Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T05:10:15.777Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Process for Transition to Sustainability: Implementation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2012

Sandra Wooltorton ,
Marilyn Palmer  and
Fran Steele
Sandra Wooltorton*
Affiliation:
Edith Cowan University
Marilyn Palmer
Affiliation:
Edith Cowan University
Fran Steele
Affiliation:
Edith Cowan University
*
†Address for correspondence: A/Professor Sandra Wooltorton, Edith Cowan University, PO Box 1712, Bunbury, WA 6231, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper reports the outcomes of the second action cycle of an ongoing project at Edith Cowan University (ECU) called Transition to Sustainability: ECU South West which is located in a small, single faculty regional university campus. The overall project has comprised three action research cycles, the frst of which was the planning cycle which established the importance of building a community of practice with a learning stance for sustainability transition. It also highlighted the issue of a common defnition of the term sustainability; of including cross-disciplinary perspectives; and of working with the local community. The second action cycle which was the frst implementation phase, is the subject of this report. In this phase, we found that by not foreclosing on the meaning of sustainability, important aspects of sustainability were included. Although research participants initially expressed some concern about using an open understanding of sustainability, the problem of the meaning functioned to foster involvement in dialogue. In fact, these ongoing discussions around sustainability and the notion of a sustainable future formed the heart of this action cycle. However there were constraints associated with the subject of dialogue. These included problems of site communication, the maintenance of effective networks and issues around power and authorisation. We observed that each of these elements could work together in ways that enrich and/or obstruct a transition to sustainability. Finally, we found that lack of time hinders participation in sustainability transition projects because of its effect on authentic dialogue, thereby impacting upon the development of collaborative ways of working within the university. Our project is distinctively Australian in that it reflects an emerging movement in Australia to create social frameworks for embedding sustainability education activities. In our project, the transition process by which learning and change has been facilitated comprises the action research itself.

Keywords

transitionsustainabilityinterdisciplinaryprocesslearning
Type
Research/Practice Articles
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 27 , Issue 1: Special Issue: The “ness” of Environmental Education , 2011 , pp. 160 - 174
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barth, M., Godemann, J., Rieckmann, M., & Stoltenberg, U. (2007). Developing key competencies for sustainable development in higher education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 8(4), 416.Google Scholar
Carr, W., & Kemmis, S. (1986). Becoming critical: Education, knowledge and action research. Melbourne: Deakin University.Google Scholar
Cooper, S., & Poletti, A. (2011). The new ERA of journal ranking: The consequences of Australia's fraught encounter with ‘quality’. Australian Universities Review, 53(1), 57–65.Google Scholar
Corcoran, P. B., & Wals, A. (Eds.). (2004). Higher education and the challenge of sustainability: Problematics, promise and practice. Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cutter-McKenzie, A. (2011). Teaching for environmental sustainability. In Gilbert, R. & Hoepper, B. (Eds.), Teaching society and environment (pp. 348–363). South Melbourne: Cengage.Google Scholar
Department of the Environment Water Heritage and the Arts. (2009). Living sustainably: The Australian government's national action plan for education for sustainability. Canberra: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.Google Scholar
Fadeeva, Z., & Mochizuki, Y. (2010). Guest editorial. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 11(4), np.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferreira, J., Ryan, L., Davis, J., Cavanagh, M., & Thomas, J. (2009). Mainstreaming sustainability into pre-service teacher education in Australia. Canberra: Prepared by the Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability, for the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.Google Scholar
Fien, J. (2002). Advancing sustainability in higher education: Issues and opportunities for research. International journal of sustainability in higher education, 3(3), 243–253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fox, C. J., & Miller, H. T. (1995). Postmodern public administration: Toward discourse. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Fuller, R. (2010). Beyond cliche: Reclaiming the concept of sustainability. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 26, 7–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grundy, S. (1995). Action research as professional development. Perth, WA: Murdoch University.Google Scholar
Hammond, C. (2011). Socially sustainable practice: Voices from within scholarly communities. Unpublished Doctor of Philosophy, University of South Australia, Adelaide.Google Scholar
Hammond, C., & Churchman, D. (2008). Sustaining academic life: a case for applying principles of social sustainability to the academic profession. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 9(3), 235–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heron, J. (1996). Cooperative inquiry: Research into the human condition. London: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Holdsworth, S., Bekessy, S., Peliwe, M., Hayles, C., & Thomas, I. (2006). Beyond Leather Patches. In Filho., W. L. & Carpenter, D. (Eds.), Sustainability in the Australasian University Context (pp. 107–128). Frankfurt: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
Hopkins, R. (2008). The transition handbook: Creating local sustainable communities beyond oil dependency. Totnes, Devon: Green Books Ltd.Google Scholar
Ife, J., & Tesoriero, F. (2006). Community development: Community based alternatives in an age of globalism (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.Google Scholar
Lang, J., Thomas, I., & Wilson, A. (2006). Education for sustainability in Australian universities: Where is the action? Australasian Journal of Environmental Education, 22(2), 45–58.Google Scholar
Martins, A. A., Mata, T. M., & Costa, C. A. V. (2006). Education for sustainability: Challenges and trends. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 8(1), 31–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mcmillin, J., & Dyball, R. (2009). Developing a whole-of-university approach to educating for sustainability: linking curriculum, research and sustainable campus operations. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 3(1), 55–64.Google Scholar
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis. Newbury Park: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Murray, D., & Drollery, B. (2005). Institutional Breakdown? An exploratory taxonomy of Australian university failure. Prometheus, 23(4), 385–398.Google Scholar
Paige, K., Lloyd, D., & Chartres, M. (2008). Moving towards transdisciplinarity: An ecological focus for science and mathematics pre-service teacher education in the primary/middle years. Asia- Pacifc Journal of Teacher Education, 36(1), 19–33.Google Scholar
Palmer, J., Cooper, I., & van der Vorst, R. (1997). Mapping out fuzzy buzzwords: Who sits where on sustainability and sustainable development. Sustainable development, 5(2), 87–93.Google Scholar
Ramos, J. C. (2009). The age of the unthinkable: Why the new world order constantly surprises us and what we can do about it. London: Little, Brown and Company.Google Scholar
Reason, P. (2002). Justice, sustainability, participation. Inaugural Professorial Lecture. Retrieved from http://www.peterreason.eu/Papers/InauguralLecture.pdfCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reason, P. (Ed.). (1988). Human inquiry in action: Developments in new paradigm research. London: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Reid, A., & Petocz, P. (2006). University Lecturers' understanding of sustainability. Higher Education, 51, 105–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sherren, K. (2006). Core issues: Refections on sustainability in Australian University coursework programs. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 7(4), 400–413.Google Scholar
Sherren, K. (2007). Is there a sustainability canon? An exploration and aggregation of expert opinions. The Environmentalist, 27(3), 341–347.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sibbel, A. (2009). Pathways towards sustainability through higher education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 10(1), 68–82.Google Scholar
Steele, F. (2010). Mainstreaming education for sustainability into pre-service teacher education in Australia : Enablers and constraints. A report prepared by the Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability for the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.Google Scholar
Sterling, S. (2004). Higher education, sustainability and the role of systemic learning. In Corcoran, P. B. & Wals, A. (Eds.), Higher education and the challenge of sustainability: Problematics, promise and practice (pp. 49–70). Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, J., & Benn, S. (2009). Education about and for sustainability in Australian Business Schools Stage 3: A report prepared by the Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability for the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.Google Scholar
Trainer, T. (1989). Developed to death. London: Green Print.Google Scholar
Tripp, D. (2005). Action research: A methodological introduction. Invited theme paper in a special action research edition of Educacao e Pesquisa., 31(3), 444–467.Google Scholar
UNESCO. (2002). Education for sustainability. From Rio to Johannesburg: lessons learnt from a decade of commitment. Retrieved from http://www.mq.edu.au/sustainability/documents/e/EFS-FromRioToJohannessburg.pdfGoogle Scholar
UNESCO. (n.d.). Tomorrow today: Learning to build a sustainable future. A copublication between Tudor Rose and UNESCO for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005–2014. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/fleadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/ED/ED_new/pdf/DESD/mediapack-2010.pdfGoogle Scholar
Wals, A., & Jickling, R. (2002). Sustainability in higher education: From doublethink and newspeak to critical thinking and meaningful learning. International Journal of Higher Education, 3(3), 221–232.Google Scholar
Wooltorton, S., Palmer, M., Goodwin, K., & Paine, D. (2010). A process for transition to sustainability: Beginning. The Social Educator, 28(2), 20–27.Google Scholar