A theoretical framework to address education for sustainability for an earlier transition to a just, low carbon and circular economy

Abstract

The evolution to a just, Low Carbon and Circular Economy could be accelerated if additional education and training professionals embraced the practical implications of terms such as Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) or for Sustainability (ES). Therefore, this study identified the numerous elements of Environmental and Sustainability Education that are relevant to effectively encourage the implementation of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). The identification of these elements was based on the available literature in the fields that have stemmed from the ‘Environmental Education (EE)’ and ‘Sustainable Development (SD)’ movements. Finally, their synthesis was proposed as a ‘Theoretical Framework for an ES as Transformative Education for Sustainable Consumption and Production (ESCP) from a complex, critical and constructivist perspective’. This framework is intended as a basis for the reflection on current ES practices and to inspire the realisation of the full potential of ES in formal, non-formal and informal settings, from early childhood to old age learning. Especially, given the Agenda 2030 and the climate emergency, it could serve to improve Adult Learning and Education, Vocational Education and Training and Organisational Training for Sustainability (e.g., courses on energy or water saving, Green Public Procurement, Sustainable Product Design), in public and private organisations.

Keywords:

• Lifelong learning for sustainability
• sustainable consumption and production
• education for sustainable development
• professional and business training for sustainability
• adult learning for sustainability

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the eight referees for their constructive suggestions that helped to improve this article, hopefully making it more suitable to readers from the most diverse fields. We would also like to express our gratitude to the family members that supported us and contributed to this work, especially Gaia.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Respect for the environment has ancient roots in human cultures. For example, the popular saying “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children” is attributed to the indigenous culture of North America (Engelman, 2013). Caradonna (2014) states that the history of sustainability can be traced back to the late 17th century, to the criticism of the impact of industrialisation and to the efforts to solve issues impacting on forestry. However, it is since the 60s and 70s of the last century that concerns about the state of the environment and poverty, and criticism to the prevailing development model originated the Environmental Education and Sustainable Development Movement.

2 As many definitions of the various “sustainable economy” labels exist, we hereby provide the definitions of the two terms in the title of the article: the concept of Low-Carbon economy arises from the need to mitigate climate change by reducing emissions into the atmosphere of all Greenhouse Gases (GHG). The Circular Economy, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, is based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems.

3 For example: Environmental Education if the cited author uses Environmental Education, Education for Sustainability if the author uses Education for Sustainability, etc.

4 The definitions of the terms Sustainable Consumption and Production (nowadays the SDG 12 term “Responsible Consumption and Production” is preferred), Education for Sustainable Consumption and Education for Sustainable Consumption and Production, may be found in the Appendix. It was considered important to include these historical definitions collected in 2017, because they are disappearing from the web, maybe along with the shift of the discourse to concepts such as the Circular Economy and the SDGs.

5 For the first time, the authors defined “Environmental Education” in The Journal of Environmental Education.

6 This Task Force, led by the Italian Ministry of Environment, is one of seven instituted by UNEP in the context of the Marrakech Process, launched in 2003 in response to Chapter III of the Johannesburg Implementation Plan, the final document of the 2002 World Summit, held in Johannesburg.

7 To shorten, the more comprehensive wording “Environmental and Sustainability Education” could have been used both in Figure 1 and in this heading. Yet, the authors did not because it is a more recent terminology, not often found in the older literature. Furthermore, because it can’t be precisely translated to all languages (e.g., the Latin ones). Nevertheless, to complete the picture, this wording also includes other encompassing terms such as Sustainability education (not translatable in many languages) and Sustainable education. The latter calls for a shift in educational culture based on critical awareness and deep change in educational values, assumptions and practice, which goes beyond integrating sustainability-related topics and principles into curricula (Sterling, 2008). In practice, as at present, education often contributes to unsustainable living, probably because of a lack of opportunity for learners to question their own lifestyles, the recasting of development calls for the reorientation of education towards sustainable development (ECE group on competences on ESD, cited by UNECE, 2011).

8 Probably, the terms “Education for Sustainable Consumption” were used for the first time in 2003, when the first author on this article, from the Regional Environmental Education Centre of Region Liguria (Italy), baptized a project that she was preparing: “Start-up of the Centre of Education for Sustainable Consumption”. Then, “ESC” probably began circulating globally in the Environmental Education sector, in 2007 after the launch of the Working Group on "Education for Sustainable Consumption", created within the framework of the Marrakech Process (Scalabrino 2017).

9 Generalising, the authors here refer to the widespread formal education mentioned in the section “Systemic thinking and the paradigm of complexity”. See Strachan (2009), Meadows (1982) and Morin (2011).

10 E.g., Peace, Development, Global and Environmental educations.

11 In short, Doppelt (2003) describes the following blunders: Patriarchal Thinking That Leads to a False Sense of Security; A “Silo” Approach to Environmental and Socio-Economic Issues; No Clear Vision of Sustainability; Confusion over Cause and Effect; Lack of Information; Insufficient Mechanisms for Learning; Failure to Institutionalize Sustainability.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Chiara Scalabrino

Chiara Scalabrino Education for Sustainability (ES) and Sustainability professional - [email protected] in Education for Sustainable Consumption and Production and scientific explainer with 20 years’ experience in projects involving learners of all ages, in NGOs, in the public and private sectors. In Italy, after a five years’ degree in Environmental Sciences and various experiences in European projects, in 2002 Chiara started developing education for life cycle thinking and systems thinking competences in environmental NGOs. Then she had the opportunity to strengthen these competences, working seven years at the Regional Environmental Education Centre of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency (ARPAL) of Region Liguria. There, one of her greatest professional achievements has been the start-up and coordination (2004-2010) of the Centre of Education for Sustainable Consumption (CECS), especially committed to Education for Sustainability designed for citizens and professionals, and considered a “good practice” at the national level. From 2005 to 2010, she has been regional spokesperson for the UNESCO 2005-14 Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and expert in two National Work Groups on Sustainable Consumption and Eco-labels. After these experiences, in 2010, her interest for social and organizational change towards Sustainability led her to Spain, to explore the idea of Sustainability in cooperatives and the processes towards greater sustainability of important European and multinational companies, in a cross-disciplinary PhD thesis on “The role of Education for Sustainability in the evolution to the economy of the future”. Freelance educator and expert since 2012, and ARPAL’s reference person for the Circular Economy and Green Public Procurement between 2017 and 2018. Currently, freelance sustainability and Education for Sustainability consultant, speaker and professor. http://www.linkedin.com/in/chiarascalabrino 

Antonio Navarrete Salvador Retired Professor at the University of Cádiz - [email protected] Doctor in Educational Sciences and Retired Professor at the University of Cádiz. Currently Honorary Collaborator in the Didactics Department, of which he was Director from 1990 to 1992. He developed his professional and research work at the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the UCA from 1979 to 2012, teaching Didactics of Sciences and Environmental Education in the Teachers’ degree. Member of the Research Group: Professional Development of Teachers (HUM462) since 1997. Coordinator of the sessions of the Working Group “Curricular Sustainability: inclusion of sustainability criteria in the university curriculum” of the CRUE Sustainability Sector Commission. Participant in the Project “Education and social innovation for sustainability. Training in Spanish Universities of professionals as agents of change to face the challenges of society. “ Professor in the Andalusian Interuniversity Master of Environmental Education of which he was coordinator at the UCA from 2008 to 2012. Director of the UCA Green Office (2007-2011). Member of the Academic Committee and professor of the “Andalusian Interuniversity Training Course for Environmental Trainers” at the University of Córdoba 2005-2006. Member of the Academic Commission and coordinator of the Science and Technology specialty of the Degree in Teacher Training for Secondary, Bachelor, Professional Training and Language School.

José María Oliva Martínez Professor at the University of Cádiz - [email protected] 2010 Professor at the University of Cádiz, Faculty of Education Sciences, Didactics of Experimental Sciences. Associate Professor in the same area and department (2007-2010). Since 1983, Associate Professor of Baccalaureate, and from 1995 to 2007, Professor of Secondary Education for the specialty of Physics and Chemistry. Coordinator of the master’s degree in Compulsory Secondary Education, Baccalaureate, Professional Training and Language Teaching at the UCA (2010-2014). Coordinator of the area of Sciences and Mathematics of the master’s degree in Compulsory Secondary Education, Baccalaureate, Professional Training and Language Teaching at the UCA (2014-present). Editor in Chief of the Eureka Journal on Teaching and Dissemination of Sciences. Journal indexed in ESCI (Thomson Reuters) since 2015 and in Scopus since 2014. Quality label of the FECYT 2014. Extensive research activity and currently involved in the project: “Development and evaluation of scientific competences through teaching in context and modelling approaches. Case studies “ Member of the Advisory Board of the magazine “Alambique” and of the Editorial Team “Revista Internacional de Formação de Professores” Reviewer of journals: Science Teaching, Alembic, Electronic Journal of Science Teaching, Psychodidactics, etc. Doctor in Physical Sciences at the National University of Distance Education (Madrid), Science Faculty (1994).