Education for Sustainable Development resources

This resource is part of a series of Engineering Subject Centre teaching guides aimed at the busy engineering academic. This guide is intended to stimulate thought and consideration amongst those who:

* as members of teaching staff, may wish to introduce EngSD into their teaching
* as leaders of engineering programmes, may wish to consider...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.engsc.ac.uk/guides/introduction-to-sustainable-develo…
 • http://www.engsc.ac.uk/downloads/scholarart/introduction-to-sust… (downloadable pdf)

This is an Engineering Subject Centre book review considering the target audience, content, style and format of 'Greener by degrees : exploring sustainability through higher education curricula' edited by Carolyn Roberts and Jane Roberts, published by the Centre for Active Learning (CeAL) at the University of Gloucestershire (2007) http://resources.glos.ac.uk/ceal/...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.engsc.ac.uk/er/bkrev/eachreview.asp?review=273
 • http://resources.glos.ac.uk/ceal/resources/greenerbydegrees/inde… (Publisher's web page)

This project was funded by the Higher Education Academy Engineering Subject Centre Mini-project scheme. The project began in March 2010 and was completed in June 2011. The project team were Catherine Montgomery, Roger Penlington, Noel Perera, Jenna Tudor and Angelina Wilson at Northumbria University. The students involved were from the Mechanical Engineering,...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.engsc.ac.uk/downloads/miniproject/110713-Educating th…

This is an Engineering Subject Centre Mini-Project report. The purpose of the project was to use sustainability assessment tools to help students of structural design develop a deeper understanding of the principles of sustainable development. This was achieved by explaining the principles of sustainability appraisal and commonly available methods,...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.engsc.ac.uk/downloads/miniproject/Arya-ESDstructural.…

Education in Sustainable Development (ESD) is a key issue for engineering academics in higher education. The importance of its inclusion was clearly identified by the Engineering Council UK in 2004, with the publication of UK-SPEC stating that chartered engineers should “Undertake engineering activities in a way that contributes to sustainable...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.engsc.ac.uk/downloads/scholarart/esd-briefing-papersI…

This Engineering Subject Centre Mini-Project report examines student views, perceptions, attitudes and experiences of the teaching of sustainability. The findings are considered alongside the expectations of professional bodies and those setting the agenda for sustainability within engineering education. The outcomes of the study are discussed in relation...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.engsc.ac.uk/downloads/scholarart/penlington-sustainab…

This web page contains a link to the briefing and full report of the findings of a review of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Scottish Higher Education, carried out via two investigations during 2008. The research was organised by the Higher Education Academy (HE Academy) ESD Project, Universities Scotland (US) and HE Academy Scotland....(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/projects/detail/esd_SFCreview08

This web page contains a link to the briefing and full report of the findings of a review of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in English Higher Education. This report contains the findings of a series of consultations and seminars at three English higher education institutions (HEIs), designed to identify the issues faced by HEIs with regard...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/projects/detail/esd_EnglishHEIs

This webpage from the Higher Education Academy Centre for Bioscience provides links to a downloadable series of short information sheets to support teaching staff in making their teaching practices more sustainable. The sheets cover sustainability in lectures, practical sessions, tutorials, lectures, on fieldtrips and in the office or working area.They...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/esd/howto.aspx

This Higher Education Academy webpage provides a summary of a research project that looked at the links between sustainability and employability in the graduate job market in relation to higher education teaching and learning. The report recommends how universities can change their culture, governance, career advice, teaching styles as well as employer...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/projects/detail/esd/esd_employable_gr…

This is the final report from a HEA-funded project on student attitudes towards, and skills in, sustainable development. The project was undertaken by NUS Services in collaboration with StudentForce for Sustainability and the University of Bath.

The findings from a June 2010 desk research study informed an online survey of 5,763 first-year...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/ourwork/sustain…
 • http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/teachingandlearning/alldispla…

A set of Quick Guides aimed at providing all those involved in Higher Education in Materials Science and Engineering with an overview of ‘hot’ educational topics, such as employer engagement, active learning, lab classes, plagiarism, sustainability and peer tutoring.

Each guide gives a brief outline of the issue from a Materials...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.materials.ac.uk/pub/quick-guides.asp

This document encourages debate with employers, trade unions and the professions about the current state of a project that aims to develop higher education courses that will include a component of sustainable development. It also explores how HE is making a contribution to the UK Government's goal of ensuring that students develop the skills and knowledge...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/ourwork/sustainabili…

The purpose of this report is to inform senior managers in higher education institutions about progress being made in embedding sustainable development into learning and teaching across the sector. It summarises the outcomes of the first year of a programme of support for such activity undertaken by the Academy’s Subject Centres.

URL(s):
 • http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/ourwork/sustainabili…

This is the website accompanying an edited handbook about sustainability. The website hosts an online multimedia version of the book including downloads of each chapter, additional chapters and video interviews with contributors. The printed book comprises 33 chapters by experts in the field. There are two sections: skills for a changing world and...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.sustainability-literacy.org

This is a presentation which forms part of the outputs of an Engineering Subject Centre Mini-Project. The purpose of the project was to use sustainability assessment tools to help students of structural design develop a deeper understanding of the principles of sustainable development. This presentation examines sustainability appraisal tools for structures....(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.engsc.ac.uk/downloads/resources/0805appraisaltools.pd…

This guide is one of a series of documents produced by the Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (HEPS) and Forum for the Future. It is designed to help higher education managers find a complete and clear picture of the real costs and benefits of decisions made about student numbers, teaching facilities, research funding, staff conditions,...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/node/948

In 2000, The Engineer of the 21st Century Inquiry urged practical action following findings that despite the fact that good engineering is essential to sustainability, engineering solutions are often unsustainable. Two years on from the original inquiry, this report published by Forum for the Future followed research with companies, professional bodies,...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.forumforthefuture.org/files/E21CChangeChallengesforSu…

This guide is one of a series of documents produced by the Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (HEPS) and Forum for the Future. The guide gives a quick introduction as to why communication is important for sustainable development, and tries to provide an answer to the difficult question, 'what is good communication for sustainable development?'....(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/node/716

This is a document outlining the Council of the European Union's recent decision to formally endorse and promote education for sustainable development (ESD). It is a statement of the future direction in the EU on sustainability, and fits under the UN's Decade (2005-2014) of ESD.

URL(s):
 • http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en…

The Department of Engineering Centre for Sustainable Development at Cambridge University is a focal point for research and teaching in engineering for sustainable development. The Centre's website links to their research page, and also includes a "Distinguished Guest Lecture Series" from its MPhil course.

URL(s):
 • http://www-g.eng.cam.ac.uk/sustdev/

Earthscan's 'Curricula for the 21st century' website provides links to university course outlines (UK and international), books and other resources relating to sustainability. Course outlines for curricula include suggestions for core textbooks and recommended reading for each module. The website also includes chapters to download without charge, archived...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.earthscan.co.uk/tabid/102782/Default.aspx

This report documents the results of a pilot study funded through the Royal Academy of Engineering to introduce a course unit on sustianable development to students from a wide range of engineering and science disciplines. It was carried out at the University of Manchester, supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering through its Visiting Professorships...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.eps.manchester.ac.uk/tlc/sd/raeng/March09%20UoM%20ISD…

This is a UNESCO ESD publication released as part of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). The literature review was commissioned as part of a global review process to examine which learning processes are aligned with education for sustainable development and should be promoted through ESD related activities...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001914/191442e.pdf

This is a special issue of Environmental Education Research focusing on Education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education. It draws on work carried out through the UK's Higher Education Academy's ESD project. The full issue and individual papers are available online - check your institution's subscription for access.

URL(s):
 • http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=1350-4622&subca…

This UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit is published as part of the the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainability. It may be suitable for universities, colleges and related organisations in consolidating their sustainability efforts. The 131 page toolkit is available to freely download or in printed format.

URL(s):
 • http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001524/152453eo.pdf

This is a short report of a symposium held at Manchester on 15th December 2008. It originates from the Delphi Mini-Project (and work with the Royal Academy of Engineering) at Manchester University funded in 2007/8 by the Engineering Subject Centre and our participation in its Steering Group. The report looks at embedding interdisciplinary education...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.engsc.ac.uk/downloads/embedding-interdisciplinary-edu…

This guide brings together ideas in the UK engineering field about the application of sustainable development and proposes 12 principles as a basic framework. These principles are expanded on in the guide and illustrated using case studies ranging from flood abatement schemes to the introduction of washing powder tablets. The guide is aimed primarily...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.raeng.org.uk/education/vps/pdf/Engineering_for_Sustai…

This is the website of Forum for the Future, a UK sustainable development charity, with a mission to accelerate the building of a sustainable way of life . It was founded in 1996 by environmentalists Jonathon Porritt, Sara Parkin and Paul Ekins. Its magazine, Green Futures, is a source of debate on environmentally sustainable solutions.

URL(s):
 • http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/

This report from the Development Education Associaton (DEA) considers the integration of global perspectives in lifelong learning, pinpointing priorities for key stakeholders. It is of relevance to those with an interest in education for sustainable development.

URL(s):
 • http://www.dea.org.uk/resources/item.asp?d=891

This is the web information for a publication from the Centre for Active Learning (CeAL) at the University of Gloucestershire. 'Greener by Degrees' looks at different aspects of sustainability within both undergraduate and postgraduate curricula. It covers a broad range of disciplines and the case studies are designed to be replicated. Part A covers...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://resources.glos.ac.uk/ceal/resources/greenerbydegrees/inde…

This is a paper providing summaries of presentations and dialogue about making the STEM curriculum more sustainable ("greening"), as discussed at various workshops and meetings held during 2009. It includes presentations about sustainable laboratories and the role of laboratory staff. Authors Professor Peter James and Dr. Peter Hopkinson...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.goodcampus.org/files/files/36-greening_stem_v12_28_09…

This document provides guidance in describing the role of professional engineers in sustainability. It lists six principles to guide and motivate engineers when making decisions for clients, employers and society which affect sustainability. The guidance has been issued by ECUK and replaces and updates the code of practice 'Engineers and the Environment'...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.engc.org.uk/ecukdocuments/internet/document%20library…

This is the website of HEEPI, a project funded under the Leadership, Governance and Management initiative of the Higher Education Funding Council for England to improve the environmental performance of colleges and universities. The project's four key areas are: energy and environmental management; best practice in energy and environment management;...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.heepi.org.uk/

This is the website of the ImpEE project. The project provides resources for Engineering lecturers wanting to integrate Engineering for Sustainable Development (ESD) into their existing curriculum. The website provides further information about the project and ESD, using the website and ways in which to integrate the resources. Resources can be found...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www-g.eng.cam.ac.uk/impee/

The ‘Information/Inspiration’ project was developed at Loughborough University in collaboration with Huntleigh Technology, funded by the DTI/ESPRC Sustainable Technologies Initiative. The website looks at sustainability from an industrial design perspective and offers practical support. Information/Inspiration is a prototype ecodesign tool...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.informationinspiration.org.uk/

This is the final report of a pan-European resume of education for sustainable development (ESD). The aim of the study was to prepare an inventory of innovative good practices to encourage the sharing of good and innovative practices in ESD. Thirty practices covering 17 countries were chosen and these include local, national and international initiatives...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://ec.europa.eu/education/more-information/doc/sustdev_en.pd…

This is the website of Labs21 UK, set up to support more sustainable design and operation of laboratories in the UK. It draws, with permission, on the experience and materials of the American Labs21 initiative. Labs 21 UK is currently an information resource, though it plans more active work as the initiative develops. Information about both the UK...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.labs21.org.uk/

The guide is one of a series of documents produced by the Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (HEPS). The purpose of this guide is to help higher education institution to integrate sustainability literacy into the curriculum of their learning programmes. It focuses on those who have the responsibility for producing, designing and delivering...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/node/432

This is the web page linking to current and past issues of the ECUK's Register News, to view in print and web format.

URL(s):
 • http://www.engc.org.uk/about-us/register-news.aspx

This guide is one of a series of documents produced by the Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (HEPS). It helps you build a unique ‘Sustainability Profile’ of your university or college by using the first sustainability reporting tool for higher education.

URL(s):
 • http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/node/958

This website is funded by the Learning and Skills Council, to provide an online sustainability resource and toolkit for education. The website includes quick information, links, a glossary, and case studies in the areas of leadership and management, teaching and learning, building and estates, community and business.

URL(s):
 • http://www.eauc.org.uk/sorted/home

This report for HEFCE considers the threats, risks and pressures related to sustainable development for higher education institutions and the opportunities and benefits that sustainability can offer them.
Opportunities include the reduction of consumption of resources; to become 'pathfinders' for sustainable communities; to foster sustainability-related...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rdreports/2006/rd18_06/

Sustainability in Practice is a collection of essays from academia, business, local government and other practitioners to consider the extent to which progress in sustainability had been achieved and to look at a more sustainable future. Topics include: Greening People and Places; Empowerment and Change; Case Studies in Sustainable Development; Policy...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.kingston.ac.uk/sustainability/happen_news_archives/ha…

This paper, from the journal 'Sustainability' examines the branding and marketing of sustainability for higher education institutions. It looks at case study research into six higher education institutions (three in the UK and three in the USA) that promote their sustainability credentials in both their printed and electronic promotional and recruitment...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/1/3/537

This is an Engineering Ethics case study from the IDEA CETL. It examines the case of a conflict between environmental issues (using sustainable timber) and protecting heritage (replacing like with like in a listed building). It raises issues such as heritage; sustainability; environment and culpable ignorance. The teaching format is a two hour session...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.engsc.ac.uk/downloads/scholarart/ethics/heritage.pdf

This is the website of the Sustainable Development Commission, the Government's independent watchdog on sustainable development. The website also includes sustainable development case studies in a variety of topic areas and from different geographical areas. The majority of the case studies have a star rating.

URL(s):
 • http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/
 • http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/communitiessummit/case_studies_a… (Case studies)

The Sustainable Manufacturing Group at Cambridge University is part of the Institute for Manufacturing. Its goal is to: "Develop technologies to transform materials without emission of greenhouse gases, use of non-renewable materials or generation of waste. "The website provides links to current and past research projects and its seminar...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/sustainability/

This report considers the extent to which sustainability is embedded in european engineering education. It is the first progress report since the 2004 Declaration of Barcelona, defining Engineering Education for Sustainable Development (EESD).

URL(s):
 • https://www.upc.edu/eesd-observatory/why/reports/EESD_Observer_2…

This is the website of The Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (eauc). It includes a waste guide and biodiversity guide and links to news and information, events and resources relating to education for sustainable development. A monthly news bulletin is available for those with a particular interest in the subject area.
...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.eauc.org.uk/

This is the web page for the Green Gown awards, set up to recognise initiatives being taken by universities and colleges across the UK to become more sustainable. The Awards have a variety of categories so that universities and colleges can show their achievements in both academic and estates management. The Green Gown Awards are administrated by the...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.eauc.org.uk/green_gown_awards

This is an international peer-reviewed journal from the Development Education Research Centre at the Institute of Education, University of London. It covers development education and global learning, education and citizenship. It is published three times per year and includes papers and book reviews.

URL(s):
 • http://www.trentham-books.co.uk/acatalog/International_Journal_o…

This is the website of The Sustainability Information Teaching Exchange (The SITE). It provides workshop materials for staff and students to help them explore sustainability in their subject area. It provides subject specific resource pages (weblinks, case studies, downloadable documents) and subject specific discussion forums. An 'Upload information'...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.thesite.eu/

The report recommends a collaborative effort by academics, teachers, industrialists and policy makers to create a global, sustainable industrial system. It develops discussions held at the International Manufacturing Professors' Symposium in Cambridge UK in July 2008 and the subsequent UK Manufacturing Professors' Forum. The report shows examples of...(more)

URL(s):
 • http://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/sis/industrial_sustainability_repor…