Tomorrow Today

[

] 80

A pan-Canadian approach

to implementing ESD

Carolee Bucker, Lead, Working Group for Education for Sustainable Development,

Council of Ministers of Education, Canada

t is imperative that we prepare our youth to deal with the

environmental, social and ecological challenges the world is

facing. To address these challenges, we need to talk with and

teach our students about what it means to live in a more sustain-

able way – in a way that helps students to understand that social,

economic and environmental challenges are connected and must

be thought of in relation to each other. We also need to actively

engage our students in the application of ideas and solutions

for sustainability and encourage them to be sustainable citizens.

The UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (DESD)

has provided an important catalyst to increase efforts to implement

sustainability. In Canada, there are three primary focal points for

education for sustainable development implementation:

• The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC),

through which ministers consult with each other and act on

matters of mutual interest, cooperate with national education

organizations and the federal government, and

represent the education interests of the provinces and territories

internationally

• The Federal Department of Environment

(Environment Canada), which aims to reflect

the national interest regarding questions of the

environment and to share public information and

awareness strategies

• The Canadian Commission for UNESCO, which

engages and consults with civil society.

In Canada as elsewhere, ESD involves incorporating key

themes of sustainable development – such as poverty

alleviation, human rights, peace, human security, health,

environmental protection and climate change into

the education system. ESD is a complex and evolving

concept and requires learning about key themes from a

social, cultural, environmental and economic perspec-

tive and exploring how those factors are inter-related and

inter-dependent. It is also about reorienting education

systems (teaching and learning, governance, facilities and

operations and human resources) towards sustainability.

In Canada, the responsibility for education lies with

the provinces and territories. In the 13 jurisdictions –

Schoolchildren in Wabowdan, Manitoba learn about sustainable food production, healthy eating and food preparation

Image: Growing local productions