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SELECTED EDUCATION RESOURCES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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EARTH CHARTER
EARTH CHARTER ESD
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
MAP OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE
INTERNET ARCHIVE
UNITED NATIONS
UNESCO ESD
UNESCO ESD GOOD PRACTICES
UNU IAS ESD
UNU GEIC ESD
GENDER EQUALITY
TWO WINGS OF A BIRD
SIENA VIRTUAL COLLEGE
UNICEF's PHOTOS OF THE YEAR
SOCIO- ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY
GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
MEDIA GLOBAL
GLOBAL FOOTPRINT
WORLD ENV ORG
BIBLE GATEWAY
QURAN GATEWAY
SEXUAL VIOLENCE RESEARCH
BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH
ECOLOGICAL INTERNET
FACING THE FUTURE EDUCATION RESOURCES
WEBQUEST EDUCATION RESOURCES
EARTH INSTITUTE
ESD TOOLKIT
DIVINE COMMUNION
WORLD COUNCIL OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES
ISLAM
JUDAISM
BAHÁ'Í
GIRARDIAN BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS
RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE
BCCA IEF ESD
IISD ESD
GDAE ESD
INTUTE
WCESD APRIL 2009
UNDP HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
UNDP HDR 2009
WORLD BANK
GCAP
ISER
IFPRI
DEV ORGS
IICD
OECD
ELDIS
GSDRC
PEP NET
DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
WORLD GOVERNMENTS
WORLD UNIVERSITIES
GLOBAL NONKILLING
WORLD NEWSPAPERS
PLANET 2025
SHAPING TOMORROW
WORLD FUTURES
LITTLE EARTH SHOW
PAINT FOR THE PLANET
UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS
NEW CIVILIZATION NETWORK
LANGUAGE OF THE HEART
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Educational Dimension of Sustainable Development
SUMMARY
This issue is the first of a series on the educational dimension of sustainable development. Some people think that the concept of sustainable development is an oxymoron. Other people think it is the only hope for humanity. Actually, the only hope for humanity is God's mercy, but divine mercy requires human cooperation. Therefore, let us embark on this new series in the hope that divine mercy will not ignore the effort of contrite hearts (Psalm 51).
Section 1 is long, but it is an attempt to set educational objectives and methods. What are the goals of "education for sustainable development"? According to the UNESCO web site, "sustainable development is seeking to meet the needs of the present without compromising those of future generations. We have to learn our way out of current social and environmental problems and learn to live sustainably. Education for sustainable development (ESD) aims to help people to develop the attitudes, skills and knowledge to make informed decisions for the benefit of themselves and others, now and in the future, and to act upon these decisions. The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005-2014), for which UNESCO is the lead agency, seeks to integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning, in order to address the social, economic, cultural and environmental problems we face in the 21st century."
UNESCO has identified eight key areas for the DESD:
- Education for gender equality
- Education for health promotion
- Education for environmental stewardship
- Education for rural development
- Education for cultural diversity
- Education for peace and human security
- Education for sustainable urbanization
- Education for sustainable consumption
Unless someone has a better idea, it seems wise to adopt these UN guidelines. What educational method should be used to accomplish these goals? Educating for sustainable development must happen as sustainable development is happening. It follows, that the pedagogy of educating for sustainable development must be one in which the teachers are also students and the students are also teachers.
In this kind of educational scenario, it is hard to imagine a better pedagogy than the pedagogy of the oppressed developed by the distinguished educator Paulo Freire of Brazil. According to Freire, developing an educational program must always start by asking the people what they need to know, rather than asking the elites what they think the people need.
It is hoped that the subscribers to this journal are willing to be a sample of "the people." Sections 2 to 9 offer sets of five questions for each of the eight key areas listed above. These are for your perusal, but there is also an
ONLINE CONSULTATION FORM (PRELIMINARY TEST VERSION) that you can use to enter your answers. The answers of all who participate will be integrated into an
online consultation spreadsheet that we all can view, and this may lead to refining the questions, deleting others, and adding new ones for review and analysis as the series on ESD unfolds. Please write to this email address if you have any questions, suggestions, or problems using this form.
This issue also includes the following:
- Updated lists of links to web sites that may be useful for ESD. These are listed in the left-hand and right-hand columns.
- An Appeal to Endorse the Earth Charter.
- This appeal is to the American people and elected officials, but could be used as a model for similar appeals in other countries.
- Two very instructive articles on sustainable development by Professor Soodursun Jugessur, Pro-Chancellor of the University of Mauritius:
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INVITED PAPERS
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1. Pedagogy for Sustainable Development
What is it that should be accomplished by engaging in "education for sustainable development?" This is the first question that comes to mind and, since we know that sustainable development is a multi-dimensional process that can be derailed by many vested interests, it seems wise to seek an authoritative answer from a credible source. As we all know, we are midway through the U.N. "Decade of Education for Sustainable Development" (DESD).
In brief, as stated in the UNESCO DESD web site:
"The goal of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014, DESD), for which UNESCO is the lead agency, is to integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning. This educational effort will encourage changes in behaviour that will create a more sustainable future in terms of environmental integrity, economic viability, and a just society for present and future generations."
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This is, as it were, the "mission statement" for DESD. The 2005 to 2014 time window makes sense, as 2015 is the year in which the initial targets of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are to be achieved. UNESCO's logo for this critical project is shown below:
The UNESCO DESD web site, recently updated, clarifies the DESD mission as follows:
"Sustainable development is seeking to meet the needs of the present without compromising those of future generations. We have to learn our way out of current social and environmental problems and learn to live sustainably.
"Education for sustainable development (ESD) aims to help people to develop the attitudes, skills and knowledge to make informed decisions for the benefit of themselves and others, now and in the future, and to act upon these decisions.
"The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005-2014), for which UNESCO is the lead agency, seeks to integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning, in order to address the social, economic, cultural and environmental problems we face in the 21st century."
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The "key action themes" for DESD are listed in the same web site, each with a supporting explanation:
Gender equality
The pursuit of gender equality is central to sustainable development where each member of society respects others and plays a role in which they can fulfill their potential. The broader goal of gender equality is a societal goal to which education, along with all other social institutions, must contribute.
Discrimination based on sex is often structurally embedded. In many societies women bear the major burden of responsibility for food production and child-rearing, they are excluded from family and community decisions affecting them, and they have little or no access to the means of income generation.
Gender issues must therefore be mainstreamed throughout educational planning – from infrastructure planning to material development to pedagogical processes. The full and equal engagement of women is crucial to ensuring a sustainable future.
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Health Promotion
Issues of development, environment and health are closely entwined – ill-health hampers economic and social development.
Hunger, malnutrition, malaria, water-borne diseases, drug and alcohol abuse, violence and injury, unplanned pregnancy, HIV & AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections are just some of the problems that have enormous implications for health.
Education and basic medical information are powerful ways to drive behavioural change. The school environment itself must be safe and healthy. Schools should act not only as centres for academic learning, but also as supportive venues for the provision of essential health education and services, in collaboration with parents and the community.
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Environment
Environmental perspectives cover several major themes, reflecting diverse goals and audiences, including:
- Water
- Climate change
- Biodiversity
- Disaster prevention
There can be no long-term economic or social development on a depleted planet. Teaching society how to behave responsibly and respect the environment lies at the core of education for sustainable development.
Building on more than 30 years of experience in environmental education, education for sustainable development must continue to highlight the importance of addressing the issues of natural resources (water, energy, agriculture, biodiversity) as part of the broader agenda of sustainable development. In particular, ESD must encourage new behaviours to protect the world’s natural resources.
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Rural Development
In spite of rapid urbanization, three billion people or 60 % of the population in developing countries, and half of the world population, still live in rural areas. Education and training are essential in addressing rural poverty and ensuring sustainable development in these parts of the world.
Education for Rural People (ERP)
During the Johannesburg Summit, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and UNESCO jointly launched a new partnership initiative on Education for Rural People (ERP) to respond to this growing concern. Through advocacy at international level and technical support to countries, the initiative aims at:
- Increasing access to basic Education for rural people.
- Improving the quality of basic education in rural areas.
- Fostering the national capacity to plan and implement basic education in a way that addresses the learning needs of rural people.
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Cultural Diversity
"Our rich diversity . . . is our collective strength" (Johannesburg Declaration, 2002).
Education must respect diversity. The values, diversity, knowledge, languages and worldviews associated with culture predetermine the way issues of education for sustainable development are dealt with in specific national contexts. ESD aims at promoting teaching which respects indigenous and traditional knowledge, and encourages the use of indigenous languages in education, the integration of worldviews and perspectives on sustainability into education programmes at all levels.
The preservation of cultures is linked to economic development. Tourism and cultural industries can run the risk of commodifying culture and making it a mere object of interest for outsiders. Cultures must be respected as the living and dynamic contexts within which human beings find their values and identity.
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Peace and Human Security
Peace and security are fundamental to human dignity and development. The sustainable development of any culture is always endangered by a situation of insecurity and conflict.
These result in significant human tragedies, overwhelming health systems, destroying homes, schools and often whole communities, and leading to increasing numbers of displaced people and refugees.
Education for sustainable development plays a key role in promoting values for peace.
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Sustainable Urbanization
Cities have moved to the forefront of global socio-economic change. Globalisation and democratisation have increased the importance of cities in relation to sustainable development.
Half of the world’s population is now living in urban areas. The other half is increasingly dependent upon cities for its economic, social and political progress.
Urban areas undeniably pose potential threats to sustainable development. With responsible decision-making, however, cities also hold promising opportunities for social and economic advancement and for environmental improvements at local, national, and global levels.
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Sustainable Consumption
Our choices as consumers today will impact the way people live tomorrow. Sustainable consumption means consuming goods and services without harming the environment or society.
Living a sustainable lifestyle is essential to overcoming poverty and conserving and protecting the natural resource base for all forms of life.
ESD promotes responsible citizenship and fights against the social and resource impacts of unsustainable lifestyle consumption habits.
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This "mission statement" and these "key action themes" would seem to provide a good answer to the first question. Then the second question comes to mind: How is this education to be accomplished? The educational dynamics of sustainable development cannot unfold in a vacuum. Rather, they will be a factor, albeit a critical one, in the multi-dimensional dynamics of the sustainable development process at all levels - local, national, international. Educating for sustainable development must happen as sustainable development is happening. It follows, that the pedagogy of educating for sustainable development must be one in which the teachers are also students and the students are also teachers. In fact, it is reasonable to expect that the "students" will have much to teach the teachers before the teachers can start teaching; for the "students" are the ones who really know the obstacles that must be overcome in order to actually put in practice what the teachers know in theory.
In this kind of educational scenario, it is hard to imagine a better pedagogy than the one developed by the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire. His legacy is the so-called "pedagogy of the oppressed," and we have had opportunity to discuss what this means in a previous issue in connection with the "sustainable development paradox." It was stated that, at all educational levels, "the ugly head of patriarchal domination is revealed in the one-way (teacher to student) flow of information, with little or no feedback allowed from the student to the teacher." According to Freire,
"Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher the depositor. Instead of communicating, the teacher issues communiqués and makes deposits which the students partially receive, memorize, and repeat. This is the "banking" concept of education, in which the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits. They do, it is true, have the opportunity to become collectors or cataloguers of the things they store. But in the last analysis, it is the people themselves who are filed away through the lack of creativity, transformation, and knowledge in this (at best) misguided system. For apart from inquiry, apart from the praxis, individuals cannot be truly human. Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other..... Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students." Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Continuum, 2000 (30th anniversary edition), page 72.
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In other words, developing an educational program must always start by asking the people what they need to know, rather than asking the elites what they think the people need. In the midst of a global financial crisis induced by the "banking concept" of neoliberal economics, it seems prudent to avoid a "banking concept" of anything else, let alone a "banking concept of ESD." Surely, the "banking concept of education," which still prevails in most educational systems worldwide, would be utterly inadequate for ESD.
How could we try to apply Freire's guidance to ESP? It is hoped that the subscribers to this journal are willing to be a sample of "the people." Sections 2 to 9 offer sets of five questions for each of the eight key areas listed above. These are for your perusal, but there is also an ONLINE CONSULTATION FORM (PRELIMINARY TEST VERSION) that you can use to enter your answers. The answers of all who participate will be integrated into an online consultation spreadsheet that we all can view, and this may lead to refining the questions, deleting others, and adding new ones for review and analysis as the series on ESD unfolds. Please write to this email address if you have any questions, suggestions, or problems using this form.
NB: The ONLINE CONSULTATION FORM currently online is a preliminary test version. Both testing of the forms and testing of the questions is needed. In other words, the forms need to be tested to make sure they work for any participant at any location worldwide. The questions need to be tested for relevance, completeness, and accuracy. Your assistance during the testing process is appreciated.
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The questions are simply listed in sections 2 to 9, so that you can see the flow and the "big picture." You may want to print the list of questions and write some notes about the answers you want to give. Or, you may prefer to skip the list and go to the online form to start reading the questions and entering your answers:
PRELIMINARY
ONLINE CONSULTATION FORM
NB: We are using UNESCO's "mission statement" and "key action themes" as basic guidance, but UNESCO is not responsible for any misconceptions that the survey questionnaire might contain. Same applies to the answers to be entered, collected, and analyzed. Hopefully, this exercise will lead to some useful insights and even some recommendations for the DESD, but there is no a priori presumption that such results will be useful to UNESCO or any other institution.
2. Consultation on Gender Equality
QUESTIONS ON EDUCATION FOR GENDER EQUALITY
- What is the importance of gender equality for sustainable development?
Select the level of importance in a 1-10 scale (1 is irrelevant, 10 is critical).
- Which of the following factors/issues are significant to make progress toward gender equality?
Select all that apply:
- Human development and intellectual capital
- Education for gender equality in both society and religion
- Education to foster stewardship of the human habitat
- The highest possible rates of consumption per capita
- Heavy taxation of institutions that discriminate against women
- Zero subsidies for institutions that practice gender discrimination
- Establishing incentives to have women in roles of secular authority
- Establishing disincentives to exclude women from roles of religious authority
- Education on the negative social impact of patriarchal structures
- Minimizing the significance of domestic violence
- What is the most effective incentive for eradicating gender inequities?
Select the best answer:
- Adherence to the traditional patriarchal family structure
- Educating women to remain in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant
- Supporting the subordination of women and the wisdom of patriarchy
- Experiencing the benefits of gender balance in society and religion
- Withdrawal of public subsidies to patriarchal religious institutions
- Which is the greatest obstacle to gender equality?
Select the best answer:
- God's desire for girls to marry when they are 9 years old
- God's desire for people to understand that women are inferior to men
- The misconception that only men are authentic images of God
- The fact that only women can be mothers
- The noble practice of allowing only boys to pursue post-K12 education
- In your own words, explain how to include the issue of gender equality in education for sustainable development.
Enter your answer in the box below. Brief answers are generally preferred, but go ahead and elaborate if you have evidence-based and/or experience-based ideas that should be considered in fostering gender equality via education.
3. Consultation on Health Promotion
QUESTIONS ON EDUCATION FOR HEALTH PROMOTION
- What is the importance of health promotion for sustainable development?
Select the level of importance in a 1-10 scale (1 is irrelevant, 10 is critical).
- Which of the following factors/issues are significant contributors to improving human health?
Select all that apply:
- Clean air
- Clean water
- Good nutrition & eating with moderation
- Not having access to required medications for common diseases
- Going out for exercise without fear of being assaulted
- Families that provide emotional support to both children and adults
- Lack of good nutrition and family nurturing in infancy
- Having HIV/AIDS and not having access to competent medical care
- Molestation, incest, rape of women and girls
- Exposure to domestic violence, gender violence, any form of violence
- What is the most effective incentive for improving health care practices?
Select the best answer:
- The Hyppocratic oath
- Education on the gift of love and the gift of life
- Adequate compensation for doctors, nurses, and paramedics
- Modern technologies for disease prevention and/or early diagnostics
- Adherence to the principles of solidarity, sustainability, and nonviolence
- Which is the greatest obstacle to improving health care practices?
Select the best answer:
- Lack of modern health care technology
- Shortage of competent doctors and nurses
- The cost of health care
- Scarcity of clean water and sanitation facilities
- Irresponsible sexual behavior that degrades the human person
- In your own words, explain how to include the issue of health promotion in education for sustainable development.
Enter your answer in the box below. Brief answers are generally preferred, but go ahead and elaborate if you have evidence-based and/or experience-based ideas that should be considered in fostering human health via education.
4. Consultation on the Environment
QUESTIONS ON EDUCATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
- What is the importance of environmental stewardship for sustainable development?
Select the level of importance in a 1-10 scale (1 is irrelevant, 10 is critical).
- Which of the following factors/issues are significant for people to take environmental impacts into account?
Select all that apply:
- A healthy human habitat is required for sustainable development
- Drinking contaminated water makes you sick
- Breathing polluted air makes you sick
- Eating food that contains toxic chemicals makes you sick
- Climate change due to emissions and the resulting global warming
- Climate change due to deforestation and dislocation of rainfall patterns
- Agricultural productivity and the food supply
- Using the "triple bottom line" for making business decisions
- Reduction of biodiversity induced by climate changes
- Having some leisure time to rest and be with the family
- What is the most effective incentive for living in harmony with the human habitat?
Select the best answer:
- Having picnics, going camping, and being in contact with nature
- The need to conserve minerals, soils, and biodiversity
- Quick financial gain regardless of the consequences
- The desire for solidarity, sustainability, and nonviolence
- Indulging in extravagant consumption of goods and services
- Which is the greatest obstacle to environmental sustainability?
Select the best answer:
- The geographic distribution of population growth
- The increasing gap between the very rich and the very poor
- The U.N. Millennium Development Goals
- Exponential growth in consumption per capita
- The lack of appropriate remediation technologies
- In your own words, explain how to include environmental values in education for sustainable development.
Enter your answer in the box below. Brief answers are generally preferred, but go ahead and elaborate if you have evidence-based and/or experience-based ideas that should be considered in fostering environmental stewardship via education.
5. Consultation on Rural Development
QUESTIONS ON EDUCATION FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT
- What is the importance of rural development for overall sustainable development?
Select the level of importance in a 1-10 scale (1 is irrelevant, 10 is critical).
- Which of the following factors/issues are significant to make progress toward rural development?
Select all that apply:
- Reduce the migration of poor rural people to the cities
- Increasing access to basic education in rural areas
- Building huge public housing projects in urban centers
- Improving the quality of basic education in rural areas
- Giving people false hopes that the city is "where the action is"
- Education programs that address the needs of rural people
- Fair allocation of resources to urban-rural areas demographics
- Recognition of farming as an important and prestigious profession
- Adequate compensation to farmers for their work
- Education on the advantages on living away from urban congestion
- What is the most effective incentive for rural development?
Select the best answer:
- Fair compensation for farmers and all kinds of rural labor
- Fair compensation, good schools, and social recognition
- Access to good and affordable health care in rural areas
- Limited access to good and affordable health care in rural areas
- Access only to poor and unaffordable health care
- Which is the greatest obstacle to rural development?
Select the best answer:
- Young people opting to run away to the cities
- Lack of good schools and good teachers
- Lack of access to competent and affordable health care
- Too much work and unfair compensation
- Depletion of soils and forest resources
- In your own words, explain how to include the issue of rural development in education for sustainable development.
Enter your answer in the box below. Brief answers are generally preferred, but go ahead and elaborate if you have evidence-based and/or experience-based ideas that should be considered in fostering rural development via education.
6. Consultation on Cultural Diversity
QUESTIONS ON EDUCATION ABOUT CULTURAL DIVERSITY
- What is the importance of cultural diversity for sustainable development?
Select the level of importance in a 1-10 scale (1 is irrelevant, 10 is critical).
- Which of the following factors/issues are significant for nurturing cultural diversity?
Select all that apply:
- Education on human civilization and cultures
- Exposure to multi-cultural interaction
- A mindset of solidarity and toleration
- Recognition that each culture has something good to offer
- Fear that mixing cultures will lead to ethnic tensions and violence
- Freedom of speech and freedom of religion
- Honor killings of brides that marry outside their cultural ghetto
- Sexism, racism, and all forms of culturally-conditioned discrimination
- Ethnic cleansing of "undesirables" from other cultures
- Claims of superiority by any culture and/or religion
What is the most effective incentive for valuing cultural diversity?
Select the best answer:
- Knowing the cultural diversity enriches all cultures
- Understanding the benefits of "unity in diversity"
- Understanding the fragility and sterility of "unity in uniformity"
- Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of conscience
- Freedom from sexism, racism, and other forms of discrimination
Which is the greatest obstacle to cultural diversity?
Select the best answer:
- Racism
- Dogmatism
- Pragmatism
- Sexism
- Terrorism
In your own words, explain how to include the benefits of cultural diversity in education for sustainable development.
Enter your answer in the box below. Brief answers are generally preferred, but go ahead and elaborate if you have evidence-based and/or experience-based ideas that should be considered in enhancing cultural diversity via education.
7. Consultation on Peace & Security
QUESTIONS ON EDUCATION FOR PEACE AND SECURITY
- What is the importance of peace and human security for sustainable development?
Select the level of importance in a 1-10 scale (1 is irrelevant, 10 is critical).
- Which of the following factors/issues are significant to foster peace and improve human security?
Select all that apply:
- Social justice
- Environmental justice
- Human solidarity
- Violence
- Having weapons of mass destruction
- Using weapons of mass destruction
- Nonviolence
- Partnerships for development
- Environmental injustice
- Social injustice
What is the most effective incentive for peace and human security?
Select the best answer:
- American-style economic development for all nations
- Globalization with or without trade protectionism
- Diplomacy and international aid
- Diplomacy and powerful military resources
- Social justice and environmental justice
Which is the greatest obstacle to peace and human security?
Select the best answer:
- Religious fanatism
- Military imperialism
- The widening gap between the very rich and the very poor
- Continued use and abuse of the human habitat
- Proliferation of human rights abuses, such as torture
In your own words, explain how to include the need for peace and human security in education for sustainable development.
Enter your answer in the box below. Brief answers are generally preferred, but go ahead and elaborate if you have evidence-based and/or experience-based ideas that should be considered in preventing war and improving human security via education.
8. Consultation on Sustainable Urbanization
QUESTIONS ON EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE URBANIZATION
- What is the importance of urbanization dynamics for sustainable development?
Select the level of importance in a 1-10 scale (1 is irrelevant, 10 is critical).
- Which of the following factors/issues are significant for accelerating (or reversing) current urbanization trends?
Select all that apply:
- Legalization of prostitution and human trafficking
- Reducing migration from developing nations to developed nations
- Reducing migration from poor rural areas to the cities
- Allowing the inner city to decay while encouraging suburbs to flourish
- Upgrading mass transit systems between cities
- Heavy sales tax for each gallon of fuel
- Reverse migration from developed nations back to developing nations
- Channeling more resources and public works away from urban centers
- Applying disincentives for cities to grow beyond one million people
- What is the most effective incentive for sustainable urbanization?
Select the best answer:
- Reduce urban police resources and allow crime in cities to increase
- Alleviation of congestion and pollution
- Heavy property taxes in cities over one million people
- Investing in inter-city mass transit systems
- Generous tax breaks for businesses that move away from large cities
- Which is the greatest obstacle to sustainable urbanization?
Select the best answer:
- Crime and other forms of violence
- Congestion and lack of privacy
- Not having disincentives to explosive growth beyond one million people
- The high cost of maintaining urban infrastructure in good condition
- The high cost of delivering food and other supplies to large cities
- In your own words, explain how to include the issue of urbanization in education for sustainable development.
Enter your answer in the box below. Brief answers are generally preferred, but go ahead and elaborate if you have evidence-based and/or experience-based ideas that should be considered in moderating urbanization via education.
9. Consultation on Sustainable Consumption
QUESTIONS ON EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
- What is the importance of moderating consumption rates for sustainable development?
Select the level of importance in a 1-10 scale (1 is irrelevant, 10 is critical).
- Which of the following factors/issues are significant to make progress toward balancing consumption rates?
Select all that apply:
- Disincentives to consumerism in the form of heavy sales taxes
- Incentives to moderate consumption via lifelong education
- Showing that sustainable lifestyles are essential in overcoming poverty
- Showing that sustainable lifestyles are not conducive to social unrest
- False hopes that technological breakthroughs can fix anything
- Increasing awareness and valuation of global citizenship
- Increasing demand for corporate accountability and social responsibility
- Education on responsibility toward our children and future generations
- Knowing that what really matters is to be more, not to consume more
- Keep doing "business as usual" and thinking that "the future is now."
- What is the most effective incentive for practicing sustainable consumption?
Select the best answer:
- Better "enjoy life while you can, tomorrow will be another day"
- The carrot of better health and the stick of heavy taxes
- Education on the individual/social benefits of sustainable consumption
- Heavy taxing of superfluous/luxurious consumption
- The need for ensuring the survivability of homo sapiens sapiens
- Which is the greatest obstacle to sustainable consumption?
Select the best answer:
- The lack of awareness about "peak oil" forecasts
- Financial manipulations for socially irresponsible quick profits
- Consumerism and wealth accumulation religious institutions
- The failure of political institutions corrupted by vested interests
- The resilience of the patriarchal mindset of power and domination
- In your own words, explain how to include the issue of sustainable consumption in education for sustainable development.
Enter your answer in the box below. Brief answers are generally preferred, but go ahead and elaborate if you have evidence-based and/or experience-based ideas that should be considered in fostering sustainable consumption via education.
ARE YOU READY TO PARTICIPATE?
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Please click on the link below to access the consultation form:
PRELIMINARY
ONLINE CONSULTATION FORM
You can revise your answers any number of times, but make sure to click on "submit" after each revision so that the changes are recorded.
Suggestions for Prayer, Study, and Action
Prayer
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God of Earth, Our Mother, make a wide world for us.
May those that are of the eastern regions,
and the northern and the southern and the western,
be gentle as they walk upon Earth.
Protect us from stumbling while we walk upon your world.
As you guide our steps, keep us from being pushed
from the West or from the East, or from the North or from the South.
Keep us on the straight path so that we may not wander astray.
The people of Earth speak a multitude of tongues,
they have a variety of religious rites,
according to their places of abode,
Pour upon us all your treasure in a thousand streams,
like a cow full of milk that never fails.
May the God of Earth give to us the milk of her blessing.
Bearers of your bounty may our lives be lives
of unceasing thanksgivings for all the blessings of Earth.
Earth, Our Mother, set us on the paths of peace
in full accord with Heaven.
Holy God, Wise One Immortal, forever keep your Earth
in grace and splendor.
Source: Earth Day 2005 Prayer Service,
Sisters of the Holy Cross
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Action
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- Write a letter to a secular and/or religious authority (e.g., your legislator, your bishop)
- Volunteer to assist in the Earth Day (April 22) events in your country or locality
- Complete the
PRELIMINARY ONLINE CONSULTATION FORM and provide comments and suggestions.
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An Appeal to Endorse the Earth Charter
An Appeal to the American People: A call to action to endorse the Earth Charter By Brian J. Trautman
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Please join me in endorsing the Earth Charter, then contact President Obama and your elected officials including the 111th Congress to urge formal and public endorsement of the Charter on Earth Day 2009, April 22.
Are you familiar with the Earth Charter? If your answer is no, then you are certainly not alone. Although, if you are like me and hold deep personal concerns about social and environmental issues that have profound global implications for our future, such as human rights, nonviolence and peace, social/economic/ecological justice, and sustainable development, then I believe the Earth Charter is for you.
What is the Earth Charter? Formally launched in the year 2000, it is an ethical foundation of values and principles for wise living to build a future in which people and all living things live in harmony.
Earth Charter Preamble:
“We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.”
There are four interdependent and interconnected pillars of core sustainability values that form the basis of the Earth Charter: (1) Respect and Care for the Community of Life (2) Ecological Integrity (3) Social and Economic Justice (4) Democracy, Nonviolence, and Peace. Under each of the four pillars we find a total of sixteen shared ethical principles, each of which expands on the meaning and implications of the pillar under which it falls and applies.
The agenda of the Earth Charter is to increase individual and global awareness about sustainability issues and to grow support for certain universal principles and values to help direct global leaders and populations toward solutions and actions that have the potential of significantly reducing our collective ecological footprint and the various forms of violence that humans perpetuate against each other and on the Earth’s ecosystems.
We need immediate global action to curb current patterns of environmental destruction and climate change. Expansion of environmental education and awareness initiatives and enforceable environmental protection legislation are promptly needed. Personal and structural solutions to climate change and ways to educate ourselves and the global community on why and how climate change impacts all of us are offered by the Earth Charter. To this end, the Earth Charter has great potential to serve as a guiding standard to facilitate sound decisions and behavior for sustainable action across the globe.
Information about the positive and practical applications of living according to the Earth Charter ethic is disseminated principally by the Earth Charter Initiative (ECI), a diverse global network of thousands of people and institutions with a charge of managing a broad-based, voluntary, civil society effort to educate on and advance the Charter ethic, and to help individuals and organizations employ the Charter in practice. To date, ECI has helped acquire formal Charter endorsements from over 2,500 organizations, as well as from global institutions such as UNESCO and the World Conservation Union.
The Earth Charter’s call to action involves informing global populations, leaders, and lawmakers at all levels about the positive and growth-fostering capacities of the Charter and the urgency for: (1) a significant reduction in our individual and collective ecological footprint, (2) human rights and social and economic justice for all, and (3) active nonviolence, cooperation and diplomacy as methods to resolve global conflict, instead of violence, aggression and war, in order to build and sustain a global culture of peace.
I encourage you to begin this process by endorsing the Earth Charter, whereby you will be formally declaring your promise to use the Charter as your agenda for personal growth and for direct action on behalf of all peoples and the planet. After you have endorsed the declaration, I propose that you phone and/or compose and send a letter or email to President Obama and your locally elected officials (i.e. governors, mayors, city/town board members, state and federal congressional representatives) to urge a public endorsement of the Earth Charter on Earth Day 2009, April 22.
An endorsement of this sort by the United States government would be a symbolic gesture of the leadership and people of the U.S. for new direction and real change. It would demonstrate to the world that the U.S. recognizes, respects, and values the interconnectedness and interdependence of all living things. President Obama and our local, state, and federal leaders through a global statement of Earth Charter support would convey that the U.S. acknowledges the critical need for the application of Charter values and principles when addressing the most critical issues facing human beings and our shared planet in the 21st century.
For the sake of our current generation, and perhaps more importantly, of future generations including our children, we must take action and compel our leaders, and likewise our fellow citizens, to do the same. We must remedy personal ignorance about global affairs and our impact on the Earth’s living systems and begin to live according to the Earth Charter.
The most fitting way that I can think of to conclude this call to action is to let the Earth Charter speak for itself through the closing lines of this declaration of interdependence:
“Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life.”
For more information on the Earth Charter, the Earth Charter Initiative (ECI), and to endorse the declaration, please visit the Earth Charter web site.
Thank you for listening. And thank you for whatever personal action(s) you are able to take using the Earth Charter.
Brian J. Trautman
The writer resides in Albany, NY and is on the faculty of the peace and world order studies program at Berkshire Community College located in Pittsfield, MA. Brian is an active member of Berkshire Citizens for Peace and Justice (BCP&J) and is an editor of the US Peace Registry of the US Peace Memorial Foundation.
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Divinity & Humanity
Selected web sites:
Anima & Animus
Dante's Divine Comedy
Gateway to the Holy Bible
Gateway to the Holy Qur'an
Girardian Biblical Reflections
Homo sapiens sapiens
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Dante's Divine Comedy
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Amnesty International
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Declaration of Human Rights
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Gender Equality - Men & Boys
Global Economy & Ethics
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When More is Less
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International Human Solidarity Day
Sustainability & Sustainable Development
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A Blueprint for Survival
Alliance for Sustainability
Biodiversity International
BP Energy Charting Tool
BP Environment Charting Tool
Climate Change-Biodiversity
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Violence & Nonviolence
Selected web sites:
Albert Einstein Institution
Center for Nonviolent Conflict
Center Global Nonkilling
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Christian Patriarchy
Culture of Patriarchy
Culture of Peace
Dalai Lama Foundation
Educators for Nonviolence
Farewell to Pax Americana
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Gender Violence Directory
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The End of Pax Americana?
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SITE OF THE MONTH
UNESCO's Culture of Peace
Indicators & Trends
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Selected web sites:
A Future Without War
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Education for All
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Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
Source: U.N. MDGs
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MDG Core Strategy
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MDG Targets & Indicators
MDG-Net and DGP-Net
MDGs and Governance
MDGs and Health
MDGs and Human Rights
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MDGs UN Gateway
MDGs UN Project
Related Resources:
Earth Charter
Gender Equity Index 2008
Global Trends 2025
HDR Report 2007-2008
Human Rights Watch 2008
Industrial Development 2009
Living Planet Report 2008
State of the World 2009
UNEP Year Book 2009
UNESCO GMR 2008
UNESCO Yearbook 2008
WESS Report 2008
World Development Report 2008
World Disasters Report 2008
World Energy Outlook 2008
World Health Statistics 2008
World Population 2008
World Resources 2008
World's Children 2009
World's Forests 2009
World's Girls 2008
Current Outlook:
Human Knowledge
Selected web sites:
Biodiversity Info Standards
DDC Classification
DDC - OCLC Version
Encyclopedic - Britannica
Encyclopedic - Directory
Encyclopedic - Wikipedia
Internet Archive
LCC Classification
LCC CyberStacks
Map of Human Knowledge
Map of Knowledge
Maps of Science - LANL
OCLC/WorldCat
SSNV Knowledge Taxonomy
Topic Maps - Cocking
Topic Maps - Biezunski
Topic Maps - Cocking
Topic Maps - ISO 13250
Announcements
TRANSITIONS TO SUSTAINABILITY
First European Conference on Sustainability Transitions: Dynamics & Governance of Transitions to Sustainability, 4-5 June 2009, Felix Meritis, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Point of contact: KSI2009.
AFRICA CONFERENCE
The international IMPETUS Africa Conference, "Global Change in Africa - Projections, Mitigation and Adaptation," will be held from June 2nd to 5th 2009 at the University of Cologne, Germany. For further information, please visit the conference website or email Africa Conference.
AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT
The Air & Waste Management Association’s 102nd Annual Conference & Exhibition (ACE), 16-19 June 2009, Detroit, Michigan. For more information visit the AWMA-ACE2009 conference web site or contact AWMA-ACE2009.
CHINA AND GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
Conference Dates: 18-19 June 2009. Location: Lingnan University, Hong Kong, China. Sponsored by the Centre for Asian Pacific Studies (CAPS) and the Environmental Studies Programme (ESP) at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. Visit the conference website for more information, or contact CAPS.
RELIGION AND POLITICS OF THE BODY
The Nordic Society for Philosophy of Religion (NSPR) invites to its 2nd biannual conference at the University of Iceland, Reykjavik, June 26-28, 2009. The topic of the conference will be "Religion and politics of the body." See the conference website or contact Sigridur Thorgeirsdottir.
HUMAN ECOLOGY
International human ecology conference at Manchester University, UK, June 29th - July 3rd, 2009. For conference information visit the Society for Human Ecology (SHE) web site. Point of contact: Ian Douglas.
ECONOMIC DYNAMICS
The 20th annual meeting of the Society for Economic Dynamics will be held 2-4 July 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey. For more information see the conference website or contact SED.
GLOBAL CHALLENGE 2009
The International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS), Utrecht, The Netherlands, 5-8 July 2009. See the conference flyer and the conference website. Email contact: FBU Conference Office.
SEXUAL VIOLENCE
The Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) is pleased to invite you to its first conference, to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, 6 - 9 July 2009. For more information and points of contact, visit the SVRI Forum 2009 and the SVRI web site.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
Society for Conservation Biology, 11-16 July 2009, Beijing, China. See the CONBIO meeting website or contact SCB2009 .
SYSTEM SCIENCES
The 2009 conference of the International Society for Systems Sciences (ISSS), is to be held in at The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 12-17 July 2009. Focus on sustainability. For further information and registration visit the conference website.
RELIGION, NATURE, AND CULTURE
International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature & Culture (ISSRNC). University of Amsterdam, 23–26 July 2009. Conference director: Kocku von Stuckrad. Contact: ISSRNC2009.
SYSTEM DYNAMICS
International Conference of the System Dynamics Society, 26-31 July 2009, Albuquerque, NM. Visit the conference website and contact the Program Chair.
OSLO SUMMER SCHOOL
The Oslo Summer School in Comparative Social Science Studies 2009. A course on "Liberation and Participation: Theory and Method for a Social and Political Community Psychology." Lecturer: Professor Maritza Montero, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela. Dates: 27 - 31 July 2009. The syllabus for the course is already posted. For more information: Professor Hilde Eileen Nafstad.
RELIGION & CONSUMERISM
International Society for the Sociology of Religion, Santiago de Compostela (Spain), 27-31 July 2009. See the conference website for more information. The point of contact is Hilde Van Meerbeeck-Cravillon.
GREEN ECONOMICS
The 4th Annual Green Economics Conference will take place at Mansfield College, Oxford University, 31 July to 1 August 2009.
Please email us at Green Economics Institute if you want to book or speak or reserve a place.
UNEP TUNZA CONFERENCE
Tunza International Children’s Conference on the Environment, Daejeon, Korea, 17-21 August 2009. For more details visit the Tunza web site or contact the Tunza staff.
PSYCHOLOGY & RELIGION
International Association for the Psychology of Religion (IAPR 2009), Vienna, Austria, 23 to 27 August 2009. Local organizing committee: Susanne Heine and Herman Westerink, University of Vienna.
PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOR
Royal Geographic Society, 26-28 August 2009, Manchester University, UK. Website: AC2009. Abstracts: Louise Reid and Tom Hargreaves.
FEMINIST ETHICS & SOCIAL THEORY
The Association for Feminist Ethics And Social Theory (FEAST), 24-27 September 2009, Clear Water Beach, Florida. Panels on "Environmental Feminism" and "Evolutionary Psychology." Questions may be directed to Lisa Schwartzman.
WORLD POPULATION
The International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP), 27 September - 2 October 2009, Marrakech, Morocco. For more information, visit the conference website and contact marrakech2009.
ISLAMIC THOUGHT
International Seminar on Islamic Thought, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia, 6-7 October 2009. For more info visit the conference website.
WOMEN, LEADERSHIP & MOSQUES
CFP: Women, Leadership and Mosques: Changes in Contemporary Islamic Authority. Oxford University, 16-17 October 2009. Please send proposals to Hilary Kalmbach.
KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY
International Conference on Knowledge Economy, South Africa, October 20 - 22nd.
See the Carmen Fitz-Gerald.
SOCIAL RIGHTS
International Symposium on Social Rights, 22-23 October 2009, Akdeniz University, Antalaya, Turkey. For more information, please visit the conference website . The main point of contact is sosyalhaklar. Additional contacts are Prof. Nergis Mütevellioglu, Assist. Prof. Hale Balseven, Research Assist. Mehmet Zanbak.
SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION
Discoveries in the Scientific Study of Religion, Denver, 23-25 October 2009. Visit the SSSR2009 conference website. Point of contact: Kraig Beyerlein, Program Chair.
AFRICA GIS
International Conference Africa GIS2009, 26– 29 October 2009, Kampala, Uganda. For more information, please visit the AFRICAGIS2009 web site and contact AfricaGIS 2009.
CLIMATE CHANGE
The world's climate neutral Scientific Climate Conference, 2-6 November 2009 online. Organized by the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. For more information, visit the CLIMATE 2009 conference website and contact the conference staff at CLIMATE 2009. Note: the website already includes a listing of climate studies available at the Climate Change Studies Library (CCSL).
BEHAVIOR, ENERGY & CLIMATE CHANGE
The 2009 BECC Conference is the 3rd annual conference focused on accelerating our transition to an energy-efficient and low carbon economy through an improved understanding and application of social & behavioral mechanisms of change. Sponsored by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). When: November 15-18th, 2009. Where: Washington DC. For more details visit the BECC 2009 Conference web site or contact the BECC 2009 Conference Chair.
EARTH SYSTEM GOVERNANCE
"Earth System Governance: People, Places, and the Planet." 2009 Amsterdam Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change. Amsterdam, 2-4 December 2009. Launch event of the Earth System Governance Project, a new ten-year research programme under the auspices of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP). For more information, visit the conference website or contact Frank Biermann.
PARLIAMENT OF THE
WORLD'S RELIGIONS
Parliament of the World's Religions, 3-9 December 2009, Melbourne, Australia. Key topics: Healing the Earth with Care and Concern, Reconciling with Indigenous Peoples, Overcoming Poverty in a Patriarchal World, Securing Food and Water for all People, Building Peace in the Pursuit of Justice, Creating Social Cohesion in Village and City, Sharing Wisdom in the Search for Inner Peace. For more info: PWR2009.
APPLIED ENERGY
International Conference on Applied Energy (ICAE2010). Sponsored by the University of Singapore. Theme: "Energy Solutions for a Sustainable World." 21-23 April 2010, Singapore. Call for papers and other conference information: ICAE 2010 Web Site. Point of contact: ICAE 2010.
SOCIOLOGY CONGRESS
International Sociological Association (ISA) World Congress of Sociology, 11-17 July 2010, Gothenburg, Sweden. Session on "Peace, Conflict, and Climate Change" currently scheduled for Wednesday 14 July 2010. See the conference web site for more details or contact the conference chair, Hans Joas, Universität Erfurt, Germany.
RELIGION: A HUMAN PHENOMENON
International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR), 15-21 August 2010, Toronto, Canada. Visit the conference website. The conference director is Professor Donald Wiebe.
STUDY OF THE COMMONS
The International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC) is accepting for hosting the 13th Biennial Conference, Summer or Autumn 2010. For more information contact Jim Robson and visit the IASCP website.
PEACE CONVOCATION
The International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) will be the Harvest Festival of the Decade to Overcome Violence and at the same time a planting season for fresh initiatives. May 2011, Kingston, Jamaica. Sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC). Visit the IEPC web site, which provides points of contact worldwide.
SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE
CFP on Sustainability Science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). PNAS has launched a new section of the journal dedicated to sustainability science, an emerging field of research dealing with the interactions between natural and social systems, and with how those interactions affect the challenge of sustainability: meeting the needs of present and future generations while substantially reducing poverty and conserving the planet’s life support systems. PNAS seeks original research contributions for this new section on both the fundamental character of interactions among humans, their technologies, and the environment, and on the use of such knowledge to advance sustainability goals relevant to water, food, energy, health, habitation, mobility, and ecosystem services. PNAS welcomes outstanding sustainability science papers addressing spatial scales from the global to the local and drawing on a wide range of disciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches. For more information, please contact Josiah Armour.
Call for Papers
Both subscribers and nonsubscribers are cordially invited to submit a paper to be considered for publication in the SSNV e-journal as an "invited paper." It should be related to the journal's theme about solidarity, sustainability, and nonviolence as the three pillars of sustainable development. Some suggested themes:
Gender equality as a positive factor for sustainable development.
Successful initiatives to foster solidarity, sustainability, and nonviolence.
Removal of obstacles for progress toward any or all the UN MDGs.
Management of technologies for social and environmental justice.
How to foster changes in human behavior that are conducive to SSNV.
Invited papers will be published in a separate web page. If you have a friends who could submit a good paper, please invite them to do so.
Please email your papers to the SSNV Editor.
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