Education for Sustainability

It is becoming clear that we must rethink and redirect education to address the problems of the 21st century.

The challenges of climate change, peak oil, urban sprawl and population growth will require a fundamental change of philosophy in how we live our lives.

Establishing an education program based on sustainability will offer us the knowledge and skills we’ll need if we’re willing to make this change. We must acquire the abilities needed to “green” our economy and create just, vigorous communities that support a high quality of life for all people. Learning spaces should integrate the ecological, social and economic facets of sustainability into the school program drawing on nationally recognized models of education proven to raise academic achievement and engagement for all students.

Environmental studies in our schools will drive real social and economic youth leadership initiatives in the community. Learning will be inquiry-based, driven by the questions that emerge as we grapple with real problems in our community and bioregion. The curriculum needs to illuminate the interdependence of human and natural systems as a foundation for sustainable education. An emphasis on systems thinking, a unique approach to problem solving, across the curriculum will support students in developing a sophisticated, multifaceted understanding of the world they live in.

As Gandhi said so well ... "We must be the changes we want to see in the world." Let's get going!