• Change text size
• Skip to content

Living sustainably

Sustainability education

• About us
• Contact us

• Environment home
  • Atmosphere
  • Biodiversity
  • Coasts and marine
  • Heritage
  • Land
  • Parks and reserves
  • Human settlements
  • Water
  • EPBC Act
  • Arts and culture 

• Sustainability education
  • ARIES
  • AuSSI
  • Grants
  • National Action Plan
  • National Council
  • National Network
  • UN Decade
  • Publications

4. Implementation Strategy

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

At the national level there will be opportunities for partnerships and for sharing of information. It is not envisaged however that the Australian Government would be responsible for coordinating a national program of activities, other than those involving Australian Government agencies themselves.

To ensure any national initiatives are responsive to community needs it is not intended that an exhaustive list of activities for the ten-year period will be developed at the commencement of the Decade. Instead involvement is more likely to entail a rolling program of activities with projects considered on an annual basis for one to two years ahead, 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, for example in relation to the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative where the aim might be to implement the Initiative in all, or at least a significant proportion of, Australian schools.

In keeping with the UNESCO International Implementation Scheme, the importance of education for sustainability would be promoted through:

• continuation of the existing work of the National Environmental Education Council and the Department to re-orient education policies, programs and practices in accordance with the principles of education for sustainability;
• advocacy, communication and networking directed at facilitating all educators to include sustainable development concerns and goals in their own programs;
• the development of partnerships at all levels;
• linking to, and promotion of, existing initiatives, such as the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative and the research program of the Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability (ARIES), as well as the development of specific strategic international activities such as the partnership project with the Japanese Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES); and
• strategically planned engagement to ensure practical and uniquely Australian outcomes, aligned with national priorities.

The approach and suggested activities outlined in this paper represent some initial thoughts on the Decade. Activities will be developed in conjunction with the National Environmental Education Council and other stakeholders as the Decade 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.

• Contents
• Previous