Sustainability Education

Australian Government Implementation Strategy for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

A primary aim of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) is to build an awareness and understanding of the principles and goals of education for sustainable development.

At a national level there will be opportunities for partnerships and the sharing of information. To ensure any national initiatives are responsive to community needs it is not intended that a full list of activities for the ten-year period be developed at the commencement of the DESD. Instead involvement is more likely to entail a rolling program of activities with projects considered on an annual basis, in line with continuing evaluation and opportunity identification, thus building on the initiatives of each year.

Some longer-term goal setting may also be possible. An example being the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative, where the aim might be to implement the Initiative in a significant proportion of Australian schools.

In line with the UNESCO Implementation Scheme, the Australian Government will be looking to opportunities for building capacity and the mainstreaming of Education for Sustainability considerations through strategies such as:

• developing and expanding existing Australian Government policies and programs in education for sustainability;
• promoting and sharing successful Australian initiatives and expertise in education for sustainability;
• inviting national and international partnerships to strengthen and re-orientate policies and programs; and
• undertaking a gap analysis and evaluation of work to date.

Activities will be developed in conjunction with the National Environmental Education Council and other stakeholders as the DESD progresses. Beyond the activities of the Australian Government, stakeholders from across business, government and the community are encouraged to work towards a common vision of a sustainable Australia.