people and planet

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Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, South
Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda, the
programme addresses the lighting needs of rural, urban
and suburban consumers without electricity access –
predominantly low income households and businesses.
It offers an alternative to kerosene lamps and candles,
the most commonly used lighting sources among those
without grid electricity. The programme has helped
households reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about
700,000 tonnes, the equivalent of getting 147,000 cars
off the road (World Bank, 2016).
The United Nations University Institute for the Advanced
Study of Sustainability launched the first Regional
Centres of Expertise (RCEs) on education for sustainable
development in 2003 (Fadeeva et al., 2014). RCEs bring
together regional and local institutions, build innovative
platforms to share information and experiences, and
promote dialogue among regional and local stakeholders
through partnerships for sustainable development. By
2015, 138 RCEs around the globe were demonstrating the
potential of multistakeholder learning and networking
between schools, universities, local government, civil
society groups and the private sector (IAU, 2016).
One example, RCE Minna, is located in Nigeria’s North
Central geopolitical zone, a largely rural and agrarian
region with low population density and a variable climate.
RCE Minna teaches educators, students, youths and
community leaders to better manage their natural
environment so as to ensure sustainable development
in Niger state and its environs in a context of high
unemployment and poverty rates, environmental
degradation, poor sanitation and waste management
systems, poor soil management, poor education, flooding,
deforestation and declining freshwater resources
(Fadeeva et al., 2014).
Religious and cultural leaders
Religious, cultural and social leaders can help spread
environmentally sound values and behaviour (Zaval and
Cornwell, 2015). Social
incentives and peer
pressure based on shared
Religious, cultural
values and norms drive
and social leaders consumption choices
can help spread
and environmental
behaviour. Leaders and
environmentally sound
role models can shape
values and behaviour social aspirations and
provide models for
sustainable behaviour.
Religious leaders are often skilled and insightful in
using communication techniques to effect behaviour
change, especially at the local level. In the United States,
the Take Charge Challenge encouraged community
members to reduce energy use by making homes more
weather resistant and energy efficient. Rather than using
conventional awareness-raising techniques, the initiative
relied on religious leaders to appeal to community
members’ values. Local leaders successfully tied green
initiatives into deeply held spiritual beliefs and encouraged
households to make the right moral choice. It is estimated
that communities saved 110.2 billion British thermal
unit (Btu) of gas and electricity, about US$2.3 million in
energy savings (Fuller et al., 2011).
Greener businesses and workplaces
People spend a great amount of time in the workplace,
making it a useful location for informal and non-formal
education. Over the past two to three decades, a series
of corporate initiatives have been launched to reduce
companies’ ecological footprint and educate staff and
the public about environmental protection. In addition
to cutting costs and improving a company’s reputation,
initiatives in the realm of corporate social responsibility (CSR)
help raise environmental awareness internally and externally.
In a 2008 Economist Intelligence Unit survey, over half
of all the global executives who responded considered
CSR a high or very high priority – up from 34.1% in 2005
(The Economist, 2008). Over 40% said it was important
for their companies to align sustainability with their
overall business goals, mission or values (McKinsey,
2014). Allianz Insurance, an international financial
services group employing over 148,000 people, publicly
committed to a 35% reduction of its 2006 carbon
footprint by 2015. To reach its objective, it ‘greened’ its
IT hardware purchasing policy, reduced unnecessary
travel and imposed double-sided printing (TUC, 2014).
Unilever developed a plan to improve environmental
impacts throughout the entire supply chain; it reduced
manufacturing carbon emissions by one third while
increasing sustainable agricultural sources from
14% to 48% between 2010 and 2014 (The Economist,
2014). Initiatives such as these not only help reduce
a company’s carbon footprint but also encourage
employees to adopt more sustainable practices outside
the workplace.
In addition to preserving the environment, manufacturers’
and retailers’ decisions to market organic products,
use environmentally sustainable packaging, ban plastic
bags (Box 1.2) and inform consumers about how goods
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CHAPTER 1 | PLANET: ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY