Education for sustainable development
This page is designed to support faculties, departments, programme and unit teams in embedding Education for Sustainable Development.
Education for sustainable development
There is growing recognition of the value of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for all learners, and of the unique role that universities play in the transformation of individuals, institutions and societies towards more sustainable futures.
Sustainability is core to our University. Ensuring Manchester Metropolitan is environmentally sustainable and socially responsible benefits our communities and is vital to deliver exceptional higher education.
Through our Leadership in Sustainability Strategy, we will deliver effective Education for Sustainable Development and climate change education in all disciplines so our students and staff know about, understand, and can contribute to sustainable development, helping to equip them to succeed in their chosen field.
ESD gives learners of all ages the knowledge, skills, values and agency to address interconnected global challenges including climate change, loss of biodiversity, unsustainable use of resources, and inequality.
Opportunities
Carbon Literacy training is available for all staff at Manchester Met. Carbon Literacy is an understanding of the causes and impacts of our everyday carbon emissions – the fundamental awareness that offers a starting point for making real change in the way we tackle climate change. Working in partnership with the Carbon Literacy Project, we’ve delivered Carbon Literacy to our students since 2012– we are proud to be accredited as a ‘Carbon Literate Organisation’ (bronze) – and are pioneers of Carbon Literacy in Higher Education, as the world’s first University to help students become Carbon Literate.
Education for Sustainable Development is an option unit within the PGCert in Learning and Teaching in HE and the Masters in Higher Education. The unit introduces the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) concept and provides an overview of the debates and approaches to embedding sustainability in Higher Education curricula.
The Decolonising the Curriculum Toolkit aims to support academic staff in the process of reviewing and decolonising their teaching, seeing a just ad fair curriculum as a core component of ESD. This page features the toolkit and a range fo other resources supporting colleagues in eradicating awarding gaps.
Resources
Embedding Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Video
This short presentation (17 minutes) provides an overview of embedding Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and its alignment with our programmes at Manchester Met. A transcript for this recording can be accessed here.
Embedding Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Moodle Resource
An Embedding Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) resource is available in the Staff Resource Area on Moodle. This resource exists to support colleagues with the new Curriculum and Assessment Framework and to achieve Manchester Met’s target in the Education and Leadership in Sustainability Strategies of embedding ESD in 100% of programmes by 2026.
CoDesignS ESD Framework and Toolkit
The CoDesignS ESD Framework and Toolkit provide an easy to implement pedagogic method for embedding Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in the curriculum using a co-design and co-creation approach.
QAA/Advance HE Education for sustainable Development Guidance
QAA/Advance HE Education for sustainable Development Guidance, published in 2021, to help UK higher education institutions incorporate ESD within their curricula.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sustainable Development Goals
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sustainable Development Goals. ‘The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The 17 SDGs are integrated – they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability’.
UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development Learning objectives
UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development Learning objectives, ‘designed as a guide for education professionals on the use of ESD in learning for the SDGs. The guide identifies indicative learning objectives and suggests topics and learning activities for each SDG. It also presents implementation methods at different levels.
Sustainability for Everyone: Perspectives from Higher Education Leaders
Sustainability for Everyone: Perspectives from Higher Education Leaders, published in 2021, and developed on the premise (and need) that sustainability is an area of great importance to higher education, of relevance to everyone in the sector - in that everyone should have a voice, and everyone needs to play their part.
Contacts
Education for Sustainable Development contact
If you have any questions about the content on this page, please contact Dr Sophie Bessant.