SBCI Education Policy Guidelines 2010

978-92-807-3095-1

Cover Images

Background: ”School of Environmental Sciences building, Charles

Sturt University in Albury, Australia” Photo: Mark Fallander

Inset: “Chongqing, China Cityscape” Photo: Peter Graham

GUIDELINES ON EDUCATIONPOLICY FOR SUSTAINABLEBUILT ENVIRONMENTS

Principle Authors:

Dr. Peter Graham –United Nations Environment Programme Sustainable Buildings & Climate Initiative (UNEP-SBCI) &Faculty of the Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Australia

Dr. Philip Booth –Faculty of the Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Australia

Contributors:

Prof. Deo Prasad – Faculty of the Built Environment, UNSWProf. Arvind Krishnan – CEPT Ahmadabad, IndiaProf. Rusong Wang – Chinese Academy of Sciences: Research Centre for Eco-EnvironmentalSciences, ChinaChen Nan – Wageningen University: The NetherlandsBai Wenfeng – Kunming University of Science and Technology: Institute of Green Vernacular Building (IGVB)Dr. Fionn Stevenson – School of Architecture, University of Dundee, ScotlandDr. S. Cotton – Scott Sutherland School of Architecture, Aberdeen, ScotlandDr. Arvind Kumar – Faculty of the Built Environment, UNSWBen Roche – Faculty of the Built Environment, UNSWAndre Grant – Faculty of the Built Environment, UNSW

Conveners:

Prof. Deo Prasad – Faculty of the Built Environment, UNSWProf. Arvind KrishnanJacob Kurian – Associate Programme Officer, UNEP ROAPMarco Silvestri – Associate Programme Officer, AIT-UNEP RRC.AP

Expert Reference Group:

Dr. Chrisna Du Plessis – CSIR South AfricaProf. Hiroto Takaguchi – Faculty of Human-Environment Studies, Kyushu University JapanProf. Rusong Wang – Chinese Academy of Sciences: Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences ChinaInternational Initiative for Sustainable Built Environments (iiSBE) – Sustainable Building Educators Network.

This publication has been produced as part of the Emerging Issues Initiative of the AIT-UNEP RRC.AP andfunded by the Netherlands Minister for Development Cooperation, through the Urban Environmental Cluster ofUNEP and the UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and can in no way be taken to reflectthe views of AIT-UNEP RRC.AP, UNEP, or the Netherlands Minister for Development Cooperation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TERMS OF REFERENCE 5INTRODUCTION 6

PART 1: AN EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENTS 9

1.1 ECO-SETTLEMENTS 101.1.1 What are eco-settlements, and how do we get there? 101.1.2 Sustainable Buildings & Construction 111.1.3 Summary 14

1.2 SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION FOR CREATING ECO-SETTLEMENTS 141.2.1 Learning Aims 151.2.2 Learning Outcomes 161.2.3 Learner-centred Teaching Methods 17

1.3 MONITORING, REPORTING AND EVALUATION METHODS 19REFERENCES FOR PART 1 21

PART 2: EDUCATION STRATEGIES AND POLICIES 23

2.1 STRATEGIES FOR GOVERNMENTS AND INTER-GOVERNMENTAL BODIES 262.1.1 Eco-settlement Education Policy – Review and Reform 262.1.2 Continuing Professional Development 262.1.3 Capacity Building 272.1.4 Encouraging & supporting communities of practice 272.1.5 Performance assessment & rating of settlements 272.1.6 Lead by example 272.1.7 Exemplars 27

2.2 STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITIES 282.2.1 Sustainability monitoring and reporting programs 282.2.2 Collaboration 282.2.3 Capacity building 292.2.4 Learning networks and partnerships 292.2.4 Knowledge bases 292.2.5 Exemplars 29

2.3 STRATEGIES FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR 302.3.1 Continuing professional development 312.3.2 Course, trade and professional accreditation 312.3.3 Publications and awards 312.3.4 Building performance assessment and rating 312.3.5 Public accountability 312.3.6 Research and Development 312.3.7 Exemplars 31

2.4 STRATEGIES FOR THE FORMAL EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS 322.4.1 Curriculum review and reform 322.4.2 Networks and partnerships for teaching, research and community engagement 332.4.3 Student Involvement 332.4.4 Community Engagement 332.4.5 Campus eco-redesign and performance monitoring 332.4.6 Capacity building and continuing education 332.4.7 Exemplars 34

2.5 STRATEGIES FOR CIVIL SOCIETY AND NGOs 352.5.1 Performance monitoring, assessment and rating schemes 352.5.2 Community engagement project development and grant applications 352.5.3 Networks and partnering 352.5.4 Capacity building 362.5.5 Exemplars 36

2.6 POLICY STRATEGIES FOR MEDIA 372.6.1 Network initiatives 372.6.2 Promotion and awareness raising 372.6.3 Dissemination and distribution 372.6.4 Exemplars 37

2.7 STRATEGIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 382.7.1 Networks and partnering 382.7.2 Involvement 382.7.3 Empowerment 392.7.4 Exemplars 39

2.8 STRATEGIES FOR INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES 402.8.1 Networks and partnering 402.8.2 Cooperation 402.8.3 Dissemination 402.8.4 Exemplars 40

2.9 FRAMEWORK FOR ECO-SETTLEMENT EDUCATION 402.9.1 Governments and Inter-Governmental Bodies 412.9.2 Strategies for Communities 422.9.3 Strategies for the Private Sector 432.9.4 Strategies for Formal Education Sectors 442.9.5 Strategies for Civil Society and NGOs 452.9.6 Strategies for Media 462.9.7 Strategies for Youth 472.9.8 Strategies for International Agencies 48

REFERENCES FOR PART 2 49

PART 3: BEST PRACTICE MODELS OF CURRICULA & PROGRAMS 513.1 BEST PRACTICES IN UNIVERSITIES 523.1.1 Best Practice for Architectural Education 523.1.2 Best Practice for Campuses – ‘Learnscaping’ 553.1.3 Case Studies of Learnscapes 573.1.4 Best practice in community engagement – FBE Out There! 59

3.2 BEST PRACTICE FOR SCHOOLS & TEACHERS 603.2.1 The Knowledge Networks Professional Development Model 60

3.3 BEST PRACTICE FOR COMMUNITY EDUCATORS 633.3.1 Curitiba – a case study of holistic policies, planningframeworks, education & capacity building 643.3.2 Yangzhou Eco-city - a case study of SENCE 66REFERENCES FOR PART 3 69

APPENDIX A – Learner Centred Strategies 71

- Research current policies, knowledge andpractices on education for sustainable builtenvironments

- Develop education policy for different builtenvironment stakeholder groups

- Provide exemplars of education for sustainablebuilt environments in formal, informal andprofessional education.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

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UNEP Guidelines on Education Policy for Sustainable Built Environments

More people are moving to and living in cities thanever before. In many regions, demand on existingurban infrastructure, supporting eco-systems andfor new building has never been greater. At the sametime climate change is creating new vulnerabilitiesfor urban populations that must be addressed.Globally the building sector is responsible for up to40% of our energy and resource consumption, upto 30% of our solid waste production and up to 30%of all energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Itis clear that such impacts are unsustainable. So howdo we learn to build and operate our cities, towns,villages and buildings so that impacts such as theseare not only avoided, but so that our builtenvironments repair, replenish and sustain?

These issues highlight the urgent need for educationthat supports eco-settlement and sustainablebuilding. Sustainability education for the buildingsector is fundamental to the creation of sustainableurban and rural settlements. Guidelines on EducationPolicy for Sustainable Built Environments has beencommissioned by the United Nations EnvironmentProgram (UNEP) to contribute to capacity buildingand policy making during the UNESCO Decade ofEducation for Sustainable Development.

This guideline provides a framework of:

Key sustainability education principles;Sustainable design values and precepts;Generic teaching and learning strategies fortargeted stakeholder groups;Appropriate pedagogies;Best practice teaching/ learning programs; andCase studies of exemplary curricula.

The framework presents a synthesis of sustainabilityeducation and aims for key stakeholders in the builtenvironment (Figure One). The outcome of thissynthesis is a suite of learning aims, strategies andcase-study curricula that can empower people totransform cities, towns and villages into eco-settlements. The framework also guides and informsthe development of new educational policies thatpromote the capacity building for sustainablebuildings and construction (SBC).

INTRODUCTION

Figure 1: Synthesis provided by these guidelines

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In providing this synthesis, the guideline draws on awide range of foundational texts and key referencesin sustainability education, and in eco-settlementdesign, construction and maintenance. Itconsolidates Agenda 21, which emerged from theUN Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro in 1992; the UNHabitat Agenda; the UN Millennium DevelopmentGoals; Agenda 21 for Sustainable Construction (CIB,1999) and Agenda 21 for Sustainable Constructionin Developing Countries (Du Plessis, 2002).

This guideline emphasises the key role of theconstruction sector in the creation of sustainableurban and rural settlements. It also provides aframework for linking sustainability education in thebuilt environment with the United Nations Decadefor Education for Sustainable Development (DESD).

Humanity has reached a significant turning point inthe history of settlement patterns: this is the first timethat the majority of humans are living in cities, ratherthan rural settlements. This ‘turn of the tide’ bringsinto sharper focus the urgent need for eco-settlementsand sustainable buildings.

The guideline is structured into three parts.

Part 1 - A Framework forEco-Settlement Education

In Part 1, the broad framework of appropriatesustainability education principles, core sustainabledesign values and precepts is developed for thedesign, construction and maintenance of eco-citiesand villages. An appropriate range of transformativepedagogies and learner-centred curricula modelsis also presented.

Part 2 - Eco-SettlementEducation Strategies & Policies

The broad framework developed in Part 1 providesa rationale for selecting and recommendingappropriate teaching, learning and capacity buildingstrategies for different key stakeholder groups inthe Asia-Pacific. Both UNESCO’s InternationalImplementation Scheme for the DESD and theUNESCO/UNEP Working Paper: Asia-PacificRegional Strategy for Education for SustainableDevelopment makes a clear case for developingeducational strategies, policies and programs forthese eight foundational stakeholder groups:

Governments and inter-governmental bodies;Communities;Private sector industries including professionalsand trades-people;Formal education institutions;Civil society and NGOs;Media;Youth; andInternational agencies.

Recommended educational policy strategies,together with accompanying implementationmethods and enabling actions for role players withinstakeholder groups are also described. Thesetargeted role players include:

Decision makers and policy leaders in local tointernational levels of government, industriesand educational institutions;Educators, industry trainers and learners informal education sectors – schools, universities,polytechnics, vocational training colleges andso forth;Community educators and champions involvedin non-formal or grass-roots learning programsand projects;Professional accrediting associations inArchitecture, Planning, Landscape Architecture,Construction Management and so forth;Professionals and tradespeople in governmentdepartments and private sector companies; andVillage builders and artisans.

The teaching and learning strategies assist all roleplayers to become actively involved in continuouslylearning how to plan, design, build and manage eco-cities and villages. Educators, educational policymakers and industry trainers are also encouragedto utilise interdisciplinary approaches to developholistic policy frameworks that address key trendsand issues for rural and urban eco-settlements.

Part 3 - Best PracticeModels of Curricula, Syllabi & Programs

In Part 3, opportunities for interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder sustainability education for eco-citiesand villages are identified in the context of commonneeds, actions and challenges for sustainabilityeducation. Best practices are highlighted andregional exemplars and case studies of innovativeprograms and projects in communities, schools,universities, research centres, professional learningand training programs are also presented.Appropriate monitoring, reporting and evaluationstrategies are also discussed in Part 3.

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Intent: To provide a framework ofsustainability education principles andlearning aims for built-environmenteducators and policy-makers.

PART 1:AN EDUCATIONALFRAMEWORK FORSUSTAINABLE BUILTENVIRONMENTS

PAR

T 1

OverviewIn Part 1, a broad framework of appropriatesustainability education principles, core sustainabledesign values and precepts is developed for thedesign, construction and maintenance of eco-citiesand villages. Part 1 also presents a range oftransformative pedagogies & learner-centredcurricula models. A broad framework setting outlearning aims for education and capacity buildingamong key stakeholder groups in the building sectoris then presented. Appropriate monitoring, reportingand evaluation strategies for best practice projectsare also outlined.

1.1 ECO-SETTLEMENTS

Richard Register, a pioneer of the eco-city movementonce wrote “. . . we teach how to build, but what webuild teaches us how to live” (Register & Peaks,1997). We are now learning from our built-environments lessons about the effects of pollution,poor air-quality, resource consumption, climatechange, socio-economic inequality, loss ofbio-diversity and waste. Simultaneously we see citysky-lines crowded with energy-intensive commercialsky-scrapers reflecting the power of private capitaland global corporations, while the perimeters andvacant lands sprawl with the desperation of peopleliving in informal settlements. Our settlements arethe best class-rooms we have to learn about what isunsustainable. So what should we be learning tobecome sustainable?

One of our greatest challenges is to learn how toeliminate the unsustainable from our built-environments and develop ways of regenerating ourcities, towns and villages so that they are places inwhich everyone can learn through experience to livein peace, health, harmony and joy. This ideal hasbeen called an ‘eco-settlement’ and is thefundamental vision and learning aim for theseguidelines.

1.1.1 What are eco-settlements,and how do we get there?

Foundational concepts for eco-cities and villagesare introduced below that engage the heads, handsand hearts of stakeholders with the three pillars ofESD (ecological, economic, socio-cultural).Exemplars of these concepts are initially drawn fromHerbert Giradet’s Creating Sustainable Cities andother key sources. Each concept is based on coreprinciples for eco-settlements including ecologicalintegrity, sustainable lifestyles, good governance,and maintenance of cultural diversity and harmony.

The key challenge for educators is to foster urbanand village cultures – regionally and globally – thatreconcile large scale urbanization with sustainabledevelopment, the preservation of natural resourcesand protection of agricultural lands. Such urbancultures will need to have an intergenerational senseof continuity and longevity, so that acquiredknowledge of sustainable practices and skills canbe passed on.

Giradet defines a sustainable city as being“organized so as to enable all its citizens to meettheir own needs and to enhance their well-beingwithout damaging the natural world or endangeringthe living conditions of other people, now or in thefuture” (1999: 13). It is also crucial that eco-citiescreate and maintain viable connections andrelationships to their hinterlands: “The mode ofadaptation of cities to their hinterland ultimatelydefines their sustainability, or lack of it.” (1999: 17)

Cities as Super-organisms:A key challenge for policy makers and designers ofeducational strategies and capacity buildingprograms is to contribute significantly to changingthe metabolisms of cities, from open and linearsystems with huge footprints, to closed and self-regulating systems with sustainable footprints andthus stable relationships with their hinterlands.Educational/ awareness strategies and capacitybuilding programs can utilize eco-footprintingmethods and techniques to analyse the spatialimpacts of cities on hinterlands and to implement thedesign of key changes to urban metabolisms.

Metabolisms of Cities:Transitions towards the long-term viability of eco-cities and eco-villages will depend in large measureon successfully designing and implementing closed

BOX 1. Definition of SustainableHuman Settlements

Cities, towns, villages and theircommunities planned, designed &constructed to:

Minimise Ecological Footprints(biophysical) andMaximise Human Potential (humanecology) in order toRepair, replenish and support theprocesses that maintain life.(Downton et al, a. 2006)

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loop models based on the cyclic metabolisms inecosystems and their finite carrying capacities –also known as ecological systems thinking:

Outputs will also need to be inputs into the productionsystem, with routine recycling of paper, metals,plastic and glass, and the conversion of organicmaterials including sewage into compost, returningplant nutrients back to the farmland that feeds thecities. (Giradet, 1999: 34)

From Urban Sprawls to Convivial Cities:Successful stages of transition to eco-cities andvillages should be envisioned in plans andcelebrated after successful implementation forregaining one of the most beneficial attributes ofurban living: conviviality. Convivial eco-cities arecharacterized by compactness, vitality, diversities(social, economic and cultural), pedestrian planningfor safe and ‘walkable’ streets, urban villages andneighbourhoods filled with local identities, and cheapand efficient public transport.

A mixture of traditional and innovative urban farmingtechniques, and permanent retention of peri-urbanagriculture will also be crucial attributes, replacingthe historically recent trend towards long distancehaulage. This will enable nutrients to be recycled,thus preserving soil fertility.

‘Smart Cities’ and Urban Best Practice:The development of ‘Smart Cities’ will becharacterized by the integration of sustainabilityplanning and design, and research and developmentof feedback tools and information systems to assistin self-analyses of energy and water consumption,leading on to best practices that minimizeconsumption and close loops:

Eco-feedback is an evolving system of informationfeedback that allows individuals to influence theirbehaviour patterns in accordance with their ownexperiences …To make the best possible use offeedback, people need a good knowledge base.For this, the most important thing is the collectionand dissemination of best practices, giving peopleinformation about new options – about projects thathave helped to make cities into better places.(Giradet, 1999 p58)

1.1.2 Sustainable Buildings & Construction

Buildings and built-infrastructure are fundamental tothe form, function and value of human settlements.Yet as previous performance definitions of eco-settlements clearly show, they are more than merelythe sum of their parts – more than just a collection of

environmentally friendly buildings. Therefore, theprocesses of creating, operating, maintaining,refurbishing and demolishing the ‘built-environment’must all contribute positively to creating and sustainingthe qualities of eco-settlements.

The influence of building on sustainable developmentis profound. Globally the sector is responsible formore than a third of all resource consumption, andproduces around a third of all waste and greenhousegas emissions. The magnitude of the sectorsinfluence is also a major opportunity for tackling thecurrent over-shoot of earth’s bio-capacity and climatechange.

The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) for example states that the building sectoroffers the largest potential of any industrial sector toachieve major reductions in greenhouse gasemissions. It estimates the building sector couldreduce its emissions by up to 30% at a zero cost ornet financial saving to an economy (IPCC, 2006).Buildings can also be designed to operate in wayswhich provide ecological services such as cleaningpollution, providing energy and reusing resourcesthat would otherwise be wasted.

The sector is also the world’s largest single industrialemployer, providing jobs to more than 111 millionpeople and accounting for up to 10% of employmentat a country level (UNEP, 2007). Because of theamount of time we spend in and around buildings,the design, maintenance and operation of buildingscan have a significant influence on human health andwell-being. Buildings also define and reinforce culturalidentities.

While the building sector is fundamental to theenvironmental, social and economic pillars ofsustainable development no building activity issustainable unless its net contribution in all three fieldsis positive over its life-cycle. From this perspective itis important for educators not to confuse the terms‘eco-efficient’, ‘green’, ‘positive’ and ‘sustainable’which refer to different levels of building performancebut which are commonly promoted under the headingof ‘sustainable building or construction’.

Eco-Efficient BuildingThe term efficiency simply means to do morewith less. When applied to sustainablebuilding performance it commonly relates toresource efficiency. Common resource efficiencygoals include:

Minimising the amount of resources used relativeto the size of a building;

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Maximising the ease with which resources canbe refurbished, reused and / or recycled;Minimising the amount of resources required toprovide thermal comfort and services in abuilding; andThe proportion of resources wasted duringconstruction, refurbishment and demolition.

In the field of sustainable buildings and constructionenergy, water and material efficiency are mostcommonly promoted.

Energy EfficiencyEnergy-Efficiency is promoted because the buildingsector must reduce its greenhouse gas emissionsby reducing its use of fossil fuels. Reducing energy-demand in a building also improves the financialviability of utilising renewable energy systems andreduces operating costs. Because buildings accountfor more than 30% of all energy consumption,reducing demand for energy use through resourceefficient building provides a major opportunity to savemoney. Building new, and refurbishing existingbuildings for energy efficiency also provides thegreatest potential greenhouse gas emissionreductions; reductions which can be achieved at anet saving to an economy.

The highest performance goal from an energyefficiency perspective is the passive-building. Socalled ‘passive’ approaches to building aim to createor retrofit buildings so that their over-all energy-related environmental impact is entirely off-set by acombination of operational efficiencies and use ofrenewable energy.

Water EfficiencyAlthough water is a renewable resource, the way it isused in buildings is often unsustainable because itis commonly consumed faster than sources can bereplenished. It is also often polluted during use andcan pose serious health risks if it does not undergoexpensive treatment processes. Water-bornedisease is still one of the largest causes of diseaseand death in human settlements. Using waterefficiently is essential to providing security of supply,reducing the risk of disease, the cost of treatmentand for increasing the financial viability of integratingstrategies such as rain-water collection, on-sitebiological water treatment. Heating water is also amajor source of energy consumption for manybuilding types, especially in homes. Therefore, usingless water can aid energy efficiency and reducegreenhouse gas emissions.

Material EfficiencyAccording to some estimates building activityaccounts for about 40% of total annual naturalresource consumption. This includes 25% of all

timber use per year (Graham, 2003). Theenvironmental impacts of material consumption andindustrial manufacturing are most significant in countrieswith rapidly expanding urban populations due to thehigh rate and volume of new construction.

In recent years many companies that manufacturebuilding materials have greatly improved the resourceefficiency of their production processes through theapplication of methods such as life-cycle assessment.There has also been increasing application of eco-labelling standards for materials in some countries.Still the environmental burdens of materialtransportation and waste remain a concern. Principlesof adaptable design are important to follow to ensurematerial efficient building.

‘Green’ BuildingThe term ‘green’ building refers to buildings that arenot only resource efficient but which take measures toimprove the health and well-being of occupants,reduce or minimise environmental pollution and waste,use certified environmentally friendly materials and/or incorporate renewable energy systems. The scopeof issues covered by new ‘green’ buildings is nowcommonly defined by rating schemes such as LEED(USA), BREEAM (UK), HQE (France) and Green-Star(Australia). Generally, green buildings aspire tominimise the life-cycle environmental impacts ofbuilding. The economic and social aspects ofsustainable development are generally not an explicitconcern. Green-building also focuses more on eco-efficiency and thus on limiting the negative impacts ofbuilding.

Because of the rapid deterioration of life-supportingecosystems and rate of climate change, there is aneed for buildings to not only limit harm but to repairand replenish eco-system services. In short, buildingmust have a net positive influence if it is to contributeto eco-settlement.

Positive BuildingPositive building is in fact a far older form of design,construction and living with buildings than modernindustrial techniques. Many vernacular buildingtraditions follow principles that aim not only at positiveecological influences but also at positive psychological,social and even spiritual effects.

In the positive paradigm building is considered as aninterdependent aspect of social-ecological systems– in essence a natural process that can be harmonisedwith and nourish living systems. Positive buildingaims to create more resources than are consumed,treat and re-use rather than generate waste, to provideeco-system goods and services, and promote healthand well-being. With these aims in mind efficient orgreen-buildings may be means, but are not the ends.

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In order to build in such a positive way it is necessaryto use a combination of biological, ecological andtechnical strategies designed to operate in symbiotic(mutually reinforcing) ways. A simple illustration of apositive approach is the reticulation of waste waterthrough roof or wall gardens which cansimultaneously clean water for re-use, nourishgardens that can provide psychological well-beingand habitat, insulation and that protect the buildingenvelope.

Such strategies can also save money by reducingmaintenance and energy costs, and boost people’sproductivity and health. Positive building seeks tointegrate social, ecological and economic systemsin mutually beneficial and reinforcing ways. It istherefore the fundamental form of building fordeveloping and sustaining eco-settlements. Againno building activity is sustainable unless its netcontribution is positive over its life-cycle

Sustainable BuildingA distinction is commonly made between the termssustainable construction (the process) andsustainable buildings (the outcome). ‘Sustainableconstruction’ is also often used as a general term todescribe all types of building including civil andindustrial structures. However it is most helpful tothink of sustainable building or sustainableconstruction as a process of continual improvementin the building sector from unsustainable practicesto positive ones. From this perspective sustainableconstruction has been described as —

“. . . a holistic process aiming to restore andmaintain harmony between the natural and builtenvironments, while creating settlements that affirmhuman dignity and encourage economic equity.”(Du Plessis, 2002 p3)

Figure 2 below describes this process.

Figure 2: Strategies and Actions for Sustainable Construction. Source: Agenda 21 for SustainableConstruction, CIB 1999 p 21

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1.1.3 SummaryThe concepts of sustainable cities and buildingdescribed above should be read not solely as ablue-print for new city development or buildingdesign, but also as a way of assessing opportunitiesfor regenerating our existing settlements. Learninghow to identify sustainable aspects of existingsettlements and using these as catalysts for furthereco-settlement development is essential. We shouldask ourselves, not only how we might create neweco-settlements, but how we can eliminate theunsustainable, and enhance the sustainable aspectsof the settlements we already have.

While the organic re-conceptualisation of cities is animportant ideal, education must deal with the currentunsustainable trends that are shaping urban formand urban life. The most important issues areensuring that human settlements become non-dependent on cars for transport, non-dependent onnon-renewable fuels for energy, and adaptable tochange – particularly climate change. Apart from theenvironmental impacts of emissions and roads, thereare social equity and security concerns with this formof development. As oil becomes scarce and moreexpensive, cars (which are already unaffordable forthe majority of Asia-Pacific city dwellers) and fuelenergy will become more expensive. Mobility andthe basic needs met by cheep, efficient and cleanenergy are rights, not privileges. The same appliesfor buildings.

The term eco-settlement has been adopted in theseguidelines to refer to eco-cities, towns and villages.It is used primarily as a verb rather than a noun. Theprefix ‘eco’ from the Greek Oikos for home isintentionally used in order to relate to the psychologicaland physical locus of what we are trying to sustain.In this sense eco-settlement is the process of makinghome socially, ecologically and economicallysustainable. Eco-settlement is also a process ofadaptation to changing circumstances, withoutdiminishing life quality and life supporting capability.The perception of eco-settlement as a process istherefore central to the philosophy of educationdescribed here, which is in essence the strategy forlearning how to sustain the process of eco-settlement. This approach to education is describedin the next section.

1.2 SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATIONFOR CREATING ECO-SETTLEMENTS

“If you’ve come here to help you are wasting yourtime. But if you’ve come because your liberation isbound up with mine, then let’s work together”(Watson in Gough, 2000 p115)

One of the outcomes of the Rio Earth Summit of 1992was the recognition that education is fundamental tolong-term change toward sustainable humansocieties. Education for Sustainable Development(ESD) was the term created to describe any form ofeducation that assists the sustainable developmentagenda, which was initially defined as “meeting theneeds of present generations without compromisingthe ability of future generations to meet their needs”(WCED, 1987). Globally, the nature and scope ofESD has been evolving for more than a decade:UNESCO has described ESD in the new millenniumas “an emerging but dynamic concept thatencompasses a new vision of education that seeksto empower people of all ages to assumeresponsibility for creating a sustainable future”(2002 p5).

2005 marked the beginning of the United Nationsdeclared ‘Decade of Education for SustainableDevelopment’1 . This is a joint UNESCO and UNEPinitiative to implement sustainability educationglobally. Also in 2005, the International Initiative forSustainable Built Environments (iiSBE) launched aneducation initiative aimed at mainstreamingsustainable building education (Graham, 2006). Themotivation for these efforts related directly to theUnited Nation’s agenda on Education for SustainableDevelopment. This agenda maintains that the primarypurpose of all modes of education should be toempower people to contribute to sustainabledevelopment.

“…Education for Sustainable Development involveslearning how to make decisions that balance andintegrate the long term future of the economy, thenatural environment and the well-being of allcommunities, near and far, now and in the future.”(Australian National Commission for UNESCO,2005 p. 1)

However, the concept of sustainable development,commonly described as a synthesis of economicgrowth within the capabilities of the naturalenvironment, lacks a common value system or ethicalframe-work that can assist in answering questionssuch as – what should we sustain?; for how long?;and for whom? Sustainability education istherefore promoted as a new paradigm thatestablishes a clear ethical framework for determiningwhose interests should be served by sustainabledevelopment (e.g. Fein, 2000; Sterling, 2001;UNESCO, 2005)

1The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the ten-year period from 2005 to 2014 as the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development(UNDESD). UNESCO ratified the UNDESD at its 166th Session in April 2003.

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Key concepts in Sustainability Education:The emphasis of ‘mainstream’ (western) educationhas been criticised by proponents of sustainabilityeducation for perpetuating specialisations ofinformation and expertise; for privileging analytical,quantitative scientific knowledge; and forindoctrinating people into ideologies that serveeconomic rationalism (Sterling, 2001; Fein, 2003;Thomas, 2000). It is argued that the effect of thismindset makes identification of unsustainable humanactivities difficult, and leaves those who are caughtin it with no alternative solutions. Therefore, continuingeducation within this model is likely to increase ratherthan decrease unsustainabile lifestyles and practices(Orr, 1994); “Most of the contemporary educationsystem simply reinforces patterns and pathologiesthat cannot and should not be sustained over thelong-term.” (Orr, D. in Sterling. S. 2001 p8).

Sustainability education is therefore positioned asan alternative paradigm of education for socialchange “relating to the best humanistic educationtraditions” (Sterling, 2001 p11). To adhere to thesetraditions requires a participatory approach to eco-settlement education; one in which the teacher isalso an experiential learner and the students/stakeholders also reflect on and share theirexperiences, thereby teaching each other. As Friere(1972 p66) explains, “Authentic education is notcarried on by A for B or by A about B, but rather byA with B, mediated by the world.” This is describedin contemporary theory for education as a learner-centred approach. With this approach learning ismanifested in the dialogue between teacher andstudent/stakeholder and the objective of each lessonis fundamentally mutual transformation andempowerment.

“Learning is a process of personal growth anddiscovery, not just an accumulation of knowledge.”(Edwards, 1997 p243)

Learning in sustainability education is thereforeintended to be transformative rather thantransmissive. Transformative learning is facilitatedby reflecting on action taken to eliminateunsustainability. This kind of reflective practice is acontinual process, or reflection-in-action, which leadsto deeper understandings about the person acting,the context in which action is taking place, and theforces which reinforce unsustainability. Learningthrough reflection-in-action is an essential element ofsustainability education. This is because sustainabilityeducation seeks change, and often factors that arecontributing to unsustainability in personal activity, acity, town or village do not become apparent untilchange is attempted (Edwards, 1997).

The vision of sustainability education is therefore toengage people in learning how to stop replicatingunsustainability and how to think and act in waysthat promote sustainable development (Sterling,2001). To this end sustainability education applied tohuman settlements:

Engages people in learning how to stopreplicating unsustainability (Sterling, 2001);Facilitates understanding of the meanings ofsustainability and how to think and act in waysthat assist sustainable development (AustralianNational Commission for UNESCO, 2005);Encourages people to learn ways of living thatpromote “sustainable and equitable use ofresources” (Benn, 1999).Provides an approach to life-long learning thathelps people become active citizens inprocesses of environmental and social action.

Sustainability education can be described aseducation about, for and with a set of guiding ethicalprinciples which can equally be applied in thedevelopment of curricula for eco-settlementeducation. These have been described variously aseducation that is:

Values-based;Learner centred;Holistic in scope and praxis;Interdisciplinary;Critical, participatory and self-reflective;Locally relevant;Culturally appropriate; andInclusive of minority, community and indigenousknowledge, wisdom and opinion.

(Tilbury et al, 2002; Australian National Commissionfor UNESCO, 2005; Sterling, 2001)

1.2.1 Learning AimsThese broad intentions and principles of sustainabilityeducation can be focused for eco-settlementeducation and facilitated by four contributory learningaims. These are:

1. Systems Thinking: Being able to understandand analyse settlements as dynamicinterdependent socio-ecological systems ofpeople, “resources, processes and products”through time;

2. Care & Stewardship: Being able to developenvironments that people feel good in(psychologically and physically) and feel goodabout (accords with their values and memory);Being able to accept, protect and enhancecultural, technical and biological diversity;

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3. Symbiosis, Efficiency & Effectiveness:Being able to design, engineer, construct,maintain and adapt systems that turn wastesinto resources and regenerate resources forfuture use; Being able to do more with less andput energy, resources, information and peopleto the highest and best use first;

4. Learning & Innovation: Being able to identifyunsustainable elements of settlement systemsand then instigate, manage and monitor change,learn from experience and innovate.

These four learning aims are obviouslyinterdependent and generally relevant to all learnersin built-environments. Learner-centred eco-settlement education needs to be tailored to respondto local priorities and constraints. In so doing,educators can develop these four fundamentalcapacities in all stakeholders and facilitate thedevelopment of more context specific learningoutcomes. These are described below.

1.2.2 Learning OutcomesLearning for sustainability and sustainabilityeducation are constant processes. We are alwaysimmersed in an environment that, if observed, informsus how to live sustainably. For most people in theAsia-Pacific region, this environment is a built-environment - a city, a town or a village. Oursurroundings affect not only what we learn, but alsohow we develop and express our value-systems.

Common design features and learning outcomes ofeco-settlement education include learning aboutsocial, economic, ecological, spatial, and temporalinterdependencies. Such outcomes empowerstudents, teachers and researchers to identify andthen strategically work towards changingunsustainability within their fields of influence.Appropriate pedagogies and curricula models foreco-city, eco-village and sustainable buildingdevelopment intend to facilitate:

Understanding interdependencies betweensustainability issues in varying contexts, humansettlement patterns, and the perspectives andactivities of different stakeholder groups;Knowledge and skill in eco-design andsustainable construction;Development of life-cycle awareness andsystems thinking;Skills for life-long learning;The competence and willingness to play the roleof change agent (Action Competence);Learning by doing and reflecting on outcomes(Action Learning);

‘Practicing what is preached’ – education assustainable development is preferred;Learning how to identify and eliminate‘unsustainability’ from personal, professionaland social activities, and reflecting on theeffectiveness of actions taken;Learning how to conduct ethical inquiries andethical approaches to decision-making; andEcological literacy.

(Orr, 1994; Benn, 1999; Sterling, 2001)

Students have also asked “...how we can build asustainable future?” and have drawn attention to thepower of multi-cultural and interdisciplinarycollaboration to generate new ways of thinking forsustainable design and construction. They arguedthat sustainable building must use the concept ofsymbiosis as a foundation for sustainable designeducation. They conceptualised sustainable buildingeducation as learning ‘green building + symbiosis’,expressing this as a formula GB + Symbiosis =Sustainable Building (SB05, 2005).

One hundred and thirty-six undergraduate and postgraduate students from thirty-six different countriestook part in a conference which developed a positionstatement on sustainable building to table at the mainconference. The “Student Statement” describes theposition of the participants on priorities for research,education and advocacy. Students called foreducation that would:

Enable them to influence construction industriesto operate as industrial ecologies;Equip them with detailed knowledge of buildingand building material life-cycles;Help them to determine the social impacts andinfluences of construction; andDevelop their knowledge of adaptiveenvironmental management. (Student Session,SB05, 2005)

Sustainable building education they concludedshould not just be directed at building professionals.They argue that sustainability education should seekto “educate the citizen” (p3), and that it must beintroduced at all levels of education. Graham (2003,2005) organises these learning outcomes in termsof developing knowledge of interdependency,knowledge of experience, and knowledge ofchange. These categories of knowledge are:

Knowledge of Interdependency:Local, regional and global (‘Glocal’) scales ofstakeholder awareness of sustainabledevelopment;Critical literacy in socio-cultural constructs

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Ecological Literacy2

Whole-systems and life-cycle thinking.

Knowledge of Experience:Historical understanding of a contextAbility to identify and eliminate unsustainabilityAbility to design, construct and maintain placespeople feel good in and feel good about.Ability to develop and monitor appropriatesustainable development indicators.

Knowledge of ChangeEthics and values toward care, stewardshipand equityPolicy development and enactmentCivic ‘action competence3 ’How to learn, innovate and adapt.

1.2.3 Learner-centred Teaching MethodsIn order to achieve this vision, theory and practice(Praxis) of education themselves need transformationfrom education about and for sustainability, toproviding reflection-in-action based learning as ameans of sustainable development (Sterling, 2001).The differences between these three foci are definedas follows:

Education about sustainability typicallyintroduces content and knowledge about sustainabilityissues. This approach allows sustainability to betaught through principles, rules, or laws in specialcourses within a program and does not require anychange to standard curriculum models.

Education for sustainability emphasises learningfor change. This approach includes learning aboutsocial values, critical analysis to identify areas ofcontemporary practice that require reform, anddeveloping capabilities to affect the reforms. This typeof curriculum is predicated on the conviction thataspects of current practice are not sustainable andneed changing. Education for sustainability teachesstudents how to facilitate change but does not requestpersonal change toward sustainable practice fromeither students or the teaching program.

Education as sustainability emphasises learningas change. In this model the process of actuallytrying to cease unsustainability and live sustainably

becomes the learning activity. As a result theclassroom, the studio, the administration, thecampus, the practice, the professionalorganisations etc should become contributorsto sustainable development.

A range of perspectives, approaches and toolsare required to achieve holistic change towardsustainable settlements. Globally, there is nosingle paradigm of thinking, approach or modelthat can address the needs of all stakeholders inlocal contexts - people are learning how tounderstand sustainability principles and initiateaction projects in very different ways, in responseto different issues and needs. Sustainabilityeducators will need to offer a variety of teachingmethods and approaches to learning that guidehands-on learning. Selecting the best methodsand techniques will depend on the learners, thesituation, and the learning objectives.

The challenge of sustainability education is to learnby practicing what we preach. Applying theseintentions to eco-settlement education broadensthe emphasis for learning from enhancing theenvironmental performance of the building, tolearning how to sustain the amenity created bythe whole building process; and shifts the purposeof design from impact mitigation to regeneration ofhealthy environments, re-use of buildings andsymbiosis4 (Graham, 2003; AIJ, 2005).

At a higher level of preparation, sustainabilityeducation pedagogies and curricula must bedesigned to respond to the distinctive regionaland local contexts in which (and for which)they are implemented. However, sustainabilitycurricula and pedagogies share two commonfeatures. First, sustainability education ispredicated on experiential learning, life cyclethinking, application of critical and reflectivepedagogies, and culturally appropriate methodsand techniques for formal education sectors,industry training and community-based learningincluding adult-centred learning processes.

Second, sustainability curricula require scopeto engage learners within a community, to interactwith civil society, and develop a sense of civic

2Ecological literacy (www.ecoliteracy.org) refers to developing an understanding of ecological interdependency, developing an ethic of care and stewardship, and developingsystems thinking and skills necessary to instigate ecologically sustaining activity. Educators must acknowledge indigenous forms and expressions of ecological literacy, andnot assume ecological illiteracy because of different cultural perspectives of nature (Spariosu, 2004).

3Action competence is a pedagogy and change theory that encourages self-directed capacities to learn, plan and undertake strategic actions that that will resolve anenvironmental problem or priority issue and make a difference locally and may also ripple out regionally or globally. Action expresses willpower to take on sustainability projectseither individually or collaboratively Competence is characterised as the abilities to consciously frame problems, envisage solutions, plan and enact a project which is neithertoo big to accomplish nor too small to warrant self-respect, and be answerable for one’s own actions. (Jensen, B. and Schnack, K. eds., 1995).

4Symbiosis is literally defined as living with each other for mutual advantage. It defines the conceptual difference between ‘eco-efficient’ approaches which aim at reducingenvironmental impacts and a sustainability approach which seeks the concurrent improvement, regeneration and restoration human and natural environments.

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Figure 3: Transformative education for eco-settlements must belearner-centred and focussed on transforming the patterns of thinkingand habits of mind of the learner. This image: “The trilogy ofinterdependency” Source: Graham, 2003 p23.

responsibility (Fein, 2000). Sustainability educatorstherefore need to be explicit about the socialpurposes as distinct from the economic andtechnical purposes of their curricula (Fein, 2000;Thomas, 2000). They need to clarify the ‘coreconvictions’ and identify the values and ideologiesthat are embodied in each curriculum. To this end,curricula require a ‘statement of purpose’ for theeducation on offer.

The physical manifestation of eco-settlements mustfirst manifest as a positive idea in a person’s mind(Figure 3). Transforming an unsustainable human

settlement into a sustainable one must therefore beginwith a transformation of the image of the settlement inthe minds of the settlement’s stakeholders.Transformative education for eco-settlements musttherefore focus on the mind of the learner; it must be“learner-centred”.

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Learner-centred strategies can be offered to buildingprofessionals, educators, students and communitiesthat engage the “heart” (values,) the “hands”(action) of life and the “head” (cognitivelearning). They are well suited to developing the life-long learning needed to create eco-cities and villages,and for developing the new kinds of thinking and actingrequired to contribute to sustainable development.These strategies can be used in variouscombinations, assisted with appropriate teachingmethods that reflect the context and curriculum.

The learner-centred engagement strategies listedbelow inform the development of curricula andteaching programs for formal education sectors, andcommunity awareness/capacity building.

Deep learningScenario building and problem solvingRich tasksService-learningAction learningAction competenceCommunity engagementRisk-based community dialogues and adaptivemanagement strategies

They can be utilised by educators and facilitators invarious combinations to consolidate learning aimsand outcomes. Each strategy is fully described inappendix A.

In Part 2, key stakeholders are identified as ‘learnersfor sustainability’ in the built-environment and policystrategies that create the foundation for educationthat can achieve these aims are described.

1.3 MONITORING, REPORTINGAND EVALUATION METHODS

All educational and capacity building strategiesacross the Asia Pacific will need to be effectivelydevised, implemented, monitored and evaluated. Allsustainability educators will need to clearlyunderstand why, how when and where to conductkey evaluation processes - in order to track therelevance and successful impact of programs,projects and priority actions or initiatives - andfurthermore, be able to teach monitoring andevaluation skills to stakeholders. UNESCO’s WorkingPaper on Asia-Pacific Regional Strategy forEducation for Sustainable Development (p.12)highlights the crucial importance of utilisingappropriate evaluation methodologies:“There is no question that monitoring and evaluationmechanisms will be essential to all stakeholders at alllevels . . . A key challenge for monitoring and evaluation

will be the identification of suitable, relevant andmeasurable indicators at every level - local, regional,national and international – for each initiative andprogram … It will be necessary for each stakeholdergroup/sector to establish its own objectives,outcomes and indicators within the implementationframework.” (UNESCO, 2005 p12)

Good evaluation methodologies for educational andcapacity building programs and projects canusually be divided into three core or basic phases,summarised below. Good evaluation processesalso develop into a cycle of continuousimprovement. This means that timing is an importantconsideration for each phase of evaluation:

1st phase–FormativeAnalyses for Program/Project DesignThis is also known as the ‘front end’ phase and it isvery important in clarifying and guiding the aimsand intended outcomes of a program or project. Itcomprises situation analyses, needsassessments, and analyses of ‘gaps’ and riskfactors or issues that are likely to hinder progress.These analyses inform the production of relevantand measurable Key Performance Indicators(KPIs), Key Deliverables and Outcomes that arecorrelated in an Outcomes Hierarchy Frameworkand a Logic Matrix.

2nd phase–Monitoring the ProgramImplementation & Project ManagementThis middle phase comprises piloting and ‘roadtesting’ the objectives, measured against the KPIs.This leads on to fine-tuning during the stages ofimplementation, and if necessary to revisions priorto a full summary evaluation. In other words, themonitoring phase is an iterative learning process,informed and updated as fresh information isrevealed.

3rd phase–SummaryProgram/Project EvaluationThe final ‘wrap up’ phase comprises culminatingreflections on the overall program success ratesof goals and outcomes, reviews of strategies andtactics for stakeholder engagement, and otherproject management and process issues. Forexample: What worked? What didn’t work andwhy? These culminating reflections inform andguide improved planning processes for the re-design of continuing programs, and the design offollow-on or future projects.

Each of the core phases is reduced to a series ofmeasurable Tasks or Action Steps that provide astrong framework and tools to comprehensively plan

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and build integral evaluation processes into newprojects, in conjunction with the development of anaccompanying Outcomes Hierarchy, which isdescribed below together with the following keycomponents of an evaluation framework:

OutputsFrameworks of short, medium and long termoutcomes

Outputs are measurable material products of aprogram, project or priority action, including neweducational tools, processes and networks that havebeen developed. They provide appropriate basedata for monitoring progress.

Outcomes are the short, medium and long termchanges achieved that, acting together, build upcumulative transitions towards sustainability. Thesethree stages form a comprehensive timeframe andstructure – known as an outcomes hierarchy - forevaluation processes. Depending on the task,different criteria and indicators may need to bedeveloped to identify the effectiveness ofeach stage:

Short term (or immediate) outcomes includeimmediate objectives and results such assuccessfully communicating positive skills,knowledge and values to stakeholders in apriority action; and identifying new skills andknowledge that emerge from an innovativeprogram or project. Short term individualand/or community outcomes begin togenerate momentum for transitions towardssustainability

Medium term (or intermediate) outcomesare longer-lasting aims, results and impactsof programs and projects such as changedwork practices and community recycling.They generate cumulative changes includingimproved social, environmental, economicand political contexts; and, if regularlyreinforced, generate increased momentumfor transitions towards sustainability

Long term (or ultimate) outcomes are theultimate goals and deep impacts of effectiveprograms and projects: they areconsolidated changes that help to achievepermanent shifts towards sustainability e.g.the successful redesign andimplementation of new settlement planningand building codes

“Educational outcomes are both people and system-focused, and support the ability of individuals andcommunities to analyse sustainability issues, toenvision and evaluate alternative solutions andscenarios, to make action plans, and to work co-operatively with others to implement them effectively.This means that educational outcomes are rooted inpresent issues and contexts, but are also futureoriented – towards a time when people act on theirplans … [and achieve] positive impacts on thesustainability status of an area or resource”.(UNESCO, 2005 p. 23)

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REFERENCES FOR PART 1

Architectural Institute of Japan [AIJ] (2005)

Architecture for a Sustainable Future Architectural

Institute of Japan, Tokyo.

Australian National Commission for UNESCO, 2005

Benn, S. (1999) Education for Sustainability:

Integrating Environmental Responsibility into

Curricula: a Guide for UNSW Faculty (Kensington,

NSW, University of New South Wales).

Downton, P., Hoyle, C. and Prelgauskas, E. Ecopolis

Development Principles (Accessed on-line 07/

09/06) www.ecopolis.com.au/theory/

principles.html

Du Plessis, C. (2002) Agenda 21 for Sustainable

Construction in Developing Countries for the

International Council for Research and Innovation

in Building and Construction & The United Nations

Environment Program – International

Environmental Technology Centre, Boutek

Report N. Bou/E0204, CSIR Building &

Construction Technology, Pretoria South Africa.

Edwards, M. (1997) “Organizational learning in non-

governmental organizations: What have we

learned” Public Administration and Development

Vol.17 pp235-250

Fein, J. (2000) Education, Sustainability and Civil

Society. In: Australian Journal of Environmental

Education 15/1615/1615/1615/1615/16 1999-2000 pp129-131

Fein, J. (2003) “Learning to Care: Education and

Compassion” The Australian Journal of

Environmental Education Vol. 19 pp 1-13

Melbourne.

Giradet, H. (1999) Creating Sustainable Cities the

Schumacher Briefings No. 2 Green Books Devon

UK

Gough, N. (2003) Intertextual turns in curriculum

inquiry: fictions, diffractions and deconstructions

Thesis: Doctor of Philosophy, Deakin University,

Melbourne Australia.

Graham, P. (2003) Building Ecology: First Principles

for a Sustainable Built Environment Blackwell

Publishing, Oxford.

Graham, P. (2005) Do Ideologies of Architectural

Education conflict with Ideologies of Education

for Sustainability? Thesis: Doctor of Philosophy

UNSW unpublished

Graham, P. (2006) “Ecopolis Education: The State of

Play” Proceedings – 2006 International Ecopolis

Forum Chongqing, China. Research Centre for

Eco-environmental Sciences, The Chinese

Academy of Sciences, September 22-24

International Council for Research and Innovation in

Building and Construction (CIB) (1999) Agenda

21 on sustainable construction CIB Report

Publication 237, July. Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Jensen, B. and Schnack, K. eds. (1995) Action and

Action Competence as Key Concepts in Critical

Pedagogy. Studies in Educational Theory and

Curriculum, 12. Royal Danish School of

Educational Studies, Copenhagen.

Lila Watson in Gough,N. (2000) “Interrogating Silence:

Environmental Education Research as

Postcolonialist Text Work” in The Australian

Journal of Environmental Education Vol.15/16

p115 Melbourne.

Orr, D. (1994) Earth in Mind Island Press, Washington

DC, USA.

Register, R. & Peeks, B. (1997) Ecocity theory:

conceiving the foundations. In: Village wisdom

future cities – proceedings of the third

international ecocity and ecovillage conference.

January 8-12, 1996, Yoff, Senegal. Ecocity

Builders, Oakland U.S.A.

Spariosu, M. (2004) Global Intelligence and Human

Development: Toward an Ecology of Global

Learning MIT Press, Massachusetts, USA.

Sterling, S. (2001) Sustainable Education: Re-

visioning learning and change Schumacher

Briefings No. 6 Green Books, Devon.

Student Session (2005) SB05 Student Statement

World Congress on Sustainable Buildings

Tokyo, 27-29 September 2005 (SB05Tokyo) pp

4609-4616. Available on-line: http://

www.sb05.com/homeE.html Accessed

10/02/06.

Thomas, M. (2000) Environmental Progressivism: A

framework for a sustainable higher education.

In: Australian Journal of Environmental Education

15/1615/1615/1615/1615/16 1999-2000 pp104-109

Tilbury, D., ed.; Stevenson, R., ed. ; Fien, J., ed. ;

Schreuder, D., ed. (2002) Education and

Sustainability: Responding to the global

challenge IUCN (World Conservation Union) –

Commission on Education and Communication

IUCN Publishing U.K.

UNEP, in-press (2006) Knowledge base for the

design, construction and maintenance of Eco-

settlements in Asia Pacific UNEP White Paper

UNESCO (2005) Declaration of the UN Decade for E

ducation for Sustainable Development 2005-

20014 Asia-Pacific region Bangkok, Thailand.

UNESCO (2006) Charter for Environmental Education

in Architecture UNESCO, Paris.

World Commission on Environment and

Development (WCED) (1987) Our Common

Future. Oxford University Press. U.K.

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Intent: Identifies key stakeholders ineducation for sustainable builtenvironments and outlines the mosteffective curriculum and policystrategies.

PART 2:

EDUCATIONSTRATEGIES ANDPOLICIES

PAR

T 2

“It is true to say that everyone is a stakeholder ineducation for sustainable development. All of us willfeel the impact of its relative success or failure, andall of us affect the impact of ESD by our behaviour,which may be supportive or undermining.”(UNESCO, 2004)

OverviewIn Part 2, stakeholder groups are identified and theirbroad sphere of influence on eco-settlementeducation is described. Both UNESCO’sInternational Implementation Scheme for the DESDand the UNESCO/UNEP Working Paper: Asia-Pacific Regional Strategy for Education forSustainable Development (Bangkok, 2005) make aclear case for developing educational strategies,policies and programs for these eight foundationalstakeholder groups:

Governments and inter-governmental bodies;Communities;Private sector industries including professionalsand trades-people;Formal education institutions;Civil society and NGOs;Media;Youth; andInternational agencies.

Following the reflection-in-action approach to learningdescribed in Part One, people within each of theeight foundational stakeholder groups have roles aslearners, providers and reflective practitioners ineco-settlement planning, design, development andongoing management. Agenda 21 for SustainableConstruction in Developing Countries (CIB-UNEP-IETC, 2002, p.1) highlights how successful shiftstowards the creation of sustainable builtenvironments will require the evolution of specificstrategies for action for various role players withinthe key stakeholder groups identified above.

Similarly, within each of the key stakeholder groupssome people will have different roles to play indeveloping, supporting and implementing eco-settlement education, training and capacity building.In Part 2, descriptions of these educational role-players within each key stakeholder group providefor a more focussed reading of the suite of strategiesand policy goals presented.

Initially, these role players can be seen as learnersor providers in eco-settlement education, training

and capacity building. Learners are those who needto acquire specific knowledge and skills, thenprogress as informed and empowered stakeholders.Providers are educators, trainers, communityfacilitators and others with primary responsibilitiesand tasks to provide sustainability knowledge(including recent research), skills and praxis.

However, consistent with the need for everyone tobecome involved in life-long learning for sustainability,many role players are likely to have multiple rolesas both learners and providers at various times.This includes sustainability educators, industrytrainers and community facilitators, who will need toparticipate in continuing education programs andlearn from ongoing engagements with industrypartners, communities and other stakeholdergroups. Informed stakeholders who have beenprovided with a program of sustainability educationand/or awareness and capacity building will alsoshift roles from learners to enactors: they will nowhave things to do/tasks to enact within their sphereof influence, for example as:

Clients need to demand a moresustainable built environment;Professionals need to adopt andpromote sustainable constructionpractices through their work;Construction industry needs to committo following sustainable constructionprocesses; andRegulatory bodies need to encourage,enable and enforce sustainableconstruction.

If all these stakeholders are to fulfil theirroles, the educational sector has to providethem with the necessary training and witheducators who themselves are committed tosustainability. These educators will need theknowledge that is being developed by theresearchers . . . . For the researchers todevelop this new knowledge, they will needthe participation and support of clients,contractors, professionals, governmentsand regulators.Agenda 21 for Sustainable Construction inDeveloping Countries (Du Plessis, 2002:1)

BOX 2. Roles for Stakeholders

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Informed graduates;Informed employees and leaders in industry;Active members of professional associations;Trades-people in private sector companies;Village-level builders and artisans; andEmpowered community champions.

Lastly, learners, providers and enactors must learnhow to reflect on actions taken to contribute toeco-settlements, and identify where they need tobuild further capacities and develop actioncompetency. Through this process, role playersbecome reflective practitioners and may also becomemembers in communities of practice5 , who sharesocial learning experiences, a sense of identity andpurpose in reviving traditional wisdom and/orgenerating new skills and knowledge with otherpractitioners and stakeholders.

Communities of practitioners share a concern or apassion for something they do and learn how to do itbetter as they interact regularly and collaborate toresolve problems: a band of artisans reviving atraditional building design that provides thermal

comfort; a group of green engineers working onsimilar problems, a gathering of sustainabilitymanagers helping each other to cope with complexsituations. Each community of practice is likely toengage in one or more of these types of learning:problem solving; requests for information; seekingexperience; reusing assets; coordination andsynergy; discussing developments; documentingprojects; site visits and field trips; and mappingknowledge and identifying gaps (Wenger 2006: 2-3 )

Eco-settlement education strategies for each keystakeholder group are presented in the followingsections. Each section describes the general role ofeach group, identifies role players and sets out policygoals. Taking action is essential to situated learning.Methods for implementing strategies are thereforelisted and used to organise a suite of enabling actions.This provides a framework for engaging role playersin the built environment to become more activelyinvolved in eco-settlement learning. A tabulatedsummary of this framework is provided at the end ofthis section.

5Communities of Practice: “Communities of practice develop around things that matter to people. As a result, their practices reflect the members’ own understanding of whatis important. Members of a community are informally bound by what they do together–from engaging in lunchtime discussions to solving difficult problems–and by whatthey have learned through their mutual engagement in these activities. A community of practice is thus different from a community of interest or a geographical community,neither of which implies a shared practice. A community of practice defines itself along three dimensions:

- What it is about – its joint enterprise as understood and continually renegotiated by its members- How it functions mutual engagement that bind members together into a social entity- What capability it has produced – the shared repertoire of communal resources (routines, sensibilities, artefacts, vocabulary, styles, etc.) that members have developed

over time.” (Wenger, E. 1998)

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2.1 STRATEGIES FOR GOVERNMENTSAND INTER-GOVERNMENTAL BODIES

Governments at national, regional and local levelsplay a key role in initiating eco-settlements asregulators, planning authorities and as clients forbuilding and infrastructure. There are two key role-players in this sector, namely elected officials andrepresentatives, and bureaucrats. Elected officialsare responsible for ensuring that needs, values andpriorities of their constituents are considered in theon-going development of built environments.Bureaucrats must be empowered to play strategicroles in ensuring the longer-term development ofsustainability in urban and rural systems.Governments at all levels must take leadership roles,as major procurers of buildings and infrastructure,to generate demand for sustainable buildings andinfrastructure in cities, towns and villages.

Government at all levels must also ensure thatinnovative projects become learning opportunitiesby documenting them as case-studies and throughperformance monitoring. Governments can alsoeducate the private sector in the value of sustainabledevelopment strategies by supporting sustainabilityperformance rating schemes for buildings, rewardingbest practice, and assisting the mainstreaming ofsustainable building through establishingcommunities of practice supported by informationtechnology. These communities of practice can helpsupport the review and reform of school curriculumto ensure that sustainable building education is acore component. These initiatives allow the privateand public sectors to share knowledge and educateeach other about eco-settlements on a project-by-project basis, using a “bottom-up” approach(Lutkendorf, 2005).

Key role players:Ministers, elected officials and representatives;Senior administrators of governmentdepartments or bureaus involved in educationat all levels.

Policy goals:Public sector role players who understand andcan implement the eco-settlement principles,practice and education;Eco-settlement learning to become the core informal education curricula;Communities are engaged in developing andmonitoring indicators of sustainabledevelopment in their settlement;Communities are empowered and encouragedto participate in learning through adaptive

management of their settlement to eliminateunsustainable policies and practices.Government procurement practices for eco-settlement lead by example.

Implementation methods:Education policy review and reform;Continuing professional development;Capacity building programs;Encouraging & supporting communities ofpractice;Performance assessment & rating ofsettlements;Leading by example

Enabling activities:In general, governments at all levels should followthe recommendations of the UNESCO/UNEPWorking Paper: Asia-Pacific Regional Strategy forEducation for Sustainable Development (UNESCO,2005). More specifically, government andintergovernmental bodies can contribute to eco-settlement learning by prioritising and undertakingthe following enabling activities:

2.1.1 Eco-settlementEducation Policy–Review and Reforma. Review and reform formal education systems

so that eco-settlement learning is a corerequirement of curricula;

b. Eco-settlement education policies are inclusiveof traditional knowledge systems andgovernance practices, especially in villagecontexts;

c. Curricula should emphasise ecological welfareas a common good and encourage interculturaland interfaith dialogue about moralresponsibilities for environmental stewardship.

d. Ensure that policies enable learning from as wellas of local indigenous knowledge;

e. Ensure that policies enable learning how tointegrate traditional and contemporary systemsand technologies in eco-settlement planning,design, development and operation;

f. Encourage ‘sustainable schools and campuses’– provide financial resources and subsidies forretrofitting campuses and school grounds asexemplars of eco-settlement strategies.

2.1.2 Continuing Professional Developmenta. Establish requirements for bureaucrats and

professionals to develop basic environmentalliteracy and knowledge of sustainableconstruction through continuing professionaldevelopment;

b. Educate policy makers in principles of closed

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loop design and management such as industrialecology, building ecology, permaculture,product ecology, and life-cycle assessment.

c. Develop education programs for the financeindustry to encourage entrepreneurialengagement with eco-settlement.

2.1.3 Capacity Buildinga. Conduct needs analyses with urban and rural

communities to identify specific communitycapacity building requirements.

b. Develop community capacity building programsin sustainable design and construction,accessing funding for eco-development,monitoring programs, home maintenance,citizenship, consensus building and conflictresolution.

c. Develop community education that supportsrecycling programs, waste minimisation andmanagement, and non-car based personaltransportation.

d. Create public awareness campaigns inpartnership with media organisations.

2.1.4 Encouraging & supportingcommunities of practicea. Utilise communities of practice as an orienting

framework for educators to structure learningopportunities that embed knowledge in bothwork practices and social relations.

b. Enable students to solve real problems withadults, in real learning situations includingapprenticeships, adaptive managementchallenges, situated learning, and servicelearning.

c. Design on-going monitoring process, withinadaptive management programs based onaction-learning processes.

d. Create programs for developing interculturaland inter-faith understanding about eco-settlement goals and priorities for action.

e. Develop partnerships with communityorganisations and financiers to provideeducation in micro-financing and co-operativebuilding schemes.

2.1.5 Performanceassessment & rating of settlementsa. Develop eco-settlement goals, benchmarks,

indicators and monitoring programs that enablecommunity participation. Examples includeecological foot-printing, urban metabolismmonitoring, monitoring the local ecological andhealth impacts of built-environments andintegrated triple-bottom-line reporting (profit,health and environment).

b. Ensure that goal-setting and performancemonitoring are public processes and that resultsare always provided as feedback tostakeholders.

c. Ensure the on-going performance monitoring ofbuilding stock so that the rights of all people tohealthy, accessible and resource efficient humanhabitat are being upheld;

d. Establish ISO recognised eco-labellingrequirements for all building materials and a data-base for sourcing eco-preferred buildingmaterials.

e. Ensure that eco-settlement monitoring programsare integrated with policy development.

2.1.6 Lead by examplea. Use government’s role as a major developer and

procurer of built-environments to lead by exampleand explain why and how eco-settlementstrategies being implemented;

b. Establish each new project as a public (as well asorganisational) learning opportunity;

c. Teach people that stewardship is highly valued.Ensure, for example, that economic driversreward activities that eradicate unsustainableforms of urban settlement and that contributionsto eco-settlement goals are publicly recognisedand rewarded.

d. Document innovative eco-settlement projects ascase studies.

2.1.7 ExemplarsAt a local government level, the City of Melbourne inthe Australian State of Victoria, has recently developeda new office building known as “Council House 2”(CH2) as an eco-settlement learning process. Thebuilding was conceived from the outset to be a world-leading ‘green building’ which not only achieved highenvironmental performance, but which would create ahealthy and productive working environment for officeworkers. The project was completed in 2006 andachieved Australia’s highest ‘Greenstar’ rating of sixstars. CH2 is an exemplar of eco-settlement educationbecause the local government project initiators usedthe development process as a public andorganisational learning opportunity. Researchers fromthree Victorian universities were commissioned fromthe outset to case-study each phase of the project asa process of reflection-in-action. A web-site isdedicated to the project so that the knowledge gainedon the project can be shared. In addition toresearchers the council also commissioned an artistto document the design and construction in public artworks, displayed on hoardings around the site. See:(www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/Environment/CH2/Pages/CH2Ourgreenbuilding.aspx)

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2.2 STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITIES

Communities should be seen positively as learningorganisations (Senge, 1992) that requireenvironmental and ecological literacy, knowledgeof bio-climatic design and building ecology. Theytherefore need to be involved in monitoring andreporting the environmental performance of theirbuildings and local environment so that they, thepublic and private sectors can learn from theirexperiences. Knowledge gained through theseactions can be fed back to the communityknowledge base so that locally generatedknowledge is as accessible as genericbest-practice guidance. They need to know howlocal and regional planning processes operateso they can become involved in developmentdecision-making.

Communities of low-income and informal settlementswill benefit from capacity building programs aimedat developing skills in building and infrastructureconstruction and maintenance of health hardware.Heath hardware (Torzillo et al, 2002) refers mainly totoilets and septic systems, hot water services, watersupply and washing areas, insect screens and basicsafety of electrical systems. Ideally these capacitybuilding programs will be linked to institutions offormal education and lead to recognised trade andprofessional qualifications.

It is important to recognise the role of traditionalknowledge and governance systems withincommunities as these are often the foundation ofsocial stability. Interfaith and inter-cultural toleranceand understanding can be built around sharingtraditional knowledge systems that contribute tocommon life-quality. Marginalised and welfare-dependent communities should also participate ineducation that enables more self-determinacy andqualification to tender for aid-based buildingdevelopment projects.

Key role players:Community leaders, educators and championsDevelopers of innovative community awarenessprogramsInitiators of community engagement projects

Policy goalsCommunities are involved in buildingdevelopment decision-making;

Community members understand bio-climaticdesign, building ecology and can maintain healthhardware;Communities are networked to learn from theirexperiences of eliminating unsustainability fromtheir settlements;Eco-settlement learning is organised in acommunity sustainability knowledge base thatis accessible by all;Traditional knowledge and governance systemsare incorporated into eco-settlement educationprograms;Interfaith and intercultural tolerance andunderstanding are continuously fosteredthrough collaboration.

Implementation methods:Sustainability monitoring and reportingprograms;Collaboration;Capacity building programs;Learning networks and partnerships; andCommunity knowledge base.

Enabling activities:Communities can contribute to eco-settlementlearning aims by undertaking the following learningactivities:

2.2.1 Sustainabilitymonitoring and reporting programsBecome involved in developing and monitoring eco-settlement goals, benchmarks, and indicators. Forexample, engage primary and secondary schoolsin local ecological foot-printing, urban metabolismmonitoring, and monitoring the local ecological andhealth impacts of built-environments. Programs suchas these also help in developing a community’senvironmental literacy.

2.2.2 Collaborationa. Conduct community forums to explore and share

innovative ideas and exemplary case studiesof eco-settlements in local communities

b. Partner with local government, NGO, schools,arts and faith-based organisations to developand implement intercultural, interdisciplinary andinter-faith eco-settlement programs;

c. Learn methods for group-decision making,visioning, design and conflict resolution;

d. Celebrate eco-settlement activities throughspecial events such as ceremonies andfestivals;

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e. Develop inter-cultural and inter-faithunderstandings of each other and ecologythrough sharing knowledge in basic life-skillssuch as cooking, shopping and growing food.

2.2.3 Capacity buildinga. Learn basic building ecology and the influence

of building and urban design on human healthand comfort;

b. Learn how to become involved in and influencelocal and regional planning processes,development controls and building approvals;

c. Learn basic construction and home maintenanceskills, ensuring that households have basicknowledge in healthy living practices and homemaintenance, with an emphasis on knowing howto maintain the “health hardware6 ” of a houseand a community.

d. Learn about the history and traditions of localbuilt environments and ecosystems, and howto raise public awareness of their cultural valuethrough community-based initiatives such aspublic art, performance and story-telling.

e. Assist the development of eco-settlementknowledge and action competence amongstcommunity leaders and help them become eco-settlement advocates and educators;

2.2.4 Learning networks and partnershipsa. Partner with faith-based and cultural

organisations to develop shared eco-settlementvalues and priorities;

b. Develop partnerships with development, tradeand professional organisations and implementcommunity-lead capacity building programswhich include train-the-trainer components.

c. Develop partnerships with financialorganisations to develop capacity in projectfunding and financing;

d. Partner with government agencies to developand participate in school and campus-basedinitiatives in education for eco-settlements.

2.2.4 Knowledge basesa. Create local knowledge bases that provide

locally appropriate guidance on livingsustainably in eco-settlements;

b. Develop eco-settlement knowledge withneighbours and other community members bydeveloping networks of people that learnthrough trying sustainable life-styles.

c. Feed back knowledge gained through theseactions to the community knowledge base sothat locally generated knowledge is asaccessible as generic best-practice guidance

2.2.5 ExemplarsThe Government of the Australian State of Victoriahas successfully supported the development ofcommunity gardens in public housing estates whichare typically home to multi-cultural anddisadvantaged communities. The aim of the programis to provide a way for diverse ethnic groups to getinvolved in community life and interact with each other(Museum of Victoria, 2006). A similar program at theUniversity of New South Wales has been linked toundergraduate education for built-environmentprofessionals (FBE, 2006). The UK charity GlobalAction Plan, for example, supports the establishmentof ‘Eco-teams’ – groups of approximately 6households that learn from each other effective waysof changing unsustainable living practices (GAP,2006).

The Barefoot College in Rajasthan, India providesan exemplar of working with marginalisedcommunities, having educated the rural poor as“Barefoot Architects” since 1986 (BarefootCollege, 2006).

A program for learning about and maintaining healthhardware in rural communities has been developedin Australia by the organisation Health Habitat, whichruns the Housing for Health Program in AustralianAboriginal communities (Torzillo et al, 2002).

6‘Health Hardware’ refers to building materials, strategies and technologies that are essential to providing a healthy living environment in houses. Health hardware includesfor example, properly maintained and functioning hot water services and toilets. (Torzillo et al, 2002)

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2.3 STRATEGIES FORTHE PRIVATE SECTOR

The private sector includes corporations andproperty development organisations, professional,trade and manufacturing organizations, and theirclients. As clients of building and infrastructureprojects, corporations and property developersprovide a major opportunity for mainstreamingsustainable building practices, and can also drivemarket demand to implement eco-settlements.However, in order to become proactive they needto learn how to derive financial and professionalbenefits from these practices. To this end the real-estate industry must also be educated in ways ofpromoting both the financial and life-quality benefitsof sustainable building and property developments.

Professional and trade organisations have animportant role to play in influencing the formal,vocational and continuing education of building-industry professionals and trades people. They mustbe encouraged to ensure that eco-settlementlearning aims are embedded in the curricula for thesemodes of education. They must also recognise theimportant role that publications and awards play inestablishing a social context for learning, and fordefining best practice. Publications and awardsshould promote eco-settlement values and explainand reward innovative design, building andmaintenance strategies.

Many professional organisations such as institutesof architects and engineers have made commitmentsto embed sustainable development values in theirprofessional codes of ethics and in accreditationcriteria for courses. Professional organisationsshould be held accountable for implementingdeclarations such as the UNESCO/UIA Charter forArchitectural Education (2005):

“A decent quality of life for all the inhabitants of humansettlements, with a technical application, whichrespects the social, cultural and aesthetic needs ofthe people, by showing an ecologically balancedand sustainable development of the builtenvironment. Aiming to provide Architecture, whichis valued as the property and responsibility ofeveryone.” (p2)

For example, the Australian Institute of Architectsand the Architectural Institute of Japan have adoptedthe International Union of Architect (UIA)Declaration of Interdependence for a Sustainable

Future (Majekodumi & Maxman, 1993). Theeducation policy of the Royal Australian Institute ofArchitects (RAIA) cites the ability to contributeto sustainability as a main aim of architecturaleducation (RAIA, 2005).

Key role players:Designers/deliverers of industry trainingprograms and packages;Professional accreditation associations in builtenvironment professions such asArchitecture, Engineering, Planning,Landscape Architecture, ConstructionManagement, Construction Economists andInterior Architects;Project financiers and property developers;Building industry professionals;Trade unions and industry advocacyorganisations.

Policy goals:Sustainability learning is embedded intoprofessional education and vocational trainingcurricula;Professions are accountable for implementingdeclarations on sustainable development;Continuing demonstration of and educationin sustainable building is a requirement forlicensure as a building tradesperson orprofessional;Project financiers understand and candetermine the financial and life-qualitybenefits of sustainable building and eco-settlement development;There is mainstream market understandingof and demand for sustainable building.Sustainable building is widely publicised andawarded. Case studies are always generatedas an action-research and communitylearning process.

Implementation methods:Continuing professional development;Course, trade and professional accreditation;Publications and awards;Building performance assessment andrating;Public accountability;Research and Development.

Enabling activities:Private sector role players can contribute to eco-settlement learning aims by undertaking thefollowing enabling activities:

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2.3.1 Continuing professional developmenta. Invest in capacity building programs for

‘closed-loop’ supply-chain management;b. Learn how to respect and incorporate traditional

knowledge systems in business decision-making;

c. Educate management and workers to developtheir ecological literacy and capacity tocontribute to sustainable development goals;

2.3.2 Course, trade andprofessional accreditation

a. Professional organisations must ensure thatecological literacy, industrial and buildingecology and ethical inquiry are embedded incore curriculum for accredited educationprograms;

b. Develop partnerships to develop corecurriculum in ecological economics;

2.3.3 Publications and awardsa. Publications and awards should promote eco-

settlement values and explain and rewardinnovative design, building and maintenancestrategies.

b. No award recognition should be given todevelopment projects which are unsustainable.

2.3.4 Building performanceassessment and rating

a. Participate in the on-going monitoring and publicreporting of eco-settlement performance;

2.3.5 Public accountabilitya. Establish and operate triple bottom line (social,

environmental and financial) businessperformance monitoring and reportingprograms;

b. Implement the precautionary principle indevelopment and investment decision-making;

c. Implement and be accountable for existingcommitments to and declarations onsustainability education for professionals.

d. Ensure that the administration and managementof the organisation adheres to sustainabledevelopment principles and is held accountablefor triple bottom line performance.

2.3.6 Research and Developmenta. Develop partnerships with research

organisations to learn the economic value ofeco-settlement initiatives;

b. Ensure that the knowledge generated byactions taken to contribute to eco-settlementdevelopment is managed and becomes thebasis for further education.

2.3.7 ExemplarsThe Royal Institute of Scottish Architects recentlylaunched a professional accreditation program forsustainable designers. This is an evidence basedscheme in which architects submit built work asevidence of levels of competence. It is a voluntaryprogram at the moment but the vision is for it toeventually be a mandatory requirementfor professional re-accreditation (Liddle &Halliday, 2005).

In relation to best practice awards, the Aga KhanAward for Architecture has, since 1977 recognisedbuilding developments and architecture that havecontributed to social and environmental issueswhich have more recently become associated witheco-settlements. The award applies internationallyon a three year cycle and recognizes:

“ …examples of architectural excellence thatencompass contemporary design, social housing,community improvement and development,restoration, re-use and area conservation, as wellas landscaping and environmental issues.” (AgaKhan Development Network, 2006)

Recipients of the award include KampungImprovement Programs in Indonesia (1980), low-income urban housing for formerly rural andnomadic people in Dar Lamane, an area ofCasablanca, Morocco (1983), a stone buildingsystem to replace reinforced concrete constructionin rural Syria (1992), a program to transformslum areas of Indore, India into settlementsand integrate the poor into the urban population(1998) and the Bibliotheque Alexandrina, a newcentre for learning and culture in AlexandriaEgypt (2004).

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2.4 STRATEGIES FOR THEFORMAL EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

The formal education sector involves institutions forprimary, secondary and tertiary education, theirstudents and teachers, the communities they serveand policy makers that effect curriculum and funding.Each sector has a role to play in developing valuesconsistent with sustainable development and eco-settlement. E.F. Schumacher wrote that education isour greatest resource but warned that unless we“clarified our central convictions it would ultimatelybe a destructive force” (1973). Given that the design,construction and metabolism of our built environmentprofoundly affect our values, lifestyle and ecologicalimpact, it is important for schools and universities todecide that education for sustainable developmentis important enough to become a “central conviction”.Fundamentally these organisations should establishprograms consistent with the guidelines on educationfor sustainable development described by theUNESCO/UNEP working paper: Asia-PacificRegional Strategy for Education for SustainableDevelopment (UNESCO, 2005).

Focussing on the built-environment, primary andsecondary school teachers should be supported indeveloping curricula for eco-settlements. Local,regional and national education policies shouldensure that eco-settlement learning aims areembedded in formal curricula. Teachers should benetworked into communities of practice in order toimprove teacher’s awareness of eco-settlementissues and the effectiveness of their courses andteaching methods.

Universities are uniquely placed to developstrategies for eco-settlement through the nexus ofresearch and teaching. They can also beencouraged to implement commitments tointernational declarations such as the TalloiresDeclaration for University Leadership in SustainableDevelopment. Campuses can also be written intocurricula as ‘learnscape laboratories’ (Booth, 2002)for understanding both sustainable andunsustainable building and settlement design,construction and operation. Curricula should involvestudents in assessing, planning and redesigningcampuses so that they evolve into examples of eco-settlement. Curricula should also be designed tofoster strong links with local communities, and engage

students in ‘service-learning’ (see also 1.3.1) withcommunities. This approach, set within anengagement7 research and teaching approachenables engagement itself to be an initiating processof eco-settlement.

Key role players:Educators;Students and student organisations;Accreditation, professional and tradeorganisations;Policy makers and funding organisations;School and university communities.

Policy goals:Sustainability education is a core-conviction andethos of institutions for formal education;Campus and other settings for education areeco-settlement learning laboratories andbuilding procurement, design, construction,maintenance and refurbishment are best-practice exemplars;Research, teaching and communityengagement reinforce eco-settlement learningand development;

Implementation methods:Curriculum review and reform;Networks and partnerships;Student involvement;Community engagement;Campus eco-redesign and performancemonitoring.

Enabling activities:Role players in formal education can contribute toeco-settlement learning by undertaking the followingactivities:

2.4.1 Curriculum review and reforma. Work with curriculum authorities, study boards,

education and training departments andindustry training organizations to identify anddevelop new teaching modules, supportmaterials and learning activities.

b. Rate, revise and audit existing curricula andteaching training programs, identify gaps andlearning opportunities, then develop newprograms to educate for eco-settlements

c. Develop and promote new methods of teachingto reflect the holistic character of sustainability

7Engagement can be used as an educative practice in which the community, students, teachers and research are involved in a dialogue about the contextthey are in, and the values and worldviews they use to understand relevant problems, knowledge and solutions.

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education and to highlight the interdependentfactors of eco-settlements [exemplars fromUNEP Knowledge Base white paper in 2.3.2]

d. Develop continuous cycles of monitoring andevaluation to improve the design, delivery andauditing of sustainability education programsand projects.

e. Design eco-settlement curricula as action-research projects and share outcomes throughjournals and the media;

f. Ensure progressive reinforcement of eco-settlement values, knowledge and skills betweensubjects and through each stage ofprogrammes of study.

2.4.2 Networks and partnerships for teaching,research and community engagementa. Form new national and international teaching and

learning partnerships with educationalinstitutions from both developing and developednations, and re-energise old alliances, to clarifycommon visions and aims for achieving eco-settlements within the Asia-Pacific region

b. Become important “initiators of activity” bycooperating with local governments and/orcommunity facilitators and other partners toinitiate community engagement /action learningprojects that mutually build capacities

c. Encourage inter-disciplinary research andteaching in eco-settlement issues in order tobuild networks of “critical colleagues andadvocates” (UNESCO, 2005).

d. Build capacity in service learning curriculumdevelopment and engaged research andlearning methodology in order to strengthenlinks between teaching, research andcommunity engagement;

e. Identify, network and partner with schools anduniversities in order to share eco-settlementcurriculum and research findings;

2.4.3 Student Involvementa. Involve students in curriculum design and

review;b. Engage students in hands-on action projects

that enable them to develop skills, knowledge,inspiration and self-motivation to create positivechanges

c. Engage young professionals in actioncompetence projects to enable them to developskills, knowledge and inspiration to create

changes

2.4.4 Community Engagementa. Prioritise community based engagement

projects that build up contextualised knowledgeb. Incorporate Service-Learning and community

engagement programs in tertiary coursesc. Develop service learning and action-learning

curriculum which investigates unsustainabilitythrough auditing and environmentalimprovement of school buildings andcampuses, and student and teacher life-styles.

2.4.5 Campus eco-redesignand performance monitoringa. Practice what is being preached - promote

sustainable campuses in schools anduniversities and actively involve students indevising and implementing sustainable designprojects

b. Showcase leading edge case studies andresearch projects at conferences, forums andseminars; and in publications, networks, databases and websites

c. Build teacher’s and academic’s capacity andwillingness to practice what is preached andlead by example;

d. Write curricula that establishes campuses as‘learn-scape’ laboratories, creating a richenvironment for eco-settlement analysis andlearning;

e. Make a commitment to identify and strive toeliminate unsustainabiility from all academic andadministrative programs, facilities and activitiesas an on-going learning-cycle.

f. Reward good practice in education forsustainable development and implementationof service learning curriculum.

2.4.6 Capacity buildingand continuing education

a. Cooperate with relevant professionalassociations to develop continuing professionaldevelopment courses, work-placements,training programs and resources for educators

b. Mentor other educators to attain thecompetency to incorporate key concepts in theirteaching programs [Knowledge Networksexemplar in Part 3]

c. Build teacher and academic capacity inecological literacy, industrial and building

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ecology and ethical enquiry through continuingeducation.

d. Ensure processes for monitoring learning goalsand outcomes are incorporated in programcurriculum and administration.

2.4.7 ExemplarsIn many countries state-based or national ‘Green’schools programs are in place. These programsencourage schools to involve students and staff inimproving environmental curricula, the environmentalperformance of school buildings and grounds, andimagining sustainable design opportunities forfurther eco-settlement. One such program is theNational Green Schools Program in China which wasestablished in 1996 to help foster environmentaleducation. A component of the program is a nationalcommendation awarded each year by The State

Environmental Protection Bureau and EducationCommission to the most innovative Green Schools inChina (Wu, 2002).

University and school campuses provide uniqueopportunities to be progressively developed asmicrocosms of eco-settlement. Leading exponentsof this approach to sustainability education includeOberlin College, Ohio USA and Charles SturtUniversity, NSW Australia. These universities linksustainability curriculum to planning, design,construction operation and refurbishment of campusgrounds and buildings. This provides opportunitiesfor students and staff to learn together by participatingin an eco-settlement process. More information inthese programs is provided in Part Three.

Figure 4: Thurgoona Campus - CHARLES STUART UNIVERSITY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.This Campus building incorporates sustainable construction, bio-climatic and water-sensitive design in anintegrated “learnscape” - a physical example of and setting for education in sustainable development.

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2.5 STRATEGIES FORCIVIL SOCIETY AND NGOs

Civil society and non-government organisations playimportant roles in lobbying governments at all levelsfor changes in policy that assist eco-settlementobjectives, and in supporting the transformation ofthe private sector. The important role of national‘Green Building Councils’ and other green buildingadvocacy groups in engaging with the re-educationof the private sector must be recognised. Programssuch as environmental rating schemes for buildingsestablish benchmarks that define the environmentalvalue of ‘green-building’ and provide a basis forresearch into the costs and benefits of suchdevelopment.

Rating schemes provide a basic framework fordefining and learning about ‘green building’.Assessor accreditation courses also improve theenvironmental literacy of building industryprofessionals. International non-governmentorganisations such as the World Green BuildingCouncil and the International Initiative for SustainableBuilt Environments (iiSBE) need to be recognisedand supported for their roles in networking nationalNGOs and disseminating research and informationabout ‘green-building’ to the public and privatesectors.

It should be also be noted that rating schemes do notdeal comprehensively with sustainability issues andgenerally focus on environmental issues relating tothe use-phase of new buildings. They are notcommonly designed to provide frameworks thatintegrate social and economic issues, nor deal withthe total life-cycle of buildings.

Humanitarian groups such as Architects WithoutFrontiers and Engineers Without Borders can alsoplay an important role in capacity building withincommunities, particularly in areas where disasterrelief and recovery is required. By partnering withlocal communities, they can offer a vehicle forsecuring private and public sector funding forcommunity eco-settlement education programs thatrespond to local education needs and the culturalcontext. Specifically, civil society and NGOs cancontribute to eco-settlement learning objectives inthe following ways:

Key role players:Green building advocacy groups;Humanitarian and Aid organisations;Local community advocacy organisations;Research organisations and networks

Policy goals:Mainstreaming eco-settlement learning in theprivate sector;International exchange of eco-settlementknowledge and curricula;Networking private, public and communitystakeholders to facilitate eco-settlement activityand education;

Implementation Methods:Performance monitoring, assessment and ratingschemes;Networks and partnering;Community engagement project developmentand grant applications;Capacity building.

Implementing activities:Civil Society and NGO role players involved cancontribute to eco-settlement learning by undertakingthe following activities:

2.5.1 Performance monitoring,assessment and rating schemesa. Develop definitions of eco-settlements and

‘green’ buildings through assessment andrating schemes and using these schemes as abasis for community education and markettransformation;

b. Ensure that ‘as-built’ and ‘in-operation’performance monitoring of buildings isconducted to augment initial building designratings and that this post-occupancy reviewdata is publicly available;

c. Monitor indicators of corporate social andenvironmental responsibility for publicly listedproperty development, construction andmaterial supply companies.

2.5.2 Community engagement projectdevelopment and grant applicationsa. Assist community organisations in developing

and implementing eco-settlement monitoringprograms.

b. Assist the formal education sector to establishschool and campus eco-redesign andperformance monitoring schemes.

c. Assist communities in needs analysis, projectdefinition and grant writing.

2.5.3 Networks and partneringa. Network with other NGOs, civil organisations

and stakeholders to maintain awareness of eco-settlement education initiatives;

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b. Partner with other stakeholders and donors tosecure funding for eco-settlement educationprograms;

c. Enhance co-operation by linking with otherorganisations to facilitate interdisciplinary, inter-faith and inter-cultural eco-settlement education;

2.5.4 Capacity buildinga. Help to foster an understanding of building

ecology and environmental performance ofbuildings through local capacity buildingprograms;

b. Facilitate training in basic infrastructure andbuilding design, construction and maintenance;

c. Facilitate the implementation of localenvironmental monitoring programs;

d. Facilitate capacity building and train-the-trainerprograms in eco-settlement planning, design,construction and maintenance;

e. Facilitate building and ‘health infrastructure’auditing programs within communities andproviding training in on-going auditing andmaintenance and repair projects;

f. Facilitate professional development courses inbuilding performance assessment and rating;

2.5.5 ExemplarsDeforestation due to fuel-wood collection in the Yunanprovince of north western China is impacting onbiodiversity in the region. To address this apartnership between the US NGO The NatureConservancy, the Diqing Prefecture governmentand the Kunming University of Science andTechnology’s (KUST) Institute for Green VernacularBuilding has been established to work withcommunities to improve the environmentalperformance of local housing and public buildings.One such program is undertaking eco-settlementwork in the town of Shangri-la (Zhongdian) whereKUST masters students, staff and internationalexperts have completed design and construction ofan office building for the Shangri-la Botanic Garden(Wen Feng, 2006). The new building combines localconstruction techniques with bio-climatic design thuseliminating the need for solid fuel heating and is animportant demonstration of the role green vernacularbuildings, interdisciplinary partnerships andeducation can play in eco-settlement.

Figure 5: Offices for the Zhongdian (Shangri-La) Botanic Gardens.

PHOTO: GRAHAM, 2006

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2.6 POLICY STRATEGIES FOR MEDIA

The media and advertising is a powerful generatorand distributor of information which reinforcesdominant value-systems. In many ways themessages contained in media and advertisingestablish the informal or social learning context withinwhich all stakeholders in built-environments areimmersed. It is therefore essential to the learningaims of eco-settlement that media be harnessed toreinforce enabling value-systems, create demandfor and distribute knowledge of, eco-settlementstrategies.

The increasing decentralisation of media throughinternet and other forms of ICT provides anopportunity for local, regional and global communitiesto directly inform each other about issues of urbanunsustainability and strategies for innovation. Thisemerging capacity has the potential to increase thepotency of initiatives which seek to provide basictools and knowledge for eco-settlement withoutprescribing the form of development required toachieve this aim.

Key role players:Print and broadcast media organisations;Advertising agencies;ICT providers;

Policy goals:Create demand for eco-settlement strategies;Eco-settlement knowledge and exemplars arefreely and widely distributed and promoted;Eco-settlement values and ethics aredemonstrated and promoted;Local, regional and global communities directlyinform each other using ICT.

Implementation methods:Network initiatives;Promotion and awareness raising;Dissemination and distribution.

Enabling activities:Media role players involved can contribute to eco-settlement learning by undertaking the followingactivities:

2.6.1 Network initiativesa. Engage with sustainability professionals to

develop media resources that explain andexemplify systems thinking and understandingrelevant to eco-settlement;

b. Link with networks of sustainability educatorsto distribute curricula for eco-settlementlearning;

c. Collaborate with government, NGOs andeducational institutions to promote eco-settlement activities and outcomes.

d. Provide opportunities within media groups andorganisations to allow leading edge practitionersto share experiences of successful eco-settlement and sustainability educationprograms.

2.6.2 Promotion and awareness raisinga. Promote the eco-settlement work of community

leaders and other eco-settlement champions;b. Promote broader community understanding of

strategies and priority actions to achievesustainable lifestyles and protect environments;

c. Promote inter-faith and inter-cultural toleranceand understanding through the common goalsof eco-settlement development.

d. Promote locally developed eco-settlementstrategies, telling stories of traditional as well asappropriate application of new ideas andstrategies;

e. Don’t promote consumer life-styles as a meansof well-being or happiness.

2.6.3 Dissemination and distributiona. Promote and disseminate research and

development in eco-settlement education.b. Showcase effective and innovative examples

of both professional and community-ledsustainability initiatives;

c. Support community knowledge bases;

2.6.4 ExemplarsThe potential of the internet as a new platform forinteractive media is beginning to be explored bygroups involved in sustainability education andaction. For example, the ‘Taking IT Global’ (TIG)initiative is creating an on-line youth-based communityfocussed on local eco-settlement and othersustainability initiatives. TIG “connects youth to findinspiration, access information, get involved and takeaction in their local and global communities” (TIG,accessed on-line, 19/10/06) TIG members are usingthis as a platform for campaigns to implement theMillennium Development Goals and are partneringwith NGOs on humanitarian and environmentalissues.

Another internet-based media initiative isTeachSustainability.com. This web-portal serves asan interactive database for Australian high-schoolteachers and students to share curriculum andsustainability education resources. Users can loadcurriculum, search the data-base for materials andnetwork with other educators in their field(www.teachsustainability.com). See Section 3.2 formore information.

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2.7 STRATEGIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

“…we have to get in there and energise adults withour ideas and action so that we do change our habitsand save Mother Earth for our children andgrandchildren.” (UNEP, 1999 p8)

Young people have the greatest stake in the futureand should have the opportunity to learn throughparticipation in eco-settlement development. Moreimportantly they need to be encouraged to developvalues and aspirations that enable eco-settlementsto develop. The importance of fostering ethics andholistic ways of thinking consistent with sustainabledevelopment is amplified because in many countriesscholars are no longer in control of information. Theinformation and ICT literacy of young people thereforeneeds to be facilitated and harnessed in eco-settlement processes and projects.

Schools and universities which provide the formalsettings for educating young people obviously playan important role in terms of the structure and contentof their curricula and in examples set by their campusdesign and operation. However, peer groups andyouth networks are playing an increasingly importantrole in forming the value-systems of young people.Recent research into the socio-political orientationsof Australian University students (Hastie, 2005) forexample, reinforced the findings of many studiesconducted over the past 30 years, that the valuesstudents learn at university is highly dependent ontheir orientation upon entry into university, and thesocializing effects of the courses they take. Theformer she describes as ‘self-selection’ wherestudents choose a course of study which accordswith their initial value system, which is predominantlyinfluenced by the value systems of their parents.The latter socialization effect is influenced by thedominant values held by their peer groups and whatis rewarded by academics. Media too plays a keyrole in validating and promoting sustainableknowledge and behaviour.

Young people may have the best minds, but perhapsthe least power to instigate eco-settlement. It istherefore essential to sustainability education thatemerging environmental perspectives of youngpeople are listened to and respected. Young peoplemust be empowered to participate in eco-settlementdecision-making, curriculum development andreview, media production, networking andadvocacy. This not only means inviting young peopleto the table, but also to provide capacity-building inadvocacy and change processes so that they areable to contribute.

Key role players:Media groups focussing on marketing to youngpeople;Student organisations;Families and community groups;Youth advocacy organisations;Youth clubs and societies;Youth media organisations;Schools and Universities.

Policy goals:Young people are empowered to participate in

Eco-settlement decision-making,Curriculum development and review,Media production,Networking and advocacy.

Implementation methods:Networks and PartneringInvolvementEmpowerment

Enabling activities:Young people can contribute to eco-settlementlearning by undertaking the following enablingactivities:

2.7.1 Networks and partneringa. Youth are already networked and systems

thinkers…don’t dumb them down. Ensure thatinteraction is based on dialogue;

b. Provide venues and events for inter-faith andinter-cultural creative re-imagining ofsustainable futures and eco-settlement design;

c. Support ICT infrastructure to enable youngpeople to directly communicate, share storiesand knowledge and collect information.

d. Link with existing youth environment networksand encourage capacity building in eco-settlement visioning, advocacy and strategyimplementation;

e. Partner young people with elders in order tomaintain connection with, and validation oftraditional knowledge.

2.7.2 Involvementa. Become involved in monitoring the sustainability

and/or unsustainability of their built environment;b. Become involved in settlement design and

governance processes;c. Become involved in environmental regeneration

projects linked with educational, faith-based andcultural organisations;

d. Include youth and student organisations inschool and university curriculum developmentand review processes.

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2.7.3 Empowermenta. Encourage the development of youth media

projects and organisations that provide a voicefor eco-settlement advocacy;

b. Enable students to become teachers andmentors for eco-settlement strategies andprojects;

c. Enable youth to identify unsustainability and learnthrough reflecting on eradication attempts;

d. Reward youth activity in eco-settlementdevelopment projects, including rewards forvisioning, citizenship, advocacy and design.

Figure 6: “The Young Artists Fellowship for the Environment (UNEP UNESCO YouthXchange Partners inthe Philippines) ran a Sustainable Lifestyles bike tour to rural areas in the Philippines reaching out to 20,000people through arts and workshops on sustainable consumption and lifestyles. In this picture, sustainablelifestyles had been presented to children through story-telling and they were then asked to draw their visionof a sustainable environment/community.”

PHOTO: UNEP UNESCO YOUTHXCHANGE 2008/YOUNG ARTISTS FELLOWSHIP FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

2.7.4 ExemplarsGood examples of global, regional and local youth-led initiatives. Examples include The World YouthCongress’ Youth Lead Development Tool Kit(Gainsbury et al eds., 2005) produced by PeaceChild International, and Cultivating Peace curriculumtoolkits (www.cultivatingpeace.ca ). Other importantinitiatives include the Global Youth Action Networkwww.youthlink.org/gyanv5/index.htm. The YouthEmployment Summit . www.yesweb.org/, Pioneersof Change http://pioneersofchange.net/ andUNEP’s TUNZA programme www.unep.org/Tunza/

39


2.8 STRATEGIES FORINTERNATIONAL AGENCIES

International agencies can play an important role inassisting civil society and NGOs lobbyinggovernments to continue to implement eco-settlement education across the region. Given thatthe Asia-Pacific region is the most populous,culturally and ethnically diverse region of earth, thetasks of defining, designing and implementinguniversally relevant eco-settlement education policyis daunting. International agencies must work tonetwork key stakeholders in the built-environmentand establish a co-ordinated social change agenda.International agencies should assist in clarifying andpromoting definitions of eco-settlement, raising theprofile of this effort, and establishing conferencesand other events designed to disseminate stories ofprogress.

Key role players:United Nations programs;International research agencies and networks;International development banks & tradeorganisations.

Policy goals:Network key stakeholders in the built-environment and establish a co-ordinated socialchange agenda;Clarify and promote definitions of eco-settlementeducation;Raise the profile of eco-settlement educationand disseminate stories of progress.

Implementation methods:Networks and partneringCo-operationDissemination

Enabling activities:International agencies can contribute to eco-settlement learning by undertaking the followingenabling activities:

2.8.1 Networks and partneringa. Network with the UN International Steering

Committee and Asia-Pacific Consultative Groupfor the Decade for Education for SustainableDevelopment (DESD);

b. Network with other international organisationsand stakeholders to maintain awareness of eco-settlement education initiatives (see sectionthree);

c. Partner with other stakeholders and donors tosecure funding for eco-settlement educationprograms;

2.8.2 Cooperationa. Enhance inter-agency co-operation by linking

with other UN Agencies such as UNESCO,UNDP and the UN University;

b. Incorporate sustainability education into existingeco-settlement initiatives before developing newprograms;

c. Identify and reform overlapping andmismatching eco-settlement education activitiesbetween and within countries;

2.8.3 Disseminationa. Develop an on-line ‘clearinghouse’ for

dissemination of global eco-settlementeducation activity during the DESD;

b. Develop Action-research projects around eco-settlement education initiatives in association withthe DESD Steering Committee.

c. Share outcomes of eco-settlement educationinitiatives internationally through networks suchas the UNEP Sustainable Buildings & ClimateChange Initiative, World Green Building Counciland International Initiative for Sustainable BuiltEnvironments – Sustainable Building EducatorsNetwork (SBEN) and through DESD web-sites.

2.8.4 ExemplarsThe United Nations Environment Programme hasestablished the Sustainable Buildings & ClimateChange Initiative which provides a partnershipbetween building sector stakeholders from privatecompanies, public authorities and civil society. Theprogramme provides a common platform for thesediverse stakeholders to

Reach consensus on definitions of sustainablebuilding, key global issues, indicators andpriorities for action.Generate base-line performance guidelines andprogress reports;Develop tools and strategies for implementingsustainable building policies and practicesImplementation of pilot projects anddissemination of knowledge in and betweendeveloping countries.

For more information: www.unep.org/sbci

2.9 FRAMEWORK FORECO-SETTLEMENT EDUCATION

This section tabulates the learning aims forstakeholders in eco-settlement education. Thefollowing tables provide an overview of learning aimsrelevant to each stakeholder and enablescomparison of the learning aims across stakeholdergroups.

40


Ro

le P

laye

rsE

du

cati

on

Po

licy

Co

nti

nu

ing

Cap

acit

y

Rev

iew

& R

efo

rmP

rofe

ssio

nal

Dev

elo

pm

ent

Bu

ildin

g P

rog

ram

sC

om

mu

nit

ies

of

Pra

ctic

eA

sses

smen

t & R

atin

gL

ead

ing

by

Exa

mp

le

2.9.

1 G

ove

rnm

ents

an

d I

nte

r-G

ove

rnm

enta

l B

od

ies

IMP

LE

ME

NTA

TIO

N &

EN

AB

LIN

G A

CT

IVIT

IES

-M

inis

ters

, el

ecte

do

ffic

ials

and

rep

rese

nta

tive

s;-

Sen

ior

adm

inis

-tr

ato

rs o

fg

ove

rnm

en

td

epar

tmen

ts o

rb

urea

us o

fed

uca

tio

n.

Po

lic

y g

oa

ls:

-P

ublic

sec

tor

role

pla

yers

und

erst

and

and

can

imp

lem

ent

eco

-set

tlem

ent

pri

ncip

les,

pra

ctic

e an

ded

uca

tio

n;

-E

co-s

ettl

emen

tle

arni

ng i

s co

re i

nfo

rmal

ed

ucat

ion

curr

icu

lum

;-

Co

mm

unit

ies

are

eng

aged

in

dev

elo

pin

g a

ndm

on

ito

rin

gin

dic

ato

rs o

fsu

stai

nab

led

evel

op

men

t;-

Co

mm

unit

ies

are

emp

ow

ered

and

enco

urag

ed t

op

artic

ipat

e in

lear

nin

g t

hro

ug

had

apti

vem

anag

emen

t to

elim

inat

eu

nsu

stai

nab

lep

olic

y &

pra

ctic

e.-

Go

vern

men

tp

rocu

rem

ent

pra

ctic

es f

or

eco

-se

ttle

men

t le

adb

y ex

amp

le.

a.

Rev

iew

and

ref

orm

fo

rmal

educ

atio

n sy

stem

s so

tha

tec

o-s

ettl

emen

t le

arn

ing

is

a co

re r

equi

rem

ent

of

curr

icu

lum

;

b.

Eco

-set

tlem

ent

edu

cati

on

po

licy

dev

elo

pm

ent

sho

uld

be

incl

usiv

e o

f tr

aditi

ona

lkn

ow

led

ge

syst

ems

and

go

vern

ance

pra

ctic

es,

esp

ecia

lly i

n vi

llag

ec

on

text

s;

c.

Ed

ucat

ion

po

licy

for

eco

-se

ttle

men

t cu

rric

ulu

msh

oul

d e

mp

hasi

seec

olo

gic

al w

elfa

re a

s a

com

mo

n g

oo

d a

nden

cour

age

inte

rcul

tura

lan

d i

nter

faith

dia

log

ueab

out

mo

ral

resp

ons

ibili

-tie

s fo

r en

viro

nmen

tal

stew

ard

ship

.

d.

Ens

ure

that

eco

-se

ttle

men

t ed

ucat

ion

po

licy

enab

les

lear

ning

from

as

wel

l as

of

loca

lin

dig

eno

us

kno

wle

dg

e;

e.

Ens

ure

that

ed

ucat

ion

po

licy

enab

les

lear

ning

how

to

int

egra

te t

rad

itio

nal

and

mo

der

n sy

stem

s an

dte

chno

log

ies

in e

co-

sett

lem

ent

pla

nn

ing

,d

esig

n, d

evel

op

men

t an

do

per

atio

n;

f.E

nco

ura

ge

‘su

stai

nab

lesc

hoo

ls’

dev

elo

pm

ent

–su

bsi

dis

ing

the

ret

rofit

ting

of

cam

pu

ses

asex

emp

lars

of

eco

-se

ttle

men

t st

rate

gie

s

a.

Est

ablis

h r

equ

irem

ents

for

bur

eauc

rats

and

pro

fess

iona

ls t

od

evel

op

bas

icen

viro

nm

enta

l lit

erac

yan

d k

now

led

ge

of

sust

ain

able

co

nst

ruc-

tion

thro

ugh

cont

inui

ngp

rofe

ssio

nal

dev

elo

p-

me

nt;

b.

Ed

ucat

e p

olic

y m

aker

sin

prin

cip

les

of

clo

sed

loo

p d

esig

n an

dm

anag

emen

t su

ch a

sin

du

stri

al e

colo

gy,

bu

ildin

g e

colo

gy,

per

mac

ultu

re a

ndp

rod

uct

eco

log

y, a

ndlif

e-cy

cle

asse

ssm

ent.

c.

Dev

elo

p e

duc

atio

np

rog

ram

s fo

r th

efin

ance

ind

ustr

y to

enco

ura

ge

entr

epre

-n

euri

al e

ng

agem

ent

wit

h e

co-s

ettl

emen

t.

a.

Dev

elo

pco

mm

un

ity

cap

acity

bui

ldin

gp

rog

ram

s in

sust

ain

able

des

ign

and

con

stru

ctio

n,

ac

ce

ssin

gfu

ndin

g f

or

eco

-d

evel

op

men

t,m

on

ito

rin

gp

rog

ram

s, h

om

em

ain

ten

ance

,ci

tize

nshi

p,

co

nse

nsu

sb

uild

ing

and

conf

lict

reso

lutio

n.

b.

Dev

elo

pco

mm

un

ity

educ

atio

n th

atsu

pp

ort

sre

cycl

ing

pro

gra

ms,

was

tem

inim

isat

ion

and

man

agem

ent,

an

dno

n-ca

r b

ased

per

sona

ltr

ansp

ort

atio

n.

c.

Cre

ate

pub

lica

wa

ren

ess

cam

pai

gn

s in

par

tner

ship

with

med

iao

rgan

isat

ion

s.

a.

Des

ign

on

-go

ing

mo

nit

ori

ng

pro

cess

,w

ithin

ad

aptiv

em

an

ag

em

en

tp

rog

ram

s b

ased

on

acti

on

-lea

rnin

gp

roc

ess

es.

b.

Cre

ate

pro

gra

ms

for

dev

elo

pin

gin

terc

ultu

ral

and

inte

r-fa

ith

und

er-

stan

din

g a

bo

ut e

co-

sett

lem

ent

go

als

and

pri

ori

ties

for

actio

n.

c.

Dev

elo

p p

artn

ersh

ips

wit

h c

om

mu

nit

yo

rgan

isat

ion

s an

dfin

anci

ers

to p

rovi

de

educ

atio

n in

mic

ro-

finan

cing

and

co

-o

per

ativ

e b

uild

ing

sch

em

es.

a.

Dev

elo

p e

co-

sett

lem

ent

go

als,

ben

chm

arks

,in

dic

ato

rs a

ndm

on

ito

rin

gp

rog

ram

s th

aten

able

co

mm

unit

yp

artic

ipat

ion.

b.

En

sure

th

at g

oal

-se

ttin

g a

nd

per

form

ance

mo

nito

ring

are

pub

lic p

roce

sses

and

tha

t re

sults

are

alw

ays

pro

vid

ed a

sfe

edb

ack

tost

akeh

old

ers.

c.

Ens

ure

the

on-

go

ing

per

form

ance

mo

nito

ring

of

bui

ldin

g s

tock

to

so

that

the

rig

hts

of

all

peo

ple

to

hea

lthy,

acce

ssib

le a

ndre

sou

rce

effic

ien

thu

man

hab

itat

are

bei

ng u

phe

ld;

d.

Est

ablis

h I

SO

reco

gn

ised

eco

-la

bel

ling

req

uire

-m

ents

fo

r al

lb

uild

ing

mat

eria

lsan

d a

dat

a-b

ase

for

sou

rcin

g e

co-

pre

ferr

ed b

uild

ing

mat

eria

ls.

e.

Ens

ure

that

eco

-se

ttle

men

tm

on

ito

rin

gp

rog

ram

s ar

ein

teg

rate

d w

ith

po

licy

dev

elo

pm

ent.

a.

Use

go

vern

men

t’s

role

as

a m

ajo

rd

evel

op

er a

ndp

rocu

rer

of

bui

lt-en

viro

nm

ents

to

lead

by

exam

ple

and

exp

lain

why

and

ho

w e

co-

sett

lem

ent

stra

teg

ies

bei

ng

imp

lem

ente

d;

b.

Est

ablis

h e

ach

new

pro

ject

as

ap

ublic

(as

wel

l as

org

anis

atio

nal

)le

arn

ing

op

po

rtun

ity;

c.

Tea

ch p

eop

le t

hat

stew

ard

ship

is

hig

hly

val

ued

.E

nsu

re,

for

exam

ple

, th

atec

ono

mic

dri

vers

rew

ard

act

ivit

ies

that

era

dic

ate

un

sust

ain

able

form

s o

f ur

ban

sett

lem

ent

and

that

co

ntri

but

ions

to e

co-s

ettl

emen

tg

oal

s ar

e p

ublic

lyre

cog

nise

d a

ndre

war

ded

.

d.

Do

cum

ent

inn

ova

tive

eco

-se

ttle

men

tp

roje

cts

as c

ase

stu

die

s

41


Ro

le P

laye

rsS

ust

ain

abili

ty m

on

ito

rin

gC

oll

abo

rati

on

sC

apac

ity

Lea

rnin

g n

etw

ork

s &

Co

mm

un

ity

& r

epo

rtin

gB

uild

ing

Pro

gra

ms

Par

tner

ship

sK

no

wle

dg

e B

ases

2.9.

2 S

trat

egie

s fo

r C

om

mu

nit

ies IM

PL

EM

EN

TAT

ION

& E

NA

BL

ING

AC

TIV

ITIE

S

-C

om

mu

nit

y le

ader

s,ed

ucat

ors

and

cha

mp

ions

-D

evel

op

ers

of

inno

vativ

eco

mm

un

ity

awar

enes

sp

rog

ram

s-

Initi

ato

rs o

f co

mm

unity

eng

agem

ent

pro

ject

s

Po

lic

y g

oa

lsP

oli

cy

go

als

Po

lic

y g

oa

lsP

oli

cy

go

als

Po

lic

y g

oa

ls-

Co

mm

uniti

es a

re i

nvo

lved

in

bui

ldin

g d

evel

op

men

td

ecis

ion

-mak

ing

;

-C

om

mu

nit

y m

emb

ers

und

erst

and

bio

-clim

atic

des

ign,

bui

ldin

g e

colo

gy

and

can

mai

ntai

n he

alth

har

dw

are;

-C

om

mun

ities

are

net

wo

rked

to l

earn

fro

m t

heir

exp

erie

nces

of

elim

inat

ing

unsu

stai

nab

ility

fro

m t

heir

sett

lem

en

ts;

-E

co-s

ettl

emen

t le

arn

ing

is

org

anis

ed i

n a

com

mun

itysu

stai

nab

ility

kn

ow

led

ge

bas

e th

at i

s ac

cess

ible

by

all;

-T

rad

itio

nal

kno

wle

dg

e an

dg

ove

rnan

ce s

yste

ms

are

inco

rpo

rate

d i

nto

eco

-se

ttle

men

t ed

ucat

ion

pro

gra

ms;

Inte

rfai

th a

nd i

nter

cultu

ral

tole

ranc

e an

d u

nder

stan

din

gar

e co

ntin

uous

ly f

ost

ered

thro

ugh

colla

bo

ratio

n.

a.

Bec

om

e in

volv

ed i

nd

evel

op

ing

and

mo

nit

ori

ng

eco

-se

ttle

men

t g

oal

s,b

ench

mar

ks,

and

ind

icat

ors

.

Fo

r ex

amp

le,

eng

age

pri

mar

y an

dse

cond

ary

scho

ols

in

loca

l ec

olo

gic

al f

oo

t-p

rint

ing

, ur

ban

met

abo

lism

mo

nito

ring

, an

dm

oni

tori

ng t

he l

oca

lec

olo

gic

al a

nd h

ealth

imp

acts

of

bui

lt-en

viro

nm

ents

.P

rog

ram

s su

ch a

sth

ese

also

hel

pd

evel

op

ac

om

mu

nit

y’s

envi

ron

men

tal

liter

acy.

a.

Co

nduc

t co

mm

unity

foru

ms

to e

xplo

re a

ndsh

are

inn

ova

tive

idea

s an

d e

xem

pla

ryca

se s

tud

ies

of

eco

-se

ttle

men

ts i

n lo

cal

com

mu

nit

ies

b.

Par

tner

with

lo

cal

go

vern

men

t, N

GO

,sc

hoo

ls,

arts

and

fait

h-b

ased

org

anis

atio

ns

tod

evel

op

and

imp

lem

ent

inte

rcul

-tu

ral,

inte

rdis

cip

linar

yan

d i

nter

-fai

th e

co-

sett

lem

ent

pro

gra

ms;

c.

Lear

n m

etho

ds

for

gro

up

-dec

isio

nm

akin

g,

visi

on

ing

,d

esig

n an

d c

onf

lict

reso

luti

on

;

d.

Cel

ebra

te e

co-

sett

lem

ent

acti

viti

esth

roug

h sp

ecia

lev

ents

su

ch a

sce

rem

oni

es a

ndfe

stiv

als

;

e.

Dev

elo

p i

nter

-cul

tura

lan

d i

nter

-fai

thu

nd

erst

and

ing

s o

fea

ch o

ther

and

eco

log

y th

rou

gh

shar

ing

kno

wle

dg

e in

bas

ic l

ife-s

kills

su

chas

co

oki

ng,

sho

pp

ing

and

gro

win

g f

oo

d.

a.

Lear

n b

asic

bui

ldin

gec

olo

gy

and

the

inf

luen

ceof

bui

ldin

g an

d u

rban

des

ign

on

hum

an h

ealth

and

co

mfo

rt;

b.

Lear

n ho

w t

o b

eco

me

invo

lved

in

and

inf

luen

celo

cal

and

reg

iona

lp

lan

nin

g p

roce

sses

,d

evel

op

men

t co

ntro

ls a

ndb

uild

ing

ap

pro

vals

;

c.

Lear

n b

asic

co

nstr

uctio

nan

d h

om

e m

aint

enan

cesk

ills,

en

suri

ng

th

atho

useh

old

s ha

ve b

asic

kno

wle

dg

e in

hea

lthy

livin

g p

ract

ices

, h

om

em

ain

ten

ance

, an

dm

aint

aini

ng t

he “

heal

thha

rdw

are”

of

a ho

use

and

a co

mm

un

ity;

d.

Lear

n ab

out

the

his

tory

and

tra

diti

ons

of

loca

lb

uilt

envi

ronm

ents

and

eco

syst

ems,

and

ho

w t

ora

ise

pub

lic a

war

enes

s o

fth

eir

cultu

ral

valu

eth

rou

gh

co

mm

un

ity-

bas

ed i

nit

iati

ves.

e.

Ass

ist

the

dev

elo

pm

ent

of

eco

-set

tlem

ent

kno

wle

dg

e an

d a

ctio

nco

mp

eten

ce a

mo

ng

stco

mm

unity

lea

der

s an

dhe

lp t

hem

bec

om

e ec

o-

sett

lem

ent

advo

cate

san

d e

duc

ato

rs.

a.

Par

tner

with

fai

th-

bas

ed a

nd c

ultu

ral

org

anis

atio

ns

tod

evel

op

sha

red

eco

-set

tlem

ent

valu

es a

ndp

rio

riti

es;

b.

Dev

elo

p p

artn

er-

ship

s w

ithd

evel

op

men

t, t

rad

ean

d p

rofe

ssio

nal

org

anis

atio

ns

and

imp

lem

ent

com

mu

nit

y-le

adca

pac

ity b

uild

ing

pro

gra

ms

wh

ich

incl

ude

trai

n-th

e-tr

aine

r co

mp

o-

ne

nts

;

c.

Dev

elo

p p

artn

er-

ship

s w

ith f

inan

cial

org

anis

atio

ns

tod

evel

op

cap

acity

in

pro

ject

fun

din

g a

ndfi

nan

cin

g;

d.

Par

tner

with

go

vern

me

nt

agen

cies

to

dev

elo

p a

ndp

artic

ipat

e in

scho

ol

and

cam

pu

s-b

ased

init

iati

ves

ined

ucat

ion

for

eco

-se

ttle

me

nts

.

a.

Cre

ate

loca

lkn

ow

led

ge

bas

esth

at p

rovi

de

loca

lly a

pp

rop

riat

eg

uid

ance

on

livin

g s

ust

ain

ably

in e

co-

sett

lem

en

ts;

b.

Dev

elo

p e

co-

sett

lem

ent

kno

wle

dg

e w

ith

neig

hbo

urs

and

oth

er c

om

mu

nit

ym

emb

ers

by

dev

elo

pin

gn

etw

ork

s o

fp

eop

le t

hat

lear

nth

rou

gh

try

ing

sust

ain

able

life

-st

yle

s;

c.

Fee

d b

ack

kno

wle

dg

eg

ain

ed t

hro

ug

hth

ese

actio

ns t

oth

e co

mm

un

ity

kno

wle

dg

e b

ase

so t

hat

loca

llyg

ener

ated

kno

wle

dg

e is

as

acce

ssib

le a

sg

ener

ic b

est-

pra

ctic

eg

uid

ance

.

42


Ro

le P

laye

rsC

on

tin

uin

g P

rofe

ssio

nal

Co

urs

e, T

rad

e an

dP

ub

licat

ion

sR

esea

rch

&

Dev

elo

pm

ent

Pro

fess

ion

al A

ccre

dit

atio

nan

d A

war

ds

Ass

essm

ent &

Rat

ing

Pu

blic

Acc

ou

nta

bili

tyD

evel

op

men

t

2.9.

3 S

trat

egie

s fo

r th

e P

riva

te S

ecto

r

IMP

LE

ME

NTA

TIO

N &

EN

AB

LIN

G A

CT

IVIT

IES

-D

esig

ners

/ d

eliv

erer

s o

fin

dus

try

trai

ning

pro

gra

ms

and

pac

kag

es;

-P

rofe

ssio

nal

accr

edit

atio

nas

soci

atio

ns f

or

bui

lten

viro

nm

ent

pro

fess

ion

s;-

Pro

ject

fin

anci

ers

and

pro

per

ty d

evel

op

ers;

-B

uild

ing

in

du

stry

pro

fess

ion

als;

-T

rad

e un

ions

and

ind

ustr

yad

voca

cy o

rgan

isat

ion

s.

Po

lic

y g

oa

ls:

-S

ust

ain

abili

ty l

earn

ing

is

emb

edd

ed i

nto

pro

fess

iona

led

ucat

ion

and

vo

catio

nal

trai

ning

cur

ricu

la;

-P

rofe

ssio

ns

are

acco

un

t-ab

le f

or

imp

lem

entin

gd

ecla

ratio

ns o

n su

stai

nab

led

evel

op

men

t;-

Co

ntin

uing

dem

ons

trat

ion

of a

nd e

duc

atio

n in

sust

aina

ble

bui

ldin

g i

s a

req

uire

men

t fo

r lic

ensu

reas

a b

uild

ing

tra

des

per

son

or

pro

fess

iona

l;-

Pro

ject

fin

anci

ers

und

erst

and

and

can

det

erm

ine

the

finan

cial

and

life-

qua

lity

ben

efits

of

sust

aina

ble

bui

ldin

g a

ndec

o-s

ettl

emen

t d

evel

op

-m

en

t;-

The

re i

s m

ains

trea

mm

arke

t un

der

stan

din

g o

fan

d d

eman

d f

or

sust

aina

ble

bu

ildin

g.

-S

usta

inab

le b

uild

ing

is

wid

ely

pub

licis

ed a

ndaw

ard

ed.

Cas

e st

udie

s ar

eal

way

s g

ener

ated

as

anac

tio

n-re

sear

ch a

ndco

mm

un

ity

lear

nin

gp

roce

ss

a.

Inve

st i

n ca

pac

ityb

uild

ing

pro

gra

ms

for

‘clo

sed

-lo

op

’ su

pp

ly-

chai

n m

anag

emen

t;

b.

Lear

n ho

w t

o r

esp

ect

and

inc

orp

ora

tetr

aditi

ona

l kn

ow

led

ge

syst

ems

in b

usi

nes

sd

ecis

ion

-mak

ing

;

c.

Ed

uca

te m

anag

emen

tan

d w

ork

ers

tod

evel

op

the

irec

olo

gic

al l

iter

acy

and

cap

acity

to

cont

ribut

e to

sust

ain

able

dev

elo

pm

ent

go

als.

a.

Pro

fess

ion

alo

rgan

isat

ion

s m

ust

ensu

re t

hat

eco

log

ical

liter

acy,

ind

ustr

ial

and

bui

ldin

g e

colo

gy

and

ethi

cal

inq

uiry

are

emb

edd

ed a

ndin

teg

rate

d i

n co

recu

rric

ulum

fo

rac

cred

ited

ed

ucat

ion

pro

gra

ms;

b.

Dev

elo

p p

artn

ersh

ips

tod

evel

op

co

re c

urri

culu

min

eco

log

ical

eco

nom

-ic

s.

a.

Pub

licat

ions

and

aw

ard

ssh

oul

dp

rom

ote

eco

-se

ttle

men

tva

lues

and

exp

lain

and

rew

ard

inn

ova

tive

de

sig

n,

bui

ldin

g a

ndm

ain

ten

ance

stra

teg

ies.

b.

No

awar

dre

cog

nit

ion

shou

ld b

eg

iven

to

dev

elo

pm

ent

pro

ject

s th

atd

o no

tad

dre

sssu

stai

nab

ility

issu

es.

a.

Par

ticip

ate

in t

heo

n-g

oin

gm

oni

tori

ng a

ndp

ublic

rep

ort

ing

of

eco

-set

tlem

ent

per

form

ance

.

a.

Est

ablis

h an

do

per

ate

trip

leb

ott

om

lin

e (s

oci

al,

envi

ronm

enta

l an

dfin

anci

al)

bu

sin

ess

per

form

ance

mo

nito

ring

and

rep

ort

ing

pro

gra

ms;

b.

Imp

lem

ent

the

pre

caut

iona

ryp

rinci

ple

in

dev

elo

pm

ent

and

inve

stm

en

td

ecis

ion

-mak

ing

;

c.

Imp

lem

ent

and

be

acco

unta

ble

fo

rex

isti

ng

co

mm

it-

men

ts t

o a

ndd

ecla

ratio

ns o

nsu

stai

nab

ility

educ

atio

n fo

rp

rofe

ssio

nal

s;

d.

Ens

ure

that

the

adm

inis

trat

ion

and

man

agem

ent

of

the

org

anis

atio

nad

here

s to

sust

ain

able

dev

elo

pm

ent

prin

cip

les

and

is

held

acc

oun

tab

le f

or

trip

le b

otto

m l

ine

per

form

ance

.

a.

Dev

elo

pp

artn

ersh

ips

with

rese

arch

org

anis

atio

ns

tole

arn

the

eco

nom

ic v

alue

of

eco

-set

tlem

ent

init

iati

ves;

b.

Ens

ure

that

the

kno

wle

dg

eg

ener

ated

by

actio

ns t

aken

to

cont

rib

ute

to e

co-

sett

lem

ent

dev

elo

pm

ent

ism

anag

ed a

nd

bec

om

es t

he

bas

is f

or

furt

her

educ

atio

n

43


Ro

le P

laye

rsC

urr

icu

lum

Rev

iew

Net

wo

rks

and

Stu

den

tC

om

mu

nit

yC

amp

us

and

Sch

oo

lsC

apac

ity

Bu

ildin

g

& R

efo

rmP

artn

ersh

ips

Invo

lvem

ent

En

gag

emen

tE

co-r

edes

ign

&&

Fu

rth

er E

du

cati

on

mo

nit

ori

ng

2.9.

4 S

trat

egie

s fo

r F

orm

al E

du

cati

on

Sec

tors

IMP

LE

ME

NTA

TIO

N &

EN

AB

LIN

G A

CT

IVIT

IES

-E

du

cato

rs;

-S

tud

ents

an

dst

ud

ent

org

anis

atio

ns;

-A

ccre

dit

atio

n,

pro

fess

iona

l an

dtr

ade

org

anis

atio

ns;

-P

olic

y m

aker

s an

dfu

nd

ing

org

anis

atio

ns;

-S

cho

ol

and

un

iver

sity

co

mm

un

i-ti

es.

Po

lic

y g

oa

ls:

-S

ust

ain

abili

tyed

ucat

ion

is a

co

re-

conv

ictio

n an

d e

tho

so

f in

stitu

tions

fo

rfo

rmal

ed

ucat

ion;

-C

amp

us a

nd o

ther

sett

ing

s fo

red

ucat

ion

are

eco

-se

ttle

men

t le

arn

ing

lab

ora

tori

es a

ndb

uild

ing

pro

cure

-m

ent,

des

ign

,co

nst

ruct

ion

,m

aint

enan

ce a

ndre

furb

ishm

ent

are

bes

t-p

ract

ice

exem

pla

rs;

-R

esea

rch

, te

ach

ing

and

co

mm

unit

ye

ng

ag

em

en

tre

info

rce

eco

-se

ttle

men

t le

arn

ing

and

dev

elo

pm

ent.

a.

Wo

rk w

ith c

urri

culu

mau

tho

riti

es,

stu

dy

bo

ard

s, e

duc

atio

n an

dtr

aini

ng d

epar

tmen

ts a

ndin

dus

try

trai

ning

org

aniz

atio

ns t

o i

den

tify

and

dev

elo

p n

ewte

ach

ing

mo

du

les,

sup

po

rt m

ater

ials

and

lear

nin

g a

ctiv

itie

s;

b.

Rat

e, r

evis

e an

d a

udit

exis

ting

cur

ricu

la a

ndte

ach

ing

tra

inin

gp

rog

ram

s, i

den

tify

gap

san

d l

earn

ing

op

po

rtun

i-tie

s, t

hen

dev

elo

p n

ewp

rog

ram

s to

ed

ucat

e fo

re

co

-se

ttle

me

nts

;

c.

Dev

elo

p a

nd p

rom

ote

new

met

hod

s o

fte

achi

ng t

o r

efle

ct t

heho

listic

cha

ract

er o

fsu

stai

nab

ility

ed

ucat

ion

and

to

hig

hlig

ht t

hein

terd

epen

den

t fa

cto

rs o

fe

co

-se

ttle

me

nts

;

d.

Dev

elo

p c

ont

inuo

uscy

cles

of

mo

nito

ring

and

eval

uatio

n to

im

pro

ve t

hed

esig

n, d

eliv

ery

and

aud

itin

g o

f su

stai

nab

ility

educ

atio

n p

rog

ram

s an

dp

roje

cts;

e.

Des

ign

eco

-set

tlem

ent

curr

icul

a as

act

ion-

rese

arch

pro

ject

s an

dsh

are

out

com

es t

hro

ugh

jour

nals

and

the

med

ia

a.

Fo

rm n

ew n

atio

nal

and

inte

rnat

iona

l te

achi

ng a

ndle

arni

ng p

artn

ersh

ips

with

educ

atio

nal

inst

itutio

nsfr

om

bo

th d

evel

op

ing

and

dev

elo

ped

nat

ions

, an

dre

-en

erg

ise

old

alli

ance

s,to

cla

rify

co

mm

on

visi

ons

and

aim

s fo

r ac

hiev

ing

eco

-set

tlem

ents

wit

hin

the

Asi

a-P

acifi

c re

gio

n;

b.

Co

op

erat

e w

ith l

oca

lg

ove

rnm

ents

an

d/o

rco

mm

un

ity

faci

litat

ors

and

oth

er p

artn

ers

toin

itia

te c

om

mu

nit

yen

gag

emen

t /a

ctio

nle

arni

ng p

roje

cts

that

mut

ually

bui

ld c

apac

ities

;

c.

En

cou

rag

e in

ter-

dis

cip

linar

y re

sear

ch a

ndte

achi

ng i

n ec

o-

sett

lem

ent

issu

es i

n o

rder

to b

uild

net

wo

rks

of

criti

cal

colle

ague

s an

dad

voca

tes.

d.

Bui

ld c

apac

ity i

n se

rvic

ele

arni

ng c

urri

culu

md

evel

op

men

t an

d a

ctio

n-re

sear

ch m

etho

do

log

y in

ord

er t

o s

tren

gth

en l

inks

bet

wee

n t

each

ing

,re

sear

ch a

nd c

om

mun

ity

en

ga

ge

me

nt;

e.

Iden

tify,

net

wo

rk a

ndp

artn

er w

ith s

cho

ols

and

univ

ersi

ties

in o

rder

to

shar

e ec

o-s

ettl

emen

tcu

rric

ulum

and

res

earc

hfi

nd

ing

s.

a.

Invo

lve

stud

ents

in

curr

icu

lum

des

ign

an

revi

ew

;

b.

En

ga

ge

stud

ents

in

han

ds-

on

actio

n p

roje

cts

that

ena

ble

them

to

dev

elo

p s

kills

,kn

ow

led

ge,

insp

iratio

n an

dse

lf-m

oti

vati

on

to c

reat

ep

osi

tive

ch

an

ge

s;

c.

En

ga

ge

yo

un

gp

rofe

ssio

nal

sin

act

ion

com

pet

ence

pro

ject

s to

enab

le t

hem

to

dev

elo

p s

kills

,kn

ow

led

ge

and

ins

pira

tion

to c

reat

ec

ha

ng

es.

a.

Pri

ori

tise

com

mu

nit

yb

ased

act

ion

rese

arch

pro

ject

s th

atb

uild

up

con

text

ual

ised

kno

wle

dg

e;

b.

Inco

rpo

rate

Se

rvic

e-

Lear

ning

and

com

mu

nit

ye

ng

ag

em

en

tp

rog

ram

s in

tert

iary

co

urs

es;

c.

Dev

elo

pse

rvic

ele

arni

ng a

ndac

tio

n-

lear

nin

gcu

rric

ula

.

a.

Pra

ctic

e w

hat

isb

eing

pre

ache

d -

pro

mo

te g

reen

cam

pus

es i

n sc

hoo

lsan

d u

nive

rsiti

es a

ndac

tive

ly i

nvo

lve

stud

ents

in

dev

isin

gan

d i

mp

lem

enti

ngsu

stai

nab

le d

esig

np

roje

cts;

b.

Sh

ow

case

lea

din

ged

ge

case

stu

die

san

d r

esea

rch

pro

ject

s;

c.

Bui

ld t

each

er’s

and

acad

emic

’s c

apac

ity

and

will

ing

ness

to

lead

by

exam

ple

;

d.

Wri

te c

urri

cula

tha

tes

tab

lish

esca

mp

use

s as

‘le

arn

-sc

ape’

lab

ora

tori

es;

e.

Mak

e a

com

mit

men

tto

id

entif

y an

d s

triv

eto

elim

inat

eu

nsu

stai

nab

lep

ract

ice

fro

mac

adem

ic a

ndad

min

istr

ativ

ep

rog

ram

s, f

acili

ties

and

act

iviti

es a

s a

lear

nin

g-c

ycle

;

f.R

ewar

d g

oo

dp

ract

ice

in e

duc

atio

nfo

r su

stai

nab

led

evel

op

men

t an

dim

ple

men

tatio

n o

fse

rvic

e le

arn

ing

curr

icu

lum

.

a.

Co

op

erat

e w

ithre

leva

nt

pro

fess

ion

alas

soci

atio

ns

tod

evel

op

con

tin

uin

gp

rofe

ssio

nal

dev

elo

pm

ent

cou

rses

, tr

ain

ing

pro

gra

ms

and

reso

urce

s fo

red

uca

tors

;

b.

Men

tor

oth

ered

ucat

ors

to

atta

in t

heco

mp

eten

cy t

oin

corp

ora

te k

eyco

ncep

ts i

n th

eir

teac

hin

gp

rog

ram

s;

c.

Bui

ld t

each

er a

ndac

adem

icca

pac

ity i

nec

olo

gic

allit

erac

y, i

ndus

tria

lan

d b

uild

ing

eco

log

y an

det

hica

l en

qui

ryth

rou

gh

con

tin

uin

ged

uca

tio

n;

d.

En

sure

pro

cess

esfo

r m

oni

tori

ngle

arni

ng g

oal

s an

do

utc

om

es a

rein

corp

ora

ted

in

pro

gra

mcu

rric

ulum

and

adm

inis

trat

ion

.

44


Ro

le P

laye

rsM

on

ito

rin

g,

asse

ssm

ent

Net

wo

rks

and

par

tner

ing

Co

mm

un

ity

eng

agem

ent

Cap

acit

y B

uild

ing

and

rat

ing

sch

emes

pro

ject

dev

elo

pm

ent

and

gra

nt

app

licat

ion

s

2.9.

5 S

trat

egie

s fo

r C

ivil

So

ciet

y an

d N

GO

s

IMP

LE

ME

NTA

TIO

N &

EN

AB

LIN

G A

CT

IVIT

IES

-G

reen

bui

ldin

gad

voca

cy g

rou

ps;

-H

uman

itaria

n an

d A

ido

rgan

isat

ion

s;-

Lo

cal

com

mu

nit

yad

voca

cyo

rgan

isat

ion

s;-

Res

earc

ho

rgan

isat

ion

s an

dn

etw

ork

s

Po

lic

y g

oa

ls:

-M

ain

stre

amin

g e

co-

sett

lem

ent

lear

ning

in

the

pri

vate

sec

tor;

-In

tern

atio

nal

exch

ang

eo

f ec

o-s

ettl

emen

tkn

ow

led

ge

and

curr

icu

la;

-N

etw

ork

ing

pri

vate

,p

ublic

and

co

mm

unity

stak

eho

lder

s to

faci

litat

e ec

o-

sett

lem

ent

acti

vity

an

ded

uca

tio

n.

a.

Dev

elo

p d

efin

itio

ns o

f ec

o-

sett

lem

ents

an

d ‘

gre

en’

bui

ldin

gs

thro

ugh

asse

ssm

ent

and

rat

ing

sch

emes

an

d u

sin

g t

hes

esc

hem

es a

s a

bas

is f

or

com

mun

ity e

duc

atio

n an

dm

arke

t tr

ansf

orm

atio

n;

b.

Ens

ure

that

‘as

-bui

lt’

and

‘in-o

per

atio

n’ p

erfo

rman

cem

oni

tori

ng o

f b

uild

ing

s is

cond

ucte

d t

o a

ugm

ent

initi

al b

uild

ing

des

ign

ratin

gs

and

tha

t th

is p

ost

-o

ccup

ancy

rev

iew

dat

a is

pub

licly

ava

ilab

le;

c.

Mo

nito

r in

dic

ato

rs o

fco

rpo

rate

so

cial

and

envi

ronm

enta

l re

spo

nsib

ility

for

pub

licly

lis

ted

pro

per

tyd

evel

op

men

t, c

ons

truc

tio

nan

d m

ater

ial

sup

ply

com

pan

ies.

a.

Net

wo

rk w

ith o

ther

NG

Os,

civ

ilo

rgan

isat

ion

s an

dst

akeh

old

ers

tom

ain

tain

aw

aren

ess

of

eco

-set

tlem

ent

educ

atio

n in

itia

tive

s;

b.

Par

tner

with

oth

erst

akeh

old

ers

and

do

nors

to

sec

ure

fund

ing

fo

r ec

o-

sett

lem

ent

educ

atio

np

rog

ram

s;

c.

Enh

ance

co

-op

erat

ion

by

linki

ng w

ith o

ther

org

anis

atio

ns

tofa

cilit

ate

inte

rdis

cip

li-na

ry,

inte

r-fa

ith

and

inte

r-cu

ltur

al e

co-

sett

lem

ent

edu

cati

on

.

a.

Ass

ist

com

mu

nit

yo

rgan

isat

ion

s in

dev

elo

pin

g a

ndim

ple

men

tin

g e

co-

sett

lem

ent

mo

nit

ori

ng

pro

gra

ms;

b.

Ass

ist

the

form

aled

ucat

ion

sect

or

toes

tab

lish

scho

ol

and

cam

pus

eco

-red

esig

n an

dp

erfo

rman

ce m

oni

tori

ngsc

he

me

s;

c.

Ass

ist

com

mu

nit

ies

inne

eds

anal

ysis

, p

roje

ctd

efin

itio

n an

d g

rant

wri

tin

g.

a.

Hel

p t

o f

ost

er a

n un

der

stan

din

g o

fb

uild

ing

eco

log

y an

d e

nvir

onm

en-

tal

per

form

ance

of

bui

ldin

gs

thro

ugh

loca

l ca

pac

ity b

uild

ing

pro

gra

ms;

b.

Fac

ilita

te t

rain

ing

in

bas

icin

fras

truc

ture

and

bui

ldin

g d

esig

n,co

nstr

ucti

on

and

mai

nten

ance

;

c.

Fac

ilita

te t

he i

mp

lem

enta

tion

of

loca

l en

viro

nmen

tal

mo

nito

ring

pro

gra

ms;

d.

Fac

ilita

te c

apac

ity b

uild

ing

and

trai

n-th

e-tr

aine

r p

rog

ram

s in

eco

-se

ttle

men

t p

lan

nin

g,

des

ign

,co

nstr

ucti

on

and

mai

nten

ance

;

e.

Fac

ilita

te b

uild

ing

and

‘he

alth

infr

astr

uct

ure

’ au

dit

ing

pro

gra

ms

with

in c

om

mun

ities

and

pro

vid

ing

trai

ning

in

on-

go

ing

aud

iting

and

mai

nten

ance

and

rep

air

pro

ject

s;

f.F

acili

tate

pro

fess

iona

l d

evel

op

men

tco

urse

s in

bui

ldin

g p

erfo

rman

ceas

sess

men

t an

d r

atin

g.

45


Ro

le P

laye

rsN

etw

ork

s an

d p

artn

erin

gP

rom

oti

on

an

d a

war

enes

s ra

isin

gD

isse

min

atio

n &

Dis

trib

uti

on

2.9.

6 S

trat

egie

s fo

r M

edia

IMP

LE

ME

NTA

TIO

N &

EN

AB

LIN

G A

CT

IVIT

IES

-P

rint

and

bro

adca

st m

edia

org

anis

atio

ns;

-A

dve

rtis

ing

ag

enci

es;

-IC

T p

rovi

der

s;

Po

lic

y g

oa

ls:

-C

reat

e d

eman

d f

or

eco

-se

ttle

men

t st

rate

gie

s;

-E

co-s

ettl

emen

t kn

ow

led

ge

and

exe

mp

lars

are

fre

ely

and

wid

ely

dis

trib

uted

and

pro

mo

ted

;

-E

co-s

ettl

emen

t va

lues

an

det

hics

are

dem

ons

trat

edan

d p

rom

ote

d;

-Lo

cal,

reg

iona

l an

d g

lob

alco

mm

unit

ies

dir

ectl

y in

form

each

oth

er u

sing

IC

T.

a.

En

gag

e w

ith

su

stai

nab

ility

pro

fess

iona

ls t

o d

evel

op

med

ia r

eso

urce

s th

at e

xpla

inan

d e

xem

plif

y sy

stem

sth

inki

ng a

nd u

nder

stan

din

gre

leva

nt

to e

co-s

ettl

emen

t;

b.

Link

with

net

wo

rks

of

sust

aina

bili

ty e

duc

ato

rs t

od

istr

ibut

e cu

rric

ula

for

eco

-se

ttle

men

t le

arn

ing

;

c.

Co

llab

ora

te w

ith g

ove

rnm

ent,

NG

Os

and

ed

ucat

iona

lin

stitu

tions

to

pro

mo

te e

co-

sett

lem

ent

acti

viti

es a

nd

ou

tco

mes

.

a.

Pro

mo

te t

he e

co-s

ettle

men

t w

ork

of

com

mun

ity l

ead

ers

and

oth

er e

co-

sett

lem

ent

cham

pio

ns;

b.

Pro

mo

te b

road

er c

om

mun

ityun

der

stan

din

g o

f st

rate

gie

s an

dp

rio

rity

act

ions

to

ach

ieve

sust

aina

ble

life

styl

es a

nd p

rote

cten

viro

nm

ents

;

c.

Pro

mo

te i

nter

-fai

th a

nd i

nter

-cul

tura

lto

lera

nce

and

und

erst

and

ing

thro

ugh

the

com

mo

n g

oal

s o

f ec

o-

sett

lem

ent

dev

elo

pm

ent;

d.

Pro

mo

te l

oca

lly d

evel

op

ed e

co-

sett

lem

ent

stra

teg

ies,

tel

ling

sto

ries

of

trad

itio

nal

as w

ell

as a

pp

rop

riate

app

licat

ion

of

new

id

eas

and

stra

teg

ies.

a.

Pro

mo

te a

nd d

isse

min

ate

rese

arch

and

dev

elo

pm

ent

inec

o-s

ettl

emen

t ed

uca

tio

n;

b.

Sh

ow

case

eff

ecti

ve a

nd

inno

vativ

e ex

amp

les

of

bo

thp

rofe

ssio

nal

and

co

mm

unit

y-le

dsu

stai

nab

ility

in

itia

tive

s;

c.

Su

pp

ort

co

mm

un

ity

kno

wle

dg

eb

ase

s.

46


Ro

le P

laye

rsN

etw

ork

s an

d p

artn

erin

gIn

volv

emen

tE

mp

ow

erm

ent

2.9.

7 S

trat

egie

s fo

r Y

ou

th

IMP

LE

ME

NTA

TIO

N &

EN

AB

LIN

G A

CT

IVIT

IES

-S

tud

ent

org

anis

atio

ns;

-F

amili

es a

nd c

om

mun

ity

gro

up

s;-

Yo

uth

ad

voca

cyo

rgan

isat

ion

s;-

Yo

uth

club

s an

d s

oci

etie

s;-

Yo

uth

med

ia o

rgan

isat

ions

;-

Sch

oo

ls a

nd

Un

iver

siti

es.

Po

lic

y g

oa

ls:

Yo

ung

peo

ple

are

em

po

wer

edto

par

ticip

ate

in:

-E

co-s

ettl

emen

t d

ecis

ion

-m

ak

ing

;

-C

urri

culu

m d

evel

op

men

tan

d r

evie

w;

-M

edia

pro

duc

tion,

Net

wo

rkin

g a

nd a

dvo

cacy

.

a.

Yo

uth

are

alre

ady

netw

ork

ed a

ndsy

stem

s th

inke

rs E

nsu

re t

hat

inte

ract

ion

is b

ased

on

dia

log

ue;

b.

Pro

vid

e ve

nues

and

eve

nts

for

inte

r-fa

ith a

nd i

nter

-cul

tura

lcr

eati

ve r

e-im

agin

ing

of

sust

aina

ble

fut

ures

and

eco

-se

ttle

men

t d

esig

n;

c.

Sup

po

rt I

CT

inf

rast

ruct

ure

toen

able

yo

ung

peo

ple

to

dire

ctly

com

mun

icat

e, s

hare

sto

ries

and

kno

wle

dg

e an

d c

olle

ct i

nfo

rma-

tio

n;

d.

Link

with

exi

stin

g y

out

hen

viro

nmen

t ne

two

rks

and

enco

urag

e ca

pac

ity b

uild

ing

in

eco

-set

tlem

ent

visi

on

ing

,ad

voca

cy a

nd

str

ateg

yim

ple

men

tati

on

;

e.

Par

tner

yo

ung

peo

ple

with

eld

ers

to m

aint

ain

conn

ectio

n w

ith,

and

valid

ate

trad

itio

nal

kno

wle

dg

e..

a.

Bec

om

e in

volv

ed i

n m

oni

tori

ng t

hesu

stai

nab

ility

and

/or

unsu

stai

nab

ility

of

thei

r b

uilt

envi

ronm

ent;

b.

Bec

om

e in

volv

ed i

n se

ttle

men

td

esig

n a

nd

go

vern

ance

pro

cess

es;

c.

Bec

om

e in

volv

ed i

n en

viro

nmen

tal

reg

ener

atio

n p

roje

cts

linke

d w

ithed

ucat

iona

l, fa

ith-b

ased

and

cul

tura

lo

rgan

isat

ion

s;

d.

Incl

ude

yout

h an

d s

tud

ent

org

anis

atio

ns i

n sc

hoo

l an

dun

iver

sity

cur

ricu

lum

dev

elo

pm

ent

and

rev

iew

pro

cess

es.

a.

Enc

our

age

the

dev

elo

pm

ent

of

yout

h m

edia

pro

ject

s an

do

rgan

isat

ions

tha

t p

rovi

de

avo

ice

for

eco

-set

tlem

ent

ad

voc

ac

y;

b.

Ena

ble

stu

den

ts t

o b

eco

me

teac

hers

and

men

tors

fo

r ec

o-

sett

lem

ent

stra

teg

ies

and

pro

ject

s;

c.

Ena

ble

yo

uth

to i

den

tify

unsu

stai

nab

ility

and

lea

rnth

roug

h re

flect

ing

on

erad

icat

ion

atte

mp

ts;

d.

Rew

ard

yo

uth

activ

ity i

n ec

o-

sett

lem

ent

dev

elo

pm

ent

pro

ject

s, i

nclu

din

g r

ewar

ds

for

visi

on

ing

, ci

tize

nsh

ip,

advo

cacy

and

des

ign

.

47


Ro

le P

laye

rsN

etw

ork

s an

d p

artn

erin

gC

-op

erat

ion

Dis

sem

inat

ion

2.9.

8 S

trat

egie

s fo

r In

tern

atio

nal

Ag

enci

es IMP

LE

ME

NTA

TIO

N &

EN

AB

LIN

G A

CT

IVIT

IES

-U

nite

d N

atio

ns p

rog

ram

s;-

Inte

rnat

iona

l re

sear

chag

enci

es a

nd

net

wo

rks;

-In

tern

atio

nal

dev

elo

pm

ent

ban

ks &

tra

de

org

anis

atio

ns

Po

lic

y g

oa

ls:

-N

etw

ork

key

sta

keho

lder

sin

the

bui

lt-en

viro

nmen

t an

des

tab

lish

a co

-ord

inat

edso

cial

ch

ang

e ag

end

a;

-C

larif

y an

d p

rom

ote

def

initi

ons

of

eco

-se

ttle

men

t ed

uca

tio

n;

-R

aise

the

pro

file

of

eco

-se

ttle

men

t ed

ucat

ion

and

dis

sem

inat

e st

ori

es o

fp

rog

ress

.

a.

Net

wor

k w

ith t

he U

N I

nter

natio

nal

Ste

erin

g C

om

mit

tee

and

Asi

a-P

acifi

c C

ons

ulta

tive

Gro

up f

or

the

Dec

ade

for

Ed

ucat

ion

for

Su

stai

nab

le D

evel

op

men

t (D

ES

D);

b.

Net

wo

rk w

ith o

ther

int

erna

tiona

lo

rgan

isat

ions

and

sta

keho

lder

s to

mai

ntai

n aw

aren

ess

of

eco

-se

ttle

men

t ed

ucat

ion

init

iati

ves

(see

sec

tio

n th

ree)

;

c.

Par

tner

with

oth

er s

take

hold

ers

and

do

nors

to

sec

ure

fund

ing

fo

rec

o-s

ettl

emen

t ed

uca

tio

np

rog

ram

s.

a.

En

han

ce i

nte

r-ag

ency

co

-op

erat

ion

by

linki

ng w

ith o

ther

UN

Ag

enci

essu

ch a

s U

NE

SC

O,

UN

DP

and

the

UN

Uni

vers

ity;

b.

Inco

rpo

rate

sus

tain

abili

ty e

duc

atio

nin

to e

xist

ing

eco

-set

tlem

ent

initi

ativ

es b

efo

re d

evel

op

ing

new

pro

gra

ms;

c.

Iden

tify

and

ref

orm

ove

rlap

pin

g a

ndm

ism

atch

ing

eco

-set

tlem

ent

educ

atio

n ac

tiviti

es b

etw

een

and

wit

hin

coun

trie

s.

a.

Dev

elo

p a

n o

n-lin

e ‘c

lear

ing

-ho

use’

fo

r d

isse

min

atio

n o

fg

lob

al e

co-s

ettl

emen

ted

ucat

ion

activ

ity d

urin

g t

heD

ES

D;

b.

Dev

elo

p A

ctio

n-re

sear

chp

roje

cts

aro

und

eco

-set

tlem

ent

educ

atio

n in

itiat

ives

in

asso

ciat

ion

wit

h th

e D

ES

DS

teer

ing

Co

mm

itte

e;

c.

Sha

re o

utco

mes

of

eco

-se

ttle

men

t ed

ucat

ion

init

iati

ves

inte

rnat

iona

lly t

hro

ugh

netw

ork

ssu

ch a

s th

e In

tern

atio

nal

Init

iati

ve f

or

Sus

tain

able

Bui

ltE

nvi

ron

men

ts–S

ust

ain

able

Bui

ldin

g E

duc

ato

rs N

etw

ork

(SB

EN

) an

d t

hro

ug

h D

ES

Dw

eb

-sit

es.

48



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on-line 23/11/06 http://www.akdn.org/

Barefoot College (2006) accessed on line 23/11/

06 http://www.barefootcollege.org/

Booth, P. (2002) Facilitating Educators in the

Design of Learnscapes: Research and

Development of Appropriate Roles for a

Learnscaper. Unpublished doctoral thesis,

Griffith University, Brisbane. Electronic version

available on request:

[email protected]

Museum of Victoria (2006) Greening the High Rise

Accessed on-line 23/11/06: http://

www.museum.vic.gov.au/FutureHarvest/

case17.html

Du Plessis, C. (2002) Agenda 21 for Sustainable

Construction in Developing Countries for the

International Council for Research and

Innovation in Building and Construction & The

United Nations Environment Program –

International Environmental Technology

Centre, Boutek Report N. Bou/E0204, CSIR

Building & Construction Technology, Pretoria

South Africa.

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Intent: Presents examples ofinternational best practice inimplementing curriculum and educationpolicy for eco-settlement andsustainable building.

PART 3:BEST PRACTICEMODELS OFCURRICULA &PROGRAMS

PAR

T 3

OverviewIn Part 3, opportunities for interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder sustainability education for eco-settlements and sustainable buildings are identifiedin the context of common needs, actions andchallenges for sustainability education. Bestpractices and regional exemplars of innovativeprograms and projects in universities are presented,with a case study of an approach to greeningcampuses and schools known as learnscaping. Anexemplar of a faculty’s community engagementprogram is also presented.

Regional exemplars of innovative programs andprojects in schools are also presented, with a casestudy of a new professional development model forteachers developed in a special project at the Facultyof Built Environment at University of New South Walescalled “Knowledge Networks”.

A case study of urban transformation in Curitiba,Brazil provides an exemplar of innovativecommunity awareness and capacity buildingprograms.

3.1 BEST PRACTICES IN UNIVERSITIES

The UNESCO Working Paper on the Asia-PacificRegional Strategy for Education for SustainableDevelopment has identified important roles foruniversities and research centres, including:

Educating and training school teachers;Educating future leaders throughundergraduate and postgraduate programs;andInitiating action-oriented research for sustainabledevelopment at masters, doctoral and post-doctoral levels.

Leading edge institutions will also play a vital role inaccepting and/or sponsoring scholarships toencourage participation and equity from neglectedregions across the Asia-Pacific. For example, theAustralian Vice Chancellors Committee has agreedto collaboratively apply a top-down driver toimplement ESD in all universities.

3.1.1 Best Practice for Architectural EducationSustainable development requires practisingdesigning and testing mutually beneficial social,economic and ecological relationships in builtenvironments, rather than simply limiting our visionto creating ‘less-harmful’ designs.

Students learn as much from their surroundings andtheir social context than they do in class. In order forstudents to receive a sustainable education inarchitecture, the learning culture that they experiencemust be one of sustainability. What we teach will needto change with both time and place, but how we teachshould be an example of sustainability. The currentissues for curricula reform are therefore not only incontent, but in the process and context of educationin architecture. How might this be done?

To begin with, architectural programs must decidethat sustainability is a core conviction and therefore,a principle reason for the education offered.Sustainable design education must be fullyintegrated into curricula. This requires developing avision that establishes a philosophy of and directionfor education, an image of that desired state in termsof the core values of the program, and a design thatallows the realisation of the image. The commitmentof all the staff and students to the exploration of theissues of sustainability in core streams of study isrequired so a curriculum model for sustainableeducation can be developed. It will be important tobe mindful of both the process and context of learningand the need for continually evolving content.

An architecture program re-orienting itself forsustainability might begin developing a Vision thatarticulates their intention to empower students anddesign professionals to be life-long learners with “theskills and attitudes that will allow all people, presentand future, to have fair and equitable access to theearth’s resources, have a decent quality of life andpreserve the biologically diverse ecosystems onwhich we all depend” (Benn, 1999).

The program will have adopted sustainableeducation as an organising principle with an Imageof the curricula as an ethos that orients their mindstoward whole-systems thinking, developing instudents and staff the ability to identify andcomprehend “patterns that connect” (Bateson, 1980)human designs and nature’s designs. The curriculawould be focused on developing the necessaryanalytical skills to think clearly about the systemiceffects of designing, teaching and courseadministration. It would be implemented as a continualexperiment in re-thinking the physical settings forteaching and learning. Curriculum developmentwould be informed by environmental monitoring andreflecting on actions taken to contribute to the healthof the biosphere and the equity of society. Thisprocess would be integrated into all aspects ofprogram administration, curriculum and courses sothat as far as possible the program is a “microcosmof the emerging sustainable society.” (Sterling,2001p33)

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The process of developing and implementingcurricula needs to be designed and thereforerequires a comprehensive brief. For example thebrief for program administration and process couldbe to design a system that:

- Helps staff develop their awareness ofsustainability and support their actions to liveand work to achieve an equitable ecologicalfootprint8 .

- Help students and staff foster a sense ofconnection with the university and widercommunity. Through collaborative projectsstudent’s ability to understand how to engageand communicate with the community willdevelop. The curriculum will encourage thestudy of languages and cultures, promote travelby appropriate means, overseas exchange, andvalue volunteer community work.

- Provide opportunities for participating insustainability projects with other disciplines inthe built environment, natural and socialsciences including teaching and researchactivities.

- Seek opportunities to facilitate learningsustainability by trying to improve the campusand buildings that we teach and learn in so thatthey at least do no harm.

- Encourage learning sustainability through criticalanalysis and improvement of teaching andstudio work practices so that they eventuallybecome examples of sustainable practice.

In history and theory the brief might include designingcurricula that:

- Reinforce student and staff historical andtheoretical understanding of relationshipsbetween human use of land and resources andarchitects’ response to environmental andcultural context.

- Discuss the regenerative capacity ofarchitecture and the analysis of buildings in“integrated cultural and ecological processes”(Moor, 2001 in Wright, 2003p104).

- Provide frameworks for comparing the influenceof architectural movements on sustainabledevelopment in their historical social and culturalcontexts.

The brief for design and technology might includedesigning curricula that can:

- Continually foster student and staff awarenessof and sensitivity to natural systems and forces(ecological literacy) as a basis for design andtechnical education. To this end, all studentsand staff will learn in different climate zones,light and weather conditions and learn ways ofanalysing and documenting natural phenomenaas an essential design skill.

- Foster and demonstrate life-cycle thinking anda “deep commitment to understanding howbuildings work” (Fraker, 2000) interact with theirenvironment, how they change, and what theyare made from (eg Building Ecology).

- Find a place in every studio to reinforce holisticthinking and techniques for responding tocontext in sustainable ways.

- Use the goal of designing regenerative systemsas a framework for design thinking, alwayschallenging students to meet design briefs inways which consume no more resources thancan be regenerated, protect and enhancediversity, eliminate waste and encouragelearning and innovation.

The ideas and ideals listed above are speculationson how architectural education as a sustainabledevelopment process might be described. Theemphasis is on educational process, and framingsustainability as a way of thinking and acting and asa quality of the mind of the designer. This way ofthinking is best developed through activeengagement in sustainability activities, leading byexample, learning to identify and change our ownunsustainable practice and in the process,participating in sustainable education. Implementingthis vision requires that teaching staff, are willing toengage in the sustainability debate and develop theenvironmental literacy required to lead students indesigning sustainability into the systems andrelationships that keep us alive and learning inequitable ways.

8Calculate your ‘Ecological Footprint at: http://www.myfootprint.org/ For all humans on earth to enjoy a typical Australian Life-style – we’d need at least another two Earth’sworth of resources.

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Example 1: the bioclimatic design matrixThe bioclimatic matrix of design strategies, practicesand recommendations (see Figure 7) provides acheck list of basic design components for buildingtypes and urban streetscape parameters. Theseare paired with climatic principles and concepts.The matrix is an excellent teaching and learning toolfor formal, industry and community educationsectors, and for continuing professional learning.Correlating design strategies, practices andrecommendations are presented for each paireddesign component/ principle in a comprehensivetable format.

The complete matrix and table are available as aweb link to teaching-professional packages (CLEAR)developed by the School of Planning andArchitecture (SPA) New Delhi, in collaboration withthe University of East London and the Universityof Athens. The web link iswww.learn.londonmet.ac.uk/portfolio/2002-2004/clear.shtml

Example 2: A Phenomenological approach tosustainable design education.A recent collaboration between the ArchitecturePrograms at the University of Dundee and the RobertGordon University in Scotland explored the potentialsof sustainable design education that emphasisedphenomenological9 and place-making designprocess10 rather than technical design andenvironmental science based strategies (Stevensonand Cotton, 2000).

The authors of this curriculum emphasise the needfor sustainable design education to be grounded indeveloping rich understandings of place arguingthat “sustainable design has to finally ground itself inthe real experience of real buildings” (p4).

To this end they designed a post-graduate ecologicaldesign course involving two sessions of work to firstanalyse and richly describe user perceptions andenvironmental performance of the Scott SutherlandSchool of Architecture building, and then proposedesign interventions that would transform it into aSchool for the Environment. The building wasstudied holistically within the context of thebioregion of Aberdeen fostering a design processconsiderate of:

- Place- History- Resource flows- Social & Cultural Patterns- Materials and Energy

The course was structured around an action-reflection process of ten “Transitions” or structuredstages through which the students collectivelyprogressed. These are shown in Table 3.1

1. Gather Local knowledge relating to national,regional, local, site and building scales. Datacollection included surveys of building users,students and the local community.

2. A Field Trip to experience an exemplar campusgreening project and to develop groupdynamics

9“‘Phenomenology’ is often restricted to the characterization of sensory qualities of seeing, hearing, etc.: what it is like to have sensations of various kinds. However, ourexperience is normally much richer in content than mere sensation. Accordingly, in the phenomenological tradition, phenomenology is given a much wider range, addressingthe meaning things have in our experience, notably, the significance of objects, events, tools, the flow of time, the self, and others, as these things arise and are experiencedin our “life-world” (Stanford Dictionary of Philosophy).

10Place making in architecture refers to “the design of places, the experiences they make possible and the consequences they have in our lives.” (www.places-journal.org)

Figure 7: Graphic representation of the bioclimaticdesign matrix

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3. Physical Survey – a phenomenological surveyof how the existing building ‘feels’.

4. Report writing – students all contribute to thesame document having developed a criticalperspective on sustainability

5. Develop a brief for the transformation of theexisting building

6. Design development – reinforcing thephenomenological process of responding toobserved sensations of the building, rather thanrelying solely on reasoning.

7. Gaining a wider perspective – by presentingconceptual design work to students from anotheruniversity

8. External Examination – student designprocess work and outcomes were presentedto an external examiner for review against bothphenomenological and scientific criteria

9. Turning project outcomes into acommunity resource – by revising theproject report into a format and technicallanguage more easily understood by Universitydecision-makers

10. Validation of Students Contribution – bypresenting their work in an acceptable formatto the university and having it recognised asuseful validated the learning process for thestudents.

Table 3.1 – Phenomenological sustainable designpraxis applied to the improvement of the sustainabilityof a real building on a university campus –(Stevenson & Cotton, 1998)

Stevenson and Cotton (2000 pp 7-8) developedsome principles to guide the development ofsustainable design curriculum. These are:

Working with Place:Start with a real site, one you can touchWork with the users, not just the clientEngage with the local community both in andaround the siteEngage with the site and its architecturalprecedent with all your senses

Values for Sustainable Design:Adopt an ethic of caringDevelop teamworkValue everyday experience as an informant ofdesignAccept subjective and objective analysis withequal meritEngage with complexity and flexibility in designAdopt inclusive thinking rather than exclusivethinking in relation to design and analysis

Present work relationally in a way that meetsand dialogues with other people’s standpoints:this can shift boundaries

Methodology for Sustainable Design:Rely on continuous feedback from everyoneand everything associated with the site andbuildingUnderstand the human and physical resourceflows of the site and buildingAllow compartmentalised taught subjects tointegrate via project workEncourage more conscious sensualengagement and reflection on the environmentUse field trips as an essential ingredient ofgroup workExchange teaching with other schools: exposestudents to different ideas which transcend theirown framework

This exemplar shows how sustainability educationfor eco-settlements must be locally relevant andrespond to the unique issues of a place. A ‘place’ inthis case is considered from a bioregionalperspective. However, as the next case studiesshow, places can also be created or developed asa process of ecosettlement education by applying‘learnscaping’ methodologies.

3.1.2 Best Practice forCampuses–‘Learnscaping’The most urgent challenge is for educationalinstitutions to make a conscious shift from theirguiding metaphor of ‘factory’, and move to themetaphor of a ‘living system’. (Sterling, 2002: 48)

This case study presents an educational innovation11

known as learnscapes - - - - - an abbreviation of ‘learningthrough landscapes’ (Adams et. al, 1990; Booth,2002) – which engages students and educators inthe design and management of sustainable learningplaces, including:

Reconfiguring grounds and buildings so thatthey incorporate sustainable design principlesand sustainable management practicesInvolving youth in these sustainable design andmanagement processes directly through hands-on learningProviding urban students with new experiencesin sustainable resource management (water,soils, renewable energies, biodiversity) to matchexperiences that are more accessible to ruralstudentsFamiliarising urban and rural students with thekey principles of eco-design.

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11‘Learnscapes’ began in the 1990s as an innovative strategy to involve school students and educators - working together with other stakeholders including parents, designprofessionals, and community residents - to identify and resolve environmental design problems ranging across ecological, health and social issues in their school groundsand built facilities. This innovation emerged from environmental education initiatives in Australian schools, with parallels to the Learning through Landscape program inBritain, the ENSI program in the EU and related initiatives in North America.

Features of learnscapes:Learnscape projects challenge educators andstudents (depending on their age and range ofexperiences) to break the barriers that confinecurricula and teaching and learning programs withinclassroom walls. They provide ‘real world’ stimuli forstudent centred learning strategies correlated withkey learning areas in curricula including SustainableAgriculture, Biology, Geography, EnvironmentalManagement, Environmental Design, Art and so forth.Hands-on teaching and learning can occur througheach stage of a project design and implementationincluding:

site analyses involving sensory mapping,surveys and mind maps of studentsperceptions of good and bad aspects of theirgrounds and buildings;brainstorming improvements to neglected areasto enhance social and ecological interactions;refining concept plans and reporting these toother stakeholders including school/universityadministrators and fellow students;strategies to maximise students’ hands-oninvolvement (‘Do it, and I understand!”);devising an ongoing maintenance program;evaluation and reflections on participants’‘learning journeys’.

Learnscape projects include growing organic food,restoring damaged soils with composts and mulches,regenerating native flora to provide habitat for fauna,rainwater harvesting and recycling grey water, andexploring alternative technologies such as windpower. Good learnscape projects resolve site-specific problems by utilising multi-functional designprocesses that provide habitats for insects, birdsand animals. Environmental degradation in busyplaces of learning - soil compaction, wear and tearon vegetation, dust and dry winds, mud, wet weathererosion and flooding – are concerns for designersand site managers (Stine, 1997: 80-84). Theseconcerns can become problem-solving tasks forstudents and their educators, providing newopportunities to engage in experiential teaching andlearning journeys.

Incorporating eco-design principles:Learnscaping has expanded from its initialfoundations in schools and environmental educationcentres to include botanic gardens, communityprojects in neighbourhood parks, and regenerationprojects along river riparian zones, coastal dunes,rainforest edges and so forth. These projectsincorporate eco-design principles, sustainableresource management strategies, biodiversity

12Environmental Education Policy for Schools – Curriculum Support Directorate, New South Wales Department of Education and Training, Sydney, 2001.

regeneration and habitat protection12 . They caninvolve school students and tertiary students inlandscape architecture, architecture and urbanplanning; and also engage a wider range ofcommunity stakeholders, as shown in two casestudies below.

Middle and senior school students can conduct auditsof physical disturbances to water catchments andsoils; audit species that continue to survive in, orinvade a disturbed ecosystem vis-à-vis species thathave disappeared because their habitat is destroyed;then progress to identifying key endemic plantspecies for habitat restoration, seed-collecting andpropagation. These activities provide rich teachingand learning opportunities for site analyses andconcept planning stages.

Senior secondary and tertiary students can identifysignificant gaps in biological diversity by utilisingvegetation types, vertebrates or butterfly speciesas indicators (Aberley (1994: 61). This may lead onto a study of bird migration patterns, local flora/faunaand comparisons with other migratory breeding/feeding sites. Bird breeding projects regenerateappropriate endemic plants for nesting sites andfoods (nectar, pollen, leaves and insects) for youngbirds. This requires an ecological design rationale:when trees, understorey shrubs and groundcoversare planted in naturalistic clusters they provide moresuitable habitat for smaller forest birds. Dawson(1990: 139) has noted that urban-based landscapedesigners tend to:

…favour one layer of simplified, neat plantings thatproduce an expansive visual effect. Street trees andfoundational plantings are examples of this. However,forest bird species tend to prefer layered clumps ofvegetation instead of linear bands. The benefits ofclusters are the minimising of territory perimeter tobe defended, travel distance, energy costs oflocating food, and the time nestlings must be leftunattended.

Key outcomes:Key outcomes of learnscape projects includesignificantly improved landscapes for learning,regeneration of important local habitats, introductionsto key elements in designing sustainable builtenvironments. Most importantly, ‘hands-on’ teaching,mentoring and learning can encompassenvironmental management skills and knowledge,team building and collaborative actions that enablestudents to build up their skills and confidencethrough working with people outside their normallocus of interactions.

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Educators in tertiary institutions can transformbuildings and grounds into models of buildingecology and landscape ecology. This may includeutilising virtual technologies for designing ‘smartbuildings’ and embedded building informationsystems (BIMs). These technologies help to shiftsustainable buildings from ‘passive communicators’into ‘active and intelligent communicators’.

Learnscaping incorporates the fundamentals ofaction research: identifying and engaging with a realworld problem, testing solutions, critiquing actionsand reflecting on outcomes, and building up bothindividual and collaborative action competence skillsto take on more complex problems or issues. Indeed,‘learning how to learnscape’ is a higher order ofreflexive teaching and experiential learning whichencompasses many dimensions of sustainabilityeducation in the design of green schools and college/university campuses.

Professional development of educators is essential:Learnscaping design processes pose newchallenges to educators – especially urbaneducators - who may be keen to engage with thisinnovation but have limited experiences or convey alack of confidence in core skill areas such asgardening or landscaping, and conducting siteanalyses and fieldwork surveys. Research andevaluations of trial programs in Australia, Britain andthe USA confirm that these educators requirespecialised professional development andresourcing in these key areas:

exploring appropriate strategies and methodsto engage students in action basedsustainability projects;managing design processes;building up networks with colleagues anddesign professionals;creating school/campus environmentalmanagement plans.

Roles of the ‘learnscaper’ as a design mentor andfacilitator:Educators will benefit from the skills of a learnscapefacilitator or ‘learnscaper’ who provides mentoring,expertise and leadership in all stages of projectdesign and implementation. This needs to be donein an inclusive manner that empowers stakeholdersto develop know-how in conducting comprehensivesite analyses, mapping, developing a coherent briefwith clear purposes, and so forth. In addition, alearnscaper can guide educators to pace events soas to optimise student participation; negotiate withdesign professionals and other communitystakeholders; assist in producing groundsmanagement strategies; and liaise with executivedecision makers (Booth, 2002).

3.1.3 Case Studies of Learnscapes

Oberlin College, Ohio, USAThe design of schools and campus buildings hastended to ignore sustainable design principles. Orr(1994: 68) critiques the lack of ecological design incampuses: “Most colleges and universities intendtheir campuses to look like country clubs, weedlessand biologically sterile places, maintained by anunholy array of chemicals”.

Thus, as graduates, educators are usually ill-equipped to participate in learnscape designprocesses. Reflecting on the old building in whichhe taught environmental education at Oberlin College,Ohio, Orr (1999a: 229) concludes that a major changein the philosophy of landuse management, throughoutthe education sector, is overdue. This changemust address issues such as the conceptual ‘blindspot’ which fails to see the irony of teaching inan unsustainable building that students knownothing about:

How it is cooled, heated, and lit and at what true costto the world is an utter mystery to its occupants. Itoffers no clue about the origins of the materials usedto build it. It tells no story. With only minormodifications, it could be converted to a factory orprison.

The paradox of teaching about and for theenvironment in ecologically dysfunctional buildingsand grounds is part of a hidden curriculum ofdisconnection. Orr identifies four aspects of thishidden curriculum. First, an ecologically dysfunctionaldesign ‘tells’ users that “locality, knowing where youare, is unimportant”. Second, where energy andwater are used wastefully, it tells users that theseresources are “cheap, abundant, and can besquandered with no thought for the morrow”. Third,students may be given no information about wherethe materials used in construction came from or the‘knock-on’ effects “downwind or downstream fromthe wells, mines, forests, and manufacturing facilitieswhere those materials originated or where theyeventually will be discarded”. Fourth, wastes aredumped into ecosystems in ways that say to students“…the world is linear and we are no longer part ofthe larger web of life… Students begin to suspect, Ithink, that those issues are unreal or unsolvable inany practical way, or that they occur elsewhere”.(Orr, 1999a: 229)

At Oberlin College, Orr collaborated with students,architects and other professionals to clarify acongruent design rationale for a new ecologicaleducation centre. This project generated newmodalities of learning for Orr (1999c: 4) and hisstudents, who gained first-hand experiences

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working alongside “some of the best practitioners inthe world”. During a year-long series of meetings,twenty-five students and a team of architects definedthe design criteria. They began:

“…by asking what students would need to know inorder to help make a sustainable and sustainingworld in the 21st century. The answer that studentsthemselves gave included such things as knowledgeof solar technologies, ecological design, full-costaccounting and practical skills of restoration ecology,gardening, horticulture and forestry.”

Reflecting on his experiences during the design andconstruction phases, Orr (1999c: 7) concluded thatthe mental blocks in a ‘non-learning organisation’s’attitude towards sustainable design are a majorobstacle:

For a variety of reasons having to do with turfprotection, divisions of labour, and the low priorityassigned to the environment, college planning tendsto be fragmentary and short term… Budgetaryplanning tends to be short term, precluding life-cyclecosting. The alternative, which Peter Senge (1990)calls the “learning organisation”, is a more fluid, open,adaptable, far-sighted and forgiving kind oforganisation. It would be ironic indeed if academicinstitutions had to learn how to learn from the moreprogressive part of the business world. (Emphasisadded.)

Charles Sturt University Thurgoona Campus,Albury, AustraliaCharles Sturt University’s Thurgoona Campus nearAlbury-Wodonga on the NSW-Victoria bordershowcases buildings and surroundings that displayevolving concepts in sustainable design for the localenvironment13 . In fact, the campus and its buildingsrepresent a developing, dynamic model thatdemonstrates how architecture can relate to lifestylesand the land, based on responsible use of resourcesand intelligent responses to the local climate.

Architect Marci Webster-Mannison led the innovativeteam of designers who created the new campus tocomprehensively embody eco-design principles andpractices. Webster-Mannison (1999: 174) outlinessome imaginative ways in which the landscapeecology at Thurgoona was designed to offer a newmodality of integrated learning:

The landscape character of the campus reflects boththe rural and social environments of the region, andis laden with teaching and demonstrationopportunities for the Environmental and Park

Management courses offered by the university. Thevegetation of the major climatic regions down theMurray Valley is being established on the waste-ways that collect the stormwater. This represents alive version of the collection in the herbarium that isalso being made electronically on the web. Anarboretum of trees from the regions of Eurasia andGondwana that are ecologically similar to the MurrayValley, are being planted along the main pedestrianspine, presenting a phyto-geographic tour of theworld.

Other eco-design features of the Thurgoona Campusinclude:

Siting buildings either side of a pedestrian walk,which, together with a road and services followsthe contours of a hill according to soilconservation principlesBuildings constructed with rammed earth wallsand concrete floors, which provide thermalmass to store the sun’s heat in winter and keepbuildings cool in summer; their passive solardesign minimises energy use and eliminatesthe need for air conditioningEarth berm construction of some building areas,effectively placing them below ground to stabilisetemperatureConvection towers to vent heat from the tops ofbuildingsLarge, shaded windows for ample ventilation,natural lighting and views.Recycled materials, e.g., timber in windowframesSolar photovoltaic power generation and solarhot water systemsWater collection from buildings in tanks that areintegral to the building structure and also helpto stabilise temperature.Management of stormwater and wastewater inconstructed wetland ecosystems within the 87-hectare siteWaste management on siteLandscaping with low-input native plantings

Environmental benefits of the project address local,regional and national concerns for global warming,ozone depletion, genetic diversity and air and waterpollution. Future decision makers - the students oftoday – are living and studying in a beautiful, efficient,low-impact environment that is also technologicallyadvanced. Financial savings in terms of electricityand water management are also a valuablelesson. Aiming for sustainability principles ratherthan least-cost options will pay major dividends intothe future.

13The Thurgoona campus is featured in the CSIRO Sustainability Network Newsletter # 56: www.bml.csiro.au/sustnet.htm Visit this web site to view images of the campus.Additional information and illustrations are available from the Charles Sturt University Thurgoona web site at: www.csu.edu.au/division/marketing/thur/index.htm.

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3.1.4 Best practice in community engagement- FBE Out There!This case study presents an emerging relationshipbetween universities and communities that buildscommunity capacity and social capital for sustainabledevelopment. This emerging relationship is basedon a nexus of innovative educational concepts –community engagement, rich learning, and service-learning – described in Appendix A. Utilising theselearner-centred concepts, universities can re-focustheir involvement in the DESD as key “initiators ofactivity”; and faculties of design disciplines canengage with communities to promote eco-settlements.

Vision:The Faculty of Built Environment at the University ofNew South Wales (Sydney, Australia) has formed anew unit called FBEOutThere! It offers students andstaff new opportunities to become involved ininterdisciplinary teaching and ‘rich learning’ projects,which have a strong focus on sustainability. Theseactivities contribute to the achievement of the Faculty’sgoals:

Achieving community engagement with keystakeholder groupsDeveloping communities of practice among staff,students and community stakeholdersCreating new opportunities for collaborationsacross faculties and disciplines, and morebroadly through international connections.

Aims and Outcomes:1. Collaborate in the development of

interdisciplinary programs within and across theFaculty Schools of Architecture, InteriorArchitecture, Landscape Architecture, Planningand Urban Development, and Industrial Design.

2. Champion ‘real world’ teaching and learning thatcombines service learning, communityengagement and education for sustainabledevelopment within cohesive frameworks.

3. Link undergraduate and post graduate studentsto projects that create opportunities for richlearning experiences, locally and internationally.

4. Build an interdisciplinary communities of practicewithin the Faculty, which generate projectenterprise and ownership.

5. Develop continuing professional learningworkshops for staff and innovative training forcommunity stakeholders.

6. Act as a hub/clearing house for new projectproposals and activities, and a catalysts forinter-faculty and multi-university collaborationsof staff, students and community stakeholders.

Community engagement:FBEOutThere is modelled on the concept of anengaged university: engaged at the faculty levelwith various communities to build capacities inmutually beneficial ways. FBEOutThere! is also amember of the Australian Universities CommunityEngagement Alliance14 ( ( ( ( (AUCEA) ) ) ) ) which links 28Australian Universities, each committed topromoting the sustainable social, environmental,economic and cultural development ofcommunities and regions. AUCEA viewscommunity engagement as an educative processthat acts to strengthen the core functions ofuniversities – research and teaching. AUCEAmembers acknowledge that teaching institutionshave a dual responsibility to prepare students forfuture employment and also prepare them tobecome fully functioning members of theircommunity:

“This underlines the importance of universitycommunity engagement in developing attributesin graduates that will enhance citizenship andcommunity sustainability and foster lifelonglearning.” (Temple et al., 2005:3)

Temple et al. (2005: 3) also describe how an‘engaged’ university positions its intendedlearning and research outcomes to respond toemerging social, environmental and culturalissues. This involves:- responding to needs identified by

communities, and actively partnering withcommunities to address their needs;

- a commitment to engage with communities’visions and strategic plans, and their effortsto build new worlds;

- show evidence of these engagements in thefabric of teaching, learning and researchoutputs.

Communities of practice:Academics’ and practitioners’ teaching andresearch interests, and students’ learning andresearch activities are linked with innovative ‘realworld’ projects that strengthen relationshipsbetween the University and the wider community.Dean of the Faculty of the Built Environment,Professor Peter Murphy, identifies how thismission expands its core business:“FBEOutThere! seeks to build synergies aroundthe three pillars of what we do as a Faculty in thecommunity. This is through community focusedresearch, learning and engagement.” At aminimum level, each project needs to generateoutcomes in two of these pillars.

14http://www.uws.edu.au/about/adminorg/devint/ord/aucea

Interdisciplinary collaborations:The Convenor of the FBEOutThere! ReferenceGroup, Associate Professor Linda Corkery, overseeshow the program of new electives and innovativeprojects provide rich opportunities for off-siteexperiential learning in design and construction thatare part of UNSW students’ courseworkundertakings:

Students in their later years of undergraduate studygain a deep understanding of real world issuesrelated to a specific locale, and expand theirunderstanding of civic responsibility and ethicalpractice relevant to their discipline. They also applyspecialised knowledge in a service-learning contextin which they work with a real client, on a real site, todevelop a built environment response. Additionally,there are opportunities to develop a capacity forenterprise and initiative through dealing withcommunity leaders, individual experts and interestgroups.

The current suite of activities underway include the:

The UNSW Community Development ProjectThe Sustainable Living Challenge, a popularprogram that engages high schoolsIndigenous Programs in partnership with theNura Gili CentreService learning electives, such as theWollongong Clubhouse Project with WollongongCouncil (a local government area south ofSydney) that engages FBE students through aseries of linked design studios in designing acommunity facility for young people withschizophrenia.

Most recently FBE and Architects Without Frontiersformed a collaboration that will involve the Universitywith projects in communities that are sociallydisadvantaged or that have been devastated bywar, social conflict or natural disasters in Australiaand abroad. Architects Without Frontiers are currentlyworking on projects in Sri Lanka, Nepal, East Timor,Indonesia and locally in Palm Island. The Sri Lankanproject is working in the Southern areas badlyaffected by the Tsunami disaster to assist rebuildingschools and providing access to education materialsthrough providing mobile libraries.

Commitment to Engaged Scholarship, ActionLearning and Reflective Practices:Staff and affiliates of FBEOutThere are committed toengaged scholarship based on ‘Type 2 research’(Gibbons et al. 1994) whose outcomes “often includechanges in policy, practice or in management plans– as opposed to refereed journal articles… Engagedscholarship integrates discovery and studentlearning in partnership with the community.” (Funding

Australian Universities for Community Engagement,AUCEA, 2005: 5)

FBEOutThere staff and affiliates conduct communitybased action research, action learning and reflectivepractices based on the following protocols:

- Thoroughly document and evaluate all phasesof project design and implementation

- Be respective and inclusive of differentstakeholders’ points of views by workshoppingproject briefs

- Regularly convene progress meetings to keepin touch with everyone’s contributions

- Systematically appraise the impacts of staff-community engagements and studentinteractions.

3.2 BEST PRACTICEFOR SCHOOLS & TEACHERSSustainable housing designs and sustainablelifestyles are becoming key themes in Design andTechnology curricula. Excellent teaching resourcesare being produced globally and regionally in forexample, The Centre for Environmental Education(CEE) India. Likewise, the Intermediate TechnologyDevelopment Group http://pratcticalaction.org hasproduced two resources with case studies frommany countries:

- Wall to Wall Design: A sustainable housing packfor Key Stage 3 Design and Technology

- Sustainable Lifestyles? Exploring economic andcultural issues in Design and Technology

Designers of innovative school programs are,generally speaking, adept at working with teachereducation institutions, professional associations,teacher employer groups, and teacher registrationauthorities. To achieve sustainability education foreco-settlements, they will also need to engage withplanning and construction industry decision makersand leaders; and also liaise with private trainingproviders to embed ESD in their education andtraining courses. A case study from NSW, Australiais presented below.

3.2.1 The Knowledge Networks ProfessionalDevelopment ModelThe Knowledge Networks pilot project is an exemplarof an innovative approach aimed at incorporatingESD into high school Technology, Science andGeography syllabi. The project team have pilotedand evaluated a leading edge model of continuingprofessional development for secondary teachers,which has been acclaimed by the NSW Departmentof Education and Training (DET), and the NSWDepartment of Environment and Conservation (DEC).Knowledge Networks is headquartered in

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FBEOutThere! It is a community engagementprogram within the Faculty of Built Environment atthe University of New South Wales (FBE-UNSW) inAustralia.

At all times, the approach by the project teamremained consistent with state, national andinternational thinking on Education for Sustainability(EfS). The project also frames a ‘futures perspective’as outlined in the UN-DESD. There is significantpotential to leverage Knowledge Networks as aninternational program to engage secondary teachersand students in key concepts and issues in thedesign of sustainable built environments; and as aleading provider of professional development duringthe UN-DESD.

Outline of the pilot project:Knowledge Networks project has successfullyexplored pathways for supporting NSW teachers tointegrate EfS into their practice. This project centredon the development, trialling and evaluation of anaction learning based model for continuingprofessional learning with NSW secondary teachers,based on contextualised approaches and a precisestep-by-step process.

Participating teachers focused on developingteaching and learning projects for their own use,which were edited to a useable level as curriculum-linked resources distributed via an online database

freely accessible to teachers, which was developedas a key output of this project:<teachsustainability.com.au> which is supported byan ongoing relationship with the annual SustainableLiving Challenge, a popular national EfS programfor schools hosted by FBEOutThere!

The need for an online resource sharing database,as a tool for building the capacity of a broaderaudience of teachers, was identified through theSustainable Living Challenge. Many teachers wereidentified as champions for sustainability in theirschools but without avenues for sharing their learningwith other teachers in the wider EfS community. Someof these teachers had developed their own highlyinnovative teaching programs. Thus, an onlineresource sharing database where teachers canupload their teaching programs provides anopportunity to build and capture over time a highlyvaluable body of knowledge that is emerging withinthe NSW community of teachers.

The project ran three sequential focus groups ofteachers from different schools, each teaching in thesame Key Learning Areas (KLAs) of the NSWcurriculum. Each group focused on a different KLA –Technology, Human Society and Its Environment(HSIE), and Science respectively.

The Professional Development Model (PDM) has sixcharacteristic themes:

Figure 8: Professional learning context ofKnowledge Networks

Theme 1 - Commitment:High commitment levels from participants are crucialto ensure their full engagement. Development of ateaching and learning project is situated in teachers’existing obligations, not as an added commitment.Teachers develop a program for their own use andthe requirements of their school. The PDM assiststhe teacher to achieve this.

Theme 2 - Relief time management:Efficient use of relief time by participants, combinedwith an extended time span over which the PDMoperates improve effectiveness of the model.

Theme 3 - Phased PDM:The PDM action learning process is iterative, initiatedby group workshop sessions and supported byexternal university and curriculum mentors. This isexpanded into a series of cycles or phases oflearning as the framework of the PDM, as shownabove in Figure 8: Professional learning context ofKnowledge Networks

Theme 4 - Mentoring and Facilitation:The roles of mentors and facilitators perform criticalsupport roles in assisting and guiding participantson their learning journeys, whether ‘learning together’in focus groups or ‘learning away’ in pairs during/after school. For simplicity these mentors have beentermed ‘navigators’. Two key navigator roles wereidentified with distinct functions performed byseparate individuals:

Sustainability Navigator – facilitates and mentorsto assist in contextualising concepts insustainability and EfS.

Curriculum Navigator – facilitates and mentorsto assist teachers to navigate syllabus needs,Quality Teaching elements and coherent writingand communication of ideas into a teaching andlearning sequence.

Theme 5 – Outputs:Situating the action learning: Personal projectsassist the teachers to achieve a professional goaland/or ease their existing workload. Often the easiestway to do this is to actively program for an upcomingclass with a view to permanent inclusion in theteachers own annual program.

Publishing in hard copy and on line: Removingthe pressure to fully produce a resource for publicconsumption makes involvement less daunting andmore attainable for participants. The support ofeditors is offered as a final step in the process. Thisprovides a means of striking a balance between theneed to challenge and extend participants and theneed to avoid de-motivating them with excessiveand daunting expectations.

Theme 6 - Learning Dynamics:Teachers work in learning pairs as part of a largerlearning team or community of practice. Thiscommunity of practice is focussed on sharingexperiences and learning for sustainability.Structured group processes facilitate theseoutcomes. The learning pairs operate as co-criticalfriends within the action learning experience andcan make a significant difference to motivation -especially during learning away sessions. Teacherpairing is a keystone of the PDM. Evidence fromevaluation confirmed that participants without pairsfound it very difficult to devote time to the projectoutside of the learning together group workshopdays. Figures above illustrate the learning dynamicsas a nested system of learning cycles withinthe project.

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Evaluating the pilot project:A comprehensive evaluation process wasundertaken to enhance the outcomes of the pilotproject’s main focus of developing a ProfessionalDevelopment Model (PDM) for EfS. This externalevaluation:

Delivered an understanding of the criticalsuccess factors;Enhanced the action learning outcomes andprocesses of the project;Evaluated the methodologies used in the model;andReconstructed and refined the professionaldevelopment model.

Action learning was chosen as the methodologicalbasis for this project on strong evidence that thecharacteristics embedded within its approach arehighly effective at changing practice. For example,characteristics such as collaborative learninggroups, critical friends, mentoring, reflective practiceand task oriented learning have been recentlyincorporated into the Australian Government QualityTeacher Program15 as a preferred model of PD forimproving practice.

Adapting the PDM as a community engagementtool for educators:Action learning and mentoring have beendemonstrated as effective tools for local governmentenvironmental educators in EfS in NSW16 . The PDMcould also be adapted as a context for collaborationbetween local government and schools through theactive development of locally relevant teaching andlearning projects. The PDM provides a platform forthe development of action based student projectswhile building the capacity of participating teachersthrough mentoring and support provided by localgovernment educators as well as curriculum andsustainability ‘navigators’. This application canfacilitates tangible local outcomes in schools andprovide councils and other agencies with analternative to the production of educational materialsand kits.

3.3 BEST PRACTICEFOR COMMUNITY EDUCATORS

Important issues to address include engagingcommunity sectors in lifelong learning andempowerment, through culturally appropriatemethods and techniques for effective community-wide behaviour changes. A framework of key drivers

15Australian Government Quality Teacher (AGQTP) http://qualityteaching.dest.gov.au/16Tilbury, Garlick Henderson & Calvert (2005) Mentoring as a tool for workplace change: outcomes and lessons learned from the “It’s a Living Thing” education for sustainabilityprofessional development program http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/

for community-based education and capacitybuilding was clarified at a Sustainability EducationRoundtable convened in the Australian State ofVictoria in October 2005:

A framework of key drivers for community-based Sustainability Education

1. Recognise, acknowledge and work with theparadox between sustainability andconsumerism

2. Create immediate, pervasive and lasting culturalchange as a pre-requisite for a move tosustainable living

3. Establish transformative education/learning asa vital process in changing society towards livingmore sustainably

4. Develop methods and resources to move fromtransmissive to transformative models ofeducation

5. Legitimise a ‘bottom-up’ approach tosustainability education: support and enhancegrass roots initiatives to encourage andadvance ‘ownership’

6. Develop a ‘whole of society’ framework forsustainability education including household,workplace, government, recreation, community,business, formal and informal education

7. Recognise that sound research from a varietyof sectors underpins knowledge and leads tobehavioural change

8. Facilitate collegiality, networking and sharedvisions for all practitioners of sustainabilityeducation.

9. Publicise and highlight successes: display andpromote flagship programs, ‘lighthouse’ changeleaders, hubs and partnerships.

10. Consolidate the state government role ofdetermined leadership, leading by example anddeveloping a whole-of-government approach

11. Create transparent and predictable resourcingsystems for sustainability education.

Each Process or Driver identifies:Key themeIssues and key lessons learntResources and experiencesKey stakeholdersCommunicationsPriorities and recommendations.

Learning to Live Sustainably Strategy – Dept ofSustainability and Environment, Victoria, pp 7-12].

3.3.1 Curitiba – a case study of holistic policies,planning frameworks, education & capacitybuildingThis case study of Curitiba, an innovative regionalcity in Brazil, provides sustainability educators witha very good example of the mutual benefits that flowfrom close correlations of sustainability education withpro-active eco-city policy and planning frameworks.

Alan Jacobs, Professor of Planning at Berkeley andformer Planning Director of San Francisco arguesthat Curitiba has displayed the best eco-city planningand development in the world, one from which allstakeholders can learn (Lloyd-Jones 1996). Indeed,Curitiba is a frequently cited exemplar of urbansustainability. This case study sheds light on fivecore issues in urban sustainability, frequently referredto in the literature:

Policy instruments;Street systems and public transport systems;Recycling programmes;Sustainability education; andCitizens’ participation.

Many urban settlement planners and decision makershave addressed these core issues with varyingdegree of success. The unprecedented successCuritiba has experienced may arguably be due toone fundamental concept underpinning all threeissues: focus on community education andparticipation. Alley makes a significant argument inthis regard: “Making the city understandable is animportant part of making it ecologically sustainable”(Alley 2001).

Policy instruments:Jaime Lerner, an architect, has served as a visionaryMayor for three non-consecutive four-year termsbeginning from 1971. Lerner was educated atCuritiba’s Institute of Urban Research and Planningand he has consistently maintained that Curitiba –and indeed all cities – have enormous potential to berediscovered as instruments of change (Dateline,2006) driven by integrated social, economic andenvironmental policies. In 1971, the main commercialstreet downtown was turned into a 24 pedestrianstreet with shops, restaurants and cafeterias thathas increased the city’s tourism appeal and economicdevelopment: by 1994, tourism generated US$ 280million or 4% of city’s net income (Cavalcanti 1996)

The focus has been on small scale social and culturalregeneration projects with a noticeable absence ofmonumental projects. For example, the idea ofconstructing light house towers in the cityincorporating new libraries to provide lookout facilities

for local security guards. The dual purpose intensionswere to reinforce civic identity through the provisionof beacons of knowledge and security beacons.

The Master Plan established a guiding principle:mobility and land use can not be disassociatedfrom each other if the city’s design for the future is tosucceed. Curitiba’s officials created a zoning andland-use policy that requires mixed use high-densitydevelopment along north-south structural arteries, inorder to create the necessary population to supportprofitable public transport use. Thus, residentialdevelopment focuses along the arteries, with essentialservices such as water, sewage, light, telephones,and public transportation provided. Furtherresidential development occurs in four designatedzones, in which all development must occur withinclose proximity to bus routes. An industrial park calledthe “Industrial City” was built in 1973 in the westerndistrict and plays an important part in the localeconomy (Jonas 1992).

Keeping Curitiba green has been part of the plansince the beginning. Since the early 1970s, the cityhas purchased over 1.5 million trees, which volunteercitizens have planted along city streets and avenues.Not only have trees & flower beds been planted alongmany of the city’s streets, but today Curitiba is apark-lover’s paradise. When the plan was firstproposed, Curitiba had less than 2 square metres ofopen space per resident.

Today, that ratio has improved more than 10 timesdespite a 164% population increase - to over 1.5million - during the same period. 16 parks have beendeveloped and 1000 plazas established throughoutthe city. Newspapers are posted in these plazas forpublic reading, and day care centres have beenstrategically placed throughout the city for parentswho are shopping or doing errands. Part of the IguazuRiver was diverted to flow through a 7 km artificialchannel before arriving at the city’s parks, making iteasier to keep water pollution under control in thenumerous artificial lakes (Moore 1994).

Transport:Lerner began the process of redesigning Curitibaby addressing the transportation system in the city.He viewed it as the key to successfully integratingCuritiba’s residents and attributed it as both aninstrument of development policy and a strategy forintegrating land use and transport planning. Animportant lesson to learn from the Curitiba experimentis that developing a ‘bus culture’ is extremelyimportant in preference to other more expensiveforms of public transport including underground orsurface trains.

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The new transportation plan in the city producedan express bus lanes for faster service; access tobuses through the city, with buses running thecomplete length of the city streets; and a specialrapid boarding system that has cut boarding timein half. The city buses are privately owned with nodirect financial subsidy.

By the early 1990s, 70% of commuters andshoppers were using the cheap publictransportation, mostly 300-person buses thattravelled as fast as subway cars in their own trafficlanes and stopped at special plexiglass tubestations which eliminated on-board paying, makingthe whole operation faster and less polluting. Thereis less congestion in Curitiba than in cities of similarsize, which has lead to noticeably cleaner air.Curitiba’s public transport system has nowachieved the carrying capacity of 2 millionpassengers a day (Dateline 2006).

Retired buses are either used as mobile trainingcentres or as free transportation to parks and openspaces. These mobile training centres serve aseducation facilities for Curitibans, who pay $1.00to take courses in auto mechanics, electricity,typing, hair dressing, artisan work or the like. Atthe end of these training courses the students areplaced in jobs throughout the city or they oftenstart their own businesses. Furthermore, a 24 hourstreet has been established which serves as atown centre as well increases the city’s economicdevelopment.

Recycling – innovative ways togenerate economic and social resources:Curitiba has pioneered small-scale, cheap andpractical approaches that turn ‘wastes’ intoeconomic and social resources - one innovativewaste sorting program is called ‘rubbish that isnot rubbish’. Curitiba was one of the first cities inthe world to begin a widespread voluntaryrecycling campaign: by the early 1990s, 70% ofCuritiba’s households recycled trash. Over 70%of Curitiba’s garbage is recycled or composted,with most sold to local industries [Fraser 2006].

There are some important lessons for decisionmakers to learn from Curitiba’s recyclingprograms, especially seeking participatorysolutions that are not predicated on buildingexpensive recycling plants. Recycling is foundeverywhere in Curitiba. Old buses have beenrefurbished into mobile vocational classrooms forjob training and so forth. Sheep graze in the cityparks, both to keep down the grass and to naturallyfertilize the soil. An abandoned quarry has beenturned into a rock concert arena. Even the Mayor’s

office (located in a city park for easy public access)is recycled – it’s a log cabin made from old telephonepoles. In Curitiba, simplicity applies to everyone.

Recycling programs also encompass the favelas(squatter slums or shanty towns). In a ‘food for trash’policy, the city government bought surplus producefrom farms around the state, which was then baggedand trucked into the favelas to be exchanged, a bagof food for a bag of sorted, recyclable trash. A similarprogram gives slum residents a free bus pass for abag of trash. This has resulted in amazingly cleanfavelas with well-fed inhabitants and with much lessrats, flies, and other vermin, which in turn has led toa decrease in communicable diseases.

Furthermore, residents of the favelas have beengiven most of the jobs in the recycling program,bringing income into those neighbourhoods.Admittedly despite the success of Curitibans’ effortsin pursuing sustainable development, the city has allthe problems that any big city has. However asignificant difference as stated by Lerner is inproviding good buses and schools and healthclinics, and respect to people (Dateline 2006).

Recycling has noticeably reduced environmentaldamage citywide, which has, in turn, reduced theinfant mortality and disease rates particularly in thefavelas. Serious environmental problems do remain,however, as parts of the city are not connected tothe sewer system and still suffer from extremeenvironmental damage.

Sustainability education:Sustainability education, combined with planningimprovements and citizenship participation, arecritical success factors. What some called “The BestCity in The World” arose, said Mayor Lerner, fromconsidering children and the environment as moreimportant than anything else. Environmentaleducation has been introduced in most of Curitiba’sschools. Textbooks were developed for primaryschools emphasising the city’s environment andhistory.

A novel idea for a Free Environmental University wascreated in 1991 to offer the general public shortcourses on environment management and protection.Citizens from the following sectors are encouragedto take courses:

- state and municipal secretaries- unionists and professional associations,- private and state companies in chemical, energy

and petrochemical industries,- environmental planners, managers and

educators (Cavalcanti 1996)

Curitiba’s characteristically cheap and participatoryapproach to integrated planning extends tocommunity education: after school classes in Ecologyare offered in poorer sections of the city whereparents often work later in the day. There is a “FreeUniversity for the Environment” which offers freecourses to the citizens. These courses focus on theenvironmental implications of their daily activities.(Lietaer and Warmoth 1999)

Voluntary citizens’ participation:The success of Curitiba has resulted from thevisionary leadership of Mayor Lerner in combinationwith the cooperative efforts by the city’s residents.Indeed, a key aspect to the revitalization of Curitibahas been the participatory and voluntary natureunder which positive changes throughout the cityhave been implemented.

At the core of Curitiba’s success is the vision of acity as a sustainable structure where people bothlive and work. Curitibans take pride in their urbanenvironment because they are creating andmaintaining systems that work in transportation,recreation and education. As Mayor Lerner hasstated, the city has become “more intelligent andmore humane,” (Curitiba video, 1992) and, aboveall, there is a strong sense of solidarity amongCuritibans (World Bank, 2002).

“The Curitiban approach is based on the idea of an‘action script’ for each set of problems and involvespartnerships between public, private and communitysectors. The roles of each of the actors are seen ascomplimentary, relating to ‘scale, means andknowledge’, so that the issue of privatisation doesnot arise” (Jonas, 1992).

When recycling was introduced in Curitiba’s schoolschildren quickly caught on and convinced theirparents to sort their garbage at home. Recoveringalcoholics and homeless people are activelyemployed in the recycling program, and proceedsearned go back into social services provided forresidents. The recycling program is voluntary, notmandatory, and awards participants with food andtransportation vouchers. Over 22,000 familiesthroughout the city have participated in the recyclingprogram (Macedo 2004 and Fraser 2006)

Community participation becomes a reality only whenthe community is aware, informed and motivated —these three qualities come from public educationprograms and contribute to better understanding ofthe city’s cultural history and its future sustainability.Community participation in the follow-up phase forprojects that are implemented throughout the city isvery important. Curitibans are encouraged to continue

playing an integral part in the planning processbecause they will ultimately determine the successor failure of a program; and their feedback informsthe adjustments that need to be made if projectsdon’t work out as initially planned:

Conclusion:The Curitiba experiment exposes the inadequacy ofthe oft-repeated question: should eco-sustainabledevelopment be market led, plan led, or acombination of both? The all-important questionmisses a significant bottom line — education. Curitibaexperience has demonstrated that planning andmarket forces have had a significant impact on theway the city has evolved. However, it was theenthusiastic participation of the public in the plannedprogrammes that facilitated the success of bothplans, and the market forces in moving closer thesustainability goals. Public participation at such alarge scale is attributed to elaborate, explicit andimplicit education programmes, to not only build thecitizens’ environmental knowledge but also toenhance their sensitivities towards the environment.The social and economic incentives were put in placeto contribute towards the people attaining a higherorder of their environmental learning. This holisticapproach towards educating the public aboutenvironmental problems and what they could doabout them is a key feature of Curitiba’s programmesthat most other cities/countries have ignored.

3.3.2 Yangzhou Eco-city - a case study of SENCEUnlike biological communities, a city functions as akind of artificial ecosystem, dominated by humanbehaviour but sustained by a natural life supportsystem and vitalized by ecological process. Thisartificial ecosystem was named by Shijun Ma a Social-Economic-Natural Complex Ecosystem (Ma andWang, 1984) or SENCE model. Its structure isexpressed as an eco-complex between humanbeings and its working and living settlementcharacteristics (including the geographical, biological

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and artificial environs), its regional environment(including sources for material and energy, sinks forproducts and wastes, pools for buffering andmaintaining wastes) and its social networks (includingculture, institutions and technologies) and economicnetworks (the primary, secondary and tertiaryindustries and infrastructural services). Its naturalsubsystem consists of the traditional Chinese fiveelements: metal (minerals), wood (living organism),water (source and sink), fire (energy), and soil(nutrients and land). Its functions include production,consumption, supply, assimilation, recycling andbuffering which play a key role in sustaining the city’scomplicated human-ecological relationships.

In recent years, a campaign of ‘Ecopolis’development was spontaneously initiated in someChinese cities and towns. An Ecopolis is anadministrative unit that encompasses economicallyproductive and ecologically efficient industries, asystematically responsible and socially harmoniousculture, and a physically beautiful and functionallyvivid landscape. The essential idea of Ecopolisdevelopment is to plan, design, manage andconstruct the ecosystem’s functions of production,living and sustaining according to ecologicalcybernetics. It is a healthy process towardssustainable development framed within the carryingcapacity of local ecosystems and achieved throughchanging production modes, consumption behaviorsand decision making processes and instruments,based on ecological economics and biosystemengineering.

Implementing SENCE in Yangzhou -renewal of the Old Town towards an Eco-city:Yangzhou City is located in the middle of Jiangsuprovince, at the junction of the Grand Canal and theYangtze River. It has a population of 4.47 million,covers 6638km2 and its history spans 2500 years– it was known as the first state in the reaches ofYangtze River. Dramatic changes have beenbrought on by urbanization and industrialization inYangtze Delta, especially at the south bank ofYangtze River along the Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhoucorridor. To match the national speed of developmentwhile avoiding the heavy environmental pollution andecological deterioration, Yangzhou City decided tofind an alternative way to implement China’s Agenda21 and developed its own agenda, an outline foreco-city planning, in 2000 and began implementation.

Yangzhou’s Eco-city development is an adaptiveprocess towards sustainable development basedon the carrying capacity of local urban, peri-urbanand regional ecosystems. Its design evolution andpractical implementation is characterised by thefollowing five facets:i. Ecological sanitation: providing citizens with

a clean and healthy environment throughencouragement of ecologically oriented, cost-affordable and people-friendly eco-engineeringfor treatment and recycling of human wastes,sewage and garbage; reducing air pollution andnoise etc.

ii. Ecological security: providing citizens withecologically safe basic living conditions - cleanand safe supply of water, food, infrastructureservices, housing and disaster prevention.

iii. Ecological metabolism: emphases onindustrial transitions from the focus on traditionalproducts and profit oriented industry to function-oriented and process-closed industry, throughcoupling of production, consumption,transportation, waste and energy reduction andregulation.

iv. Ecoscape (eco-landscape) integrity:emphases on alleviation of the heat island,hydrological deterioration, greenhouse effectsand landscape patterns and processes.

v. Eco-culture: grounded on the ecologicalprinciples of totality, harmony, recycling and self-reliance.

Goals of the Yangzhou Eco-city Development:Based on the above five facets of Ecopolisdevelopment, there are three goals of the YangzhouEco-city Development:

1st goal - to promote economic transformationfrom traditional economy into a resource-type,knowledge-type and network-type sustainableeconomy with high efficiency. Make Yangzhoueconomy flourishing with ecological industry asits forerunner;2nd goal - to promote regional developmenttowards ecosystems with vitality, cleanliness,beauty, vigour and sustainability. Create a goodecological basis for social and economicdevelopment;3rd goal - to promote the conversion from localpeople’s traditional production and living styleand values into environmentally friendly, highlyresource efficient system that is a harmoniousbalance of society, ecology and culture. Bringup a new generation of eco-city constructorswith cultural aspirations for a high quality eco-society.

Structural development of theYangzhou Eco-city Development:There are three distinct stages in the structuraldevelopment and implementation of the YangzhouEco-city Development:

First period (2000-2005): structuraladjustments; infrastructure construction;construction of basic facilities; priority projects

initiation; and first fruits of pilot projects.Integrative power, including social power,economical power and environmental power, isa top priority. Primary indexes of eco-development meet the standard for nationaleco-development within pilot zones stipulatedby the National Environmental ProtectionAgency.

Second period (2006-2010): construction ofkey pilot districts (cities and towns, ecologicalvillages, factories, farms and landscape areas);key eco-projects are achieved and theexperiences are extended in the whole region.Key industries (eco-tourism, eco-agriculture,eco-construction, eco-communication, and eco-food) increase greatly. Some key products

(eco-food, tourism products) enter internationalmarkets. The whole city, essentially an eco-city,becomes one of the most advanced cities withcomprehensive social, economic andenvironmental power in China.

Third period (2011-2020): urbanization of ruralareas, modernization of the city and ecologicaltransformations of society are achieved. Thecomprehensive social economic andenvironmental power of Yangzhou reaches anadvanced level in the world. A series of capacitybuilding measures are implemented withininstitutional, legislative, technical, andeducational sectors, and financial safeguardshave been devised and implemented.

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Orr, D. (1999a) Re-assembling the Pieces: EcologicalDesign and the Liberal Arts. In EcologicalEducation in Action: on Weaving Education,Culture, and the Environment, 229-236, eds.G. Smith and D. Williams. State University ofNew York Press, NY.

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APPENDIX A:Learner Centred Strategies

1. Deep LearningA diversity of knowledge systems can be deployedwhich have an ethic of care or stewardship to improveenvironmental quality; and a commitment towardbuilding local, regional and global (or “Glocal” – seeAIJ, 2005 p27) social equity. How “Glocal”environmental change is linked with economic andsocial conditions?How to develop a critical awareness of philosophicaland ideological influences on eco-city and eco-village sustainability?How to incorporate indigenous (non-western) values,and techniques? How to develop ethics and valuesconsistent with eco-city and eco-villagesustainability?How to understand socio-cultural and historicalinfluences on eco-city and eco-village sustainability?

2. Rich TasksRich Tasks are teacher structured and studentdirected project based tasks that provide goodopportunities for learning experiences:

Rich Tasks are the outward and visible sign of studentengagement with … [a new] curriculum framework.They are the assessable and reportable outcomesof a curriculum plan that prepares students for thechallenges of life in ‘new times’. The Rich Task is areconceptualisation of the notion of outcome asdemonstration or display of mastery; that is, studentsdisplay their understandings, knowledge and skillsthrough performance on transdisciplinary activitiesthat have an obvious connection to the wide world. (http://education.qld.gov.au/corporate/newbasics/html/richtasks/richtasks.html)

3. Service-learningService-learning is a mode of tertiary learning thatdiffers from personal fieldwork or observations. It isa course in community service and engagement setwithin a formal academic curriculum and discipline,organised into a structured set of individual or smallgroup community based learning activities, directlyrelated to community needs and focused on graduateor professional level issues. The academic contentof the course drives the types of service activities inwhich students engage; and in turn these serviceactivities drive the topics that are discussed in thecourse, and also shape the curriculum that is offeredto future students17 .

Service-learning is an excellent method for tertiaryinstitutions to disperse leading edge sustainabilityknowledge derived from recent research anddevelopments into communities and, vice versa, forcommunities to informally educate youngprofessionals-in-the-making on key concerns andissues. These two-way engagements can re-energise the creation of both local and formalknowledge and also create opportunities to bringthese closer into alignment.

4. Action learningAction Learning is based on individual and smallgroup participation in a cyclic process of learningand reflection, with the common intention of making apositive change to a situation. It does not use formsof simulation such as scenario building, case studiesor games. Learning is contextual and centred onthe need to find a workable solution to a real problemor set of specific issues. Most action learningprograms take from four to nine months to complete.Participation is voluntary and learner driven, whileindividual capacity building and skills developmentis as important as finding the best solution to theproblem.

5. Action CompetenceAction competence is the self-directed capacity toselect a strategic action that will resolve anenvironmental problem or priority issue18 . It is moredynamic and pro-active than just becoming awareor concerned about problems or issues.

Actions are powered by stakeholders’ passions,visions, artistic flair or drive to initiate an improvement– they are not scripted and directed by those withinstitutionalised power. Targets of action arenegotiated to focus on solving environmental, socialand health problems that are significant locally but

Rich Task # C - The Built Environment:Designing a Structure

Year 7–9 students will identify a client’sneeds and take these and other factors intoaccount in preparing a design brief for astructure. They will design an environmentallysensitive and aesthetic structure to fulfill thisbrief and communicate the design throughsketches, plans and models. They will givedue consideration to structure and materials,quantities and costs.

17Drawn from the Criteria for Service-Learning Courses at University of California at Berkeley

18Jensen, B. and Schnack, K. eds. (1995) Action and Action Competence as Key Concepts in Critical Pedagogy. Studies in Educational Theory and Curriculum, 12. Royal DanishSchool of Educational Studies, Copenhagen.Jensen, B. and Schnack, K. (1997) The Action Competence Approach in Environmental Education. Environmental Education Research, 3 (2): 163-178.

may also have national and global dimensions.Finding solutions to these problems requires areadiness to understand and engage with complexissues.

Competence is characterised as the ability to developframework for problems and envisage solutions, toplan and enact a project which is neither too big toaccomplish nor too small to warrant self-respect,and be answerable for one’s own actions.Competence extends to multi-skilling and multi-tasking, cooperation with peers and interpersonalskills in dealing with government officers andmembers of the local community.

Leading educators, industry trainers and communitychampions can play important mentoring andcapacity building roles that assist stakeholders tobuild up their competence – their skills, qualifications,willingness and confidence - to carry out intendedactions.

6. Community engagementCommunity engagement is a two-way educativerelationship in which a university forms partnershipswith communities to build capacities and yieldmutually beneficial outcomes including:

Productive research outcomes that develophuman and social capital;Linking the community and the world (boostinglocal/global connectivity);Contributing towards regional sustainableeconomic development;Development of corporate and privatecitizenship attributes;Driving social changes that contribute tosustainability; andDevelopment of the cultural and intellectual fabricof the community.

The emphasis on building two-way relationships andsynergies with the full range of ‘community’ – withbusiness and industry; with social, cultural andreligious organizations; with schools, hospitals andother public institutions; and with families and othersocial groups - is the distinguishing feature ofcommunity engagement. It is thus:

…more than community participation, communityconsultation, community development and publicrelations. It is much more than community servicewhich is a one-way relationship in which the universityprovides benefits to its constituent communities. Italso differs from community outreach or extension,in which university experts apply their knowledge toproblems they observe or questions the communitymay propose. Whilst outreach is very much aunidirectional transfer of information on to a receptive

public, engagement focuses on a two way interaction.(Funding Australian Universities for CommunityEngagement: A paper prepared by the AustralianUniversities Community Engagement Alliance(AUCEA), December 2005: 2-3)

In contrast, old notions of ‘community outreach’continue to position ‘community’ as peripheral to corebusiness in a university, and even as a distractionfrom it.

7. Risk-based community dialogues andadaptive management strategiesCommunities can better engage and respond tourgent sustainability problems when ordinarymembers, key participants and champions aremade aware of the types and scale of environmentalrisks to their own and their children’s lives. Keyinformation on identified risks and their implicationsshould be clearly communicated by environmentalplanners, urban designers and environmentalmanagers to local communities and organisationsincluding unions, businesses, universities, consumeradvocacies, NGOs and the media.

“Risk-based assessment and management are toolsused to address existing or potential environmentalthreats to human health and the adverse effects onpeople, communities and economic interests. Risk-based management includes assessing the likelyimpact of these threats, and the development andimplementation of strategies for their prevention,minimisation or removal.” (Smith and Scott, 2006:30-31)

8. Adaptive management is a reflexive style ofnatural resource management or environmentalmanagement based on making the best possibledecisions, based at any time on the best informationcurrently available. These provisional decisions willthen be subject to periodic review and improvement,as part of an on-going process of knowledgebuilding. Monitoring and evaluating the results ofactions taken under an adaptive managementstrategy will provide a flow of information that mayindicate the need to refine the management strategy,and change future courses of action. New scientificfindings, new economic forces (such as the risingprice of oil) and the changing needs of societies mayalso indicate the need to adapt resource managementto new priorities.

Risk-based local planning strategies and adaptiveenvironmental management programs developedand shared between local governments andcommunities create consensus and demonstratecommitment to forming partnerships that will facilitatetransitions towards sustainability. A good start-upstrategy is to educate local government professionals

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and local communities in risk-based assessment anddecision making, to help meet their responsibilitiesand roles in moving towards sustainability. This is amore positive approach characterised by increasedopenness and accountability in governance, whencompared with reactive problem solving usingengineered solutions.

9. Systems ThinkingSystems thinking is a pedagogy for understandingthe complexities, interactions and dynamism of socio-ecological systems such as water catchments andwater-sewage reticulation systems. Systems thinkingas a discipline provides language tools and amethodology to manage natural resources andgenerate community capital. In systems thinkingparadigms, approaches to generating solutions havethe characteristics of collaborative learningenvironments (or, more colloquially, ‘experimentallearning labs’) wherein researchers, policy makers,adaptive managers, community educators andfacilitators cooperate on the basis that:

- Knowledge is uncertain and scattered;- There are divergent views on key and/or

contentious issues and no stakeholder is in agood position to speak ‘the last word’ on theseissues with absolute authority;

- Lay knowledge and professional knowledge aretreated with equal respect;

- Different stakeholders have different ‘mentalmodels’, drivers and scales of application;

- Solutions often require shifts out of traditionaldiscipline areas, towards multi-disciplinary andtrans-disciplinary approaches.

Systems thinking sustainability educators includingFrijof Capra, David Orr (www.ecoliteracy.org/education/sys-thinking.html) and Stephen Stirlingare keenly aware of the need to get beyond“iceberg” solutions where only the symptomatic ‘tipof problems are dealt with, not the underlying causes.Systems thinking starts with identifying the mentalmodels that constitute the basis of problems, thenworks upwards to clarify systematic structures andintervention points.

Tools of systems thinking include “influencediagrams”, visual flow charts and causal loopdiagrams that reveal links and flows of natural andhuman resources including leverage points forgenerating enthusiasm and avoiding burn-out incommunity volunteers; and identifying championswith the willpower to tough it out and follow-throughon long-haul projects. These are designed to identifystumbling blocks and critical success factors andaccommodate uncertainties that can be embeddedin knowledge bases for sustainable building andadaptive management programs.

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About the UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics

The UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE) helps

governments, local authorities and decision-makers in business andindustry to develop and implement policies and practices focusing on

sustainable development.

The Division works to promote:> sustainable consumption and production,

> the efficient use of renewable energy,> adequate management of chemicals,

> the integration of environmental costs in development policies.

The Office of the Director, located in Paris, coordinates activitiesthrough:> The International Environmental Technology Centre - IETC (Osaka, Shiga),

which implements integrated waste, water and disaster managementprogrammes,focusing in particular on Asia.

> Sustainable Consumption and Production (Paris), which promotes

sustainable consumption and production patterns as a contribution to humandevelopment through global markets.

> Chemicals (Geneva), which catalyzes global actions to bring about thesound management of chemicals and the improvement of chemical safety

worldwide.

> Energy (Paris and Nairobi), which fosters energy and transport policies forsustainable development and encourages investment in renewable energy

and energy efficiency.> OzonAction (Paris), which supports the phase-out of ozone depleting

substances in developing countries and countries with economies in

transition to ensure implementation of the Montreal Protocol.> Economics and Trade (Geneva), which helps countries to integrate

environmental considerations into economic and trade policies, and workswith the finance sector to incorporate sustainable development policies.

UNEP DTIE activities focus on raising awareness,improving the transfer of knowledge and information,fostering technological cooperation and partnerships, andimplementing international conventions and agreements.

For more information, see www.unep.fr

SBCI Education Policy Guidelines 2010

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