Graham Allen Lecture

Guest Lecture: Graham Allen: Environmental Manager SMU

Sustainable education

         Graham Allen’s lecture was about education for sustainable development. Citizenship and sustainability usually overlap, when citizenship is involved sustainability usually follows as people understand that being a model citizen involves looking for a more sustainable way of living for the future. Education shines light on the problems of sustainability, teaches pupils about developmental and environmental difficulties and “prepares young people more effectively for life in the twenty-first century.” (Hicks, 2008, p. 109) Pupils become aware of environmental issues such as global warming and other crucial issues affecting the planet, that not only allows them to understand how to reduce their impact on the situation but to appreciate the planet, its resources and living organisms. People are beginning to take action, action being a key component in sustainability. Action encourages young people to take control of what they learn rather than absorbing information. Measures are being taken to help reduce the risk on the planet such as travel management and energy use; people are learning to recycle more. People are also beginning to understand the economic world better due to education, (Matheson, 2008, p. 10) agrees with this, stating

“education is viewed as a preparation for life or as a means of coping in one’s economic circumstances.”“the skills, attitudes and values which enables people to work together to take action to bring about change and take control of their own lives.” (Hicks, 2008, p. 111)
education for sustainability improves the standard of living; the alternative to sustainability could perhaps be as bad as the great depression.

Reference List

Hicks, D. (2008). Education for Sustainability. In S. Ward, A Student's Guide to Educational Studies (pp. 107-116). Oxon: Routledge.

Matheson, D. (2008). An introduction to the study of education. London: Fulton Press.