Teaching Sustainable Development

The term sustainable development combines a dynamic concept, that of development, with a stationary concept, that of snstainabiUty. 

This dynamic concept of development implies a change over time from an initial situation to a different final situation by its topological state as well as the point in time. However, any change implies the presence of energy. 

The concept of energy is a primary notion, i.e. a concept with a clear meaning, which allows us to define other concepts whose definitions would be provided by phrases built around other primary concepts. 

The concept of sustainability underpins the concept of implicit scale. An identity is assumed between an initial parameter, which acts as a reference, and that which it ultimately becomes. However, with regard to this concept there is high incompatibility between what we are aiming to do (i.e. a comparison, which is always possible) and the implicit method used (i.e. one measurement, which is only possible for one-dimensional parameters). If there is one thing that is certain, it is the multi-dimensional character of the concept of development, since it can involve completely orthogonal parameters, that is to say linearly independent (in the mathematical sense) such as quantity, quality, skill, technique and many others. 

Finally, we must not forget that the same concept of sustainable development addresses the human appreciation of development as well as sustainabihty. It is therefore essentially subjective (the observer subject implicitly being humanity) which renders all conclusions regarding this subject dependent on cultural stance (also including spatio-temporal aspects) of the observer. 

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The foundations of teaching sustainable development 16.2.1. The needfor the rigorous quantification of energy... 

It follows from the foreword that teaching sustainable development shonld be the complete opposite of that which applies to monothematic discipUnes. Of course, it should include one-dimensional aspects such as the assessment of energy flows (i.e. power) essential for populations to achieve certain objectives (in particular the quality of life, a purely subjective notion, whose appreciation also depends on location, local culture as well as moment in human history) which requires the quantification (measurable) of energy demands as well as the consequences (often measurable, for some aspects at least) of producing and using this energy. 

Pojasek, Robert is president of Pojasek Associates, a management consulting firm specializing in process improvement and performance measurement. He is also an adjunct professor at Harvard University, where he teaches a distance-learning course on the path to sustainable development. 

The National Science Resources Center Is operated by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academy of Sciences to Improve the teaching of science in the nation s schools. The NSRC collects and disseminates information about exemplary teaching resources, develops and disseminates curriculum materials, and sponsors outreach activities, specifically in the areas of leadership development and technical assistance, to help school districts develop and sustain hands-on science programs. The NSRC is located In the Arts and Industries Building of the Smithsonian Institution and in the Capital Gallery Building In Washington, D.C. 

M. Burmeister and I. Eilks, An example of learning about plastics and their evaluation as a contribution to Education for Sustainable Development in secondary school chemistry teaching, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 2012,13,93-102. 

An excellent guide for the teaching of engineering for sustainable development was produced by the Royal Academy of Engineering in the United Kingdom, which describes sustainability as the constructive intersection of technocentric. 

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