DISCLAIMER:

The Alliance for Global Sustainability has changed the domain name to www.theags.org. The website www.globalsustainability.org is not owned by TheAGS starting from June 2010.

TheAGS is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information stated in the www.globalsustainability.org site.

Education

TheAGS believes that one of the most effective ways of making progress towards sustainability is though training and providing opportunities for the next generation of leaders, and therefore strongly supports student initiatives in sustainability.

CURRENT UPDATES:

    EVENTS:

    • Education Conference, 19-22 September 2010, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden
      EESD 2010 International Conference on Engineering Education in Sustainable Development
      Sustainable Development requires a transformation of mindsets, educational approaches, societal structures, technical systems and economics accounting methods. This conference addresses the role of engineering eduction in learning for the required transformation.
      Link to EESD10 website


    SOME ACTIVITIES ON EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY
    at the AGS Focus Centres:

    CHALMERS

    ETH

    MIT

    • MIT Energy Initiative Energy Education Office
    • The S-Lab focuses teams of students on “live” projects with an organization that has requested help in thinking through a challenge or opportunity related to sustainability. The goal of S-Lab is to provide students with an opportunity to apply the concepts, theories and tools through working with host organizations on their actual sustainability projects.
      More on MIT S-Lab

    THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

    • Intensive Program on Sustainability (IPoS) in AsiaIPoS is a short-term educational course on Asian and global sustainability, which provides an opportunity for international students (especially from Asian nations) to obtain a deeper appreciation for global sustainability in the Asian region and experience of tackling sustainability issues in a multicultural and international setting. Understanding of “sustainability” is especially important for rapidly expanding Asian economies, so this program looks at Asia as a key region in achieving global sustainability. On the one hand, solutions to Asia’s regional problems are an essential requisite for global sustainability. On the other hand, Asian traditions and perspectives can contribute much more to global sustainability if they are better understood in other parts of the world. Participants lodge together, study through experience-based learning that includes lectures, group discussions, field works and student presentations, and cultivate friendships across different nationalities and academic backgrounds.

      IPoS started in 2004 as a challenge under the AGS to promote Asian regional education on sustainability, through collaboration between the University of Tokyo (UT) and Asian Institute of Technology (AIT). The course is usually divided into 2 sessions: IPoS course in Thailand in August and Nissan Workshop in Japan in December.

      More information at Intensive Program on Sustainability (IPoS) website

    • The University of Tokyo started its Graduate Program in Sustainability Science (GPSS), offering a master of sustainability science degree, in 2007. The GPSS curriculum consists of: (1) knowledge and concept oriented courses, which cover sustainability-related subjects from a holistic viewpoint; (2) experiential learning and skills oriented practical courses, which offer practical exercises to acquire the skills and sensibility required of future leaders; and (3) the Master’s thesis, for which students are encouraged to address complex sustainability problems through a transdisciplinary approach. Sustainability science is not a discipline that can be defined simply by the subjects it deals with, but is an academic field characterized by core principles that include holistic thinking, transdisciplinarity, and respect for diversity. The GPSS has been designed so that students may gain the capacity to understand and practice these principles.

      The GPSS masters course welcomes international applicants. The course is taught completely in English and is held on the international Kashiwa campus of The University of Tokyo. (add link http://kashiwaio.dir.u-tokyo.ac.jp/english/international2.html). Scholarships are available.

      More details and applications for the April 2011 enrollment

    Education activities linked to the AGS:

    Student groups and activities under the AGS umbrella:

    World Student Community for Sustainable Development (WSC-SD)
    The WSC-SD is an international network of student communities and individuals closely connected to the AGS. Motivated students passionate about sustainability opportunities are developing opportunities to learn from each other, collaborate and take action.

    WSC-SD member groups include: