Developing a Whole-of-University Approach to Educating for Sustainability

TLDR

Institutions of higher education are poised to play a significant role in the search for a more sustainable future, yet most universities tackle sustainability in a compartmentalised manner, isolating education from research and campus operations. Universities can optimise their role as agents of change by adopting a whole‑of‑university approach to sustainability. This approach explicitly links research, education, operations, and outreach activities and engages students in each. The collaborative curriculum space raises the profile of sustainability initiatives, generates solutions to sustainability problems, builds trust among students, managers, and academics, and provides meaningful learning experiences.

Abstract

Institutions of higher education are poised to play a significant role in the search for a more sustainable future. Most universities are tackling sustainability issues in a compartmentalised manner, sustainability education is confined to specific courses, education is often isolated from research, and neither is likely to be linked to sustainable campus operations. Universities can optimise their role as agents of change with regard to sustainability by adopting a ‘whole-of-university’ approach to sustainability. This approach explicitly links research, educational, operational and outreach activities and engages students in each. By encouraging a collaborative space within the curriculum for students, academics and managers to critically reflect on university's performance with regard to sustainability, many positive benefits ensue, including raising the profile of university's sustainability initiatives; providing solutions to sustainability problems; building trust among students, managers and academics; and providing meaningful learning experiences for students.