Why we must act

"Climate, soil, air, water, energy resources, food, fisheries, and biodiversity are all elements of the global commons, and all have prospects that range from uncertain to perilous."

- Editorial, Science

"When scientists and public policy specialists gathered at the Earth Institute at Columbia University, New York, to assess the State of the Planet in 2004, their overriding concern centered on global-scale interactions between the growing human population and Earth processes under increasing strain. The fourfold increase of the human population during the past century, coupled with a roughly 4.5-fold increase of economic activity per person, has led to adverse anthropogenic effects on species extinction, ecosystem functions and biodiversity, climate change, groundwater depletion, soil nutrient losses, and zoonotic disease emergence and transmission, with far too little societal effort invested in mitigating these consequences... There is a public hunger today for information that is not spin or sound bites."

- Editorial, Science

UN Entities Launch Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (March 9, 2012)

1 March 2012: Five UN entities have launched the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative aimed at committing leaders of the international academic community to develop sustainable practices for Higher Education institutions, ahead of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).

The UN Academic Impact (UNAI), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UN Global Compact (UNGC) and UN University (UNU), together with the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), have launched the initiative, which calls on leaders of Higher Education institutions to sign a Declaration of Commitment to Sustainable Practices of Higher Education Institutions. The Declaration commits them to, inter alia, the teaching of sustainable development concepts as part of the core curriculum. The initiative notes that because Higher Education institutions educate and train decision makers, they play an important role in building more sustainable societies and have a special responsibility to provide leadership on education for sustainable development.

The Declaration that institution leaders are invited to sign also commits them to: encourage research on sustainable development issues; “green” campuses by, among other things, reducing the environmental footprint through energy, water and material resource efficiencies in buildings and facilities; support sustainability efforts in the communities in which they reside; and exchange knowledge and experiences, and report regularly on progress and challenges, through international frameworks, such as the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. [UNCSD News Release][The Declaration]

Newest Partner Joins DANS (March 8, 2012)

The International Environmental Communication Association (IECA) has recently joined the DANS efforts to stimulate education for sustainability. Look for some of their resources to be added to our site shortly. In the interim you can visit their website http://environmentalcomm.org

DANS Partners to Win FIPSE Grant (March 3, 2012)

DANS has partnered with the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and eleven disciplinary societies to win a U.S. Department of Education FIPSE grant.  “Mobilizing Disciplinary Societies on Behalf of our Students … and our Planet" will bring the power of the disciplines to:

  1. Increase their learning in undergraduate STEM courses, and
  2. better prepare them for the real-world 21st century “Big Questions" that relate to real-world issues such as energy, air and water quality, and climate change.

 

Watch the Education for a Sustainable Future Webinar

Listen to Debra Rowe and others as they present a 90-minute webinar on the latest trends in sustainability on campus. Several higher education experts highlight some of the best examples of implementing sustainable projects and practices.

Sample of resources available from DANS members: 

Business:

  • Aspen Institute - Caseplace.org is a practical and dynamic resource for up-to-date case studies, syllabi and innovative MBA teaching materials on business and sustainability- from corporate governance to sustainable development


Psychology:

Religion:

Links:

For additional resources click here.