This book contains the keynote papers delivered at the First World Environmental Education Congress (FWEEC) held in Espinho, Portugal in May, 2003. The FWEEC gathered participants from 38 countries, offering an international platform for educators, scientists, researchers, scholars, politicians, technicians, activists, media and teachers to present and debate world wide issues in environmental education. The themes it deals with include environmental policies and education, media and communication, environmental activism and citizenship, local activities, sustainable agriculture and tourism, economics and sustainability, communication, evaluation techniques, teacher training and general aspects of research. The papers offer an up-dated overview of various trends related to international environmental education, including aspects of research, teaching and project based work. Due to its nature and international scope, this publication is of special interest to educators, scientists, researchers, politicians, technicians, environment activists, teachers and others, interested in the ways environmental education is seen and practiced all over the world.

This book aims at introducing readers to the different ways in which environmental education is viewed and perceived on an international basis. It is one of the outcomes of the First World Environmental Education Congress (FWEEC) held in Espinho, Portugal, on 20th-24th May, 2003. FWEEC gathered 282 participants from 38 countries, offering an international platform for educators, scientists, researchers, scholars, politicians, technicians, activists, the media and teachers to present and debate key issues in environmental education world wide. It includes many of the papers delivered in the Congress and a few additional ones, in an attempt to both document international experiences and promote them to a wide audience. This publication is meant to pave the ground for the UN International Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) by addressing one of the oldest and yet one of the most pressing needs in environmental education today: the need to document experiences and promote good practice. This book will be useful to those undertaking research, practical projects and doing works «on the ground» in both formal and non-formal teaching. The extensive body of information and knowledge gathered by the authors will be helpful to both researchers and practitioners, contributing towards developing their capacity so that they may become even better at what they do.

Climate change is a matter of great interest and worldwide concern. The latest evidences from scientific studies and official documents produced by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) show that the challenges posed by climate change need to be taken seriously if they are ever to be tackled properly. It is widely acknowledged that information, communication and education on climate change are important tools in the search for solutions to the social, economic or political problems climate changes poses. But despite the fact that much has been written about climate change, most works to date tend to focus on specific issues (e.g. climate modeling, forecasts) as opposed to addressing the problem in an interdisciplinary way as it should be. This book tries to address this perceived gap by providing a wide range of perspectives on climate change, which goes over and above the traditional barriers seen among subjects. It is interdisciplinary in nature and comprehensive in scope. This book was prepared in the context of «Climate 2008» (www.klima2008.net), the world’s first scientific conference on climate change held on the internet, and is one of the first outputs of the newly-created «International Climate Change Information Programme» (ICCIP). It provides a long-needed contribution to a better understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of the subject matter of climate change and offers an overview of some of the on-going interdisciplinary projects and initiatives in this field taking place in different parts of the world.

How does technical education fit into today’s society? What is the implication of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) for technical education? This book examines these questions. The author analyses the corresponding needs within technical education from various perspectives. She has identified different domains within the world of engineering including the domain of engineering profession and practice for manufacturing, design and development of technical solutions to fulfil the consumers’ needs, the domain of technology assessment which considers potential impacts of technical solutions on human beings, and the domain of technical education as the foundation for engineering knowledge and skills. This book will be helpful to both researchers and practitioners in shaping the future of technical education.

Sustainability is widely defined as «the ability to meet the needs of the present while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems and without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs». However, the goal of managing today’s resources so that they may be available to future generations is not easy to reach. Indeed, in order to achieve this ambitious goal, it is important that universities – similar to other sectors of society – become engaged in the sustainability debate, not superficially as it has largely been the case until now, but in a manner not seen before. This book provides a concrete contribution towards the goal of fostering sustainability at universities, by especially focusing on opportunities, challenges and trends. It contains a wide range of papers written by university lecturers, professors, students and practitioners, as well as practical projects, which illustrate some of the latest trends and future perspectives related to sustainability in higher education. It was prepared as part of the project JELARE (Joint European-Latin American Universities Renewable Energy Project), funded by ALFA III, an EU programme of co-operation between the European Union and Latin America, in the framework of higher education and training.This book is meant to inform, inspire and engage all members of the University community in the wide debate on how the principles of sustainable development may be implemented into practice. Produced mid-way in the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, led by UNESCO, it serves the purpose of documenting and disseminating current initiatives all round the world, also paving the way for new ones.

This book presents essential learning approaches. It introduces educational and training activities, as well as various innovative methods aiming at the development of practical skills, in order to strengthen the continuous process of environmental education, and in particular the education for sustainable development (ESD). In doing so, it focuses on three dimensions (social, economic and environmental) as a means of achieving an effective change of behaviour and «tries to bridge the gap between science and environmental education by describing a set of projects, initiatives and field activities». A special emphasis is put on teacher training programmes, conception, and implementation, highlighting the problems and barriers, which prevent development as far as integration of sustainability issues in higher education is concerned.

It is widely acknowledged that sustainable development is a long-term goal, which both individuals and institutions (and countries!) need to pursue. This important theme is characterized by an intrinsic complexity, since it encompasses ecological or environmental considerations on the one hand, and economic matters, social influences and political frameworks on the other. This makes provisions in respect of education for sustainable development a particularly challenging task, but one which is feasible and achievable, provided the right elements are put into place. This book is an attempt to foster the cause of education for sustainable development, by documenting and disseminating experiences from different parts of the world, where learning for, about and through the principles of sustainability is taking place, in various sets and contexts, in both industrialized and developing nations. A special feature of this book is that it not only presents a wide range of philosophies, approaches, methods and analyses with respect to education for sustainable development across the world, but also documents and disseminates concrete case studies, which show how education for sustainable development may be realized in practice.

This book, prepared in the context of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), also known as Rio+20, contains the papers submitted to the World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities (WSSD-U-2012), which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 5 and 6 June 2012. It pursues the following main aims: to document and disseminate experiences from universities all round the world regarding education for sustainable development; to foster the exchange of information, ideas and experiences acquired in the execution of projects; and to introduce methodological approaches and projects which aim to integrate the topic of sustainable development in the curriculum of universities. Last but not least, a further aim is to document and disseminate the wealth of experiences available today, providing a truly global coverage. Sustainable Development at Universities: New Horizons is a highly comprehensive publication on sustainability in higher education. It is meant to go beyond a description of the current state of knowledge, and shall open the way for new thinking and new horizons in what is a rapidly expanding field, of central interest to both industrialised and developing countries.

This book discusses the use of e-learning in the progresses towards Sustainable Development (SD) or Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Almost three decades after the concept of sustainable development appeared, 2014 is the year where historical goals should be reached, since it is the last year of the United Nations Decade on ESD. Within this decade, research, projects and educational initiatives were developed and deliverables were achieved. Using e-learning is becoming widely accepted in formal and non-formal education proving to have the potential to be effective in expanding Education for Sustainability (EfS). Lifelong learning, adults’ education and the huge increase in the use of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) lead to e-learning’s significant role within the learning and education processes.

The sustainable use of river basins is one of the top environment priorities in Europe. There are many initiatives aimed at the promotion of the sustainable development of river areas around the Baltic and around Europe as a whole, a process greatly accelerated by the introduction of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), which obliges all EU countries to improve the standards in which they use their water and river resources. This book, prepared in the context of the Interreg IIIB Project Watersketch, is an attempt to promote a dialogue on the topic, linking aspects of sustainable biochemistry and biotechnology with elements of sustainable river management. It will serve the needs of water and river management specialists in two ways: it presents various scientific and technological approaches to river management and illustrates the epistemological breadth of the discipline, and also builds on specialised topical biotechnological and chemistry-related knowledge. The latter is especially useful to geographers and planners alike, who could perhaps adapt some of the techniques and components illustrated in the various chapters of this book to their own work.

This book documents and promotes the experiences from the 2nd Conference on Integrative Approaches Towards Sustainability (SHARING), held in Jurmala, Latvia, on May 11th to 24th, 2005. Attended by over 200 delegates from across the Baltic Sea region and beyond, the event provided an important contribution towards strengthening the integration of the region’s RTD community and the sharing of knowledge and expertise in the Baltic, across Europe (including the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions) and elsewhere. The first part of this book contains some introductory remarks on sustainable development as a whole and on integratives approaches in particular. Furthermore, issues related to cleaner production and the moves towards zero emissions are outlined. Part two of the book focuses on developments in the Baltic Sea Region, with a special emphasis on policy, implementation technologies and technologies for sustainable development. In the next part of the book, readers will find a special section on science for sustainable development. One special feature of this section is that papers are predominantly written by young researchers, some of whom will find in this volume, for the first time, the chance to publish results from their works. The final section of the book deals with social corporate responsibility and the environment, focusing on sustainable community development, corporate responsibility at an international level and concepts for education for sustainable development. This publication provides a very good overview of sustainability issues in the Baltic and beyond, illustrating the number of excellent works being performed by municipalities, universities, research agencies and NGOs, also showing the various ways via which sustainability can be delivered.

The present book is a compilation of some of the key note speeches and papers delivered at the Third World Environmental Education Congress – 3rd WEEC (Turin, Italy, 3-6 October 2005). It includes a number of the contributions in various subjects discussed at the Congress, whose lead theme was Educational paths towards Sustainability. This book documents the wide range of topics in the field of environmental education discussed at the event, with a special emphasis to the scientific, educational and participatory aspects presented at the Congress and considers how they are linked with sustainable development. The Third World Environmental Education Congress was a further, positive step forward towards the cause of promoting environmental education across the world. The experiences gathered and documented in this book, which is a concrete contribution towards the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, want to raise further interest and catalyse further projects and initiatives all over the world.

Education for Sustainable Development presents a vision of education that seeks to empower people to assume responsibility for creating a sustainable future. There are many different stakeholders in sustainable development whose participation is essential if long-term developments are to be achieved: governments and intergovernmental bodies, the mass media, the civil society and non-governmental organizations, the private sector and formal education institutions (i.e. schools, universities, research and training institutes). But despite the need for concerted efforts, truly cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary projects and practical activities are seldom seen. In addition, there are few publications where the subject matters of education, innovation and communication – as they apply to sustainable development – are approached in an integrated way. This book combines approaches, methods and analyses which illustrate the contribution of innovation, education and communication to the cause of sustainable development. It is prepared as part of the INTERREG IIIB (North Sea) Project «SmartLIFE», a partnership between three EU regions – Germany, Sweden and the UK. It is also a further means of support to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, since there is a paucity of academic and at the same time practice-related books which go over and above the theory of education and of sustainable development and move on to address the various problems related to it.

This book contains the keynote papers delivered at the First World Environmental Education Congress (FWEEC) held in Espinho, Portugal in May, 2003. The FWEEC gathered participants from 38 countries, offering an international platform for educators, scientists, researchers, scholars, politicians, technicians, activists, media and teachers to present and debate world wide issues in environmental education. The themes it deals with include environmental policies and education, media and communication, environmental activism and citizenship, local activities, sustainable agriculture and tourism, economics and sustainability, communication, evaluation techniques, teacher training and general aspects of research. The papers offer an up-dated overview of various trends related to international environmental education, including aspects of research, teaching and project based work. Due to its nature and international scope, this publication is of special interest to educators, scientists, researchers, politicians, technicians, environment activists, teachers and others, interested in the ways environmental education is seen and practiced all over the world.

This book aims at introducing readers to the different ways in which environmental education is viewed and perceived on an international basis. It is one of the outcomes of the First World Environmental Education Congress (FWEEC) held in Espinho, Portugal, on 20th-24th May, 2003. FWEEC gathered 282 participants from 38 countries, offering an international platform for educators, scientists, researchers, scholars, politicians, technicians, activists, the media and teachers to present and debate key issues in environmental education world wide. It includes many of the papers delivered in the Congress and a few additional ones, in an attempt to both document international experiences and promote them to a wide audience. This publication is meant to pave the ground for the UN International Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) by addressing one of the oldest and yet one of the most pressing needs in environmental education today: the need to document experiences and promote good practice. This book will be useful to those undertaking research, practical projects and doing works «on the ground» in both formal and non-formal teaching. The extensive body of information and knowledge gathered by the authors will be helpful to both researchers and practitioners, contributing towards developing their capacity so that they may become even better at what they do.

Climate change is a matter of great interest and worldwide concern. The latest evidences from scientific studies and official documents produced by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) show that the challenges posed by climate change need to be taken seriously if they are ever to be tackled properly. It is widely acknowledged that information, communication and education on climate change are important tools in the search for solutions to the social, economic or political problems climate changes poses. But despite the fact that much has been written about climate change, most works to date tend to focus on specific issues (e.g. climate modeling, forecasts) as opposed to addressing the problem in an interdisciplinary way as it should be. This book tries to address this perceived gap by providing a wide range of perspectives on climate change, which goes over and above the traditional barriers seen among subjects. It is interdisciplinary in nature and comprehensive in scope. This book was prepared in the context of «Climate 2008» (www.klima2008.net), the world’s first scientific conference on climate change held on the internet, and is one of the first outputs of the newly-created «International Climate Change Information Programme» (ICCIP). It provides a long-needed contribution to a better understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of the subject matter of climate change and offers an overview of some of the on-going interdisciplinary projects and initiatives in this field taking place in different parts of the world.

How does technical education fit into today’s society? What is the implication of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) for technical education? This book examines these questions. The author analyses the corresponding needs within technical education from various perspectives. She has identified different domains within the world of engineering including the domain of engineering profession and practice for manufacturing, design and development of technical solutions to fulfil the consumers’ needs, the domain of technology assessment which considers potential impacts of technical solutions on human beings, and the domain of technical education as the foundation for engineering knowledge and skills. This book will be helpful to both researchers and practitioners in shaping the future of technical education.

Sustainability is widely defined as «the ability to meet the needs of the present while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems and without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs». However, the goal of managing today’s resources so that they may be available to future generations is not easy to reach. Indeed, in order to achieve this ambitious goal, it is important that universities – similar to other sectors of society – become engaged in the sustainability debate, not superficially as it has largely been the case until now, but in a manner not seen before. This book provides a concrete contribution towards the goal of fostering sustainability at universities, by especially focusing on opportunities, challenges and trends. It contains a wide range of papers written by university lecturers, professors, students and practitioners, as well as practical projects, which illustrate some of the latest trends and future perspectives related to sustainability in higher education. It was prepared as part of the project JELARE (Joint European-Latin American Universities Renewable Energy Project), funded by ALFA III, an EU programme of co-operation between the European Union and Latin America, in the framework of higher education and training.This book is meant to inform, inspire and engage all members of the University community in the wide debate on how the principles of sustainable development may be implemented into practice. Produced mid-way in the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, led by UNESCO, it serves the purpose of documenting and disseminating current initiatives all round the world, also paving the way for new ones.

This book presents essential learning approaches. It introduces educational and training activities, as well as various innovative methods aiming at the development of practical skills, in order to strengthen the continuous process of environmental education, and in particular the education for sustainable development (ESD). In doing so, it focuses on three dimensions (social, economic and environmental) as a means of achieving an effective change of behaviour and «tries to bridge the gap between science and environmental education by describing a set of projects, initiatives and field activities». A special emphasis is put on teacher training programmes, conception, and implementation, highlighting the problems and barriers, which prevent development as far as integration of sustainability issues in higher education is concerned.

It is widely acknowledged that sustainable development is a long-term goal, which both individuals and institutions (and countries!) need to pursue. This important theme is characterized by an intrinsic complexity, since it encompasses ecological or environmental considerations on the one hand, and economic matters, social influences and political frameworks on the other. This makes provisions in respect of education for sustainable development a particularly challenging task, but one which is feasible and achievable, provided the right elements are put into place. This book is an attempt to foster the cause of education for sustainable development, by documenting and disseminating experiences from different parts of the world, where learning for, about and through the principles of sustainability is taking place, in various sets and contexts, in both industrialized and developing nations. A special feature of this book is that it not only presents a wide range of philosophies, approaches, methods and analyses with respect to education for sustainable development across the world, but also documents and disseminates concrete case studies, which show how education for sustainable development may be realized in practice.

This book, prepared in the context of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), also known as Rio+20, contains the papers submitted to the World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities (WSSD-U-2012), which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 5 and 6 June 2012. It pursues the following main aims: to document and disseminate experiences from universities all round the world regarding education for sustainable development; to foster the exchange of information, ideas and experiences acquired in the execution of projects; and to introduce methodological approaches and projects which aim to integrate the topic of sustainable development in the curriculum of universities. Last but not least, a further aim is to document and disseminate the wealth of experiences available today, providing a truly global coverage. Sustainable Development at Universities: New Horizons is a highly comprehensive publication on sustainability in higher education. It is meant to go beyond a description of the current state of knowledge, and shall open the way for new thinking and new horizons in what is a rapidly expanding field, of central interest to both industrialised and developing countries.

This book discusses the use of e-learning in the progresses towards Sustainable Development (SD) or Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Almost three decades after the concept of sustainable development appeared, 2014 is the year where historical goals should be reached, since it is the last year of the United Nations Decade on ESD. Within this decade, research, projects and educational initiatives were developed and deliverables were achieved. Using e-learning is becoming widely accepted in formal and non-formal education proving to have the potential to be effective in expanding Education for Sustainability (EfS). Lifelong learning, adults’ education and the huge increase in the use of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) lead to e-learning’s significant role within the learning and education processes.

The sustainable use of river basins is one of the top environment priorities in Europe. There are many initiatives aimed at the promotion of the sustainable development of river areas around the Baltic and around Europe as a whole, a process greatly accelerated by the introduction of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), which obliges all EU countries to improve the standards in which they use their water and river resources. This book, prepared in the context of the Interreg IIIB Project Watersketch, is an attempt to promote a dialogue on the topic, linking aspects of sustainable biochemistry and biotechnology with elements of sustainable river management. It will serve the needs of water and river management specialists in two ways: it presents various scientific and technological approaches to river management and illustrates the epistemological breadth of the discipline, and also builds on specialised topical biotechnological and chemistry-related knowledge. The latter is especially useful to geographers and planners alike, who could perhaps adapt some of the techniques and components illustrated in the various chapters of this book to their own work.

This book documents and promotes the experiences from the 2nd Conference on Integrative Approaches Towards Sustainability (SHARING), held in Jurmala, Latvia, on May 11th to 24th, 2005. Attended by over 200 delegates from across the Baltic Sea region and beyond, the event provided an important contribution towards strengthening the integration of the region’s RTD community and the sharing of knowledge and expertise in the Baltic, across Europe (including the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions) and elsewhere. The first part of this book contains some introductory remarks on sustainable development as a whole and on integratives approaches in particular. Furthermore, issues related to cleaner production and the moves towards zero emissions are outlined. Part two of the book focuses on developments in the Baltic Sea Region, with a special emphasis on policy, implementation technologies and technologies for sustainable development. In the next part of the book, readers will find a special section on science for sustainable development. One special feature of this section is that papers are predominantly written by young researchers, some of whom will find in this volume, for the first time, the chance to publish results from their works. The final section of the book deals with social corporate responsibility and the environment, focusing on sustainable community development, corporate responsibility at an international level and concepts for education for sustainable development. This publication provides a very good overview of sustainability issues in the Baltic and beyond, illustrating the number of excellent works being performed by municipalities, universities, research agencies and NGOs, also showing the various ways via which sustainability can be delivered.

The present book is a compilation of some of the key note speeches and papers delivered at the Third World Environmental Education Congress – 3rd WEEC (Turin, Italy, 3-6 October 2005). It includes a number of the contributions in various subjects discussed at the Congress, whose lead theme was Educational paths towards Sustainability. This book documents the wide range of topics in the field of environmental education discussed at the event, with a special emphasis to the scientific, educational and participatory aspects presented at the Congress and considers how they are linked with sustainable development. The Third World Environmental Education Congress was a further, positive step forward towards the cause of promoting environmental education across the world. The experiences gathered and documented in this book, which is a concrete contribution towards the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, want to raise further interest and catalyse further projects and initiatives all over the world.

Education for Sustainable Development presents a vision of education that seeks to empower people to assume responsibility for creating a sustainable future. There are many different stakeholders in sustainable development whose participation is essential if long-term developments are to be achieved: governments and intergovernmental bodies, the mass media, the civil society and non-governmental organizations, the private sector and formal education institutions (i.e. schools, universities, research and training institutes). But despite the need for concerted efforts, truly cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary projects and practical activities are seldom seen. In addition, there are few publications where the subject matters of education, innovation and communication – as they apply to sustainable development – are approached in an integrated way. This book combines approaches, methods and analyses which illustrate the contribution of innovation, education and communication to the cause of sustainable development. It is prepared as part of the INTERREG IIIB (North Sea) Project «SmartLIFE», a partnership between three EU regions – Germany, Sweden and the UK. It is also a further means of support to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, since there is a paucity of academic and at the same time practice-related books which go over and above the theory of education and of sustainable development and move on to address the various problems related to it.