It has been a pleasure to read the new edition of this book, the first edition published five years ago being a pioneer in an area that focuses on how early childhood education can contribute towards a more sustainable world. There are now seven new chapters and all the others have been updated. The chapters contain a balanced mix of facts, illustrative examples and provocative questions, with the authors aiming to actively engage the reader to become involved in changing him/herself as much as changing his/her ideas about teaching and learning. The different chapters focus on early childhood educational settings as places for children’s actions related to the environment and sustainability and on related topics – such as health and wellbeing, embedding Indigenous perspectives, and community interactions – that are concerned with early childhood and children’s lives in a wider sense.
Although the focus here remains on questions related to the natural environment, the text gives a much broader view of what education for sustainability can be like. The dimension of social sustainability is highlighted more in this edition, for example, although environmental sustainability remains central. Convincingly, the authors show how urgent it is to transform our education systems in order to be cross-disciplinary, authentic and closely related to children’s everyday concerns and experiences. The reasons for this are global, in terms of justice, equality and equity, but also environmental, in terms of global climate change and issues such as food security.
While the book illustrates the need for global and community political commitments to sustainable living, it emphasises the importance of beginning with the youngest children. We know from years of research that the early years provide a window of opportunity to lay strong foundations for knowledge, skills and attitudes. We also know that there are international agreements and declarations that make commitments intended to guide policy, as well as everyday life for children, and those who work with children. One of these is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).