ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the rationale for a curriculum which explores issues of global sustainability. It describes the key debates about the meaning and nature of unsustainability/sustainability. The chapter also explores the educational initiatives illustrating good practice in education for sustainability. The biosphere is that thin layer of life – atmosphere, rivers and seas, rocks and soil, flora and fauna, vegetation and living creatures – which makes our existence possible. Neoliberalism is the political belief system which underpins the current Western worldview. Good practice embraces the classroom, the whole school, leadership and inspection, the community. The ecological dimension requires care and protection of the biosphere as our essential life-support system. The economic dimension requires a society in which jobs and income are protected. The social dimension requires a society in which peace and equity are present and valued. The political dimension requires a democratic society in which power and decision-making are participatory in nature.
