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Sustainability Education

Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative

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• Sustainability education
• About AuSSI
• AuSSI in schools
• How to become an AuSSI school
• Who is involved?
• Key elements
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• AuSSI contacts

AuSSI in schools

With support from AuSSI partners, schools are offered best practice and quality curriculum support planning tools, audit tools to manage resources, ideas for on-ground projects and ways to involve the local community and encourage a shift in the broader community towards more sustainable practices and processes.

AuSSI provides networking and clustering opportunities for schools and supports schools in their growth from awareness through to leadership in environmental education for sustainability and sustainable living. It fosters school ownership and empowerment and focuses on student involvement and learning.

• Case studies
• Additional resources
• AuSSI contacts

Whole of school approaches

Experience has shown that the AuSSI vision can be best achieved when the whole school is engaged. Environmental education for sustainability (EfS) in the curriculum needs to be part of long-term planning in which students have the opportunity to add to their knowledge, understanding and experience in a range of curriculum areas, including the opportunity to undertake sustained and specialised projects and tasks. This necessitates the whole school accepting the need to improve understanding of EfS through systemic inclusion of EfS within the mainstream curriculum across learning areas and year levels.

A whole-school approach to environmental education for sustainability emerges from the school vision and is articulated in all facets of school life:

• in the way the school is organised and operates;
• in school design (within the limitations of existing structures);
• in the development and management of school grounds;
• in the reduction and minimisation of resource use by the school (water, energy, products and materials);
• in the enhanced connections between the school, its community and other educational institutions; and
• in the conservation and protection of heritage values in the school and its grounds; as well as
• in the reorientation of the curriculum and the teaching and learning towards sustainability.

A whole school approach may include mainstream studies, extra curricular activities, the visible presence of AuSSI in the school and a commitment to engaging the school community in opportunities to become sustainable in school policy, resource use, management of its facilities and grounds, and leadership with the support of parents and the school community.

The scale and diversity of the types of projects and activities that can be undertaken in AuSSI present schools with many options.

Factors that can be considered when determining a whole school approach to AuSSI include:

• To what extent the school has developed a whole-school sustainability action plan which incorporates a long-term vision for the school in its move towards sustainability.
• Whether the school has a whole-school school environmental management plan (SEMP or equivalent) or sustainability action plan.
• Whether students and teachers involved in developing and implementing these plans.
• Whether the school has policies that identify sustainable school operations and resource management.
• Whether the school has used Educating for a Sustainable Future: A National Environmental Education Statement for Australian Schools which provides a nationally agreed description of the nature and purpose of environmental education for sustainability through all years of schooling, including a vision and a framework for its implementation.

A school might also:

• Consider the environmental consequences when purchasing products or during construction/demolition activities at the school.
• Apply 'green' procurement practices.
• Apply sustainable landscape and building designs.
• Take into account sustainability issues during curriculum renewal processes.
• Identify how it can support the school community to shift towards more sustainable practices and processes as a result of AuSSI activity.

Education for Sustainability

Environmental education for sustainability (EfS) can be described as a process of learning how to make decisions that consider the long-term future of the equity, economy and environment of all communities. At the same time, it provides the tools needed to assist and engage schools in negotiating this future and deciding the consequences of our decisions.

EfS sits within the perspective of life-long learning and promotes active engagement in real-life contexts. Through an EfS approach, students are provided with authentic opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and values they need to be able to contribute to a sustainable world. "Learning through doing" empowers students to be critical thinkers and collaborative learners and makes learning transformative and practical.

Education for sustainability is based on the following principles

Transformation and change:
Education for sustainability is not simply about providing information but involves equipping people with the skills, motivation and capacity to plan and manage change towards sustainability within an organisation, community or industry.

Education for all and lifelong learning:
Education for sustainability is driven by a broad understanding of education and learning that is inclusive of people of all ages and backgrounds and at all stages of life and takes place within all possible learning spaces, formal and informal, in schools, workplaces, homes and communities.

Systemic thinking:
Education for sustainability aims to equip people to understand connections across environmental, economic, social and political systems.

Envisioning a better future:
Education for sustainability engages people in developing a shared vision for a sustainable future.

Critical thinking and reflection:
Education for sustainability values the importance of individuals and groups as having the capacity to reflect on personal experiences and world views and to challenge accepted ways of interpreting the world and the basis on which values and opinions are shaped.

Participation:
Education for sustainability recognises participation as critical for engaging groups and individuals in sustainability.

Partnerships for change:
Education for sustainability focuses on the use of genuine partnerships in order to build networks and relationships, and improve communication across different sectors within society.

For more information see:

Educating for a Sustainable Future: A National Environmental Education Statement for Australian Schools

ARIES Education for Sustainability Portal

Developing a School Environmental Management Plan

Developing and implementing a SEMP provides a significant introduction to a system's approach to environmental management. It is important to show that schools are efficient environmental managers and are able to practise what is taught in the classroom. It also provides the opportunity to raise student awareness of issues of environmental and sustainable development in the context of acting locally, thinking globally. Schools with a SEMP can extend environmental management beyond the school's grounds to the home and wider community.

How do we develop a SEMP?

The most successful plans are those where the process of change is:

• Participative (involving the whole staff and members of the local community)
• Holistic (employing an integrated approach to environmental management involving the whole site, the whole school community and all aspects of the curriculum)
• Sustainable (environmental management becomes an ongoing part of school management, with continuous improvement).

A suggested format for a SEMP:

Vision - What the school is hoping to achieve (one or two paragraphs)

Principal's message - The Principal's support for the initiative (one or two paragraphs)

Leadership team - Who is on the team and what is their position?

The objectives of the team - What is the team aiming to achieve, in particular the team environmental, educational, social and economic outcomes?

Links to other school plans - How will it link with, e.g. the school improvement or strategic plan and policies?

Record of baseline data - This is the data collected from audits. The baseline data will be used as an indicator of improvement and assessment of outcomes.

An action plan - Schools generally do an action plan for each focus area (water, waste, energy, biodiversity and curriculum), or your school may prefer to do one action plan that includes strategies for several of the focus areas. The plan should address problem areas identified from the audits, and include strategies with timeframes, who is responsible, indicators of success and costs.

The following aspects of education for sustainability should be addressed in a plan - partnerships, whole-school engagement, and the integration of sustainable practices into the curriculum. Also consider the educational, environmental, social and economic outcomes the school wants to achieve.

You can use this template and sample to assist in the development of a SEMP.

Learning and Teaching

AuSSI supports the development of teachers' and students' knowledge, skills, understandings and values in the area of sustainability - with a focus on action-based learning.

An AuSSI school is typically engaged in an action learning cycle involving:

• making a whole-of-school commitment to become more sustainable;
• auditing/collecting baseline data on the use of its resources, the management of its facilities and grounds and assessing approaches to teaching and learning;
• developing a plan of action, including targets, most often referred to as a Sustainability Education Management Plan or SEMP that covers changes to its management of facilities and resources and integration of this into the curriculum and teaching and learning;
• actively implementing, monitoring and evaluating their plan; and
• critically reflecting on progress and revising plans for the future.

Context - Education for sustainability: a national goal

Stakeholders in the Australian education context have a strong commitment to environmental education (Note: Where reference is made to environmental education, it is intended that the term also encompasses activities variously referred to as sustainability education, education for sustainability and education for sustainable development).

This is reflected in the National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century, the Adelaide Declaration endorsed by all education ministers in 1999. The National Goals recognise that:

'When students leave school, they should have an understanding of, and concern for, stewardship of the natural environment, and the knowledge to contribute to ecologically sustainable development'. (1.7)

The vision of education for sustainability discussed in this statement encompasses this goal and other aspects of the Adelaide Declaration on National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-first Century:

'skills in analysis and problem solving and the ability to communicate ideas and information and to collaborate with others' (1.1);

'the capacity to exercise judgement and responsibility in matters of morality, ethics and social justice, and the capacity to make sense of their world, to think about how things got to be the way they are, to make rational and informed decisions about their own lives, and to accept responsibility for their own actions' (1.3);

'an understanding and appreciation of Australia's system of government and civic life' so they can be active and informed citizens (1.4); and

'the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle, and for the creative and satisfying use of leisure time' (1.8).

National Environmental Education Statement for Australian Schools
The National Environmental Education Statement for Australian Schools (NEES). provides the first ever nationally agreed description of the nature and purpose of environmental education for sustainability for Australian Schools. This was the first time that State, Territory and Australian governments approved a document which expresses a national approach to environmental education for the school sector.

Educating for a Sustainable Future was developed in response to the need for a more consistent approach to environmental education, in order to better equip students, teachers and school communities with the knowledge, values, skills and motivation to support ecologically sustainable development.

The Statement builds on MCEETYA's set of National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century including:

When students leave school, they should have an understanding of, and concern for, stewardship of the natural environment, and the knowledge to contribute to ecologically sustainable development. (1.7)

The Statement provides a national reference point for environmental education, and is used with existing State and Territory policies and programs. It highlights a range of sound approaches to quality teaching and school administration to enhance environmental education for sustainability for the whole-school community. See http://www.environment.gov.au/education/publications/sustainable-future.html

Curriculum

An education for sustainability curriculum involves understanding the present environment - how it has been shaped, the values it holds, and seeking to mitigate adverse impacts on it. This involves an investigation of how we have come to this situation and accepting responsibility to work towards a sustainable future. Identifying what is distinctive about the local environment and understanding local community issues is essential to shaping the education for sustainability programs in a school.

It also involves understanding the present society - how it has been shaped, the values it holds, how to maintain and integrate elements of a healthy, socially just and sustainable lifestyle, how culture and community shape it, the relationship between people, resources and places, the social, economic and political systems and connections between them and, understanding how individuals and groups can take action to positively influence change.

Providing appropriate learning experiences in education for sustainability to span curriculum from early childhood to Year 12 is a challenge. Judicious choices need to be made and priorities set by schools and education jurisdictions if students are to understand the complexity of the world that they live in and to have the knowledge, critical thinking skills, values and capacity to participate in decision making about environment and development issues.

All effective teaching and learning takes account of students' lives and interests and their individual learning differences. A well planned education for sustainability program provides learning embodied with significance for students and provides opportunities for practical learning experiences, often outside the boundaries of the classroom.

Ideally, education for sustainability will not be confined to any one learning area within a school. There are numerous ways for incorporating education for sustainability into the curriculum. How these are manifested can depend on a school's particular situation.

Many schools have made significant progress incorporating education for sustainability into the curriculum with a whole school approach, working across all curriculum areas and complemented by whole-school policies and activities in other related areas.

Links to other national priorities

AuSSI supports a range of other priorities endorsed by the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA).

Civics and citizenship education

Civics and citizenship education is a national priority. It is concerned with the development of students as informed and active citizens of Australia. As citizens we now simultaneously belong to many kinds of community at the local, national, regional and global levels that are taking action for a sustainable future.

Civics and citizenship provides students with the opportunities to develop:

• the capacity to clarify and critically examine values and principles that underpin Australia's democracy and the ways these contribute to a fair and just society and a sustainable future
• the knowledge, skills and values that support active citizenship and the capacity to act as informed and responsible citizens
• an understanding of the ways in which citizens and governments contribute to environmental sustainability in local to global contexts and a commitment to adopting values, behaviour and lifestyles required for a sustainable future.

National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools

The vision articulated in the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools states that 'all Australian schools provide values education in a planned and systemic way by developing student responsibility in local, national and global contexts and building social skills'. AuSSI provides valuable contexts for young Australians to explore their own values and develop social and civic skills within a local, national and global context. The vision of the National Framework states that there is a need to ensure values are incorporated into school policies and teaching programmes across key learning areas. Values identified in the National Framework reflect commitment to an environmentally sustainable society where students take responsibility for the care of their immediate and wider environment. Activity in AuSSI builds on the nine values outlined in the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools to enable student understanding and empowerment relating to environmental matters.

Statement of Learning for Science

The nationally agreed Statement of Learning for Science requires that students:

• develop their scientific literacy so, as global citizens, they can make informed and ethical decisions about the applications of science to local and global issues and their own health and wellbeing
• use the processes of scientific scientifically, reflection and analysis to investigate and test ideas, refine knowledge and pose new questions
• develop understandings of the importance of critical thinking, objectivity, logical reasoning and ethical practices in science research
• use appropriate ways of representing and communicating their science understandings and viewpoints to audiences for a range of different purposes and thereby contribute to and engage in public debate and decision making
• develop an understanding of science concepts and use these to explain and predict events of the physical and biological worlds.

Science can be used to engage students in investigating sustainability issues and topics in schools and develop and use the capacities described above.

Statement of Learning for Mathematics

The nationally agreed Statement of Learning for Mathematics describe the knowledge, skills, understandings and capacities that all young Australians should have the opportunity to develop in Mathematics. Many mathematical skills and understandings are required to help us become informed about our world, to make important decisions which influence the future and to understand the data which others use to make decisions that can impact in positive and negative ways on the future. Throughout the processes typically undertaken by schools in AuSSI, students are taught and use the skills of interpreting, collecting, analysing and representing data about questions which are important to them and their community, and particular mathematical skills are required when students investigate and understand issues of sustainability in given contexts, e.g. use of specific measuring tools, understanding units of measure, recording and presentation of data to share with others, preparation and undertaking of surveys, analysis of data, presentation of mathematical arguments, and reasoning about conclusions.

Statement of Learning for English

The nationally agreed Statement of Learning for English requires that students develop:

• a broad knowledge of a range of literature and other texts
• knowledge of the ways in which texts may be interpreted and constructed according to cultural, social and personal backgrounds and contexts
• capacity to use texts to make sense of one's world, to broaden and promote shared cultural understandings, to exercise judgement and responsibility in matters of morality, ethics and social justice, and to prepare one for lifelong learning.

Throughout the processes typically undertaken by schools in AuSSI, students develop the capacity to speak, listen, read, view and write with purpose, effect and confidence. They study and use written form, spoken and visual language as they interact with everyday, popular and classic texts including fiction and non-fiction texts. By studying texts that represent the diversity of human experience and environments in which they live, students develop the capacity to better understand themselves, others and the world in which they live.

Statement of Learning for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

The nationally agreed Statement of Learning for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) view ICT as an integral tool in the learning process that enables students to:

• access digital information to assist with investigating issues, solving problems and decision making
• produce creative solutions to support learning and develop new understandings
• communicate, share and work collaboratively in local and global environments
• develop new thinking and learning skills to support learning.

Throughout the processes typically undertaken by schools in AuSSI, students inquire, create, communicate and operate with ICT.

Guiding principles of AuSSI

The Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative:

• Seeks to develop a school culture committed to the principles of sustainable development;
• Seeks to go beyond awareness raising to action learning and integration with school curricula;
• Encourages the involvement of the whole school;
• Encourages the involvement of a school’s local community and encourages a shift in the broader community towards more sustainable practices and processes;
• Seeks to develop relationships with other areas that impact on the organisation and management of a school;
• Is founded on a sound basis of theory and practice in schools and school systems, quality teaching and learning, environmental education for sustainability, and
• Encourages schools to achieve measurable social, environmental, educational and financial outcomes.

Vision

For all Australian schools and their communities to be sustainable.

Goals

AuSSI seeks to achieve the following goals:

1. Learning and teaching for sustainability as an integral component of school curricula
2. Schools actively engaged in a continuous cycle of planning, implementing and reviewing their approach to sustainability as part of their everyday operations
3. Schools using natural resources, including energy, water, waste and biodiversity in more sustainable ways
4. Schools and school authorities reporting on changes towards sustainability
5. Young people sharing ownership of sustainability initiatives and decision making
6. Schools working towards sustainability in partnership with their local communities
7. Schools and school authorities implementing governance practices that support effective environmental education for sustainability
8. Individuals supported to make effective sustainability decisions and choices
9. Schools and communities developing values that support a sustainability ethos.

Benefits for schools

The benefits to schools include:

• The opportunity to achieve curriculum requirements in the key learning areas.
• Reduced consumption of resources and improved management of the school grounds and facilities.
• Teachers and students working on real-life problems and outcomes.
• Professional development opportunities for the whole school staff.
• The school as a model for sustainability within the local community.

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Achievements of the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative

Achievements include:

• More than 2,500 schools are now participating in AuSSI,
• Participating schools have reported reductions in waste collection of up to 80%, reductions in water consumption of up to 60%, and savings on energy consumption of 20% with commensurate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
• The following quote illustrates the type of educational and social benefits being achieved, ‘A systematic approach through the curriculum following a comprehensive audit exposes children to all elements of sustainability. They are increasingly accepting responsibility for actions within the program and are the leading edge in attitude change as these practices are transferred to home and the community’
• Family members across Australia have been influenced by the Initiative.

Comparative assessment: Pilot program in NSW and Victoria

In 2001 the National Environmental Education Network supported a submission to trial an Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI). Funding from the Australian Government supported two pilot programs to commence in 2002 - one in Victoria, the other NSW. Three hundred schools participated in this first phase of the AuSSI.

A comparative assessment of the pilots was conducted in 2004-05. The assessment found that both pilot programs generated identifiable educational, environmental, social and professional benefits.

History of the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative

September 2001 - The National Environmental Education Network (NEEN) met to discuss a NSW Department of Education and Training and Victorian submission to trial a Sustainable Schools Initiative.

Through NEEN all States and Territories expressed their support for the joint Commonwealth/State project.

July 2002 - The Australian Government announced funding of $200,000 to support a pilot program in NSW and Victoria.

Both the NSW and Victorian Governments provided matching funding and secured additional resources from partner organisations of approximately $1 million and $500,000 in each State respectively. Steering committees, including key stakeholders, were established in each State for the trials to ensure the delivery of quality outcomes.

September 2002 - A review of nationwide curriculum documents to analyse environmental education content and identify national priority areas recommended the development of a national environmental education policy and the implementation of a national environmental education program. The review was commissioned by the National Environmental Education Council (NEEC) and the Department of the Environment and Heritage.

January 2003 - Pilot Sustainable Schools programs commenced in New South Wales and Victoria for an 18 month period.

The Department of Education coordinates the pilot in each State. Principal delivery of the NSW pilot is via a network of 23 Environmental Education Centres. In Victoria, the Gould League and CERES Environmental Park are primary deliverers. Other organisations in both NSW and Victoria offered in-kind support, additional expertise and/or financial contributions to the project.

June 2003 - A National Sustainable Schools Workshop was held in Canberra in order to incorporate all States and Territories not currently trialing the program. After examining the pilot initiatives in detail and considering the systemic differences of each jurisdiction all States and Territories agreed that the National Sustainable Schools Initiative was worth pursuing.

July 2003 - The Australian Government launched the Victorian Sustainable Schools pilot.

December 2003 - The NEEN endorsed a document outlining the 'Common Elements of the National Sustainable Schools Initiative'. The document will be used to guide the development of the Initiative around the country. It allows sufficient flexibility for each State and Territory to meet the requirements of their own jurisdiction, while also ensuring an appropriate level of consistency.

May 2004 - Australian Government funding provided to Western Australia and South Australia to develop and implement a Sustainable Schools Initiative. Additional funds were provided to NSW and Victoria to support the involvement of disadvantaged schools in the Initiative.

August 2004 - The Australian Government launches the national Initiative.

December 2004 - The Australian Government approved the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative funding for the Northern Territory.

March 2005 - The Australian Government approved Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative funding for the Australian Capital Territory.

August 2005 - An Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative Workshop was held in Canberra for the purpose of developing a vision and a national framework for the Initiative. Participants in the workshop included teachers, students and principals from all states and territories, academics and representatives from Catholic Education and Independent Schools Associations, non-government organisations and State, Territory and Australian Government environment and education departments.

December 2005 - The Australian Government released the National Environmental Education Statement for Australian Schools - Educating for a Sustainable Future. Importantly, the Statement was endorsed by the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA). This was the first time that the Australian Government and State, Territory governments approved a document which expressed a national approach to environmental education in schools.

June 2006 - The Australian Government approved Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative funding for Tasmania, ongoing funding for the expansion and consolidation of the Initiative in South Australia, and funding for a Global Communities for Sustainability Project for Australian and Indian schools.

July 2006 - The Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative logo was produced and shared with state and territory partners.

August 2006 - The Comparative Assessment of the pilots conducted in NSW and Victoria was published.

September 2006 - The Australian Government approved Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative funding for the expansion and consolidation of the Initiative in Western Australia.

December 2006 - The Australian Government approved Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative funding for the development of three sustainability resources to support the expansion and consolidation of the Initiative in Victoria.

June 2007 - The Australian Government approved Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative funding for the expansion and consolidation of AuSSI in South Australia, the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory.

July 2007 - The Australian Government approved Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative funding to the Catholic Education Office - Sandhurst (Victoria) to rewrite Catholic Earthcare Australia's 'On Holy Ground' document and embed education for sustainability within Catholic Education curriculum frameworks, and to the CERES - Community Environment Park to develop a model of Carbon Sink Schools for Australia.

April 2008 - Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) resolved to endorse the draft Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative partnership statement between the Australian Government and the States and Territories, and Ministers undertook to work together on education for sustainability in schools.

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