SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN FOCUS OF EDUCATION
Irina Martynova
School of Business and Management of Technology, BSU,the Republic of Belarus
The end of the year 2015 was noted for some major events that will shape human development for the years to come. First, in September, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by the leaders of 193 countries at the United Nations with a view to achieve 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) over the next 15 years.[1] Second, in December, the Paris Climate Conference (or COP21) reached an agreement and confirmed the target of keeping the rise in global average temperature below 2°C. [2] In the light of these events, meeting sustainable development goals should become the focus of our living; thus, the priorities of education and the role of universities all over the world should be further directed towards the challenges related tothe sustainability issuesand greening all human activities.
The concept of sustainable development embraces social, economic and environmental aspects of our life. Here in Belarus, we are lucky to have no shortages of fresh water and forests, we are not overpopulated and see no poverty or inequality common for some other parts of the world; however, we face other challenges, e.g. insufficient energy resources. We are aware of what a sustainable living should be like, but lifestyles and business practices in the country vary due to socio-cultural and economic reasons. Young people come to university from different backgrounds, all of them acquired some basic knowledge of green living at school, but not all of them have made the principles of sustainable living their living principles. This gap can be bridged by university education.
The School of Business and Management of Technology keeps up with the pace of time, and its motto “Meeting the challenges of today, we train leaders of tomorrow” is aligned with the definition of sustainable development given in Our Common Future,published in 1987 and still vital now, “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” [3] Being at the forefront of education, the SBMT has the necessary potential and is willing tostrengthen its focus on promoting the ideas of sustainable development.
SBMT students of bachelor programmes can benefit from board sustainable education in a lot of ways. Students who major in business administration need to believe strongly in sustainability so that to appropriately manage a sustainable and socially responsible business in the future. They will become true leaders only if they carry out their business activities in accordance with the major principles of green economy and green living. Logistics students need to focus on sustainability because effective and efficient supply chain management is impossible without taking into account the principles of sustainable warehousing and sustainable transport, primarily, low carbon. Students of information resources management shouldfollowsuch sustainable living principles as reducing waste and energy consumption, and using renewable resources; otherwise, they will not be able to contribute to sustainable management of common global resources in the future. It is crucial for successful leaders to keep up with global trends and participate in global activities, of which sustainable development is priority number one.
European universities offer separate courses in sustainable development or include SD topics into other courses. There are a lot of joint programmes and projects, for example, the Baltic University Programme, which the BSU participates in, that support universities, organize seminars, training sessions and conferences or give grants to do research in the relevant fields. Obviously, a university cannot change the curricula in a day or introduce a new course overnight, but it is possible to raise teachers’ awareness of the sustainable development significance for education, to encourage wider incorporation of sustainable development topics into various courses. SBMT lecturers do include these topics in their syllabi, but they cannot allocate the appropriate amount of time. No doubt, the introduction of a special course will workto the students’ advantage. It is also necessary to encourage students’ research into the issues related to sustainable development.
Attending a university course, however, will not be enough for our students to turn into sustainability advocates. The knowledge should be put into practice; moreover, attitudes and values should be changed accordingly. It is easier to start with implementing appropriate ideas into all educational processes as well as a classroom environment. Creating an overall sustainable classroom experience for the student should become one of university’s objectives.
A sustainable classroom encompasses a few areas, particularly, sustainable environment in general, sustainable consumption, enlightenment about the significanceof sustainability issues, good health and well-being. First, creating a sustainable environment in general includes energy and water-use efficiency, efficient use of classroom equipment, efficient heating and cooling, maximum use of natural daylight, use of sustainable local materials. Second, creating sustainable patterns of consumption and near-zero waste focus on reduction of waste generation, encouraging recycling and reuse, use of recycled paper for classroom purposes, re-filling our own reusable bottles. Third, enlightenment presupposes raising awareness of sustainable development and lifestyles, raising awareness ofreduction in climate change impact, encouraging studentresearch, innovation and entrepreneurial ideas relevant to this field. Finally, promoting good health and well-being highlights no drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol, no smoking, encouraging pro-active life, reducing food waste, sticking to local, seasonal and organic diets. The above mentioned measures are easy to take as they do not need allocation of financial resources, and every university teacher and staff member can easily contribute to the cause that is critical at the present stage of human development.
Questions of how to make education sustainable and how to teach sustainable development effectively should remain high on the university agenda. Universities are to ensure that all students acquire the knowledge and skills, as well as attitudes and values, needed to promote sustainable development. This can be done by introducing new SD courses, incorporating SD topics wherever relevant, encouraging students’ research and creating a sustainable classroom experience. According to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the newUN Agendafor Sustainable Development is “a to-do list for people and planet, and a blueprint for success”. [1] It is time for university to reconsider its to-do list – it can make a difference throughaddressing sustainable development issues: social, economic and environmental.
Bibliography
1. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform [Electronic resource]/ Mode of access: –Date of access: 31.12.2015.
2. United Nations Conference on Climate Change [Electronic resource] / Mode of access: – Date of access: 03.01.2016.
3. UN Documents: Gathering a Body of Global Agreements[Electronic resource] / Mode of access: – Date of access: 02.01.2016.