Forum for the Future

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Sustainability Integration group HE Academy
Working Knowledge Conference Edinburgh, 24th
January 2006 Sara Parkin Founder Director Forum
for the Future
Forum for the Future
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Sustainability why does it matter?

• Evidence it is real, and it is urgent
• It is a social challenge we all must contribute
• It is about progressing social, economic and
  environmental goals at the same time
• Structures and reward systems dont help
• But change is not as hard as you think
• The crisis is in implementation Kofi Annan

Forum for the Future
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Sustainability Integration Group

Leadership
Staff standards
HE Academy
LFHE
Skills
Academic standards

QAA
CEL
SSDA
QCA
SQA
Professional
SSCs
Employers
Bodies
Professional
Sustainability
Progressive companies
Integration
Standards
already active
Group
on SD agenda
HEFCE,HEFCW
DELNI
Higher education
TUSDAC
DfES core sponsorship
Unions
SHEFC
funding councils
gives leadership
CUC
levers participation
LSC
UUK
SCOP
SFEFC
Universities Scotland
ALI
Further education
ELWa
HEPI
funding councils
AoC
University and
NIACE
College
Research
Councils
Leadership and governance
NCSL
Research
Adult Learning and
Forum for the Future
school connections
Red connections to other initiatives.
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Unprecedented Partnership

• First time this group have got together
• 1 and 2 year action plans being implemented (add
  up to real change)
• Safe place to share good practice and learn
• Consistency across the supply side and with
  Government policy (policy to practice links)
• Demand side is mobilised and connected

Forum for the Future
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Examples of SIGnet in Action

• QAA Sustainable development is embedded
• and normal practice in quality assurance (goal)
• CUC The framework for setting sustainable
• development standards is clear and
• accepted throughout sector, and easy to
• use tools for implementation are
• available (goal)
• UUK/SCOP Programme of policy development,
• training and tool development has started (1
  yr)

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HEA aims for itself, for SIG

• HEA Subject centres will have
• helped HEIs to develop sustainability
  literate graduates
• SIG There is a continuum of sustainability
  literacy from school right through to higher
  education and beyond to lifelong learning.

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HEA 1st year outcomes

• Resources showing each disciplines contribution
  to sustainable development  
• Awareness raising process for all university
  staff and students
• Research into both student demand for and
  teaching methods to deliver sustainability
  literacy
• Links to employability and other policy agendas
  are mapped and reported to the subject centres

Forum for the Future
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HEA 2nd year outcomes

• Employers, professional bodies, regulators,
  planners, funders and other stakeholders fully
  engaged
• Indicator set for sustainability literacy
  developed
• Sustainable development strategies for HEA and
  its subject centres developed, consulted on and
  published.

Forum for the Future
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Partnerships for Change

• Got the policy UN, EU, UK, DAs
• SIG enables change despite unhelpful structures
  and systems
• Builds confidence, competence and networks
• Members design goals and actions, Forum
  encourages and supports group and individual
  members, makes connections

Forum for the Future
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Sustainability Integration Group

Leadership
Staff standards
HE Academy
LFHE
Skills
Academic standards

QAA
CEL
SSDA
QCA
SQA
Professional
SSCs
Employers
Bodies
Professional
Sustainability
Progressive companies
Integration
Standards
already active
Group
on SD agenda
HEFCE,HEFCW
DELNI
Higher education
TUSDAC
DfES core sponsorship
Unions
SHEFC
funding councils
gives leadership
CUC
levers participation
LSC
UUK
SCOP
SFEFC
Universities Scotland
ALI
Further education
ELWa
HEPI
funding councils
AoC
University and
NIACE
College
Research
Councils
Leadership and governance
NCSL
Forum for the Future
Research
Adult Learning and
school connections
Red connections to other initiatives.
11

• Thank you for listening

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(No Transcript)
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Working definitions

• Sustainability A quality, the capacity to
  continue into the long term
• Sustainable The journey, a path for
• Development human progress that leads to
  a sustainable way of life
• How to get progress our environmental,
• on that path? social economic goals
• AT THE SAME TIME

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Preferred Action on Climate Change
Britain, 1999
Britain, 2004
Dont know/Depends
No major action until we know more
Assume the worst, Take action now
Act Now Wait
Act Now Wait
Base c 2,000 GB adults aged 15
Source MORI/Environment Monitor 1999 MORI 2004
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Levels of Recycling Specific Materials
Q17 How often, if at all, do you recycle . . .
(2002-03 change)
Every/most times
(10)
Newspaper/Paper
(12)
Magazine/brochure
(11)
Glass bottles
(13)
Glass jars
(15)
Card/cardboard
(19)
Drink cans
(17)
Food tins
(23)
Plastic bottles
(9)
Carrier bags
(-2)
Old clothes/shoes
(12)
Fruit juice/milk cartons
(8)
Garden organic rubbish
(12)
Kitchen foil
(4)
Kitchen organic rubbish
Base 1, 314 residents aged 16, face-to-face,
in-home, London Western Riverside,
October-November 2003, Waste Watch/MORI
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Health Impacts of Environmental Damage Now
Q How much, if at all, do you believe
environmental problems now affect your health?

Fair Amount
Great Deal
China
98
India
96
Nigeria
89
Spain
86
Italy
82
South Africa
75
Russia
72
USA
61
France
60
Japan
56
Great Britain
54
Germany
39
Base General Public
Source MORI Environment Monitor 1999
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Health Impacts of Environmental Damage
In the Future
Q How much, if at all, do you believe
environmental problems will affect the health of
our children and grandchildren?
Fair Amount
Great Deal
China
98
India
97
Italy
95
Nigeria
91
Spain
89
Germany
89
Russia
88
Great Britain
87
USA
87
France
86
South Africa
77
Japan
75
Base All adults in each country
Source MORI Environment Monitor 1999