Education for Sustainability: Principles to Absorb for Better Future
Education for Sustainability (EfS) principles allow people and organizations to change the approach to nature and start thinking about tomorrow. The main goal of education is to allow learners to be more creative and come up with ideas on improving their lifestyle so that the Earth doesn’t suffer from their actions. Environmental pollution remains to be one of the urgent issues of nowadays. People and organizations should change their behavior and start thinking of tomorrow. However, even those who really care, may not have enough practical skills in transferring the theoretical information into efficient actions.
This is when Education for sustainability can make a big deal. It focuses on achieving a person’s wellbeing and high quality of life without sacrificing natural resources.
Why is Education for Sustainability so Important?
The environment has a significant impact on human health and well-being. The more individual cares about the Earth, the better is for the whole community. Every person impacts our tomorrow and whether it will be sustainable or not, depends on your decision today. strengthens the ability of a person to positively influence the environment and society as a whole. The education for sustainability development aligns with 3 principles of sustainability that are environmental, social, and economic, and has such benefits:
· Creates systemic change at workplaces, schools, homes
· Helps people develop proper environmental habits
· Develops creativity and critical thinking
· Develops cooperation, negotiation, environmental stewardship
· Gives opportunities to study the needs of the environment in complex with other subjects
7 Principles of Education for Sustainability
To enjoy excellent results and top-quality knowledge, one should know and understand the fundamental principles of sustainable development education. They present a totally different approach to teaching about the environment and people’s impact on it.
Education for all and lifelong learning
Sustainability education can transform the idea of people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. It must be delivered at all life stages and provided in formal and informal learning spaces such as home, workplaces, schools, etc.
Transformation and change
Education for sustainability is not only about providing learners with theoretical information; it mainly focuses on giving real skills and opportunities to start world transformation properly. As a result, people can protect the environment and create eco-friendlier conditions for living and working. They will gain the necessary knowledge and will be able to apply it at once without wasting efforts or risking to aggravate the environment situation.
Systems thinking
Education for sustainability aims to show a strong connection between environmental, social, economic, and political systems. It demonstrates that learners should avoid achieving the goals step by step, and instead, consider everything they do in all areas.
Participation
It is necessary to engage people from different areas to build a sustainable future together. The more diverse the community is, the more different knowledge and expertise are involved. As a result, learners get more capabilities and rights.
Envisioning a better future
People start imagining their future and the way of how they want to live then. This makes them take responsibility for their actions towards the environment and interactions with other people. Sustainability principles and practices let us find a balanced approach in all areas without harming the environment.
Genuine partnerships for change
One of the most motivating forces towards change in any area is a partnership. Education for sustainability is not an exception as well, because uniting efforts and knowledge, people achieve more in a short period.
Critical thinking and reflection
Critical thinking allows people to explore new ways and methods, make unusual decisions, and come up with extraordinary ideas. These choices reflect on how individuals interact with each other, taking into consideration different backgrounds, and create alternative ways of achieving common goals while taking care of a sustainable future.
Where to Get Education for Sustainability Development?
Education for sustainability is equally important for communities and businesses. It should not be taught only at schools or colleges. Instead, principles of sustainable development may be learned throughout the entire life, by people of different ages and professions. There are few online courses on sustainability available these days as well.
SustainOnline is a platform that provides education for sustainable development, which allows learners to gain necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills without distracting from work or study.
The online course considers normative principles of sustainable development education and correlates them with 3 principles of sustainability to come with really efficient information on improving human relations with the environment and community as a whole. The platform comes up with numerous courses on different topics and tasks that you can choose from to satisfy your needs and do not waste time.
