Resources
Explore a wide range of valuable resources on GCED to deepen your understanding and enhance your research, advocacy, teaching, and learning.
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The Green office model: making universities more sustainable Year of publication: 2016 Author: Roman Lehnhof | Cathy Nolan Corporate author: UNESCO ESD Success Stories are showcasing compelling stories with a personal/human dimension from all five UNESCO regions (Africa, Arab States, Asia and Pacific, Europe & North America and Latin America & the Caribbean). The stories illustrate the wide diversity of ESD approaches and initiatives taking place in different parts of the world. They show how involvement with ESD has changed the lives of specific individual persons and how they have become more active in their community. Each story centers on one individual or a group of individuals.The rootAbility, a social enterprise, is planned by four students at Maastricht University, aiming to spread Green Office Model across Europe. The Green Office can effectively drive a dynamic sustainability process in universities and other institutions of higher education by collaboratively working with students and university staffs and integrating sustainability into university’s teaching and research. 
UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005-2014: the DESD at a glance Year of publication: 2005 Corporate author: UNESCO This document briefs on the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), detailing its objectives, the implementation plans, good practices, and challenges that DESD faces. 
Drivers and barriers for implementing learning for sustainable development in pre-school through upper secondary and teacher education Year of publication: 2007 Author: Inger Björneloo | Eva Nyberg Corporate author: UNESCO This publication is the product of the workshop on Drivers and Barriers for Implementing Learning for Sustainable Development in Pre-School through Upper Secondary and Teacher Education held in Göteborg, Sweden in March 2006. The workshop was the second in the series of workshops emanating from the Learning to Change Our World International Consultation on Learning for Sustainable Development, held in Göteborg in May 2004 on behalf of the Swedish Government. The purpose of this paper is to make visible some of the pluralism of different perspectives on education for sustainable development. This pluralism, which, during the workshop seemed to hinder progress, could through this be turned into a forceful driver instead of remaining a frustrating barrier. 
Climate change in the classroom: UNESCO course for secondary teachers on climate change education for sustainable development Year of publication: 2013 Author: David Selby | Fumiyo Kagawa Corporate author: UNESCO This course has been created with the goal of bringing climate change education outside the science classroom into the many other subject areas upon which climate change now has an impact, or will impact in the future, such as ethics, social studies, economics, political science, among others. The course materials are organized into four parts: 1. Course Framework and Overview, 2. Teachers’ Education Course daily materials, 3. Regional Resource Packs, 4. Daily Classroom Materials for teachers. These materials are all described in more detail and can be accessed from the Start Menu found on the following pages. This course is designed to enable teachers at the secondary level from diverse subject areas to introduce climate change education for sustainable development (CCESD) across the curriculum. UNESCO has identified the professional development of teachers in education for sustainable development as the top priority in recognition of the transformative role that teachers and teacher educators need to play in re-orienting education to help realize a sustainable future (UNESCO, 2005, p. 19). But good intentions for the professional development of teachers have fallen short in practice. Although taken up by enthusiasts, teacher education for sustainable development has rarely been mainstreamed, and, where there are courses, is often approached within a disciplinary as opposed to an interdisciplinary frame (Wals, A., 2009). If professional development in education for sustainable development is at an adolescent stage, teacher education in climate change education for sustainable development is in its infancy. For instance, according to a 2009 international comparative study on climate change education and sustainable development in ten countries, climate change education has peripheral status in educational research and practice, and when it is addressed it is only within science education (Læssøe,J. Schnack, K., Breiting, S. & Rolls, S., 2009). There is a clear and present need to respond to climate change challenges through systematic teacher education programmes that are not restricted to a single subject area. This teacher education course is an attempt to fill the current gap and is in line with one of UNESCO’s key objectives for climate change education for sustainable development, that is, to support teacher training on climate change for sustainable development (UNESCO, 2010, p. 9). The programme has four distinctive features: 1. It helps teachers to understand the causes, dynamics and impacts of climate change through a holistic approach. 2. Teachers are exposed to, and experience, a range of pedagogical approaches and techniques, that they can use in their own school environment. This includes engagement of themselves and their students in whole school and school-in-community approaches. 3. Teachers will develop their capacities to facilitate students’ community based learning. 4. Teachers will develop future-oriented and transformative capacities in facilitating climate change mitigation, adaptation, and disaster risk reduction learning. 
Education sector technical notes: climate change education Year of publication: 2013 Corporate author: UNESCO Climate change is a major challenge to sustainable development. The ten hottest years on record have occurred since 1998. Sea-levels are rising. Rainfall patterns are changing, causing droughts and floods. Extreme weather events such as storms, cyclones and heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense. Climate change poses a number of interconnected challenges, including water security, rising pressures on food production and health and disaster risks. ◗ Climate change disproportionately affects developing countries and vulnerable people within those countries, thereby seriously threatening progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Education for All (EFA). It is already having a reverse impact on enrolment rates, the delivery of quality education and safe learning environments. ◗ Education has a key role to play in concerted local and global climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. ◗ UNESCO promotes climate change education within the overall context of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). ◗ UNESCO supports Member States in building the capacity of policy makers and educators to enhance the education sector response to climate change. ◗ Closer alignment of Climate Change Education with Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) education contributes to safeguarding development gains and building resilience in countries vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change. 
Global Education Monitoring Report, 2016: Planet: Education for Environmental Sustainability and Green Growth Year of publication: 2016 Corporate author: UNESCO PLANET: Education for environmental sustainability and green growth, a publication taken from the full 2016 Global Education Monitoring Report, explores the knowledge and skills needed for sustainable and inclusive economic growth that does not damage our planet.This publication demonstrates how education can help people understand and respond to environmental issues and climate change. Environmental education can increase green knowledge and build sustainability practices. The publication warns that while education contributes to economic growth, education systems must be careful not to encourage unsustainable lifestyles and all learners must acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.It also argues that we must continue to learn throughout our lives in order to make production and consumption sustainable, and to provide green skills for green industries. Creating green industries relies on high-skill workers with specific training, yet by 2020 there could be 40 million too few workers with tertiary education relative to demand. Higher education and research should also be oriented towards green innovation and growth; innovation depends on cooperation in higher education and investment in research and development to transform production in vast swaths of the economy.It also recognises that education must change in order to keep up with the changing face of work. Green and transferable skills should be taught in both school and the workplace. The greening of industries requires not only the production of more high-skill workers, but the continued training and education for low and medium skill workers, often on the job. “To ensure the Sustainable Development Goals are implemented, everyone involved needs to think, to work, to organise, to communicate and to report in ways that are completely different from what has been done up till now. Education truly is key to a wide appreciation not just of the SDGs but the new ways of thinking and working that are going to be necessary to fulfil them. So the challenge to all of us is to re-learn, and that does not just apply to educators, but it applies to all of us.” 
Guidelines on Sustainability Science in Research and Education Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO “Guidelines on Sustainability Science in Research and Education” is the main output of the international UNESCO project “Broadening the Application of the Sustainability Science Approach” initiated in October 2015 with the support of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan/MEXT) to identify good practices and develop policy guidelines to help Member States harness the potential of sustainability science in their sustainable development strategies.This project aimed to help UNESCO Member States and other stakeholders introduce or reinforce a sustainability science approach into transdisciplinary research and education, to enable them to better respond to global challenges, through three symposia to foster dialogue and collaboration among experts and policy-makers. Based on the joint efforts of UNESCO’s Natural Sciences Sector, Social and Human Sciences Sector, Education Sector and Regional Science Bureau for Asia and the Pacific in Jakarta, the project benefited from the guidance of a multidisciplinary steering committee and a drafting sub-committee.For further information on Sustainability Science, please visit: https://en.unesco.org/sustainability-science 
Meeting on Learning to Live Sustainably in Cities in Latin America and the Caribbean, Villa María, Argentina (26-28 April 2017): Meeting Report Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO Villa Maríia, the first Argentinian city to join the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC), co-hosted the first GNLC meeting in the region, titled ‘Learning to live sustainably in cities in Latin America and the Caribbean’. This three-day event was a joint effort of the City of Villa Maríia, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), UNESCO Headquarters, and the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago). Participants explored new ways to implement sustainable solutions at the local level, as well as increase awareness and training related to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). More than 170 city representatives from over 40 cities and 20 countries (including mayors and deputy mayors, experts, authorities and practitioners) were welcomed by the host city. The first day of the meeting was composed of plenary sessions; the second day consisted of two parallel workshop sessions: (1) a regional workshop on the Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD and Cities, and (2) a regional workshop on learning cities. 
Europe and North America Regional Workshop on the Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development and Cities Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO UNESCO promotes Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through the Global Action Programme (GAP), the official follow-up to the UN Decade of ESD. The Europe and North America region was the first to officially adopt a regional strategy for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005-2014), which seeks to promote a better quality of life for populations and human settlements. Learning to live in a sustainable way and securing people’s involvement and participation in community and urban life are key factors in ensuring sustainable economic, social and environmental development. It is in this context that UNESCO, the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, with its secretariat in the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) in Hamburg, and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, organized the regional workshop for Europe and North America on the role of cities in accelerating sustainable solutions at local level through education. More than 50 experts and city representatives from Europe and North America participated in the regional workshop in Hamburg, Germany, from 12 to 14 December 2016. The workshop examined how education and learning beyond the formal system can be used to support the implementation of the five Ps (Planet, People, Peace, Prosperity and Partnership) of the 2030 Agenda to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Experts shared their views on ESD, with cities providing insight into their good practices and enriching discussions on the challenges of promoting the various SDGs through education and lifelong learning at city level. These discussions helped to promote awareness on integrating ESD in their cities’ development and education agendas. 
ESD Leadership Training: UNESCO GAP PN4 Flagship Project Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO The ESD Leadership training is the Flagship project of the GAP Partner Network 4 on mobilizing and engaging youth. GAP Partner 4 Network members are using these training modules in their youth training activities.