Title: Sustainable Development:
1Sustainable Development Towards Healthy
Environments, Economic Strength, and Social
Justice Keith E. Edwards, Macalester
College Kathleen G. Kerr, University of
Delaware Tools for Social Justice
Conference November 13, 2006 Kansas City, MO
2 Presentation Outline
- Overview of Sustainability
- Social Justice Aspects of Sustainability
- Individual Leadership
- Higher Education Leadership
- Social Justice Education
- Resources
3Sustainable Development Defined
Meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs World Commission
on Env. and Development. (1987). Our Common
Future. England Oxford University Press. Â
4Triple Bottom Line
Social Justice
Healthy Environments
Strong Economies
Sustainable Society
Sustainable Development
5The United Nations has declared 2005-2014 a
Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
6Education for a Sustainable Society Enables
people to develop the knowledge, values and
skills to participate in decisions that will
improve the quality of life now without damaging
the planet for the future.Â
7Global Transition
- From
- Fossil powered
- Take, make, waste
- Living off natures capital
- Market as master
- Loss of cultural biological diversity
- Independence
- Materialism as goal
- To
- Solar powered
- Cyclical production
- Living off natures income
- Market as servant
- Increased cultural biological diversity
- Interdependence
- Human satisfaction goal
8Which of these myths do you believe?Â
- Sustainability is mostly about the environment.
- Sustainability is just another issue, like
international studies or computer literacy. - Sustainability is secondary to the university's
core mission and function. - Sustainability will almost always cost the
university more money. - Sustainability is primarily a scientific and
technical problem.
9Social Justice Aspects of Sustainable Development
- Environmental Racism
- Fair Trade
- Living Wage
- Domestic Partnerships
- Corporate Responsibility
- Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- Gender Equity
- Water Rights
- Human Rights
- Child Labor Issues
- Affirmative Action
- Multicultural Competence
- Pollution Farming Practices
- Workers Rights
- Sweatshop Labor
- Slavery
10Individual Leadership
11What can I do as an individual?
- Develop your own critical consciousness
- Understand your own identities and how it affects
your experiences and interactions. - Communicate across difference develop your
multicultural competence - Recognize privilege and oppression as they exist
and function in societies. - Commit to actively working for social change
towards more just and equitable societies.
12What can I do as an individual?
- Be a responsible consumer
- Buy locally grown and produced foods
- Buy organic foods as much as possible
- Know and do business with entities whose business
practice you can support.
13Higher Education Leadership
14Potential is Enormous
- 4,096 U.S. Colleges and Universities (1)
- 14.8 million students (1)
- 277 billion annual expenditures 2.8 of the GDP
(1) - HE expenditures gt the GDP of all but 25 countries
in the world (2) - 1 From 2001 Digest of Education Statistics,
US Dept. of Education. - 2 From 2001 CIA World Fact Book and
Dowling, Mike., "Interactive Table of World
Nations," available from http//www.mrdowling.com/
800nations.html Internet updated Friday, June
29, 2001
15- What if higher education were to take a
leadership role, as it did in the space race and
the war on cancer, in preparing students and
providing the information and knowledge to
achieve a just and sustainable society? - What would higher education look like?
16Embracing Education for Sustainable Development
Can
- Improve teaching and learning
- Prepare students for citizenship and career
- Attract students, faculty and funding
- Save and other resources for the institution
and society - Improve the institutions reputation
- Engender cooperation and satisfaction across the
institution - Help improve town/gown relationships
- Fulfill moral and social responsibility
- Improve strategic positioning
17Possibilities for Next Steps
- Explicitly recognize and include ESD in the next
round of mission definition and strategic
planning. - Encourage your strategic planners, purchasing
agent, facilities director, student life
coordinators, faculty and students to join the
national online learning communities dedicated to
education for sustainable development. (go to
www.aashe.org and click on Email lists) - Include sustainable development core competencies
in the next revision of General Education outcome
requirements, first year experience, orientation
18Possibilities for Next Steps
- Build and renovate facilities using socially and
environmentally responsible practices (e.g. LEED
and Energy Star) - Purchase socially and environmentally responsible
products (e.g. no sweatshop products in the
bookstore) (e.g. national initiative from NACS) - Infuse sustainability throughout the disciplines
via staff development offerings and faculty
engagement strategies - Develop college-community partnerships for
sustainable development and use those
partnerships for service learning opportunities
for students (e.g. Grand Rapids CC and
Middlebury)
19Possibilities for Next Steps
- Engage in the Campus Climate Challenge to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions http//www.campusclimate
challenge.org/ - Help to create economic policies that support
stronger economies via the building of healthier
ecosystems and social systems (e.g.
http//www.paconsortium.state.pa.us/ - Utilize the media to publicize the positive steps
your institution takes to both teach and model
sustainable development - Systemically incorporate social justice education
on your campus
20Social Justice Education
21Goal
Apathy Responsibility Commitment to
working towards a more just and equitable
society.Students need to know that their daily
decisions affect the quality of life of people
around the globe
22Social Justice Education
- Identify specific learning outcomes for out of
class learning opportunities. - Encourage students to explore their identities
and communicate across difference. - Examine with students the oppressive systems that
have existed and continue to function in society
and the harm they do to us all. - Help students develop a libratory consciousness.
23Integrating Education for Sustainable Development
Curricula
Research
Mission and Planning
Operations
Purchasing
Professional Development
CommunityOutreach and Partnerships
Student Life
24Key Places
- Student Life
- Residential Living
- Infused throughout curricula
- First Year Experience
- Gen Ed Core
- Curricula Review
- Community Partnerships
- Workforce Development
- Mission
- Strategic Plan
- Budget
- Orientation
- Campus Map and Signage
- Building Policies
- Operations and Purchasing Policies
25Resources
26ACPAs Presidential Task Force
- Resources - FY Pledge templates for road shows
ideas for orientation and FYE, etc. - Professional development - Webpage, e-learning,
publications, monograph, pre-conferences,
teleconferences and webcasts - Collaboration with other national higher
education associations on - Rating system
- Socially and environmentally responsible
procurement - Presidents pledge on climate change
- Higher Education Climate Action Project
- Team building on campus at VP and other levels
for sustainability - Student Learning Outcomes to guide practice
27Student Learning OutcomesACPAs Sustainability
Taskforce, 2006
- Each student will be able to define
sustainability. - Each student will be able to explain how
sustainability relates to their lives and their
values, and how their actions impact issues of
sustainability. - Each student will be able to utilize their
knowledge of sustainability to change their daily
habits and consumer mentality. - Each student will be able to explain how systems
are interrelated.
28Student Learning Outcomes (cont.)ACPAs
Sustainability Taskforce, 2006
- Each student will learn change agent skills.
- Each student will learn how to apply concepts of
sustainability to their campus and community by
engaging in the challenges and solutions of
sustainability on their campus. - Each student will learn how to apply concepts of
sustainability globally by engaging in the
challenges and the solutions of sustainability in
a world context.
29Strategies
- Residence hall programs FYE and orientation
programs campus speaker series bulletin boards
service and service learning experiences
curricular and co-curricular collaborations (e.g.
general education outcome and infusion throughout
the disciplines - first year community reading
book) town hall forums study- and
service-abroad experiences film series speaker
series media festivals information in campus
media outlets office of multicultural
affairs/diversity programming curricular and
capstone projects, one-on-one conversations with
student affairs staff members programs sponsored
by campus faith-based organizations and offices
curricular projects signage on existing energy
efficient/renewable energies buildings/
operations Residence hall, student organization,
fraternity and sorority, and intramural/club
sports competitions personal contracts
community (floor) agreements health safety
checks with resident feedback campaign by campus
transportation units sweatshop free bookstores
and purchasing policies catalyzed by students
development of educational modules on change
agent skills to be distributed for use by
educators involvement in campus leadership
positions town hall forums conference
attendance problem based learning in curricular
and co-curricular settings attendance at
meetings where policy is discussed and decided
upon town and gown, city council, county
council, Board of Trustees.
30Strategies (cont.)
- Participation in political campaigns service and
service learning experiences modify the
institutions and student organizations
practices, mission statements, and constitutions
utilize student governance structures to request
compliance with LEED and other sustainability
standards awareness raising campaigns letter
writing campaign and implementation project for
sustainable practices in dining services unit on
campus work with campus facilities/grounds units
to assess current practices work with facilities
and business office to create more sustainable
operations and standards organization of
community recycling and reduced toxins program
environmental impact statements from Residence
Hall Governments and campus student governance
groups Walk Dont Ride, Do It in the Dark
campaigns collaboration with campus
transportation units Facebook groups curricular
change projects utilize campus media to carry
message career services center programming and
,counseling graduation pledges or FYE pledges
(currently Graduation Pledge) that are
implemented throughout the undergraduate
experience alumni activities speaker and film
series service and service learning experiences.
31Some statistics on activities
- 250 sustainability coordinators/offices/
committees -
- 275 campus sustainability assessments
- 300 LEED (green) Buildings
- Greatly increased student activism 271
campuses for Campus Climate Challenge
32Where Do We Go From Here?
- Professional Development for campus staff
- Upper administration support memo from all VPs
empowering all staff and faculty to help
implement sustainability - Presidential support Tailloire Declaration,
AACC resolution, Presidents Campus Climate
Initiative - Incentive building via budget use the savings
to fund the next projects - Faculty and Staff - Identifying influencers and
asking for help - Framing - Connect diversity, global learning,
international ed, service learning, economic
development, student life and environmental
learning constituencies
33Professional Development Strategies
- Internally focus on Education for Sustainable
Development in higher education staff and faculty - Externally reach out to professionals (get on
the advisory committees and accreditation
committees) - Keep asking, What are your next steps in making
education for and practice of sustainability a
major goal of your institution?
34Conclusions
- The U.S. public is not educated enough about
sustainability issues and solutions. - We need sustainability literacy and engagement
for ALL. This is no longer optional for a viable
future. - Some exciting developments, too many to report,
but much more needs to be done. - We can assist you. Share what you do with ACPA
and we will share with others via www.heasc.net - Let our enthusiasm show!
-
35Acknowledgement
- Dr. Debra Rowe
- dgrowe_at_oaklandcc.edu
- President U.S. Partnership for Education for
Sustainable Development Co-chair Higher
Education Associations Sustainability Consortium
Senior Fellow University Leaders for a
Sustainable Future Professor, Alternate
Energies and Behavioral Sciences Oakland
Community College.
36For More Information
- Keith E. Edwards
- kedward2_at_macalester.edu
- Kathleen Kerr
- kkerr_at_udel.edu
- ACPA Task Force on Sustainability
- http//www.myacpa.org/task2Dforce/sustainability/