League of European Research Universities suggests creation of sustainability education centre to develop expertise
Universities must take “bolder steps” towards teaching sustainability in accordance with the United Nations Education for Sustainable Development principles, the League of European Research Universities has suggested.
In a report published on 25 March, Leru assessed its 24 members’ implementation of the ESD principles, which aim to equip students with knowledge of sustainable development and relevant skills.
It found that many of its member universities have degrees focused on sustainability and offer students the possibility to take elective modules on the topic, but that the option is not always viable for certain degrees.
Making courses on sustainability mandatory may be “hard to sell” and not the most successful approach, it found, but nonetheless concluded that “while incremental build-up may be acceptable for the starting phase, bolder steps are needed, and are indeed emerging”.
The report suggests the establishment of a centre for the development of ESD to develop expertise that can be adapted to the specific needs of departments.
Leru said the implementation of the ESD principles among its members is “closely interwoven with cutting-edge research” so that students acquire both knowledge of sustainability and insights into how research can contribute to it.
Linda Doyle, Leru’s chair and the provost of Trinity College Dublin, said the group’s universities and their staff must use their knowledge “to develop and embed education programmes for sustainable development” in their teaching.