|
The following reflections provide a window on North American ESD initiatives. Members and friends in the CEC community featured here: Pam Puntenney, Kathleen Blanchard, Peter Croal, Andy Alm, Mohammad Khan, Gina Sanguinetti and Ke Chung Kim. CEC Voices from North America Compiled by Pam Puntenney, Co-Chair United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development Education Caucus, September 2006 The development of a sustainable society could be described as a continuous learning process. As awareness and experience increase in considering the several aspects of sustainability, people strengthen their capacity to make sustainable development part of their lifestyle. This is where education for sustainable development comes in for North America. We have reached a stage of conscious evolution, in which we recognize ourselves as co-creators of our collective future. The following reflections provide a window on North American initiatives, their approaches, and the value added from IUCN and in particular the CEC education community.
(1) From the Lower Northeast of Canada, Kathleen Blanchard, CEC member and founder of Intervale Associates I am on my way from Newfoundland to two fishing communities that can only be visited by boat. The south coast of Newfoundland still has isolated communities, and it is there I am going to talk to fishers about wolffish, which are a threatened species. All of my time since leaving the Quebec-Labrador Foundation and founding Intervale has been about conservation and sustainable development for rural areas of eastern Canada. Intervale is a nonprofit that provides programmes and services in the fields of conservation, heritage interpretation and sustainable tourism development. Here in western Newfoundland there is a rapid out-migration, particularly for Alberta, whereas in my father’s generation it was for “the Boston States”. The northern cod stocks are endangered. The fishery has collapsed. The way of life is changing. Young people are leaving. For much of the northeastern United States, education for sustainable development might help people to discern, to become more responsible, and to have the courage to cut back to assume lifestyles that consume less. In western Newfoundland, people are struggling to find year-round work and to preserve a culture that they love. They may be closer to a practical awareness and set of skills about sustainable living than people in more affluent areas, because for many of them their parents, only a few decades ago, lived a life of working hard and being happy with what little they had. Where does this leave the question of education for sustainable development? Intervale is doing what we can to conserve biodiversity, interpret heritage, and protect the integrity of rural livelihoods. Visit our web site for information about our many new projects: <http://www.intervale.ca>
(2) From Canada, CEC member Peter Croal, with the Environment Division of the Canadian International Development Agency In primary and secondary school, environmental awareness and training is far more prevalent. In university, specific and more directed courses are being given, e.g., courses on climate change. There is now a master’s level course at McGill University on Environmental Impact Assessment, the first in North America. Here are two links to who is doing what: As a member of the IUCN CEC, I am thinking about the need to get industry more involved so that consumers have more environmentally sustainable choices. And also about the need to focus on environmental planning of cities since cities are going to be the catalysts for positive or negative environmental change.
(3) From the United States, CEC member Pam Puntenney, Founder and Executive Director Environmental & Human Systems Management Often in my work with the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development’s Education Caucus, we debate engagement with civil society and search for a starting point to further the discussion and encourage multilateral contribution to the dialogue on education for sustainable development. Innovations are emerging focusing on learning, especially within Climate Change initiatives and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) efforts regarding eco-effectiveness. Three islands have disappeared with sea rise. IUCN’s CEC has been actively involved with the implementation of Agenda 21 since the 1992 Earth Summit , adding value to the formation of policy and collaborative efforts. To find out more about the work of the UN CSD, go to: There are a number of state and regional networks in the United States now working on sustainability. The northwest region of North America is rich with examples of education and sustainable development. Noteworthy is the emerging networks taking a more bioregional approach such as the “Curriculum for the Bioregion: Connecting What We Learn to Where We Live” out of the Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education, The Evergreen State College. <http://www.evergreen.edu/washcenter/home.asp> Within the community of environmental anthropologists, there have been some heated debates about the disconnect in conservation and among environmentalists regarding models, approaches to multi-stakeholder dialogue, cultural diversity, and linking policy with practice, knowledge with action. The following is an example of a worldwide trend to engage people within and outside the academy. In collaboration with IUCN South Africa, University of Johannesburg, Carnegie Mellon University, Stellenbosch University and SANParks social science researchers from Europe, North American, and Africa participated in a Teleseminar presentation on “Engaging Conservation to improve the human consequences of protected area conservation”, including the American Anthropological Association’s environmental anthropologists. Focusing on Krueger National Park, the authors of the working paper had substantiated in their research the need for social research on protected area conservation and to discuss opportunities for more productive communication and collaboration between social science researchers and conservation practitioners.
My work focuses on communication strategies, particularly the use of online communication, in support of environment and education efforts. So while I am an observer of some ESD efforts (that don't label themselves such) at the local, regional and national efforts, I have been directly involved with few. Two exceptions are described below. First, I coordinated the website for the Conservation Learning Summit, held last year by the Paul F-Brandwein Institute. One hundred people representing the private sector, voluntary organizations, education, federal and state government participate in the Summit, held November 2005 in West Virginia. Recommendations for action to address massive retirements and demographic changes were announced publicly at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. The web site gives details: <http://www.brandwein.org/> Second, I have been very involved in setting up communication system for IUCN CEC at the international level. The results include the World Conservation Learning Network portal at <http://wcln.org>, which soon will expand to provide service to all of the CEC. These portals are intended to serve as communication gateways for people around the planet involved in ESD, strategic communication for conservation, and conservation learning. In this regard they contribute to expanded opportunities for involvement in exchange and collaboration by North Americans with others around the planet. Thus the world is steadily shrinking, as we know, and new communication strategies are enabling us to think beyond regional boundaries. Contact: Andy Alm <andy@almlet.net>
(5) From North America linked to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, CEC member Mohammad Khan The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)—with membership in Europe and in North America—has developed a regional strategy on Education for Sustainable Development for both regions. This instrument allows implementing a comprehensive approach, seeking to strengthen cooperation on ESD at all levels within the region. It is a contribution to and in line with the DESD Draft International Implementation Scheme and is to be used as a foundation for the regional implementation of the Decade. The strategy was adopted at the UNECE High-level meeting in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on 18 March 2005. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe is already coordinating efforts on implementing regional strategy for ESD. Countries agreed to develop indicators to assess the implementation, organize thematic and sub-regional workshops and compile good practices in education for sustainable development. CEC could offer technical expertise for incorporating key themes of sustainable development in educational system by developing guide books and educational modules. It could also become a partner organization in organizing workshops and conducting them.
To launch the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, the UNESCO Office for the Caribbean and the University of the West Indies (UWI), in association with Jamaica’s National Environmental Education Committee and other agencies, convened the Regional Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, with the theme “New Approaches for the Future” in Kingston, Jamaica, October 18-20, 2005. Approximately 60 participants from throughout the Caribbean participated. As part of the follow-up to the conference, a number of initiatives are focusing on ESD in teacher education institutions. This is also a continuation of long-term work in teacher education institutions in Jamaica starting with a project funded by the Canadian International Development Agency/Government of Jamaica ENACT Programme that sought to implement a “whole college approach” to ESD within the colleges. The project started in two pilot colleges and is now being spread to other institutions through college-specific work, developing ESD guidelines for teacher education; and increasing capacity among teacher educators in reorienting teacher education towards sustainability. Recent events included an ESD Roundtable for Principals and Senior Lecturers in Teacher Ed Institutions in June (See link below); and an ESD Workshop for Senior lecturers in August. UNESCO, ENACT, the Joint Board of Teacher Education (responsible for teacher ed curriculum and standards in Jamaica, Belize, Turks & Caicos and Bahamas), and UWI Institute of Education are the partners in these endeavours. ENACT is a project being implemented out of Jamaica’s National Environment and Planning Agency. Contact persons: Mrs. Marceline Collins-Figueroa, Lecturer mcolfig@yahoo.com, UWI Institute of Education; Dr. Lorna Down, Lecturer, UWI Institute of Education <lornadown@yahoo.com>; Elaine Foster-Allen, Principal Shortwood Teachers' College; Gina Sanguinetti Phillips, Chairperson, National Environmental Education Committee <gsanguinetti@nepa.gov.jm> A Caribbean network for Reorienting Teacher Education towards sustainability has also been established. This is a affiliated with the UNESCO International Network of Teacher Educators. An electronic discussion list is being developed for this Caribbean network and should be operational very soon. Contact person: Dr. Lorna Down, Lecturer, UWI Institute of Education UNESCO Office for the Caribbean ESD Roundtable link
As a new CEC member, I do not know other members in Pennsylvania. However, I have dedicated myself to promoting the essence of biodiversity in terms of human sustainability in Pennsylvania and South Korea. <http://www.dmzforum.org/> This activity is now elevated to the global level through the scientific media. I have an invited paper (rather long, about 20 pages) in press (electronic version should be out soon): Kim KC and Byrne LB (2006) Biodiversity loss and the taxonomic bottleneck: emerging biodiversity science. Ecological Research (a journal of the Ecological Society of Japan) published by Springer Verlag. I feel strongly that sustainable development issues need to be linked to science and knowledge base of backyard biodiversity in every country, particularly in developing and underdeveloped regions of the world. As we did in Pennsylvania, it is imperative that ESD must be promoted through environmental education specialists of the government agencies along with environmental NGOs and Environmental Education Centers so that school curricula heavily stress sustainable development issues in as many topical areas as possible. However, it is problematic as to how to reach the public and policy makers for ESD. The issues of sustainable development are hardly discussed in the public or educational domain. As I promoted the essence of biodiversity in the concept of “biodiversity account,” I discovered that sustainable development does not seem to easily penetrate into the American psyche considering our capitalistic economic and social context related to urban development. I certainly have not seen in the debate of land use in Pennsylvania that ESD successfully prevailed in the debates or actual development events. The similar observation was also made in South Korea as well. I will continue to promote ESD in the area of biodiversity science as opportunities arise and building new programs. It may be productive if we actually undertake an assessment of the success or its lack of ESD in North America through a national conference or survey. As a biodiversity scientist I do have some misgiving on the way ESD is promoted worldwide without the strong underpinning of a scientific basis on biodiversity conservation and ecosystem stewardship, namely biodiversity as resource and ecosystem process as the engine and capital for sustainable development which is practically not known at the grassroots. Penn State Faculty Spotlight ________________
|
| Print this | Send this | Hits: 2749 | |