

25. Key Themes Sustainable Production & Consumption Fresh Water Management Biodiversity Conservation & Protection

26. Key Themes (cont…) Health Promotion Human Rights Imp. of Info . & Comm. Technology for ESD Peace & Int’l Understanding Poverty Alleviation Gender Equality

27. Some Initiatives US Partnership for the DESD Japan Council on the DESD German National Committee for the DESD Others forming: Portugal, Greece, Sweden, the Philippines, India, etc.

28. US Partnership for the Decade VISION: • Education for Sustainable Development integrated into education and learning in the U.S. MISSION: • Leverage the UN Decade to foster Education for Sustainable Development in the U.S.

29. US Partnership for the Decade • …all sectors – higher education, K-12, business, faith communities, non-profits, government • …a community-builder, convener, catalyst and communicator for the Decade in the United States www.uspartnership.org

30. US Partnership for the Decade “Business Innovation for Sustainability” (October ’04) Living Institutions – “Today, Tomorrow, Forever: The Role Living Institutions Can Play in the DESD” (November ’04) Conferences Nat’l Assn. of Independent Schools – “Education for Sustainability: How Far Will You Go?” (February ’05) Sustainability and Higher Education Conference - “Defining the Vision” (October ’04)

31. The Sustainability “Stool” Education for Sustainable Development Developing Systems Thinkers Economic Principles Social Principles Environmental Principles Spiritual Principles

32. Examples of Spiritual Principles related to sustainability Economic Social Environmental Elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty Work as worship Moderation Be content w/little Voluntary giving Profit sharing Equality of women and men Elimination of all forms of prejudice Unity in diversity Universal compulsory education Trustworthiness Interdependence of all life Nature a reflection of the Divine Humility – Earth source of all our wealth Unity in diversity Cleanliness Kindness to animals

33. Soloist vs. Whole Systems Thinker Soloist Whole Systems Thinker Can identify one part of a system OR sees no connection between the parts of the system OR lives life through a “zoom lens” Without benefit of a “wide angle” lens • Makes choices and decisions and takes actions that maximize the health of the whole system upon which the specific parts depend. • Able to work well in diverse groups which enable them to recognize interdependencies in • systems Adapted from material from the Sustainability Education Center, New York www.sustainabilityed.org

34. Some areas for combining principles of sustainable development and systems thinking Personal Business • Consumption patterns • Water & Energy use • Clothing purchases • Recreation/hobbies • Yard care, landscaping • Household Cleaning products • Home purchase • Vacation planning • Family planning • Transportation choices • Production methods • Energy and water use • Waste disposal • Employee benefits • Stockholder relations Community • Building a Bahá’ícenter • Organizing a Bahá’í Feast • Running a Bahá’í summer school • Conference planning • Devotional program

35. Simple Systems Map (Example) Save $ in the Long run Use less gas Less carbon emission Walk/Bike rather than drive Reduce air pollution Get exercise Slow global warming Physically healthier

36. From Planned Obsolescence to Sustainability……. • The case for sustainability is widely accepted. • Yet, we see only a few products and services actually making a mark because of their sustainability. • This is because the initial step is often the hardest and the untried solution is always put off to another day. • As a result, the market continues to be fed with what we know will be accepted and consumed.

37. Sustainability should not be perceived as additional cost… • One of the biggest challenges in embedding issues of sustainability into the core of business is the mindset that apportions a cost to such endeavours - a cost that is loaded on top of the existing costs, and one that is not similarly borne by other competitors. • So the thinking most likely to be encountered is: "I can design for sustainability but will incur a cost which competition will not”.

38. Sustainability before extinction? • It is this approach that makes driving sustainability a challenge in business operations today. • Sustainable solutions are not something that we can negotiate; they are inevitable in a world starved of natural resources. • The only question is how soon we embrace them. We needn't be prisoners to the dominant logic that sees sustainability through the limited prism of costs.

39. An example from Hindustan Lever • Across South East Asia, Lever launched Comfort One Rinse fabric conditioner which needs only one bucket of water for rinsing instead of three. This saves 30 litres of water per wash for the average household. • If we could convert all our laundry product users in Asia and South Africa to Comfort One Rinse, we would save more than 500 billion litres of water a year. • Now this is clearly great for the environment but importantly is also a great value proposition for consumers in large parts of the world who are struggling to cope with the acute shortage of water.

40. Another Example of Water Purifier • Similarly, Pureit, the water purifier was designed with the consumer insight that a majority of the people in India do not have access to either electricity or flowing water. • So it had to work with no electricity, with no flowing water and deliver clean and safe drinking water at a very low cost. • When that was done, there was a product that is as sustainable as it is successful.

41. ESD: Education for Sustainable Development • ESD is the term most used internationally and by the United Nations to describe 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. • A focus on literacies and skills, standards that support interdisciplinary thinking, and the role of systems thinking have all increased the visibility of the movement.

42. Background • Groundwork has been laid for sustainability education worldwide. • Various approaches to ESD encourage people to understand the complexities of, and synergies between, the issues threatening planetary sustainability and understand and assess their own values and those of the society in which they live in the context of sustainability. • ESD seeks to engage people in negotiating a sustainable future, making decisions and acting on them. While it is generally agreed on that sustainability education must be customized for individual learners

43. Skills Essential to ESD • Envisioning – being able to imagine a better future. The premise is that if we know where we want to go, we will be better able to work out how to get there. • Critical thinking and reflection – learning to question our current belief systems and to recognize the assumptions underlying our knowledge, perspective and opinions. Critical thinking skills help people learn to examine economic, environmental, social and cultural structures in the context of sustainable development. • Systemic thinking – acknowledging complexities and looking for links and synergies when trying to find solutions to problems.

44. Some initiatives: • Building partnerships – promoting dialogue and negotiation, learning to work together. • Participation in decision-making – empowering people. • The Green Education Foundation (GEF) promotes sustainability education with a K-12 curriculum. • GEF's National Green Week encourages students to become environmental stewards within the context of their own lives. • GEF offers the Green Energy Challenge, Green Thumb Challenge and Green Building Program as part of its sustainability education efforts.

45. The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) • In recognition of the importance of ESD, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2005-2014 the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD). • UNESCO leads the Decade and has developed an International Implementation Scheme for the Decade. • The goals of the decade are to provide an opportunity for refining and promoting the vision of, and transition to, sustainable development – through all forms of education, public awareness and training; and to give an enhanced profile to the important role of education and learning in sustainable development.

46. Objectives of the DESD (cont…) • Facilitate networking linkages, exchange and interaction among stakeholders in ESD; • Foster increased quality of teaching and learning in ESD; • Help countries make progress towards and attain the Millennium Development Goals through ESD efforts; • Provide countries with new opportunities to incorporate ESD into education reform efforts.

47. Educational Institutions • Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education • Ramapo College • St Francis Xavier College (Canberra) • Prescott College, with a PhD program in Sustainability Education • Ithaca College • Göncöl Foundation • Hermit Park State School • Centre for Sustainability • Creative Change Educational Solutions • Learning for a Sustainable Future • Green Education Foundation

48. Challenges to Education for Sustainability ? • Inclusive education: imparting quality education to increasing numbers…developing learning metrics • Moving from the art of teaching to the science of learning • Building in the students the capacity ‘to learn how to learn’ • Adopting 21st century communication tools for enhanced learning experience

49. Three Questions for this age? What does it mean to know (something)? How does a learner know that he has learnt (what he set out to learn)? What are the attributes of ‘an educated person’ in the 2nd half of the 21st Century?

50. When the Learner is Ready, the Teacher will Appear • Learning moments • Epiphanic moment • Eureka moment • Jaw-dropping moment • The moment of truth • The Sputnik moment • The ‘aha’ moment