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Introduction/Executive Summary
Choosing our Future: Scotland's Sustainable Development Strategy, which was published in December 2005, identified learning to make Scotland sustainable as a major strand of our approach to sustainable development. As the Strategy notes, the scale of the challenge is such that it cannot be achieved unless people have the necessary knowledge, awareness, understanding and skills to play a part. Facing up to the challenges of sustainable development means changing the way we live and work and has implications for how we develop as individuals and, ultimately, globally. It requires us to learn new approaches and attitudes for improved use of our planet's limited resources and get much better at thinking about, and acting on, the long-term consequences of our actions as well as local, national and global consequences.
Sustainable development education is an approach which aims to deliver knowledge and understanding of these issues and how to act on them. It informs people's values through an exploration of the fundamental principles of the way we live our lives now and the impact our lifestyles have on the environment and society.
Choosing our Future set out the main aims of our approach to learning for sustainable development which we have followed in this Action Plan. The Action Plan explains the actions which the Scottish Executive and our partners are taking to achieve those ends. We want to see a Scotland where:
- Learning for sustainable development is a core function of the formal education system
- There are lifelong opportunities to learn
- The sustainable development message is clearly understood
This Action Plan explains the first wave of actions we will be taking over the next five years in support of the global programme to integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning - the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development - and elaborates on the principles in our Strategy.
Key Action Points
Learning for sustainable development within the formal education system: schools
School Education in Scotland is undergoing a process of reform and the Scottish Executive Education Department will take account of sustainable development in the Ambitious, Excellent Schools programme. The review of the curriculum which will take place in that context presents a major opportunity to strengthen the contribution that education for sustainable development can make and the Executive will liaise with the Sustainable Development Education Liaison Group ( SDELG) on options for taking this forward.
The Executive will continue to support the development of the Eco Schools Programme in Scotland with funding of £350,000 provided on an annual basis up to 2008-09 and then reviewed. In addition, the Executive will explore with SDELG and Eco Schools Scotland ways to enhance active participation by secondary schools.
The Executive is keen to raise the profile and uptake of outdoor education as a whole school approach which can effectively knit together many of the strands of sustainable development in a rich learning environment. SNH are preparing a web-based directory of sites and Learning and Teaching Scotland ( LTS) have appointed a national development officer to identify and disseminate good practice and encourage authorities to review and enhance provision.
We recognise that teachers and educators need access to good-quality materials, advice and support. The Executive is working with LTS and other stakeholders and in 2006-07 a joint project along with LTS and SNH will identify sources and materials that can be made available to teaching staff.
Further and Higher Education
Universities clearly have a key role in developing knowledge, understanding and professional skills among learners and the wider community. The Funding Council will work with institutions and national bodies to identify how sustainable skills, attitudes and behaviours can influence the development of courses.
The Council will assess the progress made by Scotland's universities and colleges and report to the Executive annually and will review the sector's progress in following sustainable principles in capital projects.
The Council will also consider how sustainable development research capacity can be developed.
Lifelong Learning
We recognise that there is still much work to be done to develop routes for learning about, and engaging with, sustainable development outside the formal education system. As a first step in developing new ideas and approaches in this area the Executive will host a conference on 'involving people in sustainable development' by March 2007.
Building on, and developing, people's growing awareness and concern is very important. The ecological footprint is a useful tool in developing our understanding of unsustainable consumption and learning how to make more sustainable choices. The Executive will continue to support the work of WWF and partner organisations to roll out the footprint approach to local authorities and schools across Scotland. We will work more widely to encourage informed public debate around the social and environmental consequences of our consumption habits.
Voluntary Sector
The voluntary sector including NGOs already play an important role in the stewardship of natural resources, engagement of volunteers, awareness raising and policy development advice. The Executive will work with the sector to develop their own learning for sustainable development and we are supporting a joint project with BTCV Scotland to explore the benefits of environmental volunteering in Scotland.
Communities
We want to support the strong tradition of community action involvement in Scotland by developing learning and engagement in sustainable development at community level. The Executive will provide funding of £100,000 for the next three years to develop, support and evaluate community initiatives in this area.
Communicating sustainable development
The Executive will set out proposals to meet the commitment in the UK Sustainable development Framework 'to promote a clear understanding of and commitment to sustainable development…' in a communications plan that will support Choosing Our Future. We are developing a new learning programme to mainstream skills for sustainable development within our own organisation.
Working in Partnership
The Action Plan reflects the breadth of organisations and interests involved in the delivery of a sustainable Scotland.
We will work with stakeholders to develop the most appropriate mechanisms for co-ordinating activity and sharing experience. We will publicise statements and examples of the contributions that organisations are making on the Scottish Executive website.
Finally, we will develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to support the delivery of this Plan. The Action Plan itself will be reviewed in 2009 as part of the wider review of the sustainable development strategy.
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