Education For Sustainable Development Society The Future Requirements

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1 Education For Sustainable Development Society The Future Requirements Todericiu Ramona, Muscalu Emanoil, Liviu Mihăescu Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu Bd-ul. Victoriei, Nr.10, Sibiu, ROMANIA Abstract: -Each generation has to carry out tasks and must not leave the account generations to come - this is the basic concept of sustainable development. And this includes explicitly the global perspective.[1] Key-Words: - sustainable development, education, environmental education, education for sustainable development 1. Sustainable development - one of the challenges of. XXI-st Century? Last years of the twentieth century were marked by a sustained concern of governments, specialists but also of a number of increasingly large world population to protect the environment, natural resources. This interest has been generated by the realization that striking the Earth in terms of beauty, unfortunately, offering a limited space in which people must live. These two aspects - the limited nature of the Earth and its resources, and that of membership in a global system, the interdependence of all parties to the system - are crucial, say experts on the theme "Sustainability". The concept of sustainable development came 30 years ago, in response to worsening environmental problems and natural resource crisis, in particular those related to energy - today experts have identified a total of approximately 300 definitions of the concept. The term sustainable development has become, however, well known only after the Conference on Environment and Development, organized by the United Nations in Rio de Janeiro in the summer of 1992, known as the "Earth Summit". On this occasion, were developed several conventions on climate change (emissions of methane and carbon dioxide), biological diversity (species conservation) and stop the massive deforestation. All then was developed and Agenda 21 - considered plan to support sustainable development. Regarding the European Union - Sustainable development has become a major goal, since 1997, when it was included in the Maastricht Treaty, and in 2001, the Summit at Goteborg was adopted EU Strategy for Sustainable Development, which was added an external dimension in Barcelona in The Sustainable Development Sustainable development is a complex concept, in a continuous evolution, which is always added new valences making it much harder to define. Most experts believe that when we talk about sustainable development in the three components: environment, society and economyconsidering that the three areas are interdependent, which means that we can not reach a state of good in one of the three areas without regard for others. In 1987, in the report WCED-World Commission on Environment and Developmentknown as the Brundtland Report, a year after the catastrophe of Chernobyl, was formulated most quoted definition of sustainable development: "Sustainable development is one that follows the requirements of this without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their needs.[2] Lester Brown, founder of the Worldwatch Institute has but the most commonly used definition of 'sustainable development' definition which was taken in the report entitled "Our Common Future - Our Common Future" Brundtland Commission: "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." [3] It should be noted that "the meaning of the concept of sustainability has seen a strong ISSN: ISBN:

2 expansion in the direction of a" magic triangle of sustainability ", which includes, in addition to the ecological balance, and details of" economic security "and" social equity ". Environmental protection and added some social and economic objectives at all its levels, therefore, clear terminology suffered.[4] Realizing the need to meet this problem, to turn this abstract concept of "sustainable development" in one to translate into tangible and specific educational measures, the United Nations proclaimed the decade the Decade "Education for Sustainable Development".[5] We must discuss about what is the relationship between education and "sustainable development"? 3. Education for sustainable development When we talk about education should not neglect and its relationship with society, "sustainable development" is defined in the Commission Brutland in 1987 as a process "to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs ". In other words it means "ensuring a high quality of life, both now and for future generations. [6] The future depends on developing the capacity categorical understanding and human action, in turn dependent on the educational system must adopt a new attitude to knowledge, from developed, to life and to focus on participation and initiative in solving real problems, concrete society. In view of the link between sustainable development experts and education is complex. Research shows that education is what helps countries to achieve sustainable development. The reorientation of education towards sustainable development, those who develop education programs must find a balance between traditional knowledge and future life. "Education should be recognized that the process by which humans and human societies can reach their full potential. Education is essential to promote sustainable development and improve people's ability to solve environmental problems and development [...] education is... the road to equal opportunity, to a healthy democracy and equitable to a productive economy and sustainable development.[7] Willi Linder believes that education for sustainable development is not "just an extension of environmental education, which includes, in addition to social and economic issues, [must] also be a strong element of connection between education policy, education Overall, environmental education or health education." [8] Concern the whole world is turned to those who will be both the beneficiaries of a healthy environment and those who depend on maintaining and improving the human - Nature: young. This is certainly the reason why the United Nations declared that the decade to be a decade of education for sustainable development. The declaration by the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development ( ), aims to integrate the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of teaching and learning in order to tackle social, economic, cultural and environment we face in the 21st century - an objective reaffirmed to UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development held in Bonn in April "The aim of the UN decade is a common denominator to bring the multitude of initiatives, from education to policy and environmental education, from education to global and peace education, subordinating However the wider education for sustainable development. [9] The goal of education for sustainable development is to help people develop attitudes, skills and knowledge to make informed decisions on their benefit to others, now and in the future, and to act upon those decisions. At UNESCO, at the COP15 was strongly reaffirmed that "education in the XXI century must create global awareness and identity. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is the shaping of the world citizen, aware of the challenges that will face future our common and capable of resolving them. [10] At the same event specialists argued that: "Today, in virtually all school systems in the world, sustainable development is still on the sidelines. We must put in a center, it is clear that the purpose of education, taken as a whole, in the same way as reading, writing and numeracy skills, is to restore and maintain balance in human relations among ISSN: ISBN:

3 themselves and with their environment.[11] "Need for Education for Sustainable Development was expressed in several international meetings, as well as being the result of the EU needs to improve communication system related to its development programs and to and involve citizens. "The Education... should be recognized as a process by which human beings and societies can reach their full potential. Education is essential to promote sustainable development and improve people's ability to address environmental issues and development. In 1992 occurs Earth Summit in Rio, an occasion which was emphasized the role of education in promoting sustainable development [12] was made explicit by Agenda 21, global plan of action for the 21st century. The Chapter 36 of Agenda 21 refers to the importance of education for sustainable development in the following terms[13]: - Need to promote sustainable development trough education; - Awareness of the need of sustainable development; - Importance of training. It is important that education, both formal and informal to be recognized as the processes by which both human beings and to society and can achieve maximum potential. The training is considered as the basis for action, an important tool for developing human potential and to facilitate the achievement of a sustainable world. 4. Environmental education for sustainable development in Romania During this period one of Romania's priorities as a member of the European Union and under existing international treaties, environmental programs under UN auspices become a priority. The environment was one of the most difficult negotiation chapters with the European Union and one of the major emergencies of our country. Therefore, sustainable development is a necessity and urgency for Romania and education is one of the levers of intervention to address this emergency. As in other countries, Romania and education initiative for sustainable development is relatively recent. Parameters for sustainable development are debated by ministries such as environment and health. They have put on information that teachers would be able to transit more to do - public awareness. Education for Development [14], as defined in the context of the EU and adopted by CONCORD, is very necessary in the context of a sector-ongd young as in our country for a whole series of reasons: "a) support a process necessary to educate practitioners in parallel with development cooperation actions. Thus, in the context of Romania Targeted education should be required to: the NGOs, authorities, government, population and environment donors; b) support raising awareness of the population in a very new theme (but necessary) for Romania. Awareness of development cooperation we need to have the conscience and dignity of belonging to the global community; c) The efforts of Romania in Education for Development are supported at European level. " In this context, study programs launched in most higher education institutions in Romania after the year 2000 aimed primarily training of specialists in education for higher education, and beyond, "able to address the way the act updated interdisciplinary education, to subscribing to the global trends of implementing the concepts of sustainable development through the promotion of educational research, ensuring the quality of the education and promotion of sustainable practices in terms of human and natural capital.[15] Curricula generally include adequate specialized disciplines that can be structured in 3 main packages[16]: 1. disciplines that shape the issues of sustainable development, integrating environmental perspectives, social and economic; 2. disciplines that deepens the problems of living systems, in conjunction with the challenges of today's environmental climate, economy and society (with emphasis on evolution, adaptation, conservation, sustainable use) 3. didactic and psycho disciplines that shape many complex hypostasis of the teacher, in conjunction with the issue of education for sustainable development. 5. Education for sustainable development - future requirements For March 2009 at the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius was adopted under the auspices of the Economic Commission for Europe United Nations (UNECE) Strategy for sustainable development education. Strategy is the result of Process "Environment for Europe, UNECE launched in 1991 and is the main aim in all education systems incorporating key themes of sustainable development such as poverty reduction, peace, ethics, democracy, cultural diversity, natural resource management. This ISSN: ISBN:

4 meeting attended by government officials from 42 European countries and representatives of other international organizations and civil society, Romania was represented by officials of the Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Environment and Water. In this event Romania underlined the great importance of adopting strategies for Education for Sustainable Development, which is to formalize the concern for future generations and promote a balance between progress and economic development on the one hand, and social cohesion and environmental protection, on the other. The participants unanimously concluded that: "We must take steps today to maintain the delicate balance between the future economic, social and environment and the challenge of this century is to learn how to live on a planet that has limits.[17] In terms of education, sustainable development involves the acquisition of key competences universalvalid in the context of globalization and the need for labor market flexibility. ESD involves high quality, experts say new-type relations between school and society and focuses on developing young people's potential to think and act independently and critically. Organizational learning and school development are lengthy processes and require strong leadership and strategic planning at school level. This is true for the integration of ESD. "There are a number of common points between education for sustainable development and school development and can be very productive, they are integrated into the school's vision and strategy."[18] Peter Senge of Massachutes Insitute of Technology in the book entitled "The Necessary Revolution: How Individuals and Organizations Are Working Together to Create a Sustainable World" addresses the issue of organizational learning for sustainable development. In the same work Senge describes three key skills, competencies required, in view mo for organizational learning and transformation for sustainability: to see entirely / cooling systems, can collaborate and create the future. "The challenge is not so much the" solutions "or" to have a critical spirit ", Senge says that rather we should understand all the situations or problems and have skills, attitudes and organizational dynamics in order to achieve change."[19] Also OECD to describe key competencies of all education refers to the key competencies for education (not only for ESD). OECD project DeSeCo also describes three groups of powers very similar to those described by Senge, as follows: using interactive tools, interacting with heterogeneous groups and to act autonomously.[20] 6. Conclusions Initially thought to be sustainable solution to ecological crisis generated by intense commercial exploitation of resources and environmental degradation continues, now expanded the concept of quality of life in its complexity and the economically and socially. The reality of today is that every citizen or organization must realize that sustainable development is the only way that mankind must follow to have secured a future. "If we want our world to become more sustainable, all people should adopt a different behavior and a different lifestyle. To get involved in these processes the search - because it means, ultimately, sustainability, people need greater powers auto-reflexive, social and political, of a higher availability, and the ability to act outside their narrow personal." References: [1] Gerhard Schröder, cuvânt înainte la raportul de progres 2004 al guvernului federal german: "Perspektiven für Deutschland. Unsere Strategie für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung" [2] Agenda 21, Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro, [3] World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), Our Common Future, Oxford 1987, p. 43; [4] Idem [5] Idem [6] Strategia pentru dezvoltarea durabilă a Guvernului Marii Britanii, iulie 1999; [7] Agenda 21, Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro, 1992; [8] Willi Linder, Hohe Ansprüche; în: umwelt & bildung 3/2004, p. 3; [9] Johannes Tschapka; citat după: ökolog Netzwerkzeitung 3/2004 "Nachhaltigkeit leben (und) lernen"; în: umwelt & bildung 3/2004; [10] Naţiunile Unite a Deceniului de Educaţie pentru Dezvoltare Durabilă ( ), gasit pe [11] Idem [12] Agenda 21, Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro, [13] The Romanian NGDO Platform gasit pe [14] The Romanian NGDO Platform gasit pe [15] Idem ISSN: ISBN:

5 [16] Idem [17] Journal of education for sustainable development journal online gasit pe [18] Journal of education for sustainable development journal online gasit pe [19] idem [20] Martin K., Erwachsenenbildner; în: umwelt & bildung 3/2004, p. 5; 13. The Romanian Platform NGDO found ar/ Bibliography 1. Constantin, D.L. Introduction to the theory and practice of regional development, Editura Oscar Print, Gerhard Schröder, the word before the 2004 progress report of the German Federal Government: "Perspektiven für Deutschland. Unsere Strategie für eine Nachhaltige Entwicklung" 3. Gradinaru, I. The environment, Bucharest, Editura Economica, Iancu, A.., Politics and Economics. Highlights of an efficient economic system, Editura Expert, Martin K., Erwachsenenbildner, in: Umwelt & Bildung 3 / Mihăescu Liviu, Cioca Lucian, Mihescu Diana, New Institutional Reactions for Climate Changes, International Conferences, Bucharest, Romania, November 7-9, WSEAS CGB 08, pp Popescu, D., I., Megha, A., Pincovschi, E., sustainable development strategy in the knowledge society, Publisher: AGIR, 2006, Bucharest 8. Agenda 21, Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro, 9. United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development ( ), found 10. World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), Our Common Future, Oxford 1987, 11. *** Economic convergence in the EU, ESA, Faculty of economics, Research Center for analysis and economic policy, international scientific symposium, Economic Publishing House Journal of Education for Sustainable Development - Online journal found ISSN: ISBN: