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Australia's Response to a UN Decade in Education for Sustainable Development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2015

Daniella Tilbury
Daniella Tilbury*
Affiliation:
Macquarie University
*
†Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia. Email: dtilbury@gse.mq.edu.au
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Abstract

The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) 2005-2014 provides a significant platform to enhance the profile of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in formal and informal learning spaces and ultimately to assist in transforming our future into a more sustainable one. The article presents a brief summary of Australia's response to the DESD since its announcement in 2003. It argues that if stakeholders interpret the Decade as “business as usual”, rather than as a chance to reflect on how to be more strategic and reach out to key decision-makers or how to be more effective in involving a greater number of stakeholders in learning and change for sustainability, then the opportunities presented by the DESD will be missed.

Keywords

education for sustainable developmentUN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
Type
Research Article
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , 2006 , pp. 77 - 81
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006 

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