Importance of Sustainable Education From Kindergarten to College

The Impact of Sustainable Education
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The Impact of Sustainable Education
In order to establish a planet that is just, peaceful, and sustainable, there is a need for a wholesale change to supplement the existing frameworks intended to facilitate sustainable development. UNESCO (2014) notes that the use of financial incentives, political agreements, and technological solutions is insufficient to address the challenges to sustainable development on the planet. One potential approach to enhancing sustainable development is the use of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) given that education plays a significant role in shaping behavior. ESD can help develop habits that will benefit individuals and society in the long run by shaping attitudes toward sustainability and creating a culture of sustainability. ESD encourages a holistic approach to education that includes not only the formal curriculum but also the school environment, the community, and the student's personal experiences. This paper explores the advantages of learning sustainable education from kindergarten to college and highlights the dangers of failing to learn such habits from early on.
Advantages of ESD from Early Age
Learning sustainable habits from kindergarten has several advantages for the individual and society in the long run. Notably, teaching ESD from early age equips learners with sustainable behaviors that are essential to the overall survival of the planet. Sustainable behaviors that are emphasized in ESD, such as reducing waste, conserving energy, and using sustainable transportation options, instill sustainable values and ethics in students (Tilbury, 2011). The behaviors serve as a model for students to adopt in their personal lives, leading to positive changes in behavior and a commitment to sustainability. Additionally, sustainable behaviors assist learners to understand the impact of their actions on the environment from an early age leading to increased environmental literacy and awareness. The understanding motivates individuals to act towards reducing waste and adopting more sustainable practices.
In addition, ESD from kindergarten enables students to learn about complex systems and how human beings are connected to the planet. ESD is intended to facilitate an understanding of the complex interconnections between environmental, social, and economic systems and how they affect each other. The global ecosystem is composed of various interconnected systems, such as the water cycle, the carbon cycle, and the food chain that interact with each other to maintain the health and balance of the ecosystem (Longhurst et al., 2012). Disrupting or damaging one system can have a cascading effect on other systems, leading to negative impacts on the environment and society. An early understanding of the complex systems in learners offers an opportunity for kindergarten students to appreciate how global ecosystems benefit society as a whole and contribute to economic development. Thus, learning about sustainability from an early age allows individuals to recognize the need to protect and sustainably manage the complex systems on the planet.
Learning about sustainability from kindergarten to col...