1. Create Sustain Ability 14 May 2010 ESD and the Academy Heather Luna Project Coordinator Higher Education Academy ESD Project

2. Outline Context and challenge Background to HEA ESD Project Current and future programme

3. HEFCE’S sustainable development ambition ‘Our vision is that within the next ten years, the higher education sector will be recognised as a major contributor to society’s efforts to achieve sustainability – through the skills and knowledge that its graduates learn..., its research and exchange of knowledge..., community and public policy engagement, and through its own strategies and operations.’ - Sustainable Development in Higher Education http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2009/09

4. HEFCE We ask the Academy to consider how it can support the implementation of our Sustainable Development Strategy and Action Plan (HEFCE 2009/03). We would like the Academy to recognise Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as a cross cutting priority and to continue to proactively encourage and support ESD through the ESD Project group and Subject Centre networks. We welcome the Academy’s intention to set up a small group to advise on ESD activities and ask that the Academy works with sector bodies, such as the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges, to support ESD. We would like the Academy to continue with the development and publication of a sustainability policy for its own operations.

5. Scottish Funding Council Sustainable development – We look to the Academy to work with us in delivering our sustainable development strategy for Scotland’s HEIs, and to support institutions in the development of appropriate knowledge, skills and attributes among learners.

6. HEFCW We invite you to facilitate institutions in their curriculum design to take account of emerging and ongoing priorities, as appropriate. In this context we would like you to continue to facilitate the sector in delivering the priority and supplementary actions set out in the Welsh Assembly Government’s document: Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship (ESDGC) - a Strategy for Action, as identified in the 2008/09 grant letter. This includes exploring the potential for extending the Academy’s student volunteering awards to Wales, as part of the global citizenship agenda.

7. A growing movement... UN Decade for ESD (2005-15) DIUS Sustainable Development Action Plan HEFCE’s Strategic Review of SD in HE and SD Action Plan (2009) HEFCE’s Carbon Reduction Target and Strategy for HE (2010) HEFCW Corporate Strategy and Plan HE Academy ESD Project - recognised as a priority Sustainability CETLs and a growing number of leader HEIs People and Planet ‘Green League’ Future Leaders Survey Green Gown Awards Rise of Regional Centres of Expertise Universities UK SD Group and Statement of Intent Academy/SFC review of sustainability in the Scottish HEI sector ESDGC curriculum audit of HEIs in Wales

8. Some challenges for the ‘sustainable university’, how to... bring together and reconcile agendas coherently: eg.employment, internationalisation, enterprise and sustainability spearhead sustainable development regionally with stakeholders, and support healthy and sustainable economies and communities model sustainability on campus, procurement, food and resource use etc anticipate social, economic and ecological change, particularly related to climate change ensure ‘sustainability literacy’ of staff and students get all this to be a central part of the HEI’s culture

9. HE Academy Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Project Purpose: ‘to help institutions and subject communities develop curricula and pedagogy that will give students the skills and knowledge to live and work sustainably.’

10. The Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Project Began early 2005 with support of Forum for the Future, as special theme within Academy’s programme First stage: audit of subject communities carried out by 18 of the 24 Subject Centres Culminated in the “Dawe Report”, available from website: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/esd

11. HE Academy ESD (Project) Aims 1 ‘To research and support the development of ESD in the HE sector, particularly within subject communities’. 2 ‘To build capacity internally and amongst individuals, subject communities and institutions to embed ESD in curricula and pedagogy’. 3 ‘To assist the coordination and dissemination of policy, research and practice relating to ESD in institutions, the HEA and the wider field’.

12. Work in 2009-10 Publish Earthscan book on contribution of disciplines to ESD (in collaboration with the Centre for Sustainable Futures) SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION Perspectives and practice across higher education

13. Stimulating new thinking

14. Work in 2009-10 Internal briefing on ESD for Academy and briefing event Two single institutional strategy and change events in Scotland (QMU and Edinburgh) Workshop at HE Academy conference in 2010 Green Gown Awards judging ESDGC HE Network in Wales (coordination of meetings)

15. S ustainability in H igher E ducation D evelopers (SHED) Networks ‘SHED-Share’ Run by Academy ESD in collaboration with the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) SHED-Share: information, announcements, queries, with the potential to develop discussions, joint proposals etc

16. Communication Bi-monthly e-Newsletter Weekly e-Bulletin Academy ESD website Sustainability in HE Developers network (SHED)

17. The Academy ESD Website http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/esd http://www.heacademy.ac.uk Our strategy Publications Latest news on ESD in the HE sector Information on all of our projects Regional networking lists for the South West, Scotland and Wales ESD events, past (including presentations) and future Links to disciplinary-specific ESD resources via Subject Centres Bi-monthly e-Newsletter (sign up on the site) Links to relevant policy documents/web pages and partners

18. Plan of Work 2010-2011 (highlights) Student engagement research Student engagement event Produce a Learning and Teaching Framework for ESD Two single institutional strategy and change events in Scotland Coordination of Sustainability in Higher Education Developers (SHED ) network (with EAUC) Fund seven small curriculum development grants around interdisciplinarity Subject Centre interdisciplinary research grants

19. Interdisciplinarity Grants Real-World Learning for Sustainable Environmental Management Dr Ros Taylor, Kingston University Sustainability: Past, Present and Future Ingrid Mainland, UHI Millennium Institute Problem-based Learning in Virtual Interactive Educational Worlds for Sustainable Development (PREVIEW-Sustain) Simon Bignell, University of Derby Making the Transition to Interdisciplinarity: Effective strategies for early student support Dr Zoe Robinson, Keele University ESD in the Professional Curriculum Prof Colin T. Reid, University of Dundee Interdisciplinary Learning in ESD at Taught Postgraduate Level: Research- informed capacity building for curriculum development Prof Lindsey McEwan Interdisciplinarity, Design Thinking & Sustainable Development: Strategies for UK higher education Simon O'Rafferty, UWIC

20. Academy ESD management David Sadler has overall responsibility Planning Group meetings – open to all Subject Centre representatives Advisory Group (chaired by Prof Steve Martin. Has met twice to date)

21. HEA ESD Staff (all part time) ‘Field’ team Dr Simon Smith, PRS, Project Manager Project Coordinator: Heather Luna Prof Stephen Sterling, U of Plymouth, Senior Advisor Academy York team Laila Burton (York Project Co-ordinator) Jonathan Payens (York Project Officer) and Alastair Robertson (Head of Policy and Partnerships, Scotland)

22. Key sites Higher Education Academy ESD Project http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/esd http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/esd HEFCE’s online resource for sustainable development in HE http://www.hefce.ac.uk/susdevresources/ http://www.hefce.ac.uk/susdevresources/ Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) http://www.eauc.org.uk http://www.eauc.org.uk Student Force for Sustainability www.studentforce.org.uk/ www.studentforce.org.uk/ Centre for Sustainable Futures (CSF) at UP www.csf.plymouth.ac.uk www.csf.plymouth.ac.uk