Professional Documents
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This document has been written by Victoria Thoresen and David Chittenden (PERL), Andrea Innamorati
(Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea), Fabienne Pierre and Morgan Strecker (UNEP) and
Bernard Combes (UNESCO).
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Education can be transformative. Education can unleash the potential in all of us to apply to whatever
we want to create or change.
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The challenges that the world faces such as financial crises, climate change, resource shortages, poverty,
and the uneven distribution of both the benefits and impacts of modern development will not be solved
without harnessing the potential of educated and motivated citizens.
Of course other stakeholders such as business and governments also have a role to play in addressing
our global challenges. More sustainable consumption cannot be achieved unless business and
governments understand what sustainable lifestyles may look like and then implement the necessary
policies, products, services and infrastructures to enable behaviour and lifestyle change. Educated and
engaged citizens are essential participants in this process and are the focus of this brief.
Education for Sustainable Consumption, or ESC, is the term used to capture the range of formal and
informal educational methods, materials and systems to motivate citizens to change their behaviour and
consume more sustainably. Empowering people with the knowledge, skills and motivation to be agents
of personal and social change can change the negative trends of modern consumption.
This brief presents the role that ESC can play, and in many cases is already playing, in enabling more
sustainable ways of living, for all people. The brief also outlines some of the international processes
around ESC and has a set of recommendations to implement ESC.
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The overall goal of education for sustainable ͚Here and Now! Education for Sustainable
Consumption͛ has been jointly developed by the
development is to integrate the values inherent in
Italian Task Force on Education for Sustainable
sustainable development into all aspects of learning Consumption and UNEP in close cooperation with
to encourage changes in behaviour that allow for a the Consumer Citizenship Network. The document
more sustainable and just society for all. describes ESC below.
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interdependency of all the diverse V
aspects of our daily lives. Establishing a
common understanding of ESC V
amongst teaching staff facilitates - The | Ê| ÊY
interdisciplinary cooperation and helps
ʹ toward sustainable lifestyles supports
to mainstream ESC into established knowledge-building and sharing through workshops and,
curriculum subjects. ultimately, joint projects among youth in different countries
and cultures.
-
- Driving bikes through Canada, the troupe has reached
Although theoretical knowledge, out to many schools and community centers to raise
scientific data and social values form awareness of sustainability issues through art and drama.
the foundation for ESC, it is also - National Filipino celebrities have partnered with the
important that the learning process Ê &
and
and material is relevant to the daily developed mass media campaigns with key sustainability
situations of learners͛ lives. Each type messages.
of activity should include, as much as - Ê (Argentina), the Ê Y
and
possible, strategies that motivate Y Ê '(
have launched e-learning tools
learners to take personal and/or group and platforms to promote ESC locally and globally.
- The Y Ê )
has combined the pleasure
action. Individuals around the world
of second-hand shopping with consumer education.
are constantly exposed to commercial - The Ô V Ê
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messages so learning to
and the à
criticallyanalyze information, relearning Y Y
are promoting ESC capacity-
and reorganizing information in wider building workshops throughout the Mediterranean countries.
contexts are important as well as being
aware of the ongoing public discourse about sustainable consumption. Similarly, acquiring knowledge of
physical and mental lifestyle illnesses which are directly related to modern consumption patterns, is a
means of contributing to their prevention.
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Incorporating the concept of responsible consumption into daily actions and lifestyles is a process that
must be developed and modified over time, and so ESC must also evolve over time. Many of the topics
that today are central to education for sustainable development were topics which were not imagined
fifty years ago. Although the contexts and methodologies used in ESC may vary, there are many
common learning outcomes and competences. Identifying these competences and outcomes is an
ongoing process that needs to move with the changes in society (see box on ESC topics and
competences, p.8).
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ESC respects the diversity of cultures and ways of living. ESC encourages listening to, learning from and
caring for knowledge and ways of being which may be different from our own. By doing so, young
people can learn to reflect on, to see similarities and contrasts between, and to gain valuable insights
into other ways of understanding and functioning. ESC aims to find viable solutions built on both
innovation and traditional knowledge.
ESC embodies the idea that to be active consumer citizens we must continue to learn and adapt
throughout our lives. ESC can therefore not just be confined to youth in schools. It is a broader topic
which involves raising the awareness of the public and building the capacity of our societies to manage
change.
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Education for sustainable consumption is not only an activity for teachers and learners. It is an
important part of informal life-long learning and is carried out in the family, the local community and in
informal educational settings. ESC involves bridging gaps between generations by identifying common
values, setting goals together and promoting interaction and cooperation at a community level. Informal
settings, outside of schools, engage with a wider range of people and enable learning in different life
settings.
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The transition to more sustainable lifestyles requires an awareness of the issues of sustainable
consumption in the general public, to understand and to see the need for innovation and change. This
awareness needs to also flow into building the capacity of our institutions to enable those changes. The
media both reflects and shapes societal values, as do the practices of celebrities, politicians, businesses,
NGOs and others. An awareness of the issues and a healthy debate about what is required to address
sustainability challenges requires stable but adaptive institutions.
The Marrakech Task Force on Education for Sustainable Consumption, led by the Italian Ministry for the
Environment, Land and Sea3, focuses on promoting the introduction sustainable consumption and
production issues into formal curricula. To achieve this, the Task Force identifies formal education tools
and strategies, identifies competences and skills at all levels (education, training process, decision
making), and encourages measures to ensure the effectiveness of national/regional policies. The Task
Force also covers life-long learning processes, and fully considers the role of corporate, social and
environmental responsibility. Its objectives are to support both political initiatives aimed at integrating
ESC into formal learning processes, as well as to encourage synergies between the Marrakech Process
and the UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development.
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Together with UNEP, and in close
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cooperation with the Consumer Citizenship
Network, the Task Force on ESC has
notably developed X *
+ In a concerted effort to address the interdisciplinary issues of
equitable, sustainable consumption and production,
,
governments are urged to:
-
. In addition, the Task Force on
ESC has cooperated with the Marrakech 1.
that education institutions reflect in their daily
Task Force on Sustainable Lifestyles, led by management the priorities given to sustainable development
2. themes, topics, modules, courses and degrees about
the Swedish Ministry of the Environment,
education for sustainable consumption in established
whose complementary activities notably
curriculum.
focus on informal education through social 3.
research in education for sustainable
innovation, communication/marketing and consumption-related areas.
capacity-building] 4. connections between researchers, lecturers,
teacher trainers and socio-economic actors and stakeholders.
5. cooperation between professionals from diverse
disciplines in order to develop integrated approaches to
education for sustainable consumption.
6. . teaching and teacher-training which strengthens
In December 2002, the United Nations global, future-oriented, constructive perspectives within
General Assembly adopted resolution education for sustainable consumption.
57/254 to put in place a United Nations 7. , creative, critical, innovative thinking related to
Decade of Education for Sustainable education for sustainable consumption.
Development (DESD), spanning from 2005 8.
that education for sustainable consumption respects
to 2014, and designated UNESCO to lead the importance of indigenous knowledge and recognizes
the Decade. Complex as the Decade is, its alternative lifestyles.
9. .
intergenerational learning as an integrated aspect of
conceptual basis, socio-economic
education for sustainable consumption.
implications, and environmental and 10. &
opportunities for practical application of theoretical
cultural connections make it an study through social involvement and community service.
undertaking which potentially touches on every aspect of life.
The UN DESD is a global endeavor that seeks to integrate the principles, values and practices of
sustainable development into all levels and types of education and learning. It is a framework for
partnerships, mobilization and advocacy, for governments, international organizations, civil society, the
private sector and local communities around the world to demonstrate their commitment to learning to
live sustainably. ESC is a core theme of Education for Sustainable Development, and is essential to train
responsible citizens and consumers towards u
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Despite increased awareness of the human impact on the environment and a greater focus on the
consequences of individual lifestyle choices, sustainable consumption is still not always seen as a central
topic in educational systems today and is not identified as a priority in national education policies6.
Many aspects of sustainable consumption are already taught in schools, but ESC often remains sporadic
or hardly visible due to a lack of cohesiveness and innovation. ESC deals with all aspects of everyday life
and needs to be addressed, through programmes and curricula, in a holistic and interdisciplinary way.
This stands as strongly different from consumer education or environmental education, which are of
course closely related to education for sustainable consumption but also often covered in specific
disciplines: consumer education is usually treated under domestic sciences or home economics,
environmental education is more easily integrated in natural sciences. When consumer education is
traditionally focused on individual life management (purchasing, budget issues) and environmental
education on nature preservation, sustainable consumption has to be approached as a crosscutting
issue encapsulating lifestyles as a whole (attitudes, relation to nature and to the others, responsibility
towards one͛s community, behaviors as an economic actor, etc.).
The recent OECD review of national consumer education policies demonstrates that central
governments often play the leading role in promoting formal consumer education7. At the regional and
local levels, authorities also carry out these ESC policies in their areas and when consumer education is
fully decentralised, cooperation with local consumer and citizen groups is reinforced. However, in most
of the countries surveyed by the OECD, consumption is included as a non-compulsory topic in primary
and secondary schools and is rarely addressed in higher education. As to education for sustainable
development (ESD), it can be progressively integrated into education policies. ESC first needs to be given
the coherence and consistency it currently lacks in national education policies at the primary and
secondary levels. In Norway for instance, sustainable consumption has been well integrated in the new
school curriculum8through collaboration between the ministry of education, the ministry of children and
consumer affairs and the ministry of environment. Norway has given through this an example of how
political will and collaboration between competent public authorities can create the context for ESC.
Similarly in Mexico, consumer education is approached through its social and ethical goals defined as
the recognition of the universal value of consumer rights and awareness of issues such as sustainable
consumption, food and health or mass media. The Consumer Protection Federal Agency (Profeco) of
Mexico, which is present nationwide, is mandated by the Federal Consumer Protection Law to prepare
and carry out consumer education programmes in partnership with other governments agencies. As
such, it has worked with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to develop educational
materials on sustainable consumption9.
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Meeting the challenge of sustainable consumption requires an appropriate reorientation of institutions,
programmes and practices. Important aspects are encouraging research, developing cirricula, using
creative teaching methods, training teachers and having supportive educational institutions.
ESC research needs to cover two main areas; what to teach, and how to teach it. u,
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10 Comprehensive research can
strengthen the foundation for what is taught in ESC by providing insight into consumption͛s varied
impacts on different environments and into how different cultures accept, modify or reject particular
changes.
There is also a pressing need for more systematic investigation of how to teach ESC. Which pedagogical
approaches work in different cultures and situations? Which topics should be emphasized and which
should be left to parental guidance, religious instruction or legislative intervention? How can scientific
data, impact assessment indicators, etc. be best understood and used by learners? These are a few of
the many issues which research on ESC can and should address.
ESC alone will not completely transform consumption habits but education can contribute significantly
to the process. By making ESC obligatory in formal education and accessible in informal education, the
basis for widespread changes can be laid. Experience indicates that there are various approaches to
integrate ESC into formal education systems. Some different approaches are mentioned here but the list
is not total or exclusive. Combinations of approaches can be used, if desired.
a) ESC can be mainstreamed as a topic taught as a part of existing subjects/disciplines. This requires
that teachers clarify the interrelatedness of ESC to the subject they teach as well as ESC͛s connection
to other subjects. It means that schools need to identify and maintain an overview of which aspects
of ESC are covered by which subjects and when they are taught in order to ensure that ESC does not
become fragmented or disappear in between the other requirements of the curricula.
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b) ESC topics can be
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Education for sustainable consumption encompasses the
incorporated into projects and other
following topics:
activities such as in school clubs and after
school activities. Thematic teaching is an
often used approach that allows for an
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issue to be viewed from diverse
perspectives. Thematic teaching also The ESC competences to be gained are the following
complements practical activities and attitudes, knowledge, and skills:
projects that aid in making abstract 1. Ability to define what one considers to be a good quality of
knowledge and theory more concrete and life and to be able to identify the values upon which this is
connected to pupils͛ everyday lives. based.
2. Realization of the complexity and often controversial
c) ESC can also be
nature of sustainable consumption issues
" taught in 3. Insight into how individual lifestyle choices influence
specific periods in schools. These periods social, economic and environmental development
can be regular (once a week, once a 4. Ability to acquire, assess and use information on the
fortnight, etc) or concentrated in larger consequences of consumption especially on the environment
periods less frequently throughout the 5. Knowledge of consumer rights and central consumer
school year. Many subjects that are protection laws
currently taughtsuch as ͞global 6. Basic knowledge of the market system and the role of
citizenship͟, ͞future studies͟, ͞life skills͟ business
and ͞stewardship of the earth͟ have 7. Knowledge of how the production processes are linked to
the consumption system
similar goals and content as ESC.
8. Basic knowledge of the interaction of pricing mechanisms
with the consumer͛s attitudes and behaviour
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There are many ways of making the ESC demand sides of production and consumption and their
learning process relevant and interesting. outside-of-the-market relationships to community
development
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10. Awareness of a commodity͛s intangible and symbolic
ESC often reflects on the outcomes of past characteristics
patterns of development. Traditional ways of 11. Ability to recognize, decode and reflect critically upon
viewing and managing social and economic messages from the media and the market
relationships can sometimes hinder the 12. Knowledge of social networks responsible for shaping
implementation of new approaches. ESC is an consumption patterns (peer pressure, status, etc)
opportunity to reorganize information and 13. Consciousness of civil society͛s power to initiate
how this information is understood in larger alternative ways of thinking and acting
contexts. It provides a chance to reconsider 14. Individual and collective understanding of consumer
such central questions as the meaning of life, social responsibility in relation to the corporate social
responsibility
the value of material and non-material
15. Ability to manage personal finances (budgeting, saving,
prosperity, the significance of service to one͛s investing, taxes, and fees)
fellow human, the positive and negative 16. Ability to manage physical resources (effective control,
aspects of accepted economic and social maintenance, re-usage, and replacement)
systems, and the scope and speed of technical 17. Knowledge of conflict resolution in general and in
and commercial innovations. In other words, particular in relation to consumer related situations such as
ESC encourages the re-examination of the product safety, liability, compensation, redress and
means which individuals, business and restitution.
organizations use to achieve their goals. 18. Ability not only to envision alternative futures but also to
create reasonable paths of action leading to these.
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Education for sustainable consumption is not only about instrumental competences--it is also about the
merging of scientific methods and information with social values. ESC includes taking scientific
information, analyzing and critiquing it, and transferring it into lifestyle changes.ESC therefore requires
competence in acquiring and analyzing available data about products and services, considering possible
consequences and identifying alternative solutions. The scientific approach should be used by every
enlightened consumer: thinking in terms of process, cause and effect, experiment and analysis, can help
to guide consumption and lifestyle choices. Learning to think in terms of process can give people the
means to understand the dynamics of natural and human systems. Scientific investigation can
contribute to ESC through, for example, research projects, document studies, the collection of statistics
or the testing of products.
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ESC should not only assist the student in acquiring knowledge but mostly importantlyshould also
empower them to function responsibly in everyday life. Active learning is problem oriented. It is about
coping with real problems relevant to the student͛s own lives. Active learning is based on student͛s
active participation and involves giving space to encouragement and optimism in the learning process.
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Dialogue between teachers and learners as well as amongst learners themselves is a vital part of ESC.
This means encouraging open discussion which allows the expression of conflicting opinions.
Controversial issues are not always easy to handle but should not be avoided. There should be ample
space for debate, disagreement and, when appropriate, challenging of prejudices, be they learners͛ or
the teachers͛.
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Lectures, seminars, and tutorials; use of the Internet; use of media; project work; indicators of
sustainable consumption; case studies; local investigations; future workshops; drama and games;
celebrations; music, art and literature; field trips; networking; showcasing; invert analysis; mind maps;
strategic questioning; and humour.
The process of reorienting teacher training to address sustainability is an outstanding challenge facing
institutions of higher education.11 Training teachers in ESC is essential due to both the present lack of
focus on ESC and the constantly evolving content of ESC.
To avoid becoming a topic which scares and pacifies learners, teacher training for ESC needs to
strengthen global, future-oriented, constructive perspectives. It needs to direct the attention of student
teachers to existing alternative consumption patterns and lifestyles. Based on up-to-date scientific data,
clearly identified values and practical applications in real-life situations, ESC can offer student teachers
relevant training to use throughout their professions.
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media etc.) exist for educators to cooperate with to improve the quality of ESC. Building coalitions and
partnerships between individuals and organizations working on issues of sustainable consumption can
provide up-to-date bases of expertise for teachers and learners to draw on.Partnerships can contribute
to bringing ESC out of the classroom and into life outside of school. Connections can be established
online as well as face to face. Such partnerships can stimulate initiatives within the local community.
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At the national level, meeting the challenge of sustainable consumption will demand an appropriate
reorientation of formal education, both in terms of institutions and curricula. Including ESC into national
sustainable development strategies is an opportunity to do so at different levels: development of
education policies from primary schools to high schools, adaptation of teacher training, promotion of
sustainable education institutions, creation of pedagogical approaches and tools based on constant
interaction between educators and other ESC actors, especially at the local level.
Recognising what needs to be done to implement ESC is only the start. Further progress can only be
made by working with the many different people and organisations involved, locally, nationally and
internationally. The following examples demonstrate some of the approaches being taken.
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As we have seen, there are many elements and many
actors necessary to implement ESC. So how can we The Partnership for Education and Research
make progress? One example which is making progress about Responsible Living (PERL) is a network of
is the
over 100 Higher Education Institutions from 40
. Partnerships are important countries. It is based on six years of experience
as they allow institutions to learn by collaborating with under the Consumer Citizenship Network mainly
others, experimenting with methods, materials and in Europe (CCN, see www.hihm.no/concit).
courses, and by researching what works. When
institutions commit to a network partnership they create PERL is contributing to the Marrakech Process
legitimacy for their active members to innovate without on Sustainable Consumption and Production, as
well as to the UN Decade for Education for
committing themselves to change everything overnight.
Sustainable Development, with the active
participation of UNEP, UNESCO, the Italian Task
PERL aims to advance education for responsible living. Force on Education for Sustainable
Its main work involves undertaking research, developing Consumption and the Swedish Task Force on
teaching materials and methods, encouraging and giving Sustainable Lifestyles.See www.perlprojects.org.
visibility to social innovation, providing
recommendations based on its experience and
influencing policy. PERL͛s approach is to collaborate and to build partnerships by recognising that
people need to find their own lifestyles changes as long as they are based on good information and the
principles of sustainable development.
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PERL is expanding its coverage by establishing Regional Networks in Latin America, Asia/Pacific and later
in Africa to further education and research about responsible living. These Regional Networks consist of
representatives from the countries in each region and they will establish a framework to prioritise action
based on the needs of the region.
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One piece of work aims to shed light on these questions with the goal of showing what is being done
and inspiring others to take action. Three national case studies are being developed ʹ one in
Asia/Pacific, one in Africa and one in Latin America ʹ reviewing how ESC is being implemented and what
progress has been achieved. Along with further policy analysis, some best practice will be developed.
The results will be disseminated through a brochure which will be promoted through policy processes,
networks and events in conjunction with the recommendations from Here and Now! Giving visibility to
different experiences is an important part of learning, and it can then enable the next step of giving
practical assistance where it is necessary.
ESC is a means of stimulating constructive social participation. Individualsare trained to use policy
instruments, public consultation, and market responses, for example, as instruments to initiate change.
Through peoples͛ lifestyle choices and social involvement they can contribute to greater transparency,
better policies and increased advocacy. Informed consumer citizens can be instrumental in the
globalization of civil society concerns and can contribute to correcting environmental degradation and
imbalances. This is why ESC has a core role to play in achieving the shift towards sustainable
consumption and production.
Recognized as a priority by numerous regional and national roundtables that have been organized in the
framework of the Marrakech Process on SCP, education and research will have a key role to play in the
adoption of a 10-Year Framework of Programmes on SCP to be discussed during the current two year
implementation cycle at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development in 2010 and 2011.
It is time to build on the experiences and resources for ESC to take action.
ESC is one essential part of meeting sustainable development objectives, including climate change
mitigation. Tools have been developed and networks, such as PERL, are ready to actively involve
international and regional experts, researchers, teachers and policy-makers for implementation. As a
key objective of the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development, mainstreaming ESC, through
policy-making and pilot projects, can only be done with the support and cooperation of governments,
regional and international organizations and civil society organizations.
The Global Framework for Action on SCP -10YFP ʹ to be discussed at the CSD could represent an
effective global instrument to provide visibility and support to the many effective, creative and active
bottom up initiatives in the field of ESC and link them to governments, regional and international
organisations involved in promoting more sustainable production and consumption patterns.
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Ñ on ͞Advancing Sustainable Lifestyles and Responsible
Consumption through ESD͟ see the background document, http://www.esd-world-conference-
2009.org/fileadmin/download/workshops/ESD2009WS3ConsumptionEN.pdfand the Workshop
report - http://www.esd-world-conference-
2009.org/fileadmin/download/workshops/ESD2009WS3_Report.pdf
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:www.unep.fr/scp/marrakech/
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Education for sustainable consumption, Recommendations and guidelines.
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UNESCO; Technical Paper No.2-2005 available at
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001433/143370e.pdf.
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