Guiding Principles

"Ecological education - the way of the future - will require the reintegration of experience into education, because experience is an indispensible ingredient of good thinking. One way to do this is to use the campus as a laboratory for the study of its own food, energy, materials, water and waste flows. Research on the ecological impacts of a specific institution reduces the abstractness of complex issues to manageable dimensions and does so on a scale that lends itself to finding solutions - an antidote to the despair felt by students who understand the problems but are powerless to effect change."

David Orr, The Ecologist, May 1999

The Sustainable Schools initiative is based on the following principles.

1. Best practice education

Sustainable Schools involves learning experiences designed to transform your students and your school and goes beyond awareness raising. School communities adopt an action-based approach that will change the culture of their organization. Schools are assisted with strategies, resources and networks. They develop their own set clear targets, develop sustainable school operations and integrating these into their school curriculum and school culture.

Transformative versus transmissive education - Find out more.

2. Ecologically Sustainable Development

"Ecological sustainable development is development that improves the total quality of life, both now and in the future, in a way that maintains the ecological processes on which life depends. Ecological Sustainable Development (ESD) requires the effective integration of economic, social and environmental considerations in the decision making process."
Waste Education Focusing on Our Future - Strategic Direction and priorities for Waste Education in NSW, 2000

What is Sustainability - Find out more.

3. Co-operation and collaboration

Cooperation and collaboration is necessary at the national, state and territory, and local levels, while allowing flexibility in the organisation and delivery of the program to schools, to take into account the differences at each level.

4. Flow-on effect from schools to the broader community

Schools can have a powerful effect in influencing the behaviour of the broader schools community. The Sustainable Schools initiative will play an important role in educating the broader community about ESD and living sustainbly.