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Australian Education for Sustainability Alliance aesa.org.au

Our vision

To achieve a more sustainable Australia byensuring that all Australians have the opportu-nity to receive effective education that instillsknowledge, practices and values of sustain-ability, through the formal education system

and through ongoing information and trainingthroughout life.

The Australian Education for SustainabilityAlliance (AESA) is comprised of organisationsfrom the education, union, youth and environ-ment sectors that want a higher prioritisation ofsustainability in the education system. We areachieving this by advocating for best practiceeducation for sustainability policy to fulll our

vision of a sustainable Australia.

Sustainable Education is a continuallychanging way of seeing, thinking,

learning and working as a wholecommunity to improve, preserve andprotect our local and global future.

Joan Fabian

Principal of Jervois Primary School

South Australia

www.educationforsustainability.org.au

Australian Education for Sustain-ability Alliance

Sustainability education today, for asustainable Australia tomorrow

Education for sustainability provides tools tosolve environmental challenges. Education for sustainability builds a more sus-tainable Australia. Education for sustainability is globally recog-nised as a high priority for education.

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Australian Education for Sustainability Alliance aesa.org.au

www.educationforsustainability.org.au

Education for sustainability is globally rec-

ognised as a high priority for education. Weare currently in the United Nations Decade ofEducation for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) where sustainability education is widely

accepted as a prerequisite for building a sus-tainable future.

In Australia there are a number of success-ful education for sustainability initiatives thatalready exist, run by various federal and state

government departments. These includethe Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative(AuSSI) which provides hands-on sustainabil-ity learning, and embedding sustainability intoareas of States school curricula. Australia hasalso successfully used education for sustain-ability programs to shift community attitude andbehaviour to improve water conservation andwaste recycling in the last two decades.

The challenge is that Australia currently lacksthe vision and leadership to provide high qual-ity and integrated education for sustainabilitythrough formal education and lifelong learning.AESA has identied four key barriers to achiev-

ing this:

An overall lack of integration and cohesion ofEfS initiatives. A consistent lack of funding from both federal,

state and territory governments for EfS initia-tives. A lack of government and public appreciationof the potential and value of EfS. The low level prioritisation of EfS in the pri-

mary, secondary and tertiary curricula.

Our policy recommendations outline how we

believe the Australian Government can bettersupport teachers, schools and education insti-tutions to teach for a sustainable future.

These recommendations focus on the needs offour key policy areas:

The Australian Curriculum:Needs to support and facilitate all teachers

within schools and their communities so they

can more easily and effectively foster sustain-

ability throughout all school education

The Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative:

Needs to support all students, teachers, prin-

cipals and parents to apply sustainability prin-

ciples in everyday school life and improve the

way the school community operates.

Tertiary Sustainability:

Needs to catalyse tertiary education institutions

to better equip students with the green skills

needed to build a sustainable economy and

to integrate sustainability principles across alldisciplines and the practices of the institution.

Professional Development for Green Skills:

Needs to coordinate systematic development

and accreditation of green skills needed for

industry in the growing new economy across a

wide range of trades and professions.

Challenges for sustainability in our education system