Sustainability matters

As with so many things in our lives, my interest in sustainability began as a personal concern which eventually grew into something which impacted upon my professional values and practices.

Much like a lot of our students, I hadn't been particularly interested in politics when I was a student myself. I only started to get into politics at all around 20 years ago, when I was in my early 30s. 

I was born in the countryside but, as I'd grown older, I came to notice how things had changed. There were fewer insects flying around in the summer, and bird species seemed to be disappearing. From there, I developed an interest in environmental sustainability, which then led on to interests in social and economic equality, corporate power, and geopolitics.

Sometimes I wish I hadn't come to it so late. That awareness of the political dimension of our lives is empowering, whatever our brand of politics may be.

I believe therefore that universities have a responsibility to help their students think about such things, to develop broader perspectives upon the world in which they live.

Of course, I don't think we should try to push them down a particular ideological route. That would be both disingenuous and counterproductive. It's up to them to make their own minds up. We should encourage them to consider things from different angles, to investigate and engage with the real-world impacts of their beliefs, behaviours and professional practices.

This is why I try to help our students learn about, and engage with, sustainability, and to support my colleagues in teaching it.

Issues relating to sustainability are so complex and world-encompassing that they are inherently political – with a small 'p' at least. That shouldn't be something to shy away from. It's not a matter of political bias or indoctrination to reveal and recognise the political nature – and the increasing politicisation – of such things.

If we are to find solutions to the problems our world faces, then we will after all need to engage with businesses, governments and politicians of all political stripes.

Many institutions have, historically, preferred to stay away from such potentially controversial areas. They've not wanted to get involved in debates which might prove divisive.

But when we consider sustainability in its broadest sense – in its environmental, social and economic aspects – we can see that its elements are profoundly intertwined not only with each other but with everything we do.

My own discipline – of Psychology – perhaps has it easier than some in this respect. Our focus is to try to make the world a better place. The word 'better' is of course a very loaded one, but it allows us to think about the diverse approaches we might take to promote, for example, fairness and happiness.

Other disciplines may find it harder to embrace all aspects of sustainable behaviours, but that shouldn't stop them interpreting ideas of sustainability in ways that are most appropriate and viable for them – and letting these ideas help them expand and enrich their own perspectives and possibilities.

Education for sustainable development is teaching our students to address such complex problems. When taught well, it is necessarily holistic, inter-disciplinary and outward facing. This takes commitment and resources on the part of universities and, in these times when our resources are often constrained, might be seen as a luxury. However, it is a necessity.

It's not just that as a society we cannot afford to ignore this stuff. A focus on sustainability can, by drawing the shared interests of our disciplines together, make teaching more streamlined, and make things easier for our colleagues. If we integrate concepts of sustainability into our curricula clearly and do so smartly, we can avoid the replication of content and effort, and so better support each other’s work, by sharing resources and workload.

As we forge transdisciplinary links and engage with external organisations and communities, this focus can contribute to the sustainability of our own institutions, generating not only world-saving innovations but also vital new income streams.

And we as individuals, and our institutions, can of course benefit from the lessons we learn, as we come to understand that revenue generation is not an end in itself, and that perpetual unchecked growth is neither essential nor possible – nor even conducive to our long-term sustainability.

These approaches require the promotion of innovative teaching methods, investment in staff development, interdisciplinary work and external engagement. There are inevitable costs and risks involved. 

But those are necessary if we are to progress beyond a simplistic understanding of these issues towards ways to develop workable solutions to – and find new opportunities in – the complex challenges and "wicked" problems that we face.