The Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit is an easy to use manual to begin the process of creating education programs for a more sustainable future. The ESD Toolkit helps schools and communities develop a process for creating locally relevant and culturally appropriate education. The ESD Toolkit contains descriptions of sustainability and education for sustainable development as well as a number of activities for creating community sustainability goals, reorienting curriculum to address sustainability, and managing change.

Good Practices in Teacher Education

This publication by UNESCO is a collection of eight case studies from teacher education institutions around the world. The eight describe: curriculum revision, research, international and national in service teacher education, creating a new academic department, networking internationally, building a sustainable campus, and starting an academic journal.

The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD) provides and opportunity to progress towards implementing universal quality education that fosters the knowledge, skills, perspectives, and values that lead to a more sustainable future. UNESCO had identified 10 key aspects of quality education—five at the level of the learner and five at the level of the school system. Quality education calls for using a life-skills approach. Learning a variety of skills will prepare individuals for a more successful life at home, in their communities, and in the workforce.

This PowerPoint presentation contains 43 slides that describe education for sustainable development (ESD) and the benefits of education to society. ESD has four major thrusts: (1) improving access and retention in quality basic education, (2) reorienting teacher education to address sustainability, (3) improving public understanding and awareness, and (4) providing training to all sectors of the economy. ESD involves lifelong learning and engages formal, nonformal, and informal sectors of the education community.

This hour-long talk by Charles “Chuck” Hopkins, UNESCO Chair, streams off the World Wide Web. This talk encompasses many issues of education and sustainability. Hopkins draws on examples from around the world as he describes the grand challenges for education in addressing sustainability issues with environmental, social, and economic roots. He poses thoughtful questions for the audience, such as what are the purposes of education?