Sustainability education and training will underpin sustainable development into the future. Whether you’re building your career in sustainability, driving corporate change or delivering education curricula in schools, this page provides some resources to get you started. Education and training can have community-wide spin offs. In addition, building skills and knowledge provide benefits to any green initiative by building the capacity and cohesion of  teams, enabling organisations to get the most out of building retrofits, embedding effective and efficient reporting systems and establishing ongoing stakeholder engagement processes.

Check out our event calendar for sustainable business training opportunities.

SCHOOLS

Teaching sustainability in Australian schools

Currently the Australian Curriculum includes sustainability topics across a number of subject areas. The best source of information and resources for sustainability in the curriculum can be found at the Cool Australia website here.

The ‘Earth Citizenship’ framework may also be of interest (pictured).

In Australia, non-government organisations and local councils also contribute programs which can support environmental learning in schools. For example, Keep Australia Beautiful have an Eco-Schools network, competitions and guidance.

Teaching sustainability in schools around the world

Click here to find out more about how thousands of schools like this one are joining the Green Schools Alliance and making sustainability work in schools with multiple benefits for students, the bottom line and the broader community.

Education for Sustainability (EfS) resources – for schools:

International

• In February 2013, UNESCO released the first free online curriculum package for high school teachers delivering climate change education for sustainable development (CCESD) – it includes powerpoint slides.
• The Gaia Project, Canada, is an educational charity dedicated to providing project based sustainability education to students which works closely with students, teachers, schools and outside professionals.
• Centre for Green Schools – driving the transformation of schools towards more sustainable, healthy places to be.
  

Australian

• In 2013, an Australian non-profit group, Cool Australia released a series of curriculum tools linked to the national curriculum. Here’s a radio interview with the award-winning founder, Jason Kimberley.
• ARIES is the Australian Research Institute for Environment and Sustainability based at Macquarie University in NSW. In 2006, ARIES produced this 62 page document entitled ‘Shifting towards sustainability: six insights into successful organisational change for sustainability’. It’s not a step-by-step manual on ‘how to be sustainable’ but inspires readers to look at sustainability using a new way of thinking – an Education for Sustainability approach.
• Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (Aussi)
• CERES Sustainability Hub for Schools (Victorian initiative)
• Clean Energy Council has a series of resources for teachers and students here.
• Education for Sustainability delivers professional development for Australian Teachers
• Queensland Government curriculum resources and links related to ecological footprints and sustainability
• Victorian Government ResourceSmart School Awards case studies

See also our topic pages about consumers and children and young people.

UNIVERSITIES

Finding a sustainability course in tertiary education institutions:

The Australian Government has funded the establishment of a website promoting sustainability education in tertiary education institutions. Some of the course content has been shared on the website.

http://sustainability.edu.au

Education for Sustainability (EfS) resources – tertiary education:

• Talloires Declaration – University Leaders for a Sustainable Future
• International Journal for Sustainability in Higher Education
• Universities Australia and Sustainability in Higher Education
• Turnaround Leadership for Sustainability Education in Higher Education(Australian Government funded research report November 2012)
  This project applied the proven change leadership framework developed in the ALTC’s ‘Learning Leaders in Times of Change’ project to the distinctive area of effective turnaround leadership for sustainability in higher education. The project was undertaken in a collaboration between the University of Western Sydney, the Australian National University, the Sustainable Futures Academy and the University of Gloucestershire. It will produce a validated change leadership framework for building Education for Sustainability (EfS) successfully into the core activities of our universities, as well as a package of leadership development resources for use in individual recruitment, promotion, development and performance management activities. It has also documented a range of successful practice models.

This 6 minute film outlines the role of sustainable universities. The film features, one of the foremost experts on the topic, Carol Adams.

PEAK BODIES & PROVIDERS

Australian

• Australian Association for Environmental Education
• Australian Campuses Towards Sustainability
• Green Steps – Monash University
• Learning and Teaching Sustainability community – www.sustainability.edu.au
• National Centre for Sustainability – Swinburne University
• Sustainability Skills
• Environment Australia’s Business Sustainability course

Stay tuned for a directory of sustainability training providers.

See also the page for Peak Bodies and Leadership

International

• Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) in the UK
• Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) in America
• Global Coalition for Green Schools
• Global Green Schools Alliance youtube clips

Walking the talk – sustainability reporting by universities:

• Award winning La Trobe University Sustainability Reports and Programs

Key reading:

• Book: Teaching Business Sustainability: From Theory to Practice, Volume 1 and 2, by Chris Galea, Greenleaf Publishing, 2004/05
• La Trobe University has compiled a recommended reading list here.
  Conference papers from the annual conference of Australian Campuses Towards Sustainability – 2012 papers here.
• More recommended reading here.

EfS events to watch for:

• Education for Sustainability conference (Feb 2013)

WORKPLACE TRAINING

Sustainable business training resources:

Manufacturing Skills Australia has a dedicated website http://sustainabilityskills.net.au

It includes elements of a MSS11 Sustainability Training Package for TAFE including qualifications for business ‘sustainable operations’ and for environmental monitoring and technology. There’s also a link to a Sustainability Community of Practice in New South Wales.

Check out our event calendar for other sustainable business training opportunities.