State of the World 2010, Transforming Cultures, From - Worldwatch

Education’s New
Assignment: Sustainability
For a shift away from consumerism to
occur, every aspect of education—
from lunchtime and recess to class
work and even the walk home—
will need to be oriented on sustainability.
Habits, values, preferences—all are shaped to
a large degree in childhood. And throughout
life, education can have a transformative effect
on learners. Thus, harnessing this powerful
institution will be essential in redirecting
humanity toward cultures of sustainability.
No educational system is value-neutral, but
all teach and are shaped by a certain set of
ideas, values, and behaviors, whether that be
consumerism, communism, religious beliefs, or
sustainability. As UNESCO states, “Education
is not an end in itself. It is a key instrument
for bringing about the changes in the knowledge,
values, behaviours and lifestyles required
to achieve sustainability and stability within
and among countries, democracy, human security
and peace. Hence it must be a high priority
to reorient educational systems and curricula
towards these needs. Education at all levels and
in all its forms constitutes a vital tool for
addressing virtually all global problems relevant
for sustainable development.” 1
The more sustainability can be integrated
into existing school systems—whether at a
Catholic school, a private university, or a pub-
lic elementary school or through less-formal
educational institutions such as museums,
zoos, and libraries—the more people will internalize
teachings of sustainability from an early
age, and these ideas, values, and habits will
become “natural.” If education can be harnessed,
it will be a powerful tool in bringing
about sustainable human societies.
This section investigates a sampling of what
is happening around the world as educators
work to shift from a cultural pattern of consumerism
to one of sustainability. Ingrid Pramling
Samuelsson of Gothenburg University and
Yoshie Kaga of UNESCO describe the formative
role that early education can play in teaching
children to live sustainably when effectively
incorporating key environmental lessons into
curricula. Susan Linn of the Campaign for a
Commercial-Free Childhood focuses on how
important it will be to reclaim childhood from
marketers and provide children with unstructured
and creative playtime that does not stimulate
consumerist values or desires.
Kevin Morgan and Roberta Sonnino of the
University of Cardiff explain that school meals
are a particularly important part of the school
day that could be better used to teach environmental
awareness, while helping establish
dietary norms that are healthy and sustainable.
And David Orr of Oberlin College con-
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