Public Health and the Environment: What Skills for Sustainability Literacy – And Why?

Abstract

This paper is an exploration and reflection on the question of what skills, values, attributes and dispositions learners will need to navigate their lives in the challenging conditions of the twenty first century, in relation to sustainability and well-being. First, an overview of the multiple concepts that are considered important for sustainability literacy is gradually built up. These include: multiple ‘bottom lines’ and contexts of wellbeing, climate change, collective action at various levels, good citizenship, community participation, information technology, psychological aspects, behavioral features and researching sustainability. Secondly, a wide range of skills that learners will require in order to interact with these concepts are explored. The emerging relationships between the given concepts and their attending skills are neither definitive nor prescriptive, but provide an indication of what sustainability literacy could be useful for learners and practitioners in order to enable them to contribute towards the wellbeing of sustainable societies. The paper concludes with that a fundamental overarching skill for sustainability is the ability to work constructively with others in building more sustainable communities, businesses and societies

Ensuring the Long-Term Sustainability Cooperation with Stakeholders of Sports Organizations in SLOVAKIA

“…This all should lead to the creation of a stable sustainable strategy, in which the organization should perceive the management of stakeholders also from the perspective of stakeholders [48,49]. This is similarly pointed out also by Ansari and Stibbe [50], when they state that sustainability is a complex social process, in which it is necessary for stakeholders not only to mutually cooperate and share information, but also to form partnerships in the field of joint interests.…”

Literacy: Promoting Sustainability in a Digital Society

“…Considering, therefore, that the objective of sustainability and sustainable development is based on a search for multiple answers to the challenges of the economy, the environment and society, as well as institutional issues, including the consequences of present actions in the future and the awareness and involvement of society (Ansari & Stibbe, 2009;Sartori et al, 2014), the role of literacy or literacy as a set of strategies that allow looking at these challenges in a more comprehensive, focused, critical and proactive manner seems to be essential.…”

“…Thus, we speak of a literacy for sustainability, defined by Ansari and Stibbe (2009) as "the ability to reflect critically on both self and society, and rewrite both self and society in ways that increase human health and wellbeing while simultaneously protecting or enhancing the natural systems which support life" (p. 427). This literacy for sustainability entails the understanding and apprehension of a wide range of levels of intervention and action, competencies and skills that intertwine and imbricate each other and that include the necessary participation of all social agents in the process.…”

“…This literacy for sustainability entails the understanding and apprehension of a wide range of levels of intervention and action, competencies and skills that intertwine and imbricate each other and that include the necessary participation of all social agents in the process. It is unquestionable that, as Ansari and Stibbe (2009) state, "Exploration of sustainability literacy is something that can never be complete, particularly since the changing conditions of the world will continuously require new and different skills" (p. 437), which reinforces the idea of development and constant change that these processes intrinsically and extrinsically involve.…”

“…Thus, digital and sustainable literacy improvements must necessarily involve the training of children, youth and adults (Ansari & Stibbe, 2009;UNESCO, 2015). Individuals need to be prepared to deal with the demands of today's societies, insofar that more sustainable societies are societies that "can only be accomplished if learners gain the skills they need for surviving and thriving in the twenty first century" (Ansari & Stibbe, 2009, p. 348).…”