Introduction
‘Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable – to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ Our Common Future (The Brundtland Report) – Report of the 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development
In 2004, Forum for the Future and the Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (HEPS), of which the University of Brighton is a member, published Learning and skills for sustainable development: developing a sustainability literate society.
They suggested that the Brundtland definition quoted above, "while apt, needed expanding if it was to provide a useful operational framework. The UK government, for example, defines sustainable development as meeting four objectives at the same time, in the UK and the world as a whole:
- social progress which recognises the needs of everyone
- effective protection of the environment
- prudent use of natural resources
- maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment."
However, "... quoting only the four bullet points when [talking] about sustainable development ... misses the crucial lesson about how we have ended up with unsustainable development. It is pursuing our economic, social and environmental goals separately that has resulted in repeated trade offs between goals. Sustainable development is about progressing them together. We are not in the habit of thinking about the economy, the sort of society we would like, or the sort of environment we would like to live in at the same time. In higher education institutions, each is taught as different subjects, in different departments." [Emphasis added]
There are many ways to conceptualise sustainability; one of the simplest is to add the dimension of time to a Venn diagram like the one below, to incorporate the consideration of intergenerational equality and justice.
HEFCE's policy on the place of sustainability in higher education states:
"Our vision is that within the next 10 years, the higher education sector in this country will be recognised as a major contributor to society’s efforts to achieve sustainability – through the skills and knowledge that its graduates learn and put into practice, and through its own strategies and operations... " HEFCE April & July 2005
HEFCE has recently launched an online resource for sustainable development in HE. This lists resources and organisations relevant to those in higher education who are dealing with sustainable development issues.
Colleagues may also find useful materials for teaching or as a trigger for discussion in the 2006 Portfolio of Sustainable Development Business Case Studies (PDF) published by the Business Council for Sustainable Development UK. Also, please see Jenny Elliott's (School of Environment and Technology) "ESD: An attempt to simplify and communicate" (Word document).