Sustainable Development Education Panel
Furthering Sustainability: A Step-by-Step Guide for Colleges
The Government' s Sustainable Development Strategy
The Government White Paper, A Better Quality of Life (1999) sets out a strategy for making sustainable development a reality in the UK. It includes a series of fourteen headline indicators relating to social progress, effective protection of the environment, prudent use of natural resources and the maintenance of high stable levels of economic growth and employment, against which progress will be measured.
Social Progress
Within the UK strategy, considerable emphasis is placed on the social sustainability agenda, reflecting a recognition that those who are socially excluded are unlikely to care much about others or the environment. Social inclusion is regarded as a pre-requisite for active public participation in sustainable solutions. The need to reach-out to the socially excluded is also recognised by those promoting life long learning.
Adult literacy and numeracy, widening participation and work place learning are high on both the government' s sustainability and life long learning agendas (cf Learning to Succeed, 1999) and may be regarded as key action areas for colleges.
Effective Protection of the Environment
The UK strategy calls everyone to take responsibility for limiting global environmental threats such as climate change, for reducing health hazards such as air pollution and for protecting things which people need or value such as wild life, landscapes and historic buildings.
Key action areas for colleges include reducing CO2 emissions, reducing the generation of pollutants and maintaining or enhancing biodiversity.
Prudent Use of Natural Resources
The prudent use of natural resources requires a move towards a more cyclical use of resources. For example renewable resource, such as water, should be used in ways which do not endanger the resource or cause serious damage or pollution. Non-renewable resources should eventually be replaced by renewables. In the mean time resource efficiency is of paramount importance.
Key action areas for colleges include resource efficiency and reducing waste generated.
Maintenance of High and Stable Levels of Economic Growth and Employment
The objective here is to optimise the use of physical and human resources to meet current and future needs and aspirations. This means investment in infrastructure, technologies and processes which are minimally reliant on natural capital, the promotion of resource efficiency and social responsibility in the work place and the development of a work force which is equipped with twenty first century knowledge and skills.
Key action areas for colleges include the establishment of sustainable development management systems , sustainability training for academic and service staff, and the provision of opportunities for all students to develop a basic level of sustainability literacy.
These are also the priority areas of the Government Panel on Sustainable Development (please see Appendix I). The Panel commissioned the Further Education Development Agency and the Association of Colleges to develop this guide to encourage colleges to systematically manage their sustainability responsibilities.
Key Drivers for Sustainability in FE
Regional Development Agencies
The Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 gives the Regional Development Agency a statutory purpose to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development in the UK. RDAs will have a key role in the planning arrangements for learning and skills, with a strong link between the RDAs and the Learning and Skills Council both at national and local level. Local Councils' Skills Action Plans will reflect the needs and priorities of the region set out in the RDA' s regional strategy; and RDAs will work with local Councils to assess how well regional skills needs are met. Given the RDAs' statutory purpose relating to sustainable development, some priority must be given to the development of sustainability skills.
By July 2001, all colleges will have to produce a strategic plan which demonstrates that they are working within the framework of and contributing to their RDA' s Skills Action Plans. As such colleges' engagement with the sustainability challenge will be unavoidable.
Local Authorities
Local authorities plan and fund much post-16 provision, particularly in school sixth forms. They also have a comprehensive view of their local communities and a strategic and key role to play in tackling issues of social inclusion and sustainable development. Some are already playing a leading role in the development of area wide strategies for regeneration e.g. through the New Commitment to Regeneration pathfinders, the New Deal and SRB. Local authorities are also driving the UK LA21 initiative.
Through representation on local Learning and Skills Councils and as key partners in the local Learning Partnerships, local authorities will have considerable influence over a broad range of education and training opportunities.
Students
Students are increasingly asking questions about the sustainability performance of their chosen college. At the moment they have little hard information to help them assess how seriously a college is taking its sustainability responsibilities. A small number of colleges include environmental / sustainability policy statements in their prospectuses, but even these give no real indication of whether a systematic approach to implementation is being taken or whether there is any commitment to continuous improvement. The recurring message from the NUS for the past five years has been that students are likely to favour institutions with a good sustainability performance. All they need is the information to enable them to make a judgement. Included within this guide is a set of headline sustainability indicators for FE which are intended to stimulate thought on sustainability performance measurement.
University for Industry
The objectives of the UfI are to stimulate demand for lifelong learning among businesses and individuals to improve access to relevant high quality learning opportunities. Its approach is founded on a learner -centred set of principles which seek to maximise individual choice and flexibility by providing clear information and advice (through the Learning Direct service), innovative and relevant learning materials, and specialist support. The UfI will enable people to learn at home, in the workplace and in learning centres. A network of UfI-endorsed Learning Centres, based in a wide range of locations, including colleges, libraries, community centres, employers' premises and shopping malls, will provide public access to UfI learning materials, learning services and ICT facilities. One of the Government' s Sustainable Development Education recommendations in its first Annual report is for all UfI programmes to be underpinned by sustainable development principles.
The Benefits of Proactivity
There are numerous benefits associated with proactivity relating to sustainability. Equally there are costs associated with ignoring what is now a mainstream issue.
Quality gains
The most significant, positive contribution a college can make towards shaping a more sustainable future is through its students. The challenge is to develop in all students the ability to make choices and decisions which take account of sustainability principles. It is part of providing quality education and is in keeping with recommendations in the Toyne Report and Review and the repeated call of employers for sustainability literate employees. (see Appendix II).
Another important determinant of quality education is the quality of the learning environment. Any attempt to communicate sustainability principles through FE programmes will be negated if, for example, the way a college chooses and uses resources and manages waste contravenes these principles. Colleges must simply practice what they teach if they wish to claim that they are taking their sustainability responsibilities seriously.
Good sustainability management contributes to the quality of the learning environment and, in turn, to the quality of learning. In addition, there quality gains relating to the teaching and learning process associated with motivated lecturer efforts to deliver education for sustainability. It is no coincidence that those involved in education for sustainability are also working at the "sharp-end" of the teaching and learning quality debate. Where education relates to a purpose, as does education for sustainability, there tends to be a keen interest in the extent to which the educational process is serving the purpose (in other words whether the pedagogy works), a desire to be effective and a willingness to be innovative.
Cost savings through improved resource efficiency
Resource efficiency is about using resources in ways which improve quality of life, pollute and deplete less and save money. Doing more with less also reduces waste disposal costs which have risen substantially following the Duty of Care Provisions in the 1990 Environmental Protection Act. Incineration costs tend to be even higher than landfill.
Positive image
People expect their colleges to be managed in a way that is exemplary and colleges, in turn, want to be viewed as responsible neighbours, employers and service providers. Active involvement in the pursuit of sustainability solutions - whether these relate to local transport and planning issues, education and training initiatives, or the efficient use and maintenance of buildings and estates - communicates the kind of institutional values, including a care for others and a sense of "fair play", which people want their public institutions to have. Colleges' involvement in sustainability issues provide an excellent vehicle for building purposeful and respectful relationships with local and regional communities - the spin off from this being a good local image.
Compliance with Government and EU legislation and policies
Breaking the law can result in prosecution and liabilities. Such actions can leave a question mark over an institution's credibility. The benefit of having a system for managing sustainability responsibilities is that compliance with all legal and policy requirements is routinely addressed.
Recent developments in environmental legislation reflect a move to viewing the sustainability impact of a product or service in a holistic way and to making product and service providers responsible for their wastes.
Page published 9 June
2000;
Page last modified
20 August, 2002