From Talloires to Turin: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Declarations for Sustainability in Higher Education

Sylvestre, Paul; McNeil, Rebecca; Wright, Tarah

doi:10.3390/su5041356

Cited by 40 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(49 reference statements)

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“…In higher education specifically, results indicate mixed outcomes in terms of the depth of engagement of universities, students, and faculty (Wals 2012, p. 86). Ashford (2004) has suggested that important concepts and values of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), including ideological challenges to mainstream approaches, can be swallowed up by the restrictions of institutional curriculum constraints, which are "arguably undergoing a process of neo-liberalisation" (Sylvestre et al 2013(Sylvestre et al , p. 1358.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey Study on Attitudes to Multi-Dimensional Sustainable Development with U.K. MSc Students

Melles

2019

Social Sciences

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As reflected in the sustainable development goals (SDGs), sustainable development is a multi-dimensional concept integrating political, ethical, economic, and other factors. Reports from the United Nations (UN) Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD) suggest that universities are more engaged with sustainable development in higher education. Despite promising signals about student awareness of sustainable development, survey studies suggest student engagement and knowledge is limited. Previous studies have tended to focus on undergraduates and examine basic attitudes to triple bottom line issues. This study examined knowledge and attitudes of postgraduate U.K. students enrolled in one-year taught sustainability degrees on the multi-dimensional issues of sustainable development. This study piloted a 39-question 7-point Likert scale survey with a cohort of U.K.-taught postgraduate (MSc, MPhil) students (n = 121, Cronbach’s Alpha 0.796, n = 39 questions). The study found this cohort able to recognize and respond to the multiple challenges of strong and weak sustainable development issues rather than exhibiting knowledge gaps previously reported. Results and qualitative comments from the survey suggest, however, that students resist the idea of strong interventions in social, political, and economic life.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey Study on Attitudes to Multi-Dimensional Sustainable Development with U.K. MSc Students

Melles

2019

Social Sciences

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“…To some degree, HEIs have responded to this call to action, as evidenced by the signing of international sustainability in higher education declarations [6][7][8], the proliferation of sustainability in higher education publications [9], and the creation of organizations like the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Further, many universities have begun developing sustainability policies and plans for their individual institutions [10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Canadian STARS-Rated Campus Sustainability Plans: Priorities, Plan Creation and Design

2015

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Abstract:The use of integrated sustainability plans is an emerging trend in higher education institutions (HEIs) to set sustainability priorities and to create a work plan for action. This paper analyses the sustainability plans of 21 Canadian HEIs that have used the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). The plans were coded thematically with a focus on the sustainability goals, process of plan creation, and aspects of plan design outlined in the texts. This paper finds that sustainability goals focused on the environmental aspects of sustainability, while social and economic aspects were less emphasized. Further, most plans were described as being created through a broad stakeholder-consultation process, while fewer plans assigned timelines and parties responsible to sustainability goals. This paper contributes to our understanding of the priorities of Canadian HEI institutions at the end of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and is useful for practitioners interested in developing their own sustainability plans.

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“…Some HEIs have developed and signed declarations, initiatives, and charters to help them demonstrate their SD engagement to their students and other stakeholders, and integrate SD holistically into their system, including education, research, community outreach, operations, assessment and reporting, university collaboration, the institutional framework, educate-the-educator programs, and campus experiences [9][10][11]. The integration of SD in HEIs requires a focus on the elements of the HEI system, on making SD part of the higher education culture, and on ensuring the institutionalization of SD in HEIs [5,8,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability Reporting in Higher Education: Interconnecting the Reporting Process and Organisational Change Management for Sustainability

2015

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Abstract:Although there has been a considerable increase in the publication of sustainability reports in the corporate world in the last decade, sustainability reporting in higher education institutions is still in its early stages. This study's aim was to explore the relationship between sustainability reporting and organizational change management for sustainability in higher education. A survey was sent to higher education institutions worldwide that have published sustainability reports in the last ten years. The survey was answered by 23 institutions out of a total of 64. The findings showed that sustainability reporting has been predominantly driven by internal motivations, and that the sustainability reporting process leads to incremental changes, such as an increase in awareness of sustainability and improvements in communication with internal stakeholders. Some factors impeding change are the absence of an external stakeholder engagement process, the lack of inclusion of material impacts in reports, and the lack of institutionalization of sustainability reporting in the higher education system. The paper proposes that higher education institutions need to consider sustainability reporting as a dynamic tool to plan sustainability changes, and not just as a communication activity. OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 8882

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From Talloires to Turin: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Declarations for Sustainability in Higher Education

Cited by 40 publications

References 37 publications

Survey Study on Attitudes to Multi-Dimensional Sustainable Development with U.K. MSc Students

Survey Study on Attitudes to Multi-Dimensional Sustainable Development with U.K. MSc Students

Canadian STARS-Rated Campus Sustainability Plans: Priorities, Plan Creation and Design

Sustainability Reporting in Higher Education: Interconnecting the Reporting Process and Organisational Change Management for Sustainability

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