Education for sustainable development (ESD) helps learners develop the attitudes, skills, perspectives and knowledge to make informed decisions and act upon them for everyone’s benefit, now and in the future. ESD is often used interchangeably with the terms “education for sustainability” (EfS) and “sustainability education,” though meanings may vary slightly. The following characteristics of ESD are adapted from this definition by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization).

ESD:

• is based on the principles and values that underlie sustainability;
• simultaneously addresses all dimensions of sustainability – environment, society/culture, and economy;
• uses a variety of pedagogical techniques that promote participatory learning and higher-order thinking skills;
• promotes lifelong learning;
• promotes intergenerational learning, and responsibility toward future generations;
• is locally relevant (based on local needs, perceptions and conditions) and culturally appropriate;
• acknowledges that fulfilling local needs often has consequences elsewhere, and takes into account global and other issues that may impact local priorities;
• includes formal, non-formal (outside formal school system) and informal education (e.g., the media);
• builds civic capacity for sustaining community-based decision-making, ethical governance practices, and systems thinking around problem-solving; and
• is interdisciplinary; no single discipline can claim ESD for itself – all disciplines can contribute.

For more information on ESD see:

• Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) (UNESCO)

• Education for Sustainable Development (Wikipideia)

• ESD Definition (US Partnership for ESD)

The purpose of an RCE is twofold: to promote transformative education that encourages sustainable lifestyles and livelihoods in a region, and to share knowledge and insights with other RCEs around the world. RCEs aspire to achieve the goals of the U.N. Decade of Education for Sustainable Development by translating its global objectives into the context of their local communities. RCEs provide platforms to share information and experiences and promote dialogue among regional stakeholders through partnerships for sustainable development. They also develop regional knowledge bases to support ESD and promote its goals in a resource effective manner.

RCEs have four major ESD goals to be promoted in an effective way:

• Re-orient education towards sustainable development by integrating sustainable development into the current curriculum and tailoring it to address issues and contexts of the local community;
• Increase access to quality education that is most needed in the regional context;
• Deliver trainings and professional development, and develop methodologies and learning materials for these events;
• Lead advocacy and awareness raising efforts to raise public awareness about the importance of educators and the essential role of ESD in achieving a sustainable future. RCEs promote the long-term goals of ESD, such as environmental stewardship, social justice, and improvement of the quality of life.

For more information on RCE’s see:

• Regional Centers of Expertise (UNU-IAS)

• Regional Centers of Expertise (RCE) (Wikipedia)

Organizations providing formal, non-formal, or informal education for sustainable development within a region participate in RCEs. This includes higher education institutions, K-12 schools, businesses, government, the media, museums, zoos, gardens, and civic associations. Many individuals also participate, from scientists, researchers, students, and teachers to community members and life-long learners. Partners are encouraged to identify key regional sustainability issues and develop educational initiatives that address these issues and align with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) identified by the larger global community. The dedicated focus of the RCE network on outreach, collaboration, and research in ESD recognizes the vital role education plays in the broad transformations needed for more sustainable ways of living.

Please see our About page for our mission, vision and goals. An important outcome of our activities is the development of leadership for a sustainable future. Our programs create the conditions to cultivate knowledgeable, engaged global citizens who embody sustainability values and behaviors in everything they do. Some of the ways we accomplish our goals include collaborative research projects, educational events, policy discussions, professional development opportunities, specialized resources, and public awareness and outreach campaigns.

A Coordinating Committee of over twenty individuals from local educational institutions, government agencies, non-profits, and business helped guide initial efforts to establish the RCE and apply for United Nations University recognition through the UNU’s Institute for Advanced Studies of Sustainability. These efforts included outreach to more than 100 stakeholders in the region and several large meetings with stakeholders. As of April, 2014, there were about 236 RCE participants subscribed to our listserv, plus 80 member institutions and organizations (see list of participating organizations). Many individuals are actively involved on RCE committees and working groups. Please join us!

Preliminary meetings to develop an RCE for the greater Portland region began in November, 2012. With regular application committee meetings and quarterly stakeholder meetings through the winter and spring of 2013, the first draft of the application was submitted to the United Nations University’s Institute of Advances Studies (UNU-IAS) in June 2013. With feedback from the UNU-IAS and our mentor, RCE Saskatchewan, a final application was submitted in September 2013. Formal recognition as an RCE was received from the Ubuntu Council of Peers and the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Studies of Sustainability (formerly “Institute for Advanced Studies”) in December 2013. Stakeholders chose to adopt the local name of the Greater Portland Sustainability Education Network (GPSEN), in March, 2014. While formally an RCE, we wanted our mission to be clearly represented in our name. An official launch and celebration is planned for June, 2014. Please check Events on our website for more information.