In order to ensure a sustainable future, people of all ages need to assume responsibility for their actions and commit themselves to creating positive social and environmental change. It is a monumental task and education is the key to making it happen.
The United Nations University Education for Sustainable Development programme at the Institute of Advanced Studies is working to advance the field of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through a series of multi-stakeholder initiatives. Its goal is to help transform the way the world views education and sustainable development, ensuring that sustainable development is incorporated into curricula at all levels of education and in all levels of society. At the same time, the programme is working to increase general knowledge of ESD-related issues globally, while improving international actions related to ESD.
The two flagship initiatives of the UNU-IAS Education for Sustainable Development programme are the Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) and the Promotion of Sustainability in Postgraduate Education and Research Network (ProSPER.Net).
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LATEST NEWS:
RCE Saskatchewan Featured in Canadian NewspaperRCE Saskatchewan's excellent work with aboriginal groups in Canada was recently featured in a Canadian provincial newspaper, The StarPhoenix. Read the full story here or on The StarPhoenix http://www.haw-hamburg.de/index.php?id=26499&L=1
(posted 11 May)
RCE Greater Sudbury Celebrates Success!
Sudbury Catholic District School Board (SCDSB) staff and students recently celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the implementation at all schools of the Dearness Conservation (DC) Program, a program developed by the Dearness Environmental Society! At this celebration Board administration took the opportunity to thank the teachers and students by acknowledging their efforts and successes. Each school used this opportunity to highlight their achievements by showcasing their projects in a display booth setting. A variety of local officials and representatives attended including the City of Greater Sudbury’s Depute Mayor, Joscelyne Landry-Altmann, and Mrs.Theresa Spencer, a Ministry of Education representative. You can read more about the anniversary in the upcoming edition of the RCE Bulletin. Learn more about the Dearness Environmental Society by visiting http://www.dearness.ca/.(posted 30 Apr)
Disaster Risk Reduction Workshop in Sikkim, India
3-5 May, 2012
A Workshop titled “Climate Change and Natural Disaster Management - Towards better prepared monasteries in Sikkim” will be held from 3-5 May, 2012 at Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, India. The workshop, which is supported by the Rubin Foundation, is being organized by the WWF – India, Khangchendzonga Landscape Programme in collaboration with Rumtek Monastery and RCE Srinagar.
Sikkim is a small landlocked state nestled in the eastern Himalayas of India and, as with most Himalayan states, it is vulnerable to multiple natural hazards. Last September, a 6.9 magnitude quake struck the region, killing 71 people and destroying several government buildings, multi-storied residences, markets and monasteries This workshop is aimed at the monks and monasteries in and around Sikkim. It will address safe construction techniques, identify improvements and upgrades on existing structures, explore climate change and its impacts, and underline the relevance of disaster risk reduction and the importance of being prepared for the future.
For more information, download the brochure here.
(posted 25 Apr)
Open Call for RCE Applications 2012
The United Nations University is now calling for applications for new Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE) on Education for Sustainable Development. Please check out more information of the requirement by clicking here.
(posted 10 Feb)
Welcome 11 new RCEs!!Eleven new Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development have recently been acknowledged as part of the RCE Network, bringing the total number of RCEs to 100. Each new RCE is made up of a network of individuals, organizations and experts who are committed to using education as a tool for building a sustainable future. The newly acknowledged RCEs are:
3-5 May, 2012
A Workshop titled “Climate Change and Natural Disaster Management - Towards better prepared monasteries in Sikkim” will be held from 3-5 May, 2012 at Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, India. The workshop, which is supported by the Rubin Foundation, is being organized by the WWF – India, Khangchendzonga Landscape Programme in collaboration with Rumtek Monastery and RCE Srinagar.
Sikkim is a small landlocked state nestled in the eastern Himalayas of India and, as with most Himalayan states, it is vulnerable to multiple natural hazards. Last September, a 6.9 magnitude quake struck the region, killing 71 people and destroying several government buildings, multi-storied residences, markets and monasteries This workshop is aimed at the monks and monasteries in and around Sikkim. It will address safe construction techniques, identify improvements and upgrades on existing structures, explore climate change and its impacts, and underline the relevance of disaster risk reduction and the importance of being prepared for the future.
For more information, download the brochure here.
(posted 25 Apr)
Open Call for RCE Applications 2012
The United Nations University is now calling for applications for new Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE) on Education for Sustainable Development. Please check out more information of the requirement by clicking here.
(posted 10 Feb)
RCE Srinigar launches Safe Holi Campaign
Holi is a religious festival celebrated every spring in India. As part of the celebration, people across the country smear themselves and others in different shades of the most vibrant, scented colours. Unfortunately, many of those colorings contain toxic elements that can lead to blindness, cancer or respiratory diseases, among others. Click here to read what RCE Srinigar is doing to make Holi a safer and healthier event for all.
(posted 16 Apr)
Holi is a religious festival celebrated every spring in India. As part of the celebration, people across the country smear themselves and others in different shades of the most vibrant, scented colours. Unfortunately, many of those colorings contain toxic elements that can lead to blindness, cancer or respiratory diseases, among others. Click here to read what RCE Srinigar is doing to make Holi a safer and healthier event for all.
(posted 16 Apr)
Welcome 11 new RCEs!!
- RCE Gippsland, Australia
- RCE Greater Western Sydney, Australia
- RCE Greater Dhaka, Bangladesh
- RCE Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- RCE Tantramar, Canada
- RCE Greater Shangri-la, China
- RCE Chandigarh, India
- RCE East Arunachal Pradesh, India
- RCE Mumbai, India
- RCE Lesotho
- RCE Khomas-Erongo, Namibia
Check out the latest RCE Bulletin!
The latest RCE Bulletin is now available. Download a PDF of it here or visit our Resources and Publications page for all the latest issues.
6th Global RCE Conference Meeting Minutes Posted
The 6th Global RCE Conference was held in November 2011 in Kerkrade, the Netherlands. Hosted by RCE Rhine-Meuse in close collaboration with all European RCEs, the conference helped RCEs move towards a common vision and strategy, while enhancing collaboration among RCEs and UN agencies working towards 2014 and beyond. Read the meeting minutes and review the presentations by clicking on our 6th Global RCE Conference page.
2012 Canadian National Environment Education Conference
30 May - 2 June, 2012 in Waterloo, Ontario
The Environmental Studies Association of Canada (ESAC) and the Canadian Network for Environmental Education andCommunication (EECOM) are pleased to invite you to participate in their joint conference at the University ofWaterloo. As Canada’s leading association of interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners involved in a diversity ofenvironmental fields, ESAC facilitates networking and dialogue across environment-related fields and practices. The2012 ESAC conference provides a unique opportunity for delegates to take part in a lively exchange of ideas relatingto sustainability among a broad range of students, academic researchers, members of NGOs,For more information or to contribute workshop proposal or award nominations, please visit eecom.org. The deadline for workshop proposals is 20 Jan, 2012 and the deadline for award nominations is 1 Feb, 2012.
Top reads of 2011: Kazuhiko Takemoto on Education for Sustainable Development
The U.K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs listed ESD Programme Director Kazuhiko Takemoto's piece on Education for Sustainable Development as one of their most read articles of 2011. Read it again here.
RCE Yogyakarta Empowers Youth in Rural Indonesian Villages
RCE Yogyakarta promotes ESD implementation into higher education curricula
Research Associate Aurea Christine Tanaka writes about her experiences visiting the Regional Centre of Expertise in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The challenges there are diverse — ranging from environmental degradation and pollution to economic gaps and poverty, disaster risks and management, among others. Read about the ways in which RCE Yogyakarta is tackling those issues by clicking here.
As a part of RCE Yogyakarta’s mission to promote sustainable development through formal, non-formal and informal education, RCE Yogyakarta conducted a workshop on the implementation ESD into curricula. The workshop, held in late November, was designed to explore ideas and methods on how to integrate the concept of community-based sustainable development into university subjects or courses, as a part of an accelerated process of implementing ESD into society.
Seventeen proposals from nine faculties were received and reviewed by RCE Yogyakarta experts. The topics of proposals were varied such as on biodiversity, conservation and forest management, community based-herbal plantation, sustainable laboratory practice, house waste management, children's dental health, coastal plantation using natural ameliorant, green philosophy implementation on basic philosophy courses, environmental etiquettes, adaptation and mitigation on climate change, green village, sustainable housing management, ESD based bioscience program, botanical garden, herbal plantation, research for community. The proposals were presented and discussed and the five best proposals were chosen to be implemented in 2012.
The workshop was attended by the representative of faculties from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). The program helped increase the number of academic staff involved in promoting and implementing ESD and will be used as a basis for implementation in national higher education.For more information, contact: Prof. Dr. Retno Sunarminingsih wrsp3m@ugm.ac.id or Puji Astuti p.astuti@gmail.com.
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IV International Wildlife Management Congress
9-12 July 2012 in Durban, South Africa
The Wildlife Society and its partners invite you to the IV International Wildlife Management Congress in Durban, South Africa, 9-12 July 2012. The theme of the Congress is Cooperative Wildlife Management across Borders: Learning in the Face of Change. It will be the first time the Congress is held in Africa and South Africa will be a particularly ideal venue due to the numerous examples there of exemplary practice in wildlife management. Wildlife management worldwide faces complex challenges including depleted resources, competition for habitats used by wildlife, poaching, changing habitats, and an increasing human population. The goals of the IV IWMC are to provide increased capacity for participants to integrate global needs into their work, continue to develop and expand global networks, experience wildlife management in Southern Africa, raise awareness for wildlife management legacy programs, and raise the profile of wildlife management globally.The Wildlife Society and its partners hope to attract over 1,000 delegates from around the globe to attend. Abstract submission has already opened for the conference. To find out more information, check out the International Wildlife Management Congress page at (www.iwmc2012.org).
Latest ProSPER.Net News!
The latest issue of the ProSPER.Net newsletter is out now. The newsletter features highlights from the ProSPER Network from throughout the year, a feature article on information and communication technologies in Lao PDR, and interviews with some of the brightest young scientists of our time. Read more here.
For further information:
Education for Sustainable Development Programme
UNU-IAS
UNU-IAS
e-mail: rceservicecentre@ias.unu.edu%26nbsp;OR%26nbsp;prospernet@ias.unu.edu