Green Curriculum: The Sustainable Learning at Education Institutions
Published: 02:09 PM,Sep 10,2023 | EDITED : 06:09 PM,Sep 10,2023
'Education for sustainable development (ESD) has been viewed as an important agent which will ensure the livability and beauty of nature while increasing the quality of life for all people (Sutton, 2004). With this point of view, the focus on ESD has been mounted up in recent years. A worldwide action plan, Agenda 21 which was accepted in the Earth Summit (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development [UNCED], 1992) proposed that ‘education is critical while promoting sustainable development and improving the capacity of human beings to address sustainability issues. In addition, Agenda 21 (UNCED, 1992) encourages economic and social development while ensuring environmental protection by all levels of formal and non-formal education which integrates related issues into all disciplines. In a later document, namely the Johannesburg Declaration, the crucial role of education in achieving sustainability goals was also highlighted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002 (WSSD, 2002). P 123 from the implication of green curriculum. From this perspective, the United Nations (UN) constituted 2005–2014 as the decade for educational sustainable development when bridges have to be built between academic institutions and their communities' (Sahin, Ertepinar& Teksoz, 2009; Louw, 2013).
A green curriculum, referred to as an environmental or sustainability curriculum, is an educational framework that incorporates environmental and sustainability principles into various levels of education. A green curriculum goes beyond traditional academic subjects to integrate environmental topics and sustainability practices into the core of the educational experience through the enhancement of new concepts such as environmental awareness, sustainability education, critical thinking, ethical and moral dimensions, global perspective, community engagement and service learning, environmental literacy, and lifelong learning. Moreover, green curriculum is adaptable to various educational levels, from early childhood education to higher education, and can be integrated into formal school settings, informal education programs, and community initiatives. Its overarching aim is to prepare students to be responsible and informed global citizens who actively contribute to a sustainable future.
According to (Kardoyo, 2020) development of green curriculum is one strategy to improve students’ ability to understand something related to environmental awareness. The implementation of the green curriculum in universities is a response to global issues on the environment and represents the ways to save and conserve the energy sources included in universities’ curriculum. In Europe and in the United States (as previously mentioned) various courses of action have been taken towards curricular greening, and the following topics were proposed for sustainable development: atmosphere and climate; transport systems and fuel sustainability; agriculture, conventional and organic farming; ecological economics; tourism and sustainability; and urban physical environments. (Louw, 2013). Kardoyo (2020) indicates that the relationship between the curriculum of each study program that is designed with the conditions of the field. The stronger the relationship, or relevance, the more likely the study programs to produce graduates who are suited to the needs in the field and bring it to better. The development of human resources in education is very important because education personnel are the main instrument to achieve educational goals in national development.
To conclude, in a world grappling with the consequences of unsustainable practices, a green curriculum serves as a symbol of optimism. It is more than an educational framework; it equips individuals to address environmental challenges and shapes them into responsible and informed global citizens through fostering environmental awareness, ethical considerations, and community engagement. The importance of a green curriculum cannot be overstated; it is an investment in the future.
A green curriculum, referred to as an environmental or sustainability curriculum, is an educational framework that incorporates environmental and sustainability principles into various levels of education. A green curriculum goes beyond traditional academic subjects to integrate environmental topics and sustainability practices into the core of the educational experience through the enhancement of new concepts such as environmental awareness, sustainability education, critical thinking, ethical and moral dimensions, global perspective, community engagement and service learning, environmental literacy, and lifelong learning. Moreover, green curriculum is adaptable to various educational levels, from early childhood education to higher education, and can be integrated into formal school settings, informal education programs, and community initiatives. Its overarching aim is to prepare students to be responsible and informed global citizens who actively contribute to a sustainable future.
According to (Kardoyo, 2020) development of green curriculum is one strategy to improve students’ ability to understand something related to environmental awareness. The implementation of the green curriculum in universities is a response to global issues on the environment and represents the ways to save and conserve the energy sources included in universities’ curriculum. In Europe and in the United States (as previously mentioned) various courses of action have been taken towards curricular greening, and the following topics were proposed for sustainable development: atmosphere and climate; transport systems and fuel sustainability; agriculture, conventional and organic farming; ecological economics; tourism and sustainability; and urban physical environments. (Louw, 2013). Kardoyo (2020) indicates that the relationship between the curriculum of each study program that is designed with the conditions of the field. The stronger the relationship, or relevance, the more likely the study programs to produce graduates who are suited to the needs in the field and bring it to better. The development of human resources in education is very important because education personnel are the main instrument to achieve educational goals in national development.
To conclude, in a world grappling with the consequences of unsustainable practices, a green curriculum serves as a symbol of optimism. It is more than an educational framework; it equips individuals to address environmental challenges and shapes them into responsible and informed global citizens through fostering environmental awareness, ethical considerations, and community engagement. The importance of a green curriculum cannot be overstated; it is an investment in the future.