Unpacking the ESD for 2030 Toolbox Kim Smith, Sociology Instructor, Portland Community College - Founding Director, RCE Greater Portland 10th Americas RCE Regional Meeting 5-7 October, 2021

1. Unpacking the ESD for 2030 Toolbox
10th RCE Americas Virtual Meeting
October 7, 2021
Kim Smith, Ph.D.
Sociology Instructor, Portland Community College
International Liaison, GPSEN, AASHE and US Partnership for ESD

2. “Braiding Sweetgrass”
Robin Wall Kimmerer
(2013)

3. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

4. SDG 4.7: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
Goal 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and
promote life-long learning opportunities for all.
4.7 - By 2030, ensure all learners acquire knowledge and skills
needed to promote sustainable development… through
education for sustainable development and sustainable
lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a
culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and
appreciation of cultural diversity and culture’s contribution to
sustainable development.

5. New UN Decade, Framework and Roadmap (2020-2030)

7. Education for Sustainable Development:
Towards Achieving the SDGs (ESD for 2030) Framework
• Formal, nonformal, and informal education are key enablers for the SDGs
• Aims to increase the contribution of education to building a more just and
sustainable world

8. ESD for 2030 Priority Action Areas

9. Action 1 - Advancing Policy
www.pcc.edu/sustain
 ESD Lens: A Policy and Practice
Review Tool
 ESD in multi-lateral frameworks on
climate change
 Increase advocacy efforts to
Member States
 Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs)
 Advance regional strategies
 Support institutional commitments
 Improve capacity to scale up ESD

10. The Role of Civil Society: America is All In

11. Action 2: Transforming Learning Environments
 ESD Toolkit
 Schools in Action Guides
 Climate-ready Learning Environments
 Disaster Risk Reduction
 Operations
o Energy Consumption
o Purchasing and Waste Reduction
o Transportation
 Living Labs
 Hiring Practices
 Accreditation

12. Action 3 - Building Capacities of Educators
 Teacher Education
 ESD Sourcebooks
 Greening TVET
 UNESCO Associated Schools
Network (ASPnet)
 Green Course Outcomes
 Curriculum Development
 Train-the-Trainer Workshops
 Professional Certificates
 Resource Clearinghouses

13. • Resource bank designed for educators, education planners, and practitioners
• Hundreds of pedagogical ideas

15. Action 4: Empowering and Mobilizing Youth
 UNESCO Project Planner: Top
Tips for youth action
 College and Youth Networks
 Green Initiative Funds
 Course-Based Assignments
 Community-Based Learning/
Experiential Learning
 Leadership Trainings
 Internships and Mentorships

16. Action 5: Accelerating Local Level Actions
 Learning Cities Resources
 Lifelong Learning
 Multi-Stakeholder Approaches
 ESD: Partners in Action
 Sustainability Events
 Civic Engagement
 Collective Action
 Citizen Science
 Public Awareness Campaigns
October 6-27, 2021
Ecochallenge.org

18. “Individuals must become sustainability
change-makers. They require the
knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes
that empower them to contribute to
sustainable development.” (2017)

19. Key Competencies for Achieving the SDGs
 Systems thinking
 Anticipatory competency (evaluate multiple futures, consequences, and risks)
 Normative competency (norms, values, and actions, in context of conflicts of
interests)
 Strategic competency (innovative actions)
 Collaboration
 Critical thinking
 Self-awareness
 Integrated problem-solving

20. “Strengthening Sustainability Programs and Curricula at the
Undergraduate and Graduate Levels” (2021)
• Comprehensive study to address
opportunities to strengthen
sustainability education
• Examines the approaches and drivers
for a competency and skill-based
curriculum in higher education
• Connects to sustainability issues
addressed by the UN SDGs as well as
public and private sectors

21. Three Recommendations
1. Strengthen Sustainability Higher Education (SHE) programs
• Undergrad and graduate levels
• Strive for key competencies
• Understand complex contexts and experiential learning

22. 2) Build academic environments for SHE
• Foster interdisciplinary relationships – bridge academic silos across institutions
• Prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
• Key Driver - Federal Support
• Strengthen programs and research effectiveness

23. 3) Develop a sustainability workforce to address
sustainability challenges
• Develop change agents
• Enhance collaboration across sectors
• Set standards for accreditation

24. How can you and your RCEs
help advance ESD for 2030 and make
your institutions and communities more sustainable?

25. For questions, contact: Kim Smith at kdsmith@pcc.edu
Learn more about the ESD for 2030 Toolbox:
https://en.unesco.org/themes/education-sustainable-development/toolbox
National Academy of Sciences Research:
https://www.nap.edu/read/25821/chapter/1
For further information and suggestions, contact esd@unesco.org
Educate ~ Empower ~ Engage
Comments? Questions? Ideas?

26. We’re all in this together!
Thank you for your time!
Gracias! Obrigado!