A Theme of Sustainability

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1 A Theme of Sustainability Debra Rowe, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Oakland Community College President, U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development Facilitator, Disciplinary Associations Network for Sustainability What is Sustainability? Sustainability is achieved when all people on Earth can live well without compromising the quality of life for future generations. Rolf Jucker, UNESCO s Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future: A critical Evaluation in the Trumpeter Volume 19 Number 2 The interdependencies of the economic, environmental, and social justice elements of our world require new ways of thinking about things and taking action that will truly create a future where human society and nature coexist with mutual benefit, and where the suffering caused by poverty and natural resource abuse is eliminated. Sustainable development calls for improving the quality of life for all of the world s people without increasing the use of our natural resources beyond the earth s carrying capacity. While sustainable development may require different actions in every region of the world, the efforts to build a truly sustainable way of life require the integration of action in three key areas: Economic Growth and Equity Today s interlinked, global economic systems demand an integrated approach in order to foster responsible long-term growth while ensuring that no nation or community is left behind. 1

2 Conserving Natural Resources and the Environment To conserve our environmental heritage and natural resources for future generations, economically viable solutions must be developed to reduce resource consumption, stop pollution and conserve natural habitats. Social Development Throughout the world, people require jobs, food, education, energy, health care, water and sanitation. While addressing these needs, the world community must also ensure that the rich fabric of cultural and social diversity, and the rights of workers, are respected, and that all members of society are empowered to play a role in determining their futures. From: World Summit on Sustainable Development brochure, 2002 Why should a publisher be interested in including a theme of sustainability in its textbooks? All college professors, authors and editors have an opportunity and a role to play in integrating related sustainability concepts and examples into their courses and learning materials. Most introductory textbooks are basically the same with little product differentiation. Weaving a theme of sustainable development throughout your textbooks would: positively differentiate your products from your competitors, provide added value for your customers, appeal to a growing target market, produce free marketing/publicity as part of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development i. All of the above would increase the sales of your textbooks. Recent research supports that weaving sustainability education throughout the curriculum engages students more and improves test performance (see 2

3 Including a theme of sustainability in an Introduction to Psychology textbook Overview Psychology has a unique role in the social sciences in its emphasis on the study of mental processes and behavior. In a student s K 12 and higher education experiences, only psychology courses provide the knowledge and the skills for the following essential components of sustainability: healthier relationships healthier self-concepts behavior changes to protect the environment and create healthier communities the building of commitment to positive, more sustainable scenarios for the future of our society and the skill development to help implement these scenarios. As an example, sustainability already receives a separate section in McGraw-Hill s Lahey textbook. The societal necessity of a paradigm shift from Man conquers nature to Humans learn to live interdependently with nature requires that this section needs to be expanded and woven throughout the textbook so students can learn to apply all the chapter topics to sustainable development. This expansion could be easily accomplished. Sustainability material could be included in the examples used within the chapters as well as in the Thinking Critically About Psychology, the Application of Psychology and Human Diversity sections already available in most textbooks. A Few of the Many Possible Examples ii 1. Interpersonal intelligence as described by Howard Gardner of Harvard University and conflict resolution skills are both necessary to create healthier relationships. Inserting learning activities in listening skills, effective and appropriate emotional expression as well as conflict resolution steps can help students build their skills to create healthier relationships. 3

4 2. Gardner s intrapersonal intelligence and the contemporary theory of emotion can both be used to help students develop emotional intelligence. A learning activity or inset box about Stanford s Hazel Markus and her work on actual and ideal selfconcept can empower students to actively sculpt a healthier self-concept for themselves. 3. Gilligan s and Kohlberg s theories of moral development can be developed in an end of chapter section to discuss what moral values will be required to develop a sustainable society. 4. In the Stress and Health chapter, when discussing the sources of stress, environmental stressors are always included and metal toxins in the environment are often the example. It is appropriate and easy to add in information in the section on ecopsychology, the stress that is caused by worrying about the environment and the positive stress management that occurs when people move from a worrying mode into an active participant in creating environmental solutions. 5. In the learning chapter, examples of classical and operant conditioning could easily include how we are conditioned to act in manners harmful for the environment because of the rewards and punishments in our environment. 6. The social psychology chapter could include examples of societal norms that could be changed to create healthier communities, such as energy conservation that reduces our dependence on foreign oil, reduces pollution and respiratory disease and creates healthier local economies. Explaining research on how to change the behavior of groups and communities regarding energy conservation could help explain cognitive dissonance theory and extend the exploration of obedience. 7. In the Cognition, Language and Intelligence chapter, under the section on the availability heuristic, the examples used now are often about the relative safety of dying by drowning instead of by fire or the relative number of deaths from cars versus airplane crashes. Instead of using these examples, in the same 4

5 space, the textbook could explain the dominant belief in the U.S. that increasing consumption is good for the country. Students would then be exposed to two facts: the U.S. has 5% of the world s population and is consuming 25% of the world s nonrenewable resources, and present consumption rates are exceeding the carrying capacity of the planet. This example, while still demonstrating the availability heuristic and the danger of relying on the availability heuristic to make decisions, also educates students within the sustainability paradigm. 8. In the Sensation and Perception chapter, under the section on perception, the textbook could easily include an example of the interactive effect of culture and politics on individual perception. Students could read about a comparison of the perception that global warming is not considered a serious problem in our country and the perception in Canada, where Sunday supplements from the government describe what individuals can do to reduce global warming. The Disciplinary Associations Network for Sustainability (DANS) is interested in publishers working to pursue this concept for textbooks in all disciplines. DANS and the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development can help identify the reviewers. i THE UNITED NATIONS RESOLUTION ON THE DECADE OF EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the ten-year period from 2005 to 2014 as the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Governments around the world are invited to use the Decade to integrate education for sustainable development into their national educational strategies and action plans at all appropriate levels. 5

6 From: Preamble to UNESCO s United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development - Framework for a Draft International Implementation Scheme, July 10, 2003 ii The above examples are taken from activities presently in Dr. Rowe s course. 6