Education for sustainability at Lincoln University, New Zealand

Abstract

An urgent need for education for sustainability was identified by the United Nations in 2002 and as a result the period 2005-2014 was declared the Decade for Education for Sustainability. The aim, as described by the lead agency (UNESCO, no date), is to “integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning, in order to address the social, economic, cultural and environmental problems we face in the 21st century”. The first chapter of the report looks at the meaning of sustainability and how it has changed over time. This is followed by a (short) review of the education for sustainability literature and a survey of how sustainability is being taught at the undergraduate level in New Zealand and overseas tertiary institutions. This chapter concludes with a listing of the topics, suggested by the literature, that should be included in a full curricula of education for sustainability. The third chapter contains the results of the survey that was undertaken of courses currently available at Lincoln University and the following chapter both discusses these results and identifies gaps amongst the currently available courses. The report concludes with recommendations aimed at ensuring that any programme for sustainability at Lincoln University will provide its graduates with a holistic understanding of this multifaceted and important topic.