

Learning for Sustainability

Dr Sarah Speight

Copyright © University of Nottingham, 2013

Published at Smashwords
The University Of Nottingham,

University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk

First published: January 2013

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This eBook is a U-NOW resource.

For the online version follow this link:

 http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/file/e6e0d36c-cdb3-4950-a1ae-0087953dceb5/1/Learning%20for%20Sustainabilityzip.zip/Learning%20for%20Sustainability/index.html

This eBook has been put together using material generated by The University Of Nottingham, in combination with material from third-party 'Creative Commons' sources. The principle of sustainability has been upheld through the production of this eBook through the re-use of the openly licensed material. This resource is in turn being made openly available for anyone with an interest in learning. We would like to thank all of the individuals and organisations whose Creative Commons resources are included, or have been adapted, as part of this publication.
Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Sustainability – What is it and Who Cares?

Chapter 2: Models for Understanding Sustainability

Chapter 3: Students and Sustainability

Chapter 4: Sustainability in Higher Education

Chapter 5: Sustainability and Policy

Chapter 6: Sustainability, Employers and the Professions

Chapter 7: The Changing Face of Sustainability

Chapter 8: Sustainability: Social and Personal Dimensions

Chapter 9: Module Assessment

Chapter 10: Resources and Further Reading for Research

### Chapter 1: Sustainability – What is it and Who Cares?

What you make of Sustainability depends upon you, your background, your character, the subjects that you learn or teach. For me, sustainability is as much about pedagogy as it is about subject. I'm an academic working in the School of Education at the University of Nottingham. I teach on a BA Humanities and an MA in International Higher Education as well as supervising research students working in the areas of sustainability, employability and internationalisation. My disciplinary background is in history and archaeology. I am interested in sustainability from many angles, but particularly from the angle of teaching and learning. It is quite straightforward to incorporate sustainability into my teaching in terms of content. I can explore the historic relationships between people and each other, people and the environment including the origins of agriculture in ancient Mesopotamia, the impact of resource imbalances upon human social development (e.g. slavery), and the effects of climate change (e.g. the so-called 'Little Ice Age' of the medieval period). But I can also think about the learning approaches and technologies that I use to ensure that the work my students and I undertake together has a lasting benefit. For example, my first year undergraduates are often asked to produce a film as one of their first assignments. They choose an archaeological artefact or historic document or building and then script and record a short film explaining its significance for its own time, but also its relevance to modern culture. The idea is that the film allows them to develop their research, team-working and communication skills but that it is also results in an output that can become a resource for others. The 'sustainability' aspect is in the 'double' or even 'triple' duty being done by the form of assessment (assessment of today's knowledge and understanding in a form that supports students' personal development as lifelong learners and that also supports the learning of others).

I sum up what Sustainability means to me in a 5-minute film available here:  
<http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/teaching/teaching/esd/sustainability.aspx>

Higher Education globally has a major role to play in promoting the values of sustainability because it has such an influence on the next generation of workers and leaders. The global population of students are also themselves consumers, users and potential change agents. Several renowned writers on sustainability have castigated universities for reinforcing world problems by producing graduates who cannot see different perspectives and solutions to today's pressing issues:

" _The volume of education has increased and continues_ _to increase, yet so do pollution, exhaustion of resources, and the_ _dangers of ecological catastrophe. If still more education is to save_ _us, it would have to be education of a different kind: an education_ _that takes us into the depth of things." (_ Schumacher, E.F. 1997 ' _This I believe' and other essays_. Dartington: Green Books)

" _Those who contribute to exploiting poor communities and the earth's ecosystems are those who have BAs, MBAs, MSc's and PhDs and not the 'ignorant' poor from the South_ ". (Orr, D. 2004 ' _Earth in Mind – on education, environment and the human prospect_ '. Washington: Island Press)

" _The world's middle classes shatter the planet with their aspirations and consumer decisions"; "those in power, with responsibility for current unsustainable systems, have enjoyed the 'best' education". (_ Jucker, R. 2011, 'ESD between Systemic Change and Bureaucratic Obfuscation', _Journal of Education for Sustainable Development_ Vol. 5 No.1, pp.39-60).

The barriers that are preventing real progress towards sustainability in higher education come down to the attitudes of staff and students. Staff buy-in and expertise to teach _about_ and _for_ sustainability and with sustainable pedagogies is a huge issue. If staff do not subscribe, it is difficult to see how students can. But staff need to get beyond a fear that sustainability is a 'new religion' not open to questioning and debate and one that may be forced into the curriculum with a resulting diminishing of academic freedom and control. Sustainability is not a subject with a fixed curriculum covering set views on climate change, global warming, pollution or deforestation. It is a set of values and pedagogies that aim to equip students to grapple with real-world problems in relation to whatever disciplines(s) they are studying and to be able to make informed decisions about their own behaviours and impacts (including contributing to change).
Related Modules

This module is designed both to stand alone, but also to compliment a range of other open educational resources that are provided by the University of Nottingham in U-Now. Like these, this module is also available to University of Nottingham students as part of the Nottingham Advantage Award. We have been able to develop these online resources with the support of JISC, the UK's expert organisation for digital and information technologies.

The other Nottingham Advantage Award modules that are available in U-Now include:

Sustainability: the business perspective  
 http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/resources/resource.aspx?hid=09c8fc5c-4e06-e1a5-8677-9a4828cddc1b#

Sustainability in the arts and humanities  
<http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/resources/resource.aspx?hid=dcc40763-7e16-1d60-6492-5682fabf5d77>

Sustainability and engineering  
<http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/resources/resource.aspx?hid=1c4d7433-74db-9779-b605-7681374bc79a>

Sustainability: the geography perspective  
<http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/resources/resource.aspx?hid=6b51401f-d00f-c72b-fad6-319393a548ca>

Skills for Employability  
 http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/a7d3e544-bddb-9655-d8a5-a09b5dae5981/1/ViewIMS.jsp

Peer Mentoring  
 http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/4e319298-6d32-ce36-766f-05da70ddce06/1/ViewIMS.jsp

Global Citizenship  
 http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/0417ca8b-5d66-58ee-e1bd-dfa58351635c/1/ViewIMS.jsp

Placements and Internships  
 http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/9c6f4e9b-19ac-b385-c627-77a57832e1c3/1/ViewIMS.jsp

Career Planning Skills  
 http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/440f5c31-2963-bba6-be37-deb400a9e5af/1/ViewIMS.jsp

International Peer Mentoring  
 http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/3260342c-6044-d46c-5e07-02ed9d2aa1fd/1/ViewIMS.jsp
Learning Outcomes and Assessment

The aim of this module is to provide students with an overview of current work and debates on the subject of Sustainability. Sustainability is a complex term that can mean different things to different people depending upon their cultural and subject backgrounds, and the context within which they live and work.

By the end of the module, you should be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

* Recognise and understand the diverse ways in which the term Sustainability is used

* Describe how the principles of Sustainability can be applied to your own life and your own context

Intellectual Skills

* Discuss the relevance of Sustainability to a range of different academic disciplines

* Recognise and discuss some of the evidence for the growing importance of Sustainability in government policy, business strategy and employment.

* Suggest different learning and teaching strategies to develop awareness oparenessnding pf Sustainabilityto developity can be applied to your own life and yourown context e greater knowledge of how impf Sustainability in yourself and others

Transferable Skills

* Increase your ability to manage your own learning by successful completion of a self-directed online module

* Use a range of online and visual learning media with confidence

* Apply skills of critical analysis and research effectively

Assessment

This module is available to University of Nottingham registered students as part of the Nottingham Advantage Award. Successful completion of the module is worth 10 credits towards the Award. The module is not available as part of an academic programme.

To be awarded Nottingham Advantage Award credits, students are required to complete a series of tasks, one for each section of the module. Details of these will be found in each section. Students must create a portfolio of these tasks for submission at the end of the module.

Chapter 1's task will be found in section 1.7.
Module Outline

The module is divided into ten chapters. These are designed to provide you with ideas and information and to help you understand what sustainability means to you.

1.  Sustainability – what is it and who cares?

2.  Models for understanding Sustainability

3.  Students and Sustainability

4.  Sustainability in Higher Education

5.  Sustainability and Policy

6.  Sustainability, Employers and the Professions

7.  The changing face of Sustainability

8.  Sustainability: Social and Personal Dimensions

9.  Module Assessment

10.  Resources for further reading and research
Talking about Sustainability

Sustainability is a commonly-used term in scientific research, education and politics around the world. It is controversial, generating support and hostility in equal measure. There is no one definition that everyone would agree on. If we look the word up in a Dictionary, we will find meanings including support over an extended period, nourishment, conservation, the achievement of balance. Sustainability is most closely connected to the environment and to global issues such as climate change, food security, water and waste management; scientists are working towards solutions for how we can achieve sustainability in relation to these issues. But sustainability is also increasingly used in connection with our personal development as human beings, how we relate to each other, our attitudes towards equality and opportunity, our abilities as individuals and communities to be proactive in our relationships with the world around us in order to achieve nourishment, balance and longevity!

Sustainability has become a very big term that perhaps encompasses too much. This makes it more difficult to understand and therefore less useful. There is a great cartoon in the _Sustainability in the Arts and Humanities_ module that sums this up:

Above image sourced from xkcd.com under a Creative Common Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License  
http://xkcd.com/1007/
I find helpful a term that some Business School colleagues have come up with. They talk about shifting the sustainability emphasis from our Carbon _Footprint_ , our physical impact upon the planet, to our Carbon _Brainprint_ , our intellectual impact upon the planet (Godemann J, Herzig C, Moon J and Powell A. (2011) _Integrating Sustainability into Business Schools – Analysis of 100 UN PRME Sharing Information of Progress (SIP) reports_ , International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, Nottingham University Business School).

This module explores the ways in which we can use our Carbon Brainprint to develop ourselves, to support the development of others, and to do this using the values framework of sustainability: nourishment, balance and longevity.
Sustainability at the University Of Nottingham

It is useful to look at what sustainability means in a particular organisation or institution. The University of Nottingham has a strong focus on sustainability in its research but also in the work of its Estates department who look after campuses and buildings. The University is also working on pushing the sustainability agenda within teaching and learning. One of our strategic priorities is to explore ways in which we can embed sustainability into the academic curriculum and the experience of all our students. We have a three-pronged approach to this:

* Using Sustainable learning technology

* Developing discipline-related content about Sustainability

* Developing and supporting Sustainable methods of teaching and learning to develop sustainability literacy

Above image developed at the University Of Nottingham
Sustainable Technology:

Nottingham is committed to sharing its knowledge and expertise freely and widely across the world. With our Open Nottingham programme, we make many of our teaching and learning resources openly available to all. We also reuse existing content developed by others under creative commons licensing (creativecommons.org/).

This module sits within **U-Now** , the home of our collection of Open Educational Resources. In 2012 we expanded what was available in U-Now by developing learning and teaching materials around the theme of Sustainability.

The materials are designed to be open source, meaning that they are copyright safe and thereby properly available for reuse by organisations, universities, groups and individuals around the world. They can be accessed via the most well-known Open Educational Resources sites, such as the Open CourseWare Consortium, XPERT (Nottingham's search engine for creative commons licensed content) and Jorum. From their inception, the materials have included existing third-party content drawn from OER sites – our authors have selected some of the best examples of existing resources to share these with a wider audience and avoid unnecessary duplication of effort.

Sustainability Content:

It is easier for some disciplines to relate to sustainability than others. The Environmental Sciences, for example, have an obvious interest in climate change. It is not so straightforward for other disciplines, for example the Arts and Humanities, to see the connections. But, if sustainability is understood as being about nourishment, balance and longevity, and if it is recognised that our individual perspectives on sustainability will relate to our backgrounds and cultures, then everyone should be able to find a connection. For universities thinking about sustainability it is essential to find the common ground that will enable staff and students from every faculty and department to see the relevance to them.

Nottingham has tried to do this by exploring sustainability from a range of different perspectives. U-Now has 4 content modules: Sustainability in the Arts and Humanities, in Business, in Engineering and in Geography. You do not have to be an Engineering student to take the Engineering module – in fact we think it would be very useful for non-Engineering students to take. The same goes for the other modules. The Arts and Humanities module explore similar issues to the Geography and Engineering ones: waste and water management, climate change. But it does so from a slightly different angle and it also covers topics that may not seem immediately relevant to sustainability. To get a flavour of this, have a look at the section on _Sustainable Music_ in Chapter 8: <http://equellatemp.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/dcc40763-7e16-1d60-6492-5682fabf5d77/1/ViewIMS.jsp>

Nottingham organised a conference called 'Sustainability in Practice' in May 2012. This included a session run by Nursing academics who explored how sustainability related to the health care professions. The speakers talked about the carbon footprint of the National Health Service in the UK, but also talked about a different model of health care – we will talk more about this, and about the relationship between academic disciplines and sustainability in Chapter 4.

Sustainability Literacy:

This may be the most difficult category for people to understand. It refers to both the methods used and the concepts and ideas covered in teaching and learning. These methods and ideas aim to develop students as creative, critical and reflective thinkers able to make reasoned decisions about their actions and positive choices about their behaviours. Sustainability literacy is supported by activities such as peer mentoring and volunteering (which develop the self through the support of others) and by trans-disciplinary themes such as global citizenship and internationalisation which facilitate exploration of issues relating to cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity. To deliver criticality or reflexivity, these activities and themes need to be supported and taught with methods that are themselves sustainable. For example, assessment strategies should be carefully planned to ensure that what is assessed is the development of the individual rather than their performance. Assessment might span several modules, again to focus upon a journey rather than a moment. A sustainable method of assessment is one that can do 'double or triple-duty' – it is appropriate and valid for the learning involved, takes the long view (thus making a contribution to society), and also meets the academic requirements of the university.

I asked a group of students what they would like their tutors to change in order to make their teaching and learning experience more sustainable. They came up with the following list:

Adopt sustainable formats for all hard copy materials (e.g. line spacings, margins, double-sided printing and copying)

Move to more online submission of assignments and more online assessment

* Increase use of online resources

* Consider designing new assessment formats

* Increase the opportunity for active-learning and project-based work

* Shift the balance of feedback from summative to formative

* Use voice-activated feedback

* Promote resource-sharing schemes for downloads, books etc

* Develop mobile Apps for shared learning resources

Some of these ideas are about small-scale routine behaviours, others require more careful consideration of the intended outcomes of learning. They show an awareness of sustainability on several levels; waste reduction but also collaborative working (resource sharing) and critical thinking about the purposes and design of assessment.
Assessment Task

Activity

In no more than 200 words, write or record your current understanding of sustainability. Describe what you think sustainability is all about and how it relates to your life. You can do this by opening either a blog or an offline document. Save it securely as you will add to this document with further assessment tasks as you work through the module.
References and Further Reading

Godemann J, Herzig C, Moon J and Powell A. (2011) _Integrating Sustainability into Business Schools – Analysis of 100 UN PRME Sharing Information of Progress (SIP) reports_ , International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, Nottingham University Business School.

Further reading

www.nottingham.ac.uk/open/opennottingham.aspx

<http://www.jisc.ac.uk/>

www.nottingham.ac.uk/advantageaward

### Chapter 2: Models for Understanding Sustainability

Because the term Sustainability has become so broad and all-encompassing, it is useful to find models or frameworks that help us to conceptualise and organise our responses to it. These models enable us to develop strategies and action plans, but also assist us if we need to 'sell' sustainability to others. In this section we will look at some of the models and frameworks that are available.
The 4C Model

The '4C' model was devised by the University of Plymouth, UK (Jones et al, 2010, p.7). This is a holistic model enveloping the curriculum, campus and community within an overarching institutional culture. The '4C' model positions sustainability as a thread running through the entire higher education experience whilst acknowledging the unique context of each university. It is flexible enough to incorporate the cultural values that students bring with them from their homes and families. It is a very loose model that could be easily adapted for use in a business or other organisation. Culture could refer to the country, the university or the student. The idea is that the culture of a university (e.g. is it a culture of opportunity, of equality, of commitment to positive action and impact) is reflected in how it manages its estates (campus), how it treats its stakeholders (community – students and staff but also neighbours and partners) and what it prioritises within its curriculum and what it sees as the purpose of its curriculum (e.g. to develop students as lifelong learners able to contribute to society, or as a means to high earnings upon graduation). Achieving harmony and balance between the 4C's is a step towards sustainability.

Nottingham has found this an extremely useful model. It has helped us to bring together our Environment and Teaching and Learning strategies and to forge connections between staff who would previously have thought of themselves as working in very different areas. But our model has added a 5th C: _contribution_. The University of Nottingham's Strategic Plan 2010-2015 talks of our commitment to 'improve life for individuals and societies worldwide', 'to make a significant global impact' and to be recognised for 'signature contributions' that include sustainability.
The 4C Model

Above image reproduced with permission by the Centre for Sustainable Futures . Further reproduction of this image is not permitted without prior consent from the Centre for Sustainable Futures

Nottingham's 5C Model

Above image developed at the University Of Nottingham
The Natural Step

The Natural Step is a not-for profit organisation that advises institutions and businesses seeking to achieve sustainability.

<http://www.naturalstep.org/en/>  
It was founded in 1989 by Swedish scientist, Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt. Robèrt and his colleagues have developed over many years a Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development which provides a model for change. The easiest way into this framework is via a short (2 minutes) and effective animation available on YouTube:
Threading Concepts

Sara Parkin is a co-founder of Forum for the Future, a UK-based not-for-profit organisation dedicated to working with organisations to develop strategies for sustainability (<http://www.forumforthefuture.org/>).

In 2010 she published _The Positive Deviant: Sustainability Leadership in Perverse World, (_ Earthscan). From many fascinating ideas, I particularly like her 'Threading Concepts' or 'habits of thought'. These are:

**Resilience** – the capacity to bounce back after shocks (e.g. evolution)

**Relationships** – which, if good, can help you to be resilient

**Reflection** – our ability to recognise our learning (and therefore to use it)

**Reverence** – having respect for the natural world and recognising that we are in a relationship with it. As Parkin says, 'we are less likely to hurt what we love and revere'.

Parkin's four habits of thought put our abilities and attitudes at the heart of the journey towards sustainability. She also introduces the helpful idea of sufficiency and being good enough – comforting thoughts for those who may feel overwhelmed by the challenge of sustainability. The habits can be useful when thinking about programmes of study, learning outcomes and assessment strategies. For example, when choosing modules from the Nottingham Advantage Award you might consider how the learning within a particular module could support you to develop resilience (e.g. problem solving, project management), relationships (volunteering, team work, peer mentoring), reflection (forms of assessment) and reverence (cross cultural communication, global citizenship, international peer mentoring).
The Five Capitals

All of these models are about interconnections – about the relationships between our environment and our well-being, our ability to live comfortable, productive and happy lives that do not create problems for our descendants. They try to change our rhetoric (particularly in the western world) from growing our wealth to improving our quality of life:

" _The environment may be the real bottom line, and we humans might theoretically be in control of the design, values and operation of our economy, but manifestly this is not the case. It is the economy that wags the tail of both us and the rest of life on Earth"_ (Parkin, 2010, p.291).

Sara Parkin outlines the Five Capitals model in Chapter 8 of The Positive Deviant. She explains how the model incorporates the 5 categories of resource that we need to live. The idea is that if we care for these resources, we can gain benefits. If we neglect them, this is when problems develop. And in making our decision, we have to consider the impact of investment or neglect of one capital on both itself and the others.

The five capitals are:

**Financial** : money and financial services, that exist to support the economy, not as ends in themselves.

**Manufactured** : what we make to support our lifestyles (e.g. roads, bridges) and what we need to make these with (materials).

**Social** : the relationships that make societies function – families, communities, organisations.

**Human** : individuals, our knowledge, skills, our contributions.

**Natural** : the renewable and non-renewable resources of the planet, but also the tools that we have invented to support natural capital (e.g. recycling mechanisms).

All of these models or tools can be used to help us think about our values, how we behave and what contribution we as individuals and as members, employees and employers make to the furtherance of our nourishment, balance and longevity.
Assessment Task

Activity

Try out one of the models (or search for others if you wish) and apply it to your own context, for example as a university student or as an employee. Use the model to assess where you think either you as an individual or your organisation currently is in relation to sustainability. Use a table or diagram and, rather than writing lots of text, use single words or short phrases. For example, I might use the Nottingham '5C' model to express the extent to which I believe I am adhering to the values of sustainability in my own life:

Above image developed at the University Of Nottingham
References and Further Reading

Jones P, Selby S and Sterling S (2010) _Sustainability Education: Perspectives and Practice across Higher Education_ , Earthscan

Parkin S (2010) _The Positive Deviant: Sustainability Leadership in a Perverse World_ , Earthscan

Further reading

<http://www.naturalstep.org/en/>

<http://www.forumforthefuture.org/>

### Chapter 3: Students and Sustainability

In this chapter we look at the evidence that students care about sustainability and that they can drive change in the wider community.
Higher Education and Sustainable Students

In the UK, government and education agencies stress the role of higher education in developing students as sustainability-minded decision-makers. Sustainability has become an expectation of a university education. The Higher Education Funding Council for England declares that:

_The greatest contribution higher education can make to sustainable development is by enabling students to acquire the skills and knowledge that allow them to make a lasting difference. What they learn and what they are taught are therefore critical_  
(http://www.hefce.ac.uk/susdevresources/strat/).

The Higher Education Academy (HEA) lays a similar stress on students as active practitioners and change agents for sustainability:

Our ESD (education for sustainable development) vision is that institutions and subject communities develop curricula and pedagogy that enhance graduates' capabilities to contribute to sustainable and just societies

(http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/education-for-sustainable-development).

For the HEA, there are five core areas of sustainability and sustainable development:

Living within environmental limits;

Ensuring a strong, healthy and just society;

Achieving a sustainable economy;

Promoting good governance;

Using sound science responsibly.

These are a broader version of the Natural Step's four 'care instructions'. Environment, science and economy are there, but so too are ideas of health and justice giving us our nourishment, balance and longevity.

In March 2011, the HEA published a report into the expectations of first year students at university. They surveyed nearly 6,000 students and found that students cared about sustainability and thought that their university should care about it too. Students expected their university to be 'responsible for actively incorporating and promoting sustainable development' as part of preparation for graduate employment. The HEA found that over 80% of students believed that their future employers would be looking for sustainability skills and that nearly two-thirds would be prepared to sacrifice some salary in order to work for a sustainability conscious employer. A similar number thought that sustainability should be taught through their academic programmes.

A follow up survey was published in June 2012 involving over 3,000 first and second year undergraduates. The results were similar to those of 2011 and reinforced a majority student view that sustainability should be taught within degrees rather than added on in an extra-curricula format.

You can download the two reports from the HEA's website:

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/teachingandlearning/alldisplay?type=resources&newid=ourwork/sustainability/esd_First_Year_Students_report&site=york

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/esd/student_attitudes_towards_and_skills_for_sustainable_development.pdf

The Association of Graduate Recruiters published a report on 'Global Graduates into Global Leaders' in 2011 (www.agr.org.uk/write/docs/globalgradsummary2011.pdf). Surprisingly, while this report does not use the term 'sustainability', it does describe a range of characteristics that multinational companies looked for in their graduate recruits. Several of these share the values often associated with sustainability. Examples include:

A global mindset – being aware of different cultures and their values and the differences between cultures.

Cultural agility – the ability to understand, respect and work with the perspectives of others from different cultures and backgrounds (including the ability to adapt effectively to working abroad).

Effective team-working and collaboration in multicultural groups.

Learning agility – the ability to adapt and respond quickly to new working environments.

The report goes on to say that, in the view of the participating employers:

' _achieving global graduate competence is not just about attaining qualifications and excelling in a knowledge-based or professional capacity. It is also about holistic development including outlook, values and character_.'  
_Global Graduates into Global Leaders 2011_

Many scholars now see employability as a subset of sustainability – if a student has developed their sustainability literacy, then they have already developed many of the attributes that employers are looking for.
Nottingham Students and Sustainability in the UK, China and Malaysia

The '4C' model stresses the importance of culture as a foundation for sustainability. The culture of an institution is very influential as it will affect the way its students behave. But it is also important to listen to students and use their views to change existing cultures. The HEA surveys give a useful indication of student views but it is helpful for universities to have a deeper understanding of their own students by carrying out their own research locally.

In 2011, Nottingham ran a series of small focus groups on the UK, China and Malaysia campuses to find out what students thought about sustainability and what knowledge or skills they thought they needed in order to become sustainability literate graduates.

Most of the students related the terms 'sustainability' and 'sustainable development' to environmental issues such as preserving habitats, recycling and saving energy. They said that they engaged in routine environmentally-friendly behaviours when it was easy to do so. They accepted individual responsibility for this but felt that the university should be supporting environmentally-friendly behaviours as well by providing easy to use facilities and opportunities to learn about and debate sustainability. They were open to a broad definition of sustainability that covered volunteering and citizenship, but also to a definition that included the protection of forms of cultural heritage such as language.

The focus groups highlighted subtle differences of emphasis from the three campuses. The UK students saw their interests and knowledge of sustainability as being closely linked to their academic courses. Their fellow students in China and Malaysia seemed committed to sustainability irrespective of their subject area. Comments from African and Asian students revealed that their sustainability awareness was acquired in their home contexts – sometimes densely populated countries with millions living in poverty and/or political instability. For them, sustainability was a pressing daily priority that impacted upon their lives and their communities in ways not yet experienced by most of their fellow students from the UK.

The Nottingham students involved in the focus groups cared about sustainability on several levels. They thought about how sustainability related to their homes and families, to their behaviour at university, and to their future lives. They wanted the university to do more in support of sustainability but their strength of feeling on this was related to their cultural context – where they came from.

Students are often most heavily influenced by other students. Student campaign groups and Student Unions can advocate effectively for change by using mechanisms and media that students will respond to. Two examples from Nottingham are the Student Film project and the Go Greener Halls competition. While these focus strongly upon the environment, they represent initiatives to increase our care for its inhabitants too.
The Sustainable Student Film Project

Student volunteers were recruited to make short films about environmental sustainability and how students could live sustainably while at university. The University organised some training in filming techniques and provided an Environment Officer from the Estates Department as mentor. Two films were produced. One focused upon easy ways to save water, reduce waste and recycle more while the second presented a before and after scenario as a student switched from an unsustainable lifestyle to a much more thoughtful one. The films were premiered in front of the University's Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Environment and subsequently circulated to all schools for use during induction events. This is a good example of a small project with the potential to have a big impact. You can watch the films on YouTube:

<http://youtu.be/FvYQoarwj3s>

<http://youtu.be/DE5v-YsBfvQ>
The Go Greener Halls Competition

Every month, the Go Greener Halls Competition measures the electricity consumption and recycling rate of the University's 15 halls of residence, and compares that data to the same month's performance the previous year. The halls are ranked in order of performance improvements in recycling and electricity savings and awarded points. The hall with the highest combined score is that month's winner, and the JCR Committee receives £100 for the Environment Rep's budget.

At the end of the competition, the monthly points awarded throughout the competition are added together and a final league table is created \- the hall with the most points overall is winner of the competition, and receives £200 for the hall to spend on an environmental initiative of their choice.

All the information you need about the project and the most recent results can be found here:

<http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/sustainability/getinvolved/hallscompetition.aspx>
Assessment Task for Chapter 3

The '4C' model indicates how important the culture of an institution can be in supporting behaviour change. The two student projects outlined in the previous section are examples of the University of Nottingham promoting a culture of behaviour change for sustainability. If we try to be sustainable in our homes and daily routines, then it follows that we should also adopt sustainable behaviours at work and think about how sustainability links to our education.

Activity

Assessment Task: In less than 300 words, sketch out an idea for either a film or competition that could help students to adopt more sustainable behaviours. If you come up with something good, it is possible that the University will work with you to implement it.
Resources and Further Reading

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/teachingandlearning/alldisplay?type=resources&newid=ourwork/sustainability/esd_First_Year_Students_report&site=york

<http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/esd/student_attitudes_towards_and_skills_for_sustainable_development.pdf>

### Chapter 4: Sustainability in Higher Education

Higher Education institutions globally are putting sustainability at the heart of their strategic planning. They are researching sustainability, are working on the sustainability of their estates, and are increasingly looking to curriculum development to support them in producing sustainable graduates. In this, they are being supported by government and funding body priorities. For example, in England the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) published an updated strategic statement and action plan on sustainable development in higher education in February 2009. This notes the significant role that universities play in educating graduates who 'will occupy future management and leadership roles and will need the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions taking into account of complex social, economic and environmental issues and their interrelation' (p.7). The strategy includes amongst its objectives to 'continue to raise the profile of sustainable development so that it becomes a mainstream part of university and college activities.' While environmental sustainability is again foregrounded, the strategy notes that this is because this is an area that can provide 'quick wins', saying 'we remain committed to developing our understanding and support across all aspects because sustainable development is only possible when all aspects are considered together' (pp.10-11).

The strategy can be downloaded from:

<http://www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/lgm/sd/sdstrategy/>

HEFCE have produced a 10 minute video to capture the priorities of 5 universities in England: _Higher Education: Thinking Sustainably_. This is a useful overview but the most interesting contribution is from staff and students at the London College of Fashion. They talk of 'Green Collar' graduates, expert in eco-conscious fashion, working with OXFAM to rebrand their clothing business.

The video is available from the HEFCE website and via YouTube:
Sustainability and Academic Subjects

In Chapter three we mentioned the Higher Education Academy's student surveys. The results of these showed students in favour of learning about sustainability through the formal academic curriculum. Many universities are thinking about how they can do this without compromising existing programmes and the requirements of professional bodies. There is an increasing body of research looking at academic staff attitudes but also exploring the synergies between non-obvious disciplines and sustainability. If we go back to the basic triumvirate of nourishment, balance and longevity, and to any of the models in Chapter two, then we can suggest how sustainability can relate to most disciplines and professions. A good example of this would be the work that Nursing academics Benny Goodman (University of Exeter) and Linda East (University of Nottingham) have done to highlight the relevance of sustainability to the healthcare professions.

Benny and Linda gave a presentation at a conference in Nottingham in May 2012. You can access the recording and slides of this here:

<http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/teaching/event/sustainability-conference.aspx>

You might want to focus in on the section time-stamped 07.50 to 21.00. Here Benny talks about how good health is based upon sustainable lifestyles (being active, eating a balanced diet, less red meat) while poor health is often related to unsustainable lifestyles (high carbon). He notes the health impacts of climate change and the direct links between population, community and individual health and the big issues of sustainability. He goes on to suggest that the curriculum model for nursing needs to shift from its current clinical model (curing disease) to one of self-help and well-being, folding in the idea that care for the planet leads to better carers.

The relationship between sustainability and health is being promoted by the NHS – in March 2012 there was the first NHS 'Sustainability Day of Action'. The event saw the NHS join with over 100 partner organisations (e.g. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society) to engage employees and the public in understanding 'the mutual benefits of sustainability and health' (www.nhssustainabilityday.co.uk).

The Centre for Sustainable Futures

In 2004, the University of Plymouth established the Centre for Sustainable Futures, funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The Centre worked with academics from most university departments to explore how sustainability could be introduced into the academic curriculum. An important book was published in 2010 that outlines just how this was achieved in a range of subjects:

Jones P, Selby S and Sterling S (2010) _Sustainability Education: Perspectives and Practice across Higher Education_ , Earthscan.

In the section 4.3, we will take some of the 'non-obvious' disciplines and consider how sustainability relates to them.
Sustainability in the Nottingham Curriculum 2011

In spring 2011, we carried out a key-word search of the University of Nottingham's module catalogue to see if sustainability and related concepts (e.g. corporate social responsibility) featured. Our search terms included sustainable, sustainability, environmental, social responsibility, green, citizenship, recycling, problem solving, intercultural, transferable. The exercise indicated that the greatest provision of modules with sustainability content was at masters level and was focussed upon environmental and earth science. It suggested that sustainability as a broad theme built slowly through the undergraduate years, leapt at MA/MSc stage and virtually disappeared at taught doctoral level.

This doesn't mean that sustainability is not being covered in many other modules, just that it is not explicitly labelled or recognised as such. Part of the challenge is therefore to find the links and to show how the values and principles of sustainability can have relevance to all.

The following figures provide a snapshot of modules in the 2010-11 Nottingham catalogue that included our search terms in their titles.
Figure 1 – Mapping by keywords

*No modules found for the key word of: employability/save energy/ social inclusion/internationalisation

Figure 2 – Mapping by levels

Figure 3 – Mapping by Faculties

Figure 3.1 Faculty of Arts

Figure 3.2 – Faculty of Social Sciences

Figure 3.3 – Faculty of Science

Figure 3.4 – Faculty of Engineering

Figure 3.5 – Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Above charts developed at the University Of Nottingham
Finding Sustainability in 'non-obvious' disciplines

In this section we suggest connections between sustainability and some of the subject areas that might struggle to see any relevance to them. Remember, if we look back to Chapter 1, we said that sustainability was about literacy and technology as well as content. It is about behaviours and practices as well as knowledge.

While many different sources have been accessed in this section, many of the ideas will be found in Jones P, Selby S and Sterling S (2010) _Sustainability Education: Perspectives and Practice across Higher Education_ , Earthscan.
Law

Law is central to Sustainability. The history of the sustainability movement is framed by landmark pieces of legislation and declarations, some more binding than others. For example, protocols and accords around carbon reduction emerging from inter-governmental summits (UN General Assembly, Rio 1992), declarations from meetings of UNESCO (e.g. the Bonn Declaration of 2009). The 'polluter pays' principle is now enshrined in law in many countries.

You can search for UK legislation on sustainability at:

<http://www.legislation.gov.uk/browse>

Make sure you go to the advanced search function and search for sustainability as a key content word. If you just search for sustainability in the title of legislation you may get a nil return.

The Law curriculum has scope to cover the history of legislation in this area and its national characteristics, the development of international law and issues around the enactment of legislation in strongly values-led areas
The Performing Arts

We have already referred to the section on Music in Chapter 8 of the Arts and Humanities module:

<http://equellatemp.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/dcc40763-7e16-1d60-6492-5682fabf5d77/1/ViewIMS.jsp>

The Performing Arts provide many ways into sustainability and these ways can be creative and inclusive. For example, there are the materials and artefacts used in productions including stage sets, costumes and instruments. There are the themes of the arts – our relationships with each other and the world around us, the use and misuse of power. There are the technologies of music production and sound and visual recording.

The Performing Arts have huge potential to support intercultural learning and global citizenship, valuing the art forms of different cultures and different times, finding mechanisms to develop cross-cultural productions. Their power lies in their ability to bring diverse groups together in a shared experience.

Our modes of 'art consumption' are worth exploring. Music is both therapy and generator of speed (when driving). Drama and singing are used in hospitals, prisons and schools to create senses of community – all the more so if the topic of performance is directly relevant to experience.

There are very direct links between artistic traditions and environmental issues such as climate change. The former may be put at risk by the latter if people are forced from their homelands and the landscapes and materials of the arts are lost.

A recently emerged academic field is that of 'acoustic ecology' or soundscapes and soundmarks as opposed to landscapes and landmarks. The idea is that our lives are made significant by our relationships and identifications with sounds as well as with places and things. Sounds matter, are integral to our world and therefore require protection. Sounds include the man-made (accents and dialects, trains, church bells) but also the sounds of nature (animals, rivers). Some sounds of course represent unsustainable behaviours (cars).

If you're not sure about this, have a dip into the wonderful Western Soundscape archive:  
<http://www.oercommons.org/libraries/the-western-soundscape-archive-wsa>

It will make you long for the great outdoors.

Another interesting site is the Speech Accent Archive which enables you to listen to voices from around the world:

Weinberger, Steven. (2012). _Speech Accent Archive_. George Mason University.  
<http://www.oercommons.org/courses/speech-accent-archive>

Paul Kleiman sums up the power of the performance arts in his chapter 'Staging Sustainability: Making Sense of Sustainability in HE Dance, Drama and Music in Jones P, Selby S and Sterling S. (2010) _Sustainability Education: Perspectives and Practice across Higher Education,_ p.159:
Theology

Theology has very clear and strong connections with sustainability, even if academics and students don't always use the term. Theology engages students in critical debates about our relationship with the world and with the social and ethical issues of our times.

**Ecotheology** is a form of constructive theology that focuses on the interrelationships of religion and nature, particularly in the light of environmental concerns. Ecotheology generally starts from the premise that a relationship exists between human religious/spiritual worldviews and the degradation of nature. It explores the interaction between ecological values, such as sustainability, and the human domination of nature. The movement has produced numerous religious-environmental projects around the world.

The burgeoning awareness of environmental crisis has led to widespread religious reflection on the human relationship with the earth. Such reflection has strong precedents in most religious traditions in the realms of ethics and cosmology, and can be seen as a subset or corollary to the theology of nature.

It is important to keep in mind that ecotheology explores not only the relationship between religion and nature in terms of degradation of nature, but also in terms of ecosystem management in general. Specifically, ecotheology seeks not only to identify prominent issues within the relationship between nature and religion, but also to outline potential solutions. This is of particular importance because many supporters and contributors of ecotheology argue that science and education are simply not enough to inspire the change necessary in our current environmental crisis.

Above Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotheology

Stewardship is a strong concept within Theology – the idea that we have a responsibility to care for each other and our world. Failure to do this is moral failure.

Theology is also strong on sustainability pedagogy. It teaches criticality, ethics, and empowerment, and seeks to produce active learners and change agents. It is concerned with social justice. Its strength as a vehicle for learning about and through sustainability is that it has a wide curriculum that responds to changes in society. It is used to grappling with the new.
Languages and Linguistics

At a basic level, the study of a language other than our own exposes us to difference. We engage with other cultures in a sympathetic way and language studies often involve a period of immersion in a foreign country. Language study can contribute to intercultural and cross-cultural understanding, forging relationships and contributing towards the development of adaptable global citizens.

On a more subtle level, there are debates about the language that we use when talking about sustainability. In a conference organised by the Higher Education Academy in 2012, Sara Parkin spoke of 'clashing values'; for example when sustainable behaviours such as recycling are 'sold' as ways to save money rather than as behaviours that are about care for our planet. The term 'rubbish' is problematic as it implies something of no value whereas we know that 'rubbish' may be of great value to someone else.

Governments, businesses and organisations carry out their activities using language which is value-laden and culturally specific. The development of sustainability literacy includes being critical of our linguistic norms. Development itself is the most contested term – can you have development without growth? Other examples include:

Global warming: should this be global heating, as 'warming' implies a wholly positive impact.

Climate change: does this mask the role of humankind? A suggested alternative is 'human-induced climate dislocation'.

These examples are from John Canning, 'Translating Words into Action and Action into Words: Sustainability in Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies Curricula', Chapter 16 of Jones P, Selby S and Sterling S (2010) _Sustainability Education: Perspectives and Practice across Higher Education_ , Earthscan.

" _A greater consciousness of the ways in which we use language to talk about the environment is an important part of changing our unsustainable behaviours into sustainable ones. If the language we use suggests neutral or positive outcomes for actions that are actually unsustainable, then we will continue to behave unsustainably. Language use is critical to communicating scientific knowledge about environmental problems in a way that empowers people to take necessary actions for more sustainable lifestyles – whether it be money-saving potential or corporate citizenship"_ (Canning in Jones et al, 2010, pp.299-300).
The Core Disciplines for Sustainability

Learning about and for sustainability is most often associated with the disciplines of Engineering, Environmental Science, Geography and Business. In this section we highlight what sustainability means to those working and studying in these areas. More detailed information will be found in the three U-Now modules:

**Sustainability and engineering**  
http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/resources/resource.aspx?hid=1c4d7433-74db-9779-b605-7681374bc79

**Sustainability: the geography perspective**  
<http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/resources/resource.aspx?hid=6b51401f-d00f-c72b-fad6-319393a548ca>

**Sustainability and Business**  
 http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/resources/resource.aspx?hid=09c8fc5c-4e06-e1a5-8677-9a4828cddc1b#
Business Studies

Sustainability in the world of Business is often alternatively framed as Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR. CSR has a long pedigree of its own. This is considered by Professor Jeremy Moon of the University of Nottingham in a podcasted interview available below

<http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/podcasts/2007/may/doingtherightthing-corporatesocialresponsibilityinaglobalmarketplace.aspx>

Jeremy looks back to the 19th century and the philanthropic concerns of business families like the confectionary giants Rowntrees and Cadbury before talking about how globalisation has changed the nature of corporate practice. Governments now share responsibility for many global issues with corporations and corporations are also seen as responsible for the ethical and environmental practices of not just their own business and workforce, but of those in their supply chain too.

Corporate Social Responsibility includes critically challenging existing business practices and examining their impact upon people and planet.

In Chapter 1, we mentioned the idea of our 'Carbon Brainprint', an idea that came from a project to assess the integration of sustainability into Business School programmes. The final report on this project (see reference below) and many other papers on CSR are available from the website of the International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility:

<http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/business/ICCSR/index.php>

<http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/business/ICCSR/research.php?action=viewall>

Godemann J, Herzig C, Moon J and Powell A. (2011) _Integrating Sustainability into Business Schools – Analysis of 100 UN PRME Sharing Information of Progress (SIP) reports_ , International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, Nottingham University Business School.
Engineering

Sustainable engineering is a growing research field and the professional associations for Engineers have been foregrounding sustainability literacy as a requirement of graduates for several years. There is recognition that to be effective for the 21st century engineers require skills of creativity and problem solving with due regard to social justice as well as to technological possibility. In a 2008 paper, Conlon notes that a 'focus on employability alone will not equip engineers to be socially responsible because it fails to problematise the current structure of work and society'. He talks of the need for engineering solutions that bring wide benefits to society and to challenge the existing practices of employers. We should avoid an employability discourse that is about benefit to the individual rather than to society, and to foster, via sustainability, the role of engineers in challenging the practices of employers.

Above text sourced from Conlon, E. 2008. The new engineer: between employability and social responsibility, European Journal of Engineering Education 33:2, 151-159.

In 2005 the Royal Academy of Engineering published Engineering for Sustainable Development: Guiding Principles. In his foreword, Lord Broers, the President of the Royal Academy says:

With infrastructure and engineering products and processes becoming increasingly complex, engineers need to integrate consideration of whole-life environmental and social impacts – positive as well as negative – with the mainstream and commercial aspects of their work. Wise use of natural resources, minimum adverse impact and maximum positive impact on people and the environment are the targets.

The report sets out 12 key principles of Engineering for Sustainable Development:

1. Look beyond your own locality and the immediate future

2. Innovate and be creative

3. Seek a balanced solution

4. Seek engagement from all stakeholders

5. Make sure you know their needs and wants

6. Plan and manage effectively

7. Give sustainability the benefit of any doubt

8. If polluters must pollute...then they must pay as well

9. Adopt an holistic 'cradle to grave' approach

10. Do things right, having decided on the right thing to do

11. Beware cost reductions that masquerade as value engineering

12. Practice what you preach.

 (http://www.raeng.org.uk/events/pdf/engineering_for_sustainable_development.pdf p.25)

Our guiding concepts of nourishment (5), balance (3) and longevity (1) are clearly evident.

Sustainability lies at the heart of the work of **Engineers without Borders** , an organization that was established by student engineers as a way for them to make a contribution to sustainable human development. It focuses its concerns on places where, used properly, technology can make a profound difference. In an attempt to make engineering more relevant to people, EWB-UK organizes its work around the areas of water, habitat, transport, information and communication technology, industry and energy rather than the traditional divisions of civil, mechanical and electrical. Its guiding principles include holistic engineering, interdisciplinary approaches, active and collaborative partnerships and, achieving progress with a Small Footprint.

<http://www.ewb-uk.org/>

<http://www.ewb-international.org/>

**Forum for the Future** also works closely with the Engineering profession and has a flagship programme, **Engineers of the 21** st **century** , that supports creative and practical projects that can make a real difference to communities around the world.

<http://www.forumforthefuture.org/project/engineers-21st-century/overview>

For an insight into how trainee engineers can get involved in sustainable engineering projects that support both their own development and the communities they engage with, look at Mike Clifford's very short videos that were made as part of the Handbook of Sustainability Literacy. Mike makes the important point that engineering projects should be sensitive to the cultural contexts and needs of their users, noting that "students working with remote communities need to work cooperatively rather than impose solutions, taking into account local customs, working practices and lifestyles".

<http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/stibbe-handbook-of-sustainability/interviews/clifford>
Assessment Task for Chapter 4

Activity

Do your own key-word search of the modules offered by your faculty in the current academic year using the terms sustainability and sustainable development, social responsibility, green, citizenship, problem solving and intercultural. You will need to access the online module catalogue:

<http://modulecatalogue.nottingham.ac.uk/nottingham/>

Has there been any change from the picture shown above? What do your results indicate to you about the place of sustainability in the curriculum of your faculty?

### Chapter 5: Sustainability and Policy

In this chapter we will look at examples of top-line policy in the areas of sustainability and sustainable development before moving on to consider some of the more practical ways in which policy is played out at a local level.

Sustainability is a priority of governments worldwide and of international agencies like the United Nations (UN). Yet it is arguable how successful our leaders are being in meeting these priorities. There is disagreement about carbon reduction targets and how to achieve energy efficiency, there is continuing poverty and social injustice in every corner of the globe. In June 2012, politicians and policy-makers met at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (known as Rio+20 as it took place 20 years after the 1992 Earth Summit, also in Rio). You can find further information about the Rio+20 conference, including the outcomes document, 'The Future We Want' at the official website: <http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/>.

Rio+20 reaffirmed commitments to poverty eradication, sustainable and equitable economic growth and to the support of just and democratic societies. Turning these commitments into practical policy is challenging. Following the conference, the UN launched the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) which will work with governments and civil society to find ways of meeting these challenges.

The UN manages a 'Best Practice' database called UN-HABITAT that showcases "approximately 4,000 proven solutions to the common social, economic and environmental problems": <http://www.unhabitat.org/bp/bp.list.aspx>
The European Commission (EU)

The EU states that it is committed to sustainable development under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty. It has its own Sustainable Development strategy which has taken the approach of mainstreaming or integrating SD into all areas of the Commission's work. It routinely publishes progress and monitoring reports on its Environment website: <http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/>. While the EU's seven priority areas include: Public Health, Social inclusion and Global poverty, there is a strong environmental focus which comes through in published indicators, surveys and communications. However, in 2012, the EU issued a communication on "The roots of democracy and sustainable development: Europe's engagement with Civil Society in external relations". In section 1.1 this contains the following:

"An empowered civil society is a crucial component of any democratic system and is an asset in itself. It represents and fosters pluralism and can contribute to more effective policies, equitable and sustainable development and inclusive growth. It is an important player in fostering peace and in conflict resolution. By articulating citizens' concerns, civil society organisations (CSOs) are active in the public arena, engaging in initiatives to further participatory democracy. They embody a growing demand for transparent and accountable governance."

<http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0492:FIN:EN:HTML>)

Civil Society is a term used to refer to the spaces and forms beyond government and big business where people choose to join together to take action or to campaign for change. It is sometimes referred to as the 'third sector' of society where government and business comprise the first and second sectors. Not-for-profit organisations (NPOs) and Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are elements of civil society while volunteering is a characteristic of civil society membership. The EU's engagement with Civil Society is indicative of 21st century ideas about the many directions from which change should emerge if we are to achieve a sustainable society.

You can search for EU legislation and communications here: http://eurlex.europa.eu/en/index.htm
The UK Governments

In the UK, the Department of the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (<http://www.defra.gov.uk/>) published 'Mainstreaming sustainable development: The government's vision and what this means in practice' in February 2011 (<http://sd.defra.gov.uk/documents/mainstreaming-sustainable-development.pdf>). This states that 'sustainable development recognises the interconnections between society, the environment, and economy – and aims to use a holistic approach to find solutions that deliver benefits for all of these whilst minimising negative impacts'. The guiding principles, first set out in the 2005 UK government's sustainable development strategy include living within environmental limits, ensuring a strong, healthy and just society, achieving a sustainable economy, using sound science responsibly and promoting good governance. The DEFRA website contains progress reviews and many useful tools and resources for those examining the impact of the sustainability agenda on policy and practice in government and business.

Of the UK devolved governments, the Welsh Assembly government has made a major commitment to legislating for sustainability through its One Wales:One Planet initiative for the period 2011-2016:

" _Sustainability lies at the heart of the Welsh Government's agenda for Wales; it also lies at the heart of this legislative programme. Taken as a whole, it will promote the economic, social and_ _environmental_ _wellbeing and enhance people's quality of life in Wales. Our approach to sustainable development has been to focus on fairness, social justice and the protection of our outstanding culture and heritage. However, sustainability is more than just a green idea. It is about defining the long term development path for our nation. It means healthy, productive people; vibrant, inclusive communities; a diverse and resilient environment and an advanced and innovative economy"_ (<http://wales.gov.uk/topics/sustainabledevelopment/sdbill/?lang=en>).

_One Wales:One Planet_ recognises that this requires long-term planning, collaboration and a strong evidence-base to back up decisions. The case studies included on the website reinforce the holistic understanding of sustainability. They include a community group in the Brecon Beacons National Park, the steel industry, a local health authority and a city council. The Llangattock Green Valleys initiative in the Brecon Beacons shows how the community can build momentum for change that begins with the environmental but has wider spin offs in terms of community cohesion and engagement. The report describes the setting up of a Community Interest Company that ensures that assets generated locally are invested locally via an 'asset lock'.

(http://wales.gov.uk/topics/sustainabledevelopment/casestudies/5631228/?lang=en).

The Scottish Government has a similar commitment to the Welsh Assembly and has published its action plan for meeting the goals of the UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development:

<http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/05/20152453/2>
The USA

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA brings together information on environmental legislation and regulation, government and private initiatives, compliance and best practice guides. Its focus is very much on the protection of natural resources and federal 'stewardship goals'. The EPA uses a holistic definition of Sustainability that resonates with the statements and models we have seen already in the module:

"What is sustainability?

Sustainability is based on a simple principle: everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.

Sustainability is important to making sure that we have and will continue to have, the water, materials, and resources to protect human health and our environment.

What is EPA doing?

Sustainability has emerged as a result of significant concerns about the unintended social, environmental, and economic consequences of rapid population growth, economic growth and consumption of our natural resources.

In its early years, EPA acted primarily as the nation's environmental watchdog, striving to ensure that industries met legal requirements to control pollution. In subsequent years, EPA began to develop theory, tools, and practices that enabled it to move from controlling pollution to preventing it.

Today EPA aims to make sustainability the next level of environmental protection by drawing on advances in science and technology to protect human health and the environment, and promoting innovative green business practices."

(http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm#sustainability)

Above text sourced from http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm
UNESCO

Sustainability and sustainable development have been on the agenda of the UN for over a generation. It was UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) that launched the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED).The commission produced the Brundtland Report in 1987 (named after the Prime Minister of Norway, Gro Harlem Brundtland). The report contains the 'classic' definition of sustainable development:

" _Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"._

UNESCO is the lead agent for the UN's Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005-2014): <http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-sustainable-development/>.

"The overall goal of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) is to integrate the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning. This educational effort will encourage changes in behaviour that will create a more sustainable future in terms of environmental integrity, economic viability and a just society for present and future generations".

(http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-sustainable-development/mission/)

The UNESCO website includes a series of short videos that demonstrate the holistic definition of education for sustainable development that the UN works to:  
<http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-sustainable-development/videos/>
The videos capture projects that support the objectives of:

Above image developed at the University of Nottingham
These do not have to be seen in a hierarchy or set sequence although there is a logical progression in the idea that we move from knowledge to action, from a focus on ourselves to a focus upon ourselves and others within communities. The objectives are used to connect us to the themes of the DESD:

Above image developed at the University of Nottingham
The videos are worth looking at as they illustrate the journey towards sustainability as being multi-layered and multi-purposed. For example, ' _Art at the service of citizens'_ (Philadelphia, USA) under the tag of _Learning to transform oneself and society_ , shows how communities can come together to turn what can be seen as anti-social behaviour (graffiti) into respected and appreciated artworks that unite rather than divide and generate income via tourism. In ' _Urban waste to agricultural resource'_ (Bangladesh), under the tag of _Learning to know_ , organic household waste is turned into compost on industrial scale and then supplied to farmers. In the process attitudes towards waste change and human health is improved. The videos show how policy is turned into practical action at a local level that can have long-term impact upon behaviour, attitude, quality of life and relationships.
Universitas 21

Education is accepted as a major tool in the journey towards sustainability. Governments and international agencies around the world feature education prominently within their strategies for sustainable development, as embodied by the UNESCO decade.

Universitas 21 is a global network of research-led universities:

<http://www.universitas21.com/>. With 24 members from 16 countries (October 2012), Universitas 21 is an influential organisation. In 2009 it endorsed its own 'Statement on Sustainability': <http://www.universitas21.com/news/details/18/leading-global-universities-commit-to-focus-on-sustainability>. The statement acknowledges the vital role universities need to play in advancing 'timely solutions to ecological, societal and economic problems'. It commits its members to raising the 'sustainability consciousness' of students 'in all facets of their student life' and to deepening 'society's intellectual capacity for sustainability' (e.g. the 'carbon brainprint'). The University of Nottingham is a signatory to the statement. The potential reach of the network is vast with nearly a million students connected to the member institutions.

Since 2005 Universitas 21 has been running an annual undergraduate student research conference. The 2008 conference at the National University of Singapore was on the theme of Sustainability. There is also a programme of research opportunities for undergraduates. This aspect of the organisation's work demonstrates the significance it gives to student impact at undergraduate level, chiming with the research literature that makes it clear that engagement with the issues of sustainability should be early and integral to education.
Assessment Task for Chapter 5

Activity

Choose 3 national governments or 3 NGOs and search their webpages for their policy statements on sustainability or sustainable development. If choosing governments, ensure that you opt for governments of different sizes and different continents. For example, you might choose a European government, an Asia-Pacific island government, and a South American government. If choosing NGOs, look for a similar contrast.

Look at their official websites and consider the following questions:

Do they have a sustainability or sustainable development policy?

If so, how easy was it to find it? If not, what is the closest to this that you could find?

How do they frame their policy – is it strongly environmental and/or economic or is there a more holistic approach encompassing social and cultural dimensions?

Are there examples of practical action and application?

How effective/useful do you think their policy statements are?

Does the size/context of each government or NGO impact upon the focus of their policy?

What differences do you see between your 3 case studies?

Write a short report based upon the questions above – maximum 500 words. Remember to include the links to the websites you examined.
References and Further Reading

Looking at policy documents increases our awareness of the cultural specifically of approaches and attitudes towards sustainability. This was referred to in Chapter 3, section 2 where we looked at the different realities of students on the international campuses of the University of Nottingham. The cultural context of sustainability is something we need to understand better in order to ensure that policies are fit for purpose and genuinely can deliver equitable solutions. If you want to look further into these questions, the following can provide you with a starting point:

Mebratu, D. (1998), Sustainability and Sustainable Development: Historical and Conceptual Review, _Environmental Impact Assessment Review_ 18, pp.493-520.

Thaman, K. (2002) Shifting sights: The cultural challenge of sustainability, _International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education_ Vol.3 No.3, pp.233-242.

United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014): International Implementation Scheme, available at: <http://www.unesco.org/education/desd>

### Chapter 6: Sustainability, Employers and the Professions

For a detailed examination of the relationship between business and sustainability, you should go to the U-Now module _Sustainability: the Business perspective_. You can access this at:

<http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/resources/resource.aspx?hid=09c8fc5c-4e06-e1a5-8677-9a4828cddc1b>

The module focuses upon the ways in which Businesses are increasingly trying to align their objectives and processes with sustainability in a period that the author describes as being one of 'transition'. It presents a number of case studies and examines the perspectives of employers, employees, customers, suppliers and investors.

In Learning for Sustainability, our focus is upon higher education students and graduates. This chapter looks at the evidence of demand for sustainability in graduate recruitment and the inclusion of sustainability amongst the requirements of professional accrediting bodies. We start with a very brief look at the evidence of increasing commitment to sustainability on the part of business.
Corporate Sustainability/Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Corporate Social Responsibility can be defined as "the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large".

Above image sourced from Labspace under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Licence.   
http://labspace.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=425975&section=1.1
Many corporate websites now include sustainability or CSR strategies and information about carbon reduction and community support initiatives. This indicates the public relations imperative to embrace sustainability but hopefully, in most cases, indicates genuine engagement too. But the challenge is often to ensure that business decisions taken in the interests of sustainability are genuinely going to make an impact and do not have unintended or unacknowledged consequences. Watching out for unsustainable consequences when making decisions to improve sustainability is a theme that runs through the U-Now Sustainability in Engineering module: 'An increased efficiency coupled with an increased usage could have zero net effect of increased energy use'.

(http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/resources/resource.aspx?hid=1c4d7433-74db-9779-b605-7681374bc79a#)
Marks and Spencer

Marks and Spencer have major clothing and food businesses. M & S supplies up to 10% of the clothing worn in the UK, hence the impact of their campaign to get us to wash our clothes at 30 degrees. Their advertising campaigns feature sustainability strongly from fuel efficiency in their transport fleet, salt reduction in their meals to their joint fabric recycling venture with OXFAM: 'shwopping'. Simon Gosling explores M & S's sustainability plan in detail in the U-Now module, Sustainability: The Geography

Perspective:

<http://equellatemp.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/6b51401f-d00f-c72b-fad6-319393a548ca/1/ViewIMS.jsp>

To go direct to their strategy and plan, follow these links:

<http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/>

<http://plana.marksandspencer.com/>
Other Corporate Sustainability Strategies

To get an idea of how some big name companies are now presenting themselves, browse these websites. You may be surprised! Notice how important branding has become. And also how the colour green endures as the colour of sustainability.

**McDonalds:**  
<http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/sustainability.html>

**Starbucks**  
<http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility>

**Co-Operative:**  
<http://www.co-operative.coop/corporate/sustainability/>

**PWC:**  
<http://www.pwc.co.uk/corporate-sustainability/index.jhtml>

**B & Q:**  
<http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/corporate/content/environment_ethics/index.jsp?noCookies=false>

<http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/corporate/content/environment_ethics/environment/one_planet_home.jsp>

The publication of sustainability strategies does not of course mean that a corporation is truly embracing the sustainability agenda. But it does mean that a company is putting itself up for judgement against a set of self-proclaimed standards and values. It is giving us the opportunity to critique business and demonstrates that businesses realise that sustainability is the big issue of our times. For a more detailed look at modern business attitudes towards sustainability, go to the U-Now Sustainability: the Business perspective module

http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/resources/resource.aspx?hid=09c8fc5c-4e06-e1a5-8677-9a4828cddc1b#

An alternative view is that the publication of sustainability strategies is symptomatic of the challenges we face in achieving sustainability because separate strategies = additionally rather than integration. Shouldn't sustainability be embedded or integrated throughout the business rather than the focus of a separate plan or group of staff? It depends on what the strategy is and how it is put into practice. See Eric Lowitt's article in The Guardian newspaper's Sustainable Business Blog:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog/integrating-sustainability-business-company-strategy
CEOs and Sustainability

Sustainability credentials are vital to employers both in terms of their public relations and recruitment, but also in economic terms. Working in sustainable ways and in support of sustainable solutions makes sound economic sense. As part of its 50th anniversary, the World Wildlife Fund has launched a 'talking transformations' series in which they interview business leaders about how business can help to create 'better not bigger' futures.

(http://www.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/working_with_business/talking_heads.cfm/).

Contributors include Justin King (CEO, Sainsburys), Jo Fairley (Co-Founder Green & Blacks), Jeremy Darroch (CEO, Sky), Paul Polman (CEO, Unilever) and Cyndi Rhoades (CEO, Worn Again). In their interviews, business leaders express the view that transformational change is needed in current business models and that social well-being and equality must be priorities in the transition to a green economy. Jo Fairley talks about the mainstreaming of the 'caring and questioning' consumer who applies pressure on big business, while noting that big business is actually made up of individuals who care. Matt Brittin, CEO of Google UK says that business and campaigning groups are only just starting to realise the potential of the internet and social media for mobilising large numbers of people on an issue quickly. Andy Wales of SAB Miller describes the water-food-energy nexus and the work that NGOs and businesses are doing in partnership to increase efficient use of resources at risk.

'Talking Transformations' gives us the view from the top while Adam Cade gives us a view that includes the next generation of employees too. It is well worth viewing the videos – and they are very short. There is a short 'series highlights' video available too.
Sustainability and the Professions

Businesses adopt sustainability for ethical, economic and public relations reasons. Professional bodies adopt sustainability because they believe that professionals require sustainability literacy to be effective and productive in the 21st century. There is a growing trend for professional bodies to author their own sustainability strategies. These are important because they involve the development of new frameworks and competency requirements that affect the higher education curriculum and the continuing professional development of staff.

Since 2006 a core requirement of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors has been that graduates 'demonstrate knowledge and understanding of why and how sustainability seeks to balance economic, environmental and social objectives at global, national and local levels in the context of land, property and the built environment.'

<http://www.rics.org/uk/tag/sustainability/>

The Engineering Council requires accredited programmes to include learning outcomes that demonstrate 'understanding of the requirement for engineering activities to promote sustainable development' (EC 2008, p.13). In 2009 the EC published 'Guidance on Sustainability'. This is built around 6 key principles:

1. Contribute to building a sustainable society, present and future

2. Apply professional and responsible judgement and take a leadership role

Engineering is a profession with a strong ethical dimension, with engineers having an important role in providing solutions for issues such as poverty, under-development and environmental degradation. In making a sound judgement, the professional engineer should:

* look at the broad picture

* ensure that their knowledge about sustainable development is up-to-date

* be prepared to influence the decision-maker for a project

* identify all the issues and options to the decision-maker for a project so that decisions are soundly based

* identify options that take account of global, economic, social and environmental outcomes

* ensure that solutions and options are offered that will contribute to sustainability

* be aware that there are inherently conflicting and un-measurable aspects of sustainability

3. Do more than just comply with legislation and codes

In seeking sustainable solutions, complying with current legislation, codes and environmental protection regulations may not be sufficient and engineers should:

* strive to go beyond the minimum wherever possible, anticipating future legislation which may be stronger

* by their example, help others improve their performance

* drive future legislation

* alert the relevant authorities if there are deficiencies in legislation and if sustainable solutions and outcomes could be endangered by regulatory change

* use their technical expertise to influence the development of new legislation and codes

4. Use resources efficiently and effectively

Engineers have a stewardship role with respect to planetary resources, and a responsibility to society to create more useful products and services with the lowest possible consumption of raw materials, water and energy. This requires them to:

* understand that there are environmental limits and finite resources

* reduce resource demand by using less in the first place

* reduce waste production by being efficient with resources that are used

* use systems and products that reduce embedded carbon, energy and water use, waste and pollution

* adopt full life cycle assessment as normal practice, including in the supply chain

* adopt strategies for re-use, recycling, decommissioning and disposal of components and materials

* minimise any adverse impacts on sustainability at the design stage

* work to repair any damage

5. Seek multiple views to solve sustainability challenges

The increasing complexity of sustainability challenges means that engineers working alone cannot solve all the challenges that we face. It is important for engineers to be inclusive and:engage with stakeholders, listening and recognising the value of the perspectives of others, including non-specialists

* avoid working in isolation, involving other professionals at all stages of a project

* utilise cross-disciplinary knowledge and diverse skills

* promote the important leadership role of the engineer in finding solutions to sustainability challenges for the benefit of society

* seek a balanced approach

6.Manage risk to minimise adverse impact to people or the environment"

<http://www.engc.org.uk/about-us/sustainability>

The Competence and Commitment Standard for Incorporated Engineers has a requirement to 'undertake engineering activities in a way that contributes to sustainable development'. This may include 'taking account of the need to progress environmental, social and economic outcomes simultaneously', and to 'understand and encourage stakeholder involvement in sustainable development'

(www.eng.org.uk/ecukdocuments/internet/document%20library/UK-SPEC.pdf, p.17).

Sustainable engineering is a growing research field and indicates the profession's direction of travel towards a routinely 'triple bottom line' that includes social, economic and environmental outcomes and includes the role of the engineer in challenging the practices of employers.

Sustainability can be mapped to the core competencies required by the **UK Nursing and Midwifery Council** , although sustainability is not yet an explicit requirement (2012). In 2010 the International Council of Nurses published 'Nursing Self Sufficiency/Sustainability in the Global Context

(www.icn.ch/images/stories/documents/pillars/sew_self_sufficiency.pdf). The council's position statements include 'health and human resources development', 'health care waste', 'climate change and health', 'nurses and human rights', 'reducing environmental and lifestyle related health risks' and 'universal access to clean water'. We have already explored the links between these themes and sustainability in Chapter 4.
Graduate Recruitment

In January 2009, Carl Gilleard, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Association of Graduate Recruiters was quoted in the Times Higher Education as saying:

"A graduate today can fully expect to still be in the world of work in 2058. The one thing that we can be certain of is that we will be applying skills that we haven't even thought of today. We will have to relearn and relearn and relearn".

(http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=404855)

Continual learning for the modern world has become a requirement for today's graduates, as has the idea of learning for an unknown future. Learning is now for employability, as opposed to employment, which stresses learning as a journey, as life-wide and lifelong. These ideas resonate with the notion of sustainability literacy, referred to in Chapter 1. Students can develop their sustainability literacy through their academic subject (as outlined in Chapter 4), their research skills (ability to find out for themselves), their personal literacy (knowing oneself, learning to be) and their global citizenship. These are attributes or characteristics that employers look for. And increasingly, they are defining these attributes in terms of the values of sustainability: balance (equity), nourishment (support), longevity (potential).

Many pieces of research now show that sustainability is important to Employers in the recruitment process and in staff development. For example, see Adam Cade's report for the Higher Education Academy in the UK:

Cade A. (2008) Employable Graduates for Responsible Employers, HEA, available from: <http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/sustainability/sustainability-publications>

Cade's findings (pp.3-4) include:

General

* The trend to more responsible employers is affecting the graduate job market and the demand for more particular competencies from recent graduate recruits.

* The graduate employability agenda is now closely linked to the employer sustainability agenda.

* There is mounting evidence and media coverage that students want to work for ethical employers who are environmentally and socially responsible. **  
**

Students/graduates

* Mistrusted the claims of employers about their social and environmental responsibilities.

* Considered the social and environmental ethics of an employer before making a career choice.

Employers

* Considered the social/environmental ethics, values and experience of university students as part of their graduate recruitment.

* Provided specialist induction and training for graduate recruits on their social and environmental responsibilities.

* Needed graduate recruits with specific competencies to support their social and environmental responsibilities.

* Wanted more interdisciplinarity in universities as a way of teaching about social and environmental responsibility.

University career staff

* Requested information and guidance on the social and environmental reputation and performance of employers.

* Confirmed a growing trend for students and employers to consider the employer's social and environmental responsibility.

* Recognised the employer's needs for social and environmental responsibility".

Above list reproduced with permission by - Adam Cade, Director, SustEd - Sustainability Education.

Cade's research indicates that employability is being increasingly linked to sustainability. Employers want sustainability literate graduates to support their own journey towards sustainability and graduates want to work for employers with sustainability credentials because of their own heightened awareness of the issues. He summarises what the research revealed about the 87 employers who participated (p.24):

Recruiting graduates

An employer's social and environmental responsibility has become a vital recruitment weapon in the battle for top-quality graduate employees. Those employers who neglect this may be shutting the door on some of the country's top talent.

Employers that are socially and environmentally responsible can attract a talented and diverse graduate workforce. The drivers for environmentally- and socially-responsible employer practice include the innovation and creativity by staff; attraction and retention of staff; as well as avoidance of litigation, prosecution and penalties. There are clear benefits to employers of aligning their values and interests to their employees. So recruiting the right graduate is vital to the future of many organisations.

Making commitments

Much related research and media coverage shows the emerging needs and interests of employers in terms of sustainable development and CSR. Sustainability, sustainable development and CSR are now commonly used terms by public and private sector employers.

Many FTSE500 businesses have incorporated sustainable development and CSR into their annual reporting, management and operations. There is increasing evidence that small- to medium-sized enterprises are being obliged, through the supply chain, legislation and general stakeholder demand, to adopt these principles and practices. All employment sectors are affected by this trend, whether consultancy, financial services, tourism, engineering or marketing. In the public sector, the greening of all government departments, agencies and local authorities is generating changes in organisational culture which rapidly translate into recruitment."

Above text reproduced with permission by - Adam Cade, Director, SustEd - Sustainability Education.

One of the most significant points made by Cade's research is that sustainability literacy equates to creativity and innovation meaning that sustainability literate graduates are attractive to employers.
Assessment Task for Chapter 6

Activity

Choose one well-known business and one professional body. Search their websites for sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Write a short report on what you find based upon the following questions:

Do they have a sustainability, sustainable development or CSR strategy?

Does the professional body include sustainability in its criteria for individual or corporate accreditation?

How is strategy or accreditation framed – is it strongly environmental and/or economic or is there a more holistic approach encompassing social and cultural dimensions?

Are there examples of practical action and application on the website?

How effective/useful do you think their strategies and accreditation schemes are?

Write a short report based upon the questions above – maximum 400 words. Remember to include the links to the websites you examined.
References and Further Reading

To understand what employers are looking for when recruiting graduates, look at these reports:

Bowden J, Hart G, King B, Trigwell K and Watts O (2000), Generic Capabilities of ATN University Graduates. Produced for the Australian Technology Network. Available at: <http://www.clt.uts.edu.au/TheProject.htm>.

CEDEFOP, European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training Research Paper No.24, (2012); Green skills and environmental awareness in vocational education and training, Luxembourg: Publications of the European Union. Available at: <http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/about-cedefop/library-and-documentation.aspx>.

Donnan A, & Carthy, R (2011) Graduate Employment and Internships: issues from the environmental sciences and sustainability sectors, The Institution of Environmental Sciences. Available at: <http://www.ies-uk.org.uk/resources>.

### Chapter 7: The Changing Face of Sustainability

In 2005, Dr. Peter Knight of the University of Central England responded scathingly to a HEFCE consultation document on Sustainable Development in Higher Education. He saw the push to develop sustainability as a core curriculum theme as an attack on academic freedom and as an example of political proselytising:

"The issue here is not whether sustainable development is a good or bad idea. It is about the basic rights and responsibilities of universities and the need to safeguard academic freedom. It is not the job of universities to promote a particular political orthodoxy; it is their role to educate students to examine critically policies, ideas, concepts and systems, then to make up their own minds."

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2005/feb/08/highereducation.administration)

Few would dispute Knight's second sentence and those writing about sustainability in higher education argue that critical thinking is a crucial aspect. The moving of the agenda from being issues-led into pedagogy, and from content/outcomes to process has hopefully reassured academics that sustainability need not pose any threat to academic disciplines and that it does support other agendas that we would not dispute (e.g. social justice, creative pedagogies).

What is more, sustainability does not need to present a deficit module of doing without and moral pressure. Sustainability can be fun. The University of Southampton has demonstrated this with its 'Southampton Blackout: A Night out with the Lights out!' in April 2012. Students and staff worked together to turn off as many appliances as possible on one Friday evening. The cost of the 'thank you' pizzas and team sweatshirts may have compromised the actual energy savings, but the publicity generated and the lighthearted spirit of a very serious exercise will reap longer-term benefits:

<http://www.lifeatsouthampton.co.uk/2012/10/southampton-blackout-new-beginning.html>

The potential of Sustainability to be an enjoyable process is also highlighted in the use of interactive exhibits in museums and interactive quizzes and exercises in online learning spaces.

Sustainability is concerned with protecting our futures by reducing our negative impact upon our planet and maximising our positive impact. It is about our relationship with our environment and how we can ensure that our choices today enable us to "meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (Brundtland Report, 1987). Back in the 1980s the sustainability agenda was narrowly focused upon a set list of environmental resources and issues: waste, water, energy emissions and production. Today, our environment is understood to include our relationships with each other, our values. Our resources are understood to include our cognitive and affective abilities. A bewildering array of terms and phrases are now in use to express this bigger picture that puts our values and behaviour at the heart of sustainability. Where we talked about _environmental sustainability_ in the 1980s, now we talk about _sustainability_. The exclusion of the 'e' word is quite deliberate. It is not downplaying the crucial issues of our limited resources, but it is stressing that we ourselves are part of this resource and that solutions to the sustainability crisis lie in our 'carbon brainprint'.

Phrases that occur in the sustainability literature include:

Learning for unknown futures

Transformative learning

Sustainability literacy

Values-driven learning and teaching

Social Sustainability

Sustainable learning technology

The meaning of these phrases is not always obvious. In this chapter we highlight a few of the alternative understandings of sustainability that are now common: Learning for Sustainability, Learning Technology and Social Sustainability.
Learning for Sustainability

Sustainability is an educational research field as much as a scientific research field. Scholars are exploring not only what we need to understand and know to achieve sustainability, but how we need to understand ourselves and the changes required in our ways of working. Take for example the work of Professor Stephen Sterling, Head of Education for Sustainable Development at Plymouth University (UK). Professor Sterling has published extensively on teaching and learning for sustainability in higher education. In a paper on Transformative Learning he notes that "the mainstream emphasis on cognitive learning, with a little 'values education' thrown in, is simply insufficient to meet this challenge" – the challenge being to come to terms with the planetary crisis. 'Nested' levels of learning are used to describe the processes by which we move from knowledge to understanding to change. The venn diagram below shows how our 'carbon brainprint' grows as we move from conformity to generally accepted habits of recycling and waste reduction towards reformist behaviour when we think about our habits and their impact upon others to a transformative position when we are able to engage fully with the issues and change our lives based upon the values of sustainability. The diagram encapsulates the idea that sustainability is a _process_ rather than an _outcome_.

Above Diagram developed at the University of Nottingham. Diagram based upon the work of Stephen Sterling in: Sterling, S, Transformative Learning and Sustainability: sketching the conceptual ground, Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Issue 5, 2010-11, pp.17-33.
Learning Technology

The use of Learning Technology was highlighted as one of the 3 key approaches to Sustainability at the University of Nottingham in Chapter 1, section 6. Going deeper, Learning Technology itself supports Sustainability via 3 routes:

* Technology that can be used to share, re-use and adapt learning resources: Open Educational Resources

* Technology that can enable access to learning for those who cannot otherwise access it: Technology for Access and Engagement

* Technology that can support creativity in teaching and learning: Technology for Creative Pedagogies

Nottingham is working in all these areas as part of its sustainability strategy. Three examples are given below to illustrate how sustainability can connect to learning technologies.
Open Educational Resources and Open Nottingham

The world wide web has changed the ways we learn and the ways in which we share information. Learning technology now provides a myriad of opportunities for us to work in different ways – in our own homes or workplaces, on the move, alongside colleagues in other time zones and geographical spaces. Online learning has been driven by the concept of 'Knowledge without Borders' and increasingly by the idea of a global community of learners within which knowledge and ideas are shared.

In implementing the Open Nottingham programme, the University of Nottingham has strategically embraced an agenda of open-access to teaching.

With benefits such as efficiency savings, promotional opportunities and enhancement of the student experience, Open Nottingham is designed to foster increased use, reuse and publication of Open Educational Resources (OER) by staff and students across the university. It aims to improve the understanding of what impact OER has on teaching and learning and to measure the effectiveness of open resources as a promotional tool.

Open Nottingham is centrally funded and has senior sponsorship, and long-term sustainability is a key consideration in all developments. It is an established part of the University's Five Year Strategy and supports a number of the institution's published objectives. For example, the expansion of the institutional repository 'U-Now' is listed as a goal under the Social Responsibility objective. Providing access to a rich supply of resources has a direct impact on student satisfaction through the Excellence in Education objective. Open Nottingham also feeds directly into the Internationalisation strategy of Knowledge without Borders.

Above Text sourced from http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/open.aspx

You may have accessed this module in U-Now. U-Now is the University's collection of Open Educational Resources which are made freely available for all to use. You can hear the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nottingham and other senior colleagues talking about U-Now in a short video:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E9MBkJr3ba8
Technology for Access and Engagement

Learning technology has enabled the School of Education at the University of Nottingham to develop a highly successful Postgraduate Certificate in Education (International) for professionals unable to come to the UK to complete a traditional face to face course of enrichment study. The course is about teaching and not sustainability but, its delivery method is a sustainable one and, by providing the opportunity for professionals to engage with each other in structured learning across cultural boundaries, it supports cross-cultural learning and continuing professional development within the teaching profession. The technology supports learning that might not otherwise be possible.

The PGCEi focusses on the improvement of individual teaching practice through critical reflection and action research. It also enables you to compare teaching approaches in different countries.

The course comprises a face-to-face introductory event followed by distance learning and tutor support.

More than 300 students have completed the programme, with the same number currently on course.

The general aim of the PGCEi is to improve practice by building new ideas and strategies which are tested out in your own classrooms. More specifically, the programme aims to improve teaching by:

* helping you to understand your own education system from an international perspective;

* enabling you to become conversant with the basic assumptions, concepts, and principles of a range of learning theories and to evaluate their usefulness in specific educational situations;

* promoting a deeper understanding of a range of teaching strategies;

* developing expertise in practitioner research;

* making appropriate use of professional and research literature.

Above text sourced from:  http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/education/prospective/pgcei/pgcei-introduction.aspx
Technology for Creative Pedagogies

The philosophy and use of learning technology in education is a vibrant research field. See for example the School of Education's MA Learning, Technology and Education:

The MA Learning, Technology and Education is an internationally recognised qualification and designed for those who have an interest in the design and implementation of technology-supported learning and the societal, social and psychological underpinnings of learning with new technology and have an interest in educational practice as mediated by new information and communication technologies (ICTs)

The design and implementation of technology-supported learning will be addressed at a variety of levels: societal and social levels of organisation (e.g., governments, institutions, and learning communities). However, the course will give special attention to the more psychological level concerned with your experience of learning or teaching.

The course will provide a degree of direct practical experience in using new educational technology. It does not aim to give extensive hands-on guidance in how to use such resources, the focus is more on the societal, social and psychological underpinnings of learning with new technology. Although this will certainly involve encounters with state-of-the-art  applications and practices, the present curriculum should provide you with a very sound basis for informed and reflective practice in all areas of ICT and education.

Above text sourced from: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/education/prospective/masters/learning-technology-and-education/introduction.aspx
Learning by Gaming: Creative Technologies and Pedagogies

On-line games for learning about sustainability

The founders of the Education Arcade at MIT state that there are many intrinsic motivations for learning associated with games. The threat of failure is lowered. Games allow players to try, make mistakes or fail, and then try again without losing face. Discovery and application of learned skills in new contexts encourages exploration and experimentation. A sense of engagement continues during gaming. Computer games allow players to be stakeholders in the events that occur on the screen. Increasingly, there are a number of games being developed that help people learn about the issues involved in sustainable development. Besides which ... they are fun!

BT Better Business Games There are two games here designed to let you experience the kinds of dilemmas and decision making that is necessary to build a responsible and sustainable business. But they're also fun! The first is Better Business Choices which gives you the opportunity to build your business from scratch. Will you make the right decisions about market conditions and select the right products, suppliers, energy and other vital ingredients to make sure your business survives in the long term? The second is Better Business Dilemmas which aims to simulate what it can be like to manage social and environmental issues in a business - are you up to the challenge? Each game lasts for approximately thirty minutes.

PowerUp A 3D, action strategy game from IBM ... Save Planet Helios from ecological devastation! PowerUp is a free, online, multiplayer game that allows students to work together in teams to investigate the rich, 3D game environment and learn about the environmental disasters that threaten the game world and its inhabitants.

MySustHouse games There are two games here. The first lets you explore ways to create a more sustainable environment. The second challenges you to build a sustainable house. This site also has an introduction to sustainability.

Stop disasters A disaster simulation game from the UN/ISDR. The core audience for this game is 9-16 year olds, but anyone can play and enjoy the game, and everyone will learn more about preventing disasters. Each scenario takes between 10 and 20 minutes to play, depending on the disaster you are trying to prevent and your skill level. There are five scenarios to play, and each can be played on easy, medium or hard difficulty levels.

Electrocity ElectroCity was developed to increase public awareness – particularly among students – of the basic "common knowledge" needed to discuss energy topics such as: How is energy generated? How much does it cost? How does it affect the environment? That is, the general terms and concepts of the energy industry and the dilemmas that go along with them. ElectroCity is made available online by Genesis Energy, a major generator and retailer of energy in New Zealand.

The Great Green Web Game Test your knowledge of how consumer choices affect the environment. This is a quiz game developed by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Mainly aimed at North American consumers, but will be of interest to others.

Serious games: online games for learning In this epaper Anne Derryberry looks at serious games, expected to be a US$1.5 billion global market in 2008. These games are being described by some analysts as the next wave of technology-mediated learning. As organizations intensify their efforts to engage with members of today's workforce, serious games offer a powerful, effective approach to learning and skills development. This paper looks at serious games and their potential as learning tools.

Above text is sourced from http://learningforsustainability.net/internet/online_games.php under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
Social Sustainability

The understanding that sustainability cannot be achieved without social justice is a fairly recent development. With social sustainability comes recognition of our need to share resources globally and to consider the needs of the poorest and weakest in society who often do not have the choices that are available to wealthier nations.

Social sustainability is one aspect of sustainability or sustainable development. Social sustainability encompasses human rights, labour rights, and corporate governance. In common with environmental sustainability, social sustainability is the idea that future generations should have the same or greater access to social resources as the current generation ("inter-generational equity"), while there should also be equal access to social resources within the current generation ("intra-generational equity"). Social resources include ideas as broad as other cultures and basic human rights. Also we can speak of Sustainable Human Development that can be seen as development that promotes the capabilities of present people without compromising capabilities of future generations. In the human development paradigm, environment and natural resources should constitute a means of achieving better standards of living just as income represents a means of increasing social expenditure and, in the end, well-being.

The different aspects of social sustainability are often considered in socially responsible investing (SRI). Social sustainability criteria that are commonly used by SRI funds and indexes to rate publicly-traded companies include: community, diversity, employee relations, human rights, product safety, reporting, and governance structure.

The philosophical aspect of Social sustainability focuses on individuals' behaviours, attitude and actions. The way of living towards a socially sustainable way may not necessarily promote luxury and wealth, but rather, the development of reverse-consumerism.

Dimensions of Social Sustainability

According to the Western Australia Council of Social Services (WACOSS) :

"Social sustainability occurs when the formal and informal processes; systems; structures; and relationships actively support the capacity of current and future generations to create healthy and liveable communities. Socially sustainable communities are equitable, diverse, connected and democratic and provide a good quality of life."

It has the following dimensions:

Equity \- the community provides equitable opportunities and outcomes for all its members, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable members of the community.

Diversity \- the community promotes and encourages diversity.

Interconnected/Social cohesions \- the community provides processes, systems and structures that promote connectedness within and outside the community at the formal, informal and institutional level.

Quality of life \- the community ensures that basic needs are met and fosters a good quality of life for all members at the individual, group and community level (e.g. health, housing, education, employment, safety).

Democracy and governance \- the community provides democratic processes and open and accountable governance structures.

Maturity \- the individual accept the responsibility of consistent growth and improvement through broader social attributes (e.g. communication styles, behavioural patterns, indirect education and philosophical explorations).

Above text sourced from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_sustainability under a  Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Assessment Task for Chapter 7

Activity

The Australian Research Institute for Environment and Sustainability (ARIES) has compiled a collection of videos. These cover a broad range of sustainability-related topics. Choose 2 of the videos that, from their titles and summaries, don't appear to conform to the traditional focus on environmental sustainability. View them and write a short commentary (maximum 400 words) summarising the points made and your own response to them. <http://aries.mq.edu.au/videos/>

If you want a wider range of videos to choose from, try the TED talks website too: <http://www.ted.com/talks>
References and Extra Reading

Sterling, S. 2001. _Sustainable Education—Re-visioning Learning and Change_ , Schumacher Briefing no. 6. Dartington: Schumacher Society/Green Books.

International Journal of Open Educational Resources:

<http://www.oercommons.org/community/international-journal-of-open-educational-resources>

Learning Technologies do of course have to balance greater access to information with the material and energy costs of infrastructure. There is an interesting 2006 survey of student attitudes towards technology-related waste conducted by Hanks et al:

Hanks K, Odom W, Roedl D and Blevis E, Sustainable Millennials: Attitudes towards Sustainability and the Material Effects of Interactive Technologies, _Proceedings of the 26_ th _annual conference on human factors in computing systems_ , 2008.

They talk about a 'net generation' who are fully technology-literate, demand instant access and upgrades but still, as a population 'is known for rejecting individualistic needs in favour of more community-based needs, They desire norms and rules, engage in more service oriented activities, and believe that one of their main goals, as a generation, is to improve the environment' (p,2). There is work to be done to ensure we design our technologies for sustainability and not for 'Choreographed obsolescence'.
Chapter 8: Sustainability: Social and Personal Dimensions

"Sustainability is a new idea to many people, and many find it hard to understand. But all over the world there are people who have entered into the exercise of imagining and bringing into being a sustainable world. They see it as a world to move toward not reluctantly, but joyfully, not with a sense of sacrifice, but a sense of adventure. A sustainable world could be very much better than the one we live in today."

Above text sourced from  Donella H. Meadows, Jorgen Randers, Dennis L.Meadows, The Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update, 2004. Earthscan, Routledge Publications. 978-1-84407-144-9. Reproduced with permission from Routledge publications.

This quotation from a classic book first published in 1972 links Sustainability to positive challenges and to well-being. It chimes with the various models and policy statements that see sustainability as being about social justice and equity in addition to the environment and the economy.

This module has made frequent reference to sustainability in the context of subject disciplines and has linked to the U-Now modules on Sustainability in the Arts and Humanities, in Engineering, Geography and Business. But, back in chapter 1, I also provided links to another group of modules that can be seen to contribute towards 'social' sustainability and to the idea of sustainability as a process, or human journey, rather than as a scientific outcome.
International Peer Mentoring and Peer Mentoring

International Peer Mentoring  
<http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/3260342c-6044-d46c-5e07-02ed9d2aa1fd/1/ViewIMS.jsp>

Peer Mentoring  
<http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/4e319298-6d32-ce36-766f-05da70ddce06/1/ViewIMS.jsp>

These two modules aim to:

* help students to develop a better understanding of cross cultural awareness

* gain an understanding of global citizenship and multi-cultural environments.

* help students understand how to support their peers with a sound understanding of the international student and local community.

* Assist mentors and mentees to feel a greater sense of belonging to their University and local community as well as enhancing general sense of well-being and social context

*Create a peer support framework where experience and knowledge is shared across a range of contexts

In Lesson 1, Topic 3 of International Peer Mentoring there is an exercise that looks at cultural models. The exercise doesn't call for judgements, but for recognition of and understanding of difference – as for example between a culture in which broad and general rules for society are paramount as against a society which places a high value on individualism and particularism. A lack of cross cultural awareness can lead to misunderstanding, hostility, poor or delayed decision-making.

Cultural models

Just as there are many definitions of the term 'culture', there are a number of cultural models developed to explain and interpret culture and cultural differences. Click on the links below and read about five different models which have been influential:

Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory

Hall's high and low context cultures and the notions of space and time

Trompenaars' and Hampden-Turner's seven dimensions of culture

Kluckholn and Strodtbeck's six dimensions of culture

Hall's Iceberg Model of Culture

(These links will take you to external third party websites which, unlike this interactive resource, are not licenced under creative commons. Therefore any reproduction or re-use of the information at the links can only be carried out with the express permission of the copyright holder.)

Complete the activity; 'Your culture'. In this activity you will be required to select one of the five cultural models presented on the previous page and use it to examine aspects of your own culture.

Review the differences between what behaviours are cultural, personal, and universal such as given at this link from the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition at the University of Minnesota (the link will take you to an external third party website which, unlike this interactive resource, is not licenced under creative commons. Therefore any reproduction or re-use of the information at the links can only be carried out with the express permission of the copyright holder).

Above text developed at the University Of Nottingham

Cultural models is also available here  
<http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/toolkits/play_6647>

The point of using these models is that they enable us to interact more effectively with people from cultures other than our own. If we can do this, our relationships become more valid, useful and potentially beneficial. We can move from a position of suspicion to one of respect – a shift that is crucial when looking to implement change that is sustainable and just for all parties.

The American Psychological Association states that the characteristics of effective mentoring include "the ability and willingness to

* value the mentee as a person;

* develop mutual trust and respect;

* maintain confidentiality;

* listen both to what is being said and how it is being said;

* help the mentee solve his or her own problem, rather than give direction;

* focus on the mentee's development and resist the urge to produce a clone."

Above text courtesy of http://www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/articles?438  
Copyright © 1999 - 2012 by DO-IT, University of Washington. Permission is granted to copy these materials for educational, noncommercial purposes provided the source is acknowledged.

Mentoring is a sustainable process because it is about supporting others in a relationship that should have benefits for both mentee and mentor. If we look back to Sara Parkin's work in Chapter 2.3 it should be clear that mentoring can help us to develop our:

**Resilience** – the capacity to bounce back after shocks (e.g. culture shock)

**Relationships** – which, if good, can help us to be resilient

**Reflection** – our ability to recognise our learning (and therefore to use it)

**Reverence** – having respect for the culture of others and recognising that we are in a relationship with it.

Sustainability is also supported by the notion of Global Citizenship, This is a contested idea as we will see in the next section.
Global Citizenship

Although global citizenship is a significant topic in education it is difficult to find consensus around its meaning. Adding to the challenge is the frequent use of many related, and sometimes interchangeable, terms: global awareness, global education, global identity, and cultural literacy. Below is a collection of thorough, well formulated definitions that capture the complexity and multifaceted nature of global citizenship.

Oxfam defines a Global Citizen as an individual who:

* is aware of the wider world and has a sense of their own role as a world citizen

* respects and values diversity

* has understanding of how the world works

* is outraged by social injustice

* participates in the community at a range of levels, from the local to the global

* is willing to act to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place

* takes responsibility for their actions

Oxfam Development Education Programme. (2006). Education for global citizenship: A guide for schools. Retrieved from <http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/gc/>

Mundy, K. & Manion, C. (2008). Global education in Canadian elementary schools: An exploratory study. Canadian Journal of Education, 31(4), 941-974. Retrieved from ERIC  database. (EJ830510).

Above table sourced from: http://globalgateway.wikispaces.com/About+Global+Citizenship  
Contributions to http://globalgateway.wikispaces.com/ are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 License.  Portions not contributed by visitors are Copyright 2012 Tangient LLC
The U-Now module on Global Citizenship is designed for students to learn about citizenship and civil society in the context of globalisation and China's rise, and to develop their knowledge, skills, awareness and leadership by working with Chinese communities:

http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/0417ca8b-5d66-58ee-e1bd-dfa58351635c/1/ViewIMS.jsp

The module looks at the Chinese labour market, assessing to what extent different levels of wealth may facilitate or hinder the opportunity to engage in global citizenship. It considers how cheap labour costs in one part of the work may put at risk employment in another. Expert contributors discuss the paradoxes of globalisation.

In Session 2, Global citizenship and local meaning, Bernadette Robinson and Andreas Bieler ask if communities in China can be the training ground for the political socialisation of Chinese citizens and what role Chinese civil society organisations can play in this process.

In Session 3, Judy Muthuri and Tyler Rooker discuss Corporate Social Responsibility and the tensions between globalisation and localisation. Globalization has meant that companies are able to operate in more than one country with different national political, social, cultural and economic systems. Companies can relocate their businesses to countries with favourable and, or affordable business conditions including cheap costs of factors of production (labour, capital, land) and less stringent regulation (including environmental protection, health and safety, for example). The proliferation of cross-border trade has led to questions of whether globalization undermines or promotes corporate social responsibility (CSR).

If we take these the themes of mentoring and Global Citizenship together, then we see that developing relationships across cultural boundaries can lead to richer understandings of contexts and issues. The learning can be a two-directional experience and can help us in working out what it means to live and work in contexts that are both local and global.
Sustainability and Employability

The other U-Now modules that were listed back in Chapter 1 related to learning to develop employability.

Skills for Employability  
http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/a7d3e544-bddb-9655-d8a5-a09b5dae5981/1/ViewIMS.jsp

Placements and Internships  
http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/9c6f4e9b-19ac-b385-c627-77a57832e1c3/1/ViewIMS.jsp

Career Planning Skills  
http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/440f5c31-2963-bba6-be37-deb400a9e5af/1/ViewIMS.jsp

These modules cover the development of professional 'skills' such as time management, effective communication and team working, project management and self-directed and reflective learning. They cover the need to tailor these skills to particular circumstances. The employability skills literature may focus upon different workplace settings but it can be applied equally to different cultural settings. The skills required for employability are a sub-set of those required for sustainability literacy – the key difference being the active agency for change (positive deviance?) that the sustainability journey requires.
The headings in the diagram below, taken from the Placements and Internships module, are equally applicable to Sustainability.

Above diagram sourced from http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/9c6f4e9b-19ac-b385-c627-77a57832e1c3/1/ViewIMS.jsp
Conclusions

Sustainability is about 'saving the Planet' , about reducing our reliance upon finite resources and about working within the limits of our planet to try to achieve a good quality of life for all rather than an elite minority in particular countries. It's pretty overwhelming, as is the evidence that sustainability is an imperative. But, small changes can have impact. And sustainability is incredibly positive:

* It's about people rather than the environment

* It's about welfare, well-being, equity, social justice

* It's about quality of life rather than limiting growth

* It's about healthy living

* It's about self-development and positive thinking

* It's about using the skills and capabilities we have already in a sustainable direction

* It's about new ways of doing things (which can be exciting).

* It is getting more and more difficult to ignore the sustainability agenda – as neatly pointed out in this short video:

Available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SD27UcFj0HE  
also available at: <http://www.opportunitysustainability.com/?p=437>

© Copyright 2008-2012 Matthew Rochte - Share with Attribution.These works by Matthew Rochte & Opportunity Sustainability are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
But individuals, communities, students, governments, employers, are all increasingly signed up. One clear signal of this is the emergence of 'measure what matters' – the idea that the current economic measures that we use to value our economy are false or at best short-sighted. The measurement of our well-being is now a part of government rhetoric. To explore this further, go to the website of the independent _Think-and-Do-Tank_ , The New Economics Foundation (NEF). Note their strapline: 'Economics as if people and the planet mattered'.

<http://www.neweconomics.org/projects/measuring-well-being-in-europe>
Assessment Task for Chapter 8

Activity

Back in Chapter 1 you were asked to write or record, in no more than 200 words, your current understanding of sustainability. It is time to go back to this, reflect on it and write or record a new version that takes into account the themes that have come up in this module.
Resources and Further Reading for Chapter 8

Matthias Barth, Jasmin Godemann, Marco Rieckmann and Ute Stoltenberg, (2007) "Developing key competencies for sustainable development in higher education", _International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education_ Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 416-430

Fortuin, I. and Bush, S. (2010), "Educating students to cross boundaries between disciplines and cultures and between theory and practice", _International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education_ Vol.11 No.1, pp.19-35.

Thaman, K. (2002) "Shifting sights: The cultural challenge of sustainability", _International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education_ Vol.3 No.3, pp.233-242. 

### Chapter 9: Module Assessment

The assessments for this module are designed to prompt you into thinking about sustainability, how it relates to you and to your studies, and also to grow your understanding of the impact sustainability now has on the world of work and on government policy.
Your Assessment Portfolio

Your assessment portfolio should now include your responses to the following tasks:

1. Sustainability – what is it and who cares?

In no more than 200 words, write or record your current understanding of sustainability. Describe what you think sustainability is all about and how it relates to your life.

2. Models for understanding Sustainability

Try out one of the models (or search for others if you wish) and apply it to your own context, for example as a university student or as an employee. Use the model to assess where you think either you as an individual or your organisation currently are in relation to sustainability. Use a table or diagram and, rather than writing lots of text, use single words or short phrases.

3. Students and Sustainability

In less than 300 words, sketch out an idea for either a film or competition that could help students to adopt more sustainable behaviours. If you come up with something good, it is possible that the University will work with you to implement it.

4. Sustainability in Higher Education

Do your own key-word search of the modules offered by your faculty in the current academic year using the terms sustainability and sustainable development, social responsibility, green, citizenship, problem solving and intercultural. If you are a University of Nottingham student, you will need to access the online module catalogue:

<http://modulecatalogue.nottingham.ac.uk/nottingham/>

Has there been any change from the picture revealed by the keyword search of Nottingham's module catalogue in 2010-11 (see section 4.2)? What do your results indicate to you about the place of sustainability in the curriculum of your faculty

5. Sustainability and Policy

Choose 3 national governments or 3 NGOs and search their webpages for their policy statements on sustainability or sustainable development. If choosing governments, ensure that you opt for governments of different sizes and different continents. For example, you might choose a European government, an Asia-Pacific island government, and a South American government. If choosing NGOs, look for a similar contrast.

Look at their official websites (many will have an English-language version) and consider the following questions:

* Do they have a sustainability or sustainable development policy?

* If so, how easy was it to find it? If not, what is the closest to this that you could find?

* How do they frame their policy – is it strongly environmental and/or economic or is there a more holistic approach encompassing social and cultural dimensions?

* Are there examples of practical action and application?

* How effective/useful do you think their policy statements are?

* Does the size/context of each government or NGO impact upon the focus of their policy?

What differences do you see between your 3 case studies?

Write a short report based upon the questions above – maximum 500 words. Remember to include the links to the websites you examined.

6. Sustainability, Employers and the Professions

Choose one well-known business and one professional body. Search their websites for sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Write a short report on what you find based upon the following questions:

* Do they have a sustainability, sustainable development or CSR strategy?

* Does the professional body include sustainability in its criteria for individual or corporate accreditation?

* How is strategy or accreditation framed – is it strongly environmental and/or economic or is there a more holistic approach encompassing social and cultural dimensions?

* Are there examples of practical action and application on the website?

* How effective/useful do you think their strategies and accreditation schemes are?

Write a short report based upon the questions above – maximum 400 words. Remember to include the links to the websites you examined.

7. The changing face of Sustainability

The Australian Research Institute for Environment and Sustainability (ARIES) has compiled a collection of videos. These cover a broad range of sustainability-related topics. Choose 2 of the videos that, from their titles and summaries, do not appear to conform to the traditional focus on environmental sustainability. View them and write a short commentary (maximum 400 words) summarising the points made and your own response to them.

<http://aries.mq.edu.au/videos/>

If you want a wider range of videos to choose from, try the TED talks website too:

<http://www.ted.com/talks>

8. Sustainability: Social and Personal Dimensions

Back in Chapter 1 you were asked to write or record, in no more than 200 words, your current understanding of sustainability. It is time to go back to this, reflect on it and write or record a new version that takes into account the themes that have come up in this module.
Achieving the Learning Outcomes

By reading through each chapter and by completing each task you will have developed knowledge and understanding in relation to the module's learning outcomes, as first introduced in section 1.3. The following curriculum map shows where each learning outcome is most obviously covered within the module.

Marking Criteria

This module is assessed using a pass/fail marking criteria that focuses upon the evidence that students have achieved a minimum standard. Fail marks are given where:

* A student has not completed all of the required elements of the module assessment

* A student has not produced work to the minimum standards as set out in the marking criteria.

The following table provides indicators of what assessors will be looking for and how we differentiate between work that meets the threshold standards for a pass, and work that does not.

Your Assessment Portfolio

You can present this in any format that you like. It might be a simple Word document, a blog on a webpage, a video or audio file, or a combination of these. It is your choice – choose whatever suits your needs and your learning style.

If you decide to create a blog, there are some guidelines available to get you started. 'How to create a Blog' and 'Ten Top Tips for Bloggers' are taken from the Nottingham Advantage Award's support materials for students and staff.

Top Tips for Blogging

How to Create a Blog
Completing the Module

Academic staff from the University of Nottingham will provide feedback on the assessments completed by Nottingham students who register for this module as part of the Nottingham Advantage Award. Further information about the Nottingham Advantage Award for all students registered at the University of Nottingham's UK, China and Malaysia campuses can be found at our Workspace site:

<https://workspace.nottingham.ac.uk/display/NAAMY/Home>

### Chapter 10: Resources and Further Reading for Research

Many resources, websites, books and articles have been referred to throughout this module. This chapter brings those that are most useful for further research together in one place for you but also adds in some others and highlights particular resources that are of significant use when considering holistic approaches to sustainability (cultural and social as well as economic and environmental).
Reading List

Barth, M., Godemann,J., Rieckmann, M. and Stoltenberg, U. (2007) Developing key competencies for sustainable development in higher education, _International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education_ Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 416-430

Bone E and Agombar J, 2011, First-year attitudes towards, and skills in, sustainable development, available at: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/teachingandlearning/alldisplay?type=resources&newid=ourwork/sustainability/esd_First_Year_Students_report&site=york

Bowden J, Hart G, King B, Trigwell K and Watts O (2000), Generic Capabilities of ATN University Graduates. Produced for the Australian Technology Network. Available at: <http://www.clt.uts.edu.au/TheProject.htm>.

CEDEFOP, European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training Research Paper No.24, (2012); Green skills and environmental awareness in vocational education and training, Luxembourg: Publications of the European Union. Available at: <http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/about-cedefop/library-and-documentation.aspx>.

Dawe, Jucker and Martin (2005) Sustainable Development in Higher Education: Current Practice and Future Developments, www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/ourwork/tla/sustainability/sustdevinHEfinalreport.pdf

Donnan A, & Carthy, R (2011) Graduate Employment and Internships: issues from the environmental sciences and sustainability sectors, The Institution of Environmental Sciences. Available at: <http://www.ies-uk.org.uk/resources>.

Drayson R, Bone E and Agombar J, 2012, Student attitudes towards and skills for sustainable development, available at: <http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/esd/student_attitudes_towards_and_skills_for_sustainable_development.pdf>)

Fortuin, I. and Bush, S. (2010), Educating students to cross boundaries between disciplines and cultures and between theory and practice, _International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education_ Vol.11 No.1, pp.19-35.

Jones P, Selby S and Sterling S (2010) _Sustainability Education: Perspectives and Practice across Higher Education_ , Earthscan

Godemann J, Herzig C, Moon J and Powell A. (2011) _Integrating Sustainability into Business Schools – Analysis of 100 UN PRME Sharing Information of Progress (SIP) reports_ , International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, Nottingham University Business School.

Hanks K, Odom W, Roedl D and Blevis E, Sustainable Millennials: Attitudes towards Sustainability and the Material Effects of Interactive Technologies, _Proceedings of the 26_ th _annual conference on human factors in computing systems_ , 2008

Mebratu, D. (1998), Sustainability and Sustainable Development: Historical and Conceptual Review, _Environmental Impact Assessment Review_ 18, pp.493-520.

Parkin S (2010) _The Positive Deviant: Sustainability Leadership in a Perverse World_ , Earthscan

Sterling, S. 2001. _Sustainable Education—Re-visioning Learning and Change_ , Schumacher Briefing no. 6. Dartington: Schumacher Society/Green Books.

Thaman, K. (2002) Shifting sights: The cultural challenge of sustainability, _International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education_ Vol.3 No.3, pp.233-242.

United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014): International Implementation Scheme, available at: <http://www.unesco.org/education/desd>
Online Resources

The Future Fit Framework

Although this is written for university teaching staff and senior managers, there is much in it of interest to students – especially those who are thinking of careers in teaching or administration in higher education. The Framework covers several areas that overlap with the content of this module including sections on Sustainability and academic disciplines, sustainability and policy, sustainability and employability

Full publication:  
 http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/esd/Future_Fit_270412_1435.pdf

Interactive online taster  
<http://xerte5.techdis.palepurple.co.uk/play_8655>

Greener by Degrees: Exploring Sustainability through Higher Education Curricula

Edited by Carolyn Roberts and Jane Roberts

This book contains 37 chapters exploring different aspects of sustainability within the undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum. The disciplines covered range from marketing to design; landscape architecture to leisure management, broadcast journalism to geography. Each case study is explained in practical terms to allow replication of the approaches and ideas.

Foreword by Professor Stephen Martin

Introduction Greener by Degrees? Carolyn Roberts and Jane Roberts
Part A - Sustainability in the Classroom

Part B - Sustainability through Local, National and International Partnerships

Part C - Towards a Sustainable University

The book is available online from the University of Gloucestershire at:

<http://resources.glos.ac.uk/ceal/resources/greenerbydegrees>

The Handbook of Sustainability Literacy

Multimedia version. Edited by Poppy Villiers-Stuart and Arran Stibbe and produced by the University of Brighton.

You can browse this online resource by chapters from the paperback, additional chapters as well as Video interviews at http://www.sustainability-literacy.org/

"In this ground-breaking book, leading sustainability educators are joined by literary critics, permaculturalists, ecologists, artists, journalists, engineers, mathematicians and philosophers in a deep reflection on the skills people need to survive and thrive in the challenging conditions of the 21st century. Responding to the threats of climate change, peak oil, resource depletion, economic uncertainty and energy insecurity demands the utmost in creativity, ingenuity and new ways of thinking in order to reinvent both self and society. The book covers a wide range of skills and attributes from technology appraisal to ecological intelligence, and includes active learning exercises to help develop those skills".

Text sourced from: http://www.sustainability-literacy.org/. Reproduced with permission from Arran Stibbe.

**Learning for Sustainability**  
<http://learningforsustainability.net/about.php>

A useful resource that discusses various approaches to sustainability, models and frameworks but also offers advice on volunteering and internship opportunities, planning for sustainability and evaluation of sustainability initiatives.
Sustainability Organisations

Change Agents UK

Change Agents UK is a charity that works with students, businesses and communities to support change for sustainability. Their work involves recruitment, placements, training and career advice. Their website is full of useful information including case studies.

<http://www.changeagents.org.uk/>

**Engineers without Borders** ,

This organization was established by student engineers as a way for them to make a contribution to sustainable human development.

<http://www.ewb-uk.org/>

<http://www.ewb-international.org/>

Forum for the Future

An international NGO that works with governments and businesses in support of sustainability.

http://www.forumforthefuture.org/

The Natural Step

The Natural Step is a not-for profit organisation that advises institutions and businesses seeking to achieve sustainability.

http://www.naturalstep.org/en/

Rio+20, Earth Summit 2012

The official website of the 2012 summit including the final communique and other resources.

http://www.earthsummit2012.org/

UNESCO

The United Nation's lead agency for its Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-sustainable-development/
University of Nottingham Open Educational Resources related to Sustainability and Employability

Follow the links from the U-Now home page:  
<http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/>

Or go direct to:

Sustainability: the Business Perspective  
<http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/resources/resource.aspx?hid=09c8fc5c-4e06-e1a5-8677-9a4828cddc1b>

Sustainability in the Arts and Humanities  
<http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/resources/resource.aspx?hid=dcc40763-7e16-1d60-6492-5682fabf5d77>

Sustainability and Engineering  
<http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/resources/resource.aspx?hid=1c4d7433-74db-9779-b605-7681374bc79a>

Sustainability: the Geography Perspective  
<http://unow.nottingham.ac.uk/resources/resource.aspx?hid=6b51401f-d00f-c72b-fad6-319393a548ca>

Skills for Employability  
<http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/a7d3e544-bddb-9655-d8a5-a09b5dae5981/1/ViewIMS.jsp>

Peer Mentoring  
<http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/4e319298-6d32-ce36-766f-05da70ddce06/1/ViewIMS.jsp>

Global Citizenship  
<http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/0417ca8b-5d66-58ee-e1bd-dfa58351635c/1/ViewIMS.jsp>

Placements and Internships  
<http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/9c6f4e9b-19ac-b385-c627-77a57832e1c3/1/ViewIMS.jsp>

Career Planning Skills  
<http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/440f5c31-2963-bba6-be37-deb400a9e5af/1/ViewIMS.jsp>

International Peer Mentoring  
<http://equella.nottingham.ac.uk/uon/items/3260342c-6044-d46c-5e07-02ed9d2aa1fd/1/ViewIMS.jsp>
