The place of sustainability in design & technology education Margarita Pavlova and James Pitt Th Introduction e pla c The need to address sustainability has suddenly appeared in agendas for educational policy e o around the globe. The emergence of the issue has been motivated by a number of reports that f sus suggest that humankind is living beyond the carrying capacity of planet earth. Footprinting studies t (a way of measuring the environmental impacts of different lifestyles) such as the “Living Planet ain Report” (WWF, 2006) indicate that we globally began to live beyond the Earth’s carrying capacity ability in de in 1987 (see image overleaf). Recent studies by WWF (2006) and Jerrard Pierce (2005) demonstrate that industrialised countries have the greatest impact on this process. Jerrard Pierce’s cartogram (2005) shows graphically sign & t the relative contributions of different countries to global ecological footprints. Margarita Pavlova James Pitt e The “Ecological footprint by region…” graph (overleaf) gives comparable data by region for 2003. chn Margarita Pavlova currently A design & technology teacher The overall area of the rectangle indicates the impact. Thus relatively few people in North America olo works in the Faculty by background, James is now living at a high level of consumption have an impact significantly higher than the whole population gy e of Education at Griffith senior research fellow in of Africa. The charts for energy footprints and water withdrawal paint similar pictures - that University, Australia. She has education at the University of people in the wealthy countries consume a disproportionate amount of resources (WWF, 2006). duc two PhDs: from Russia and York. He has published a tion Australia. She works as a extensively in the area of The UK can be taken to represent the industrialised world. If everyone in the world were to live at the same level of consumption as people in the UK, there would be a need for three planets. researcher and consultant with education for sustainable Mar g international, national and state development (ESD) and runs an arit agencies, including the World MA by Research with an ESD If people emerge from poverty and aspire to western lifestyles, a P Bank; UNESCO; the Russian focus. His other interests can the planet earth sustain it? But what are the alternatives - avlova an Ministry of Education, include the relationship between continued poverty, huge reductions in population, or some other and Education Queensland. science and technology learning ? d J way of limiting damage to the planet? am e Her main research interests in schools, the emerging school s Pitt include conceptualisations of engineering agenda and Clearly the present trends are unsustainable. Almost every scientific academy in the world technology education through competency-oriented learning. now says that there is a causal connection between high levels of consumption, greenhouse philosophical, sociological and He has worked extensively gases and climate change, which is already having a disproportionate impact on poorer people. comparative studies. in all these areas overseas Image 03 (overleaf) presents the model of the world by the 2050s where global warming and Her current research projects are and especially in Russia, climate change has a disproportionate impact in the poorer countries. People in the industrialised in the area of education for where he is a professor at world need to radically rethink how we live - our buildings, travel, diet, use of energy sustainability. Margarita is the Komsomol’sk-na-Amure State and in particular the type of technologies we use. Without a rethink of lifestyle a forecast author/co-author of seven books. Pedagogical University. for the wellbeing of the earth is not optimistic. Design & technology - for the next generation 73 In October 2006 the government published the on growth and development’. • ‘Climate change demands an international The Stern Review’s findings have been “Stern Review on the Economics of Climate • ‘The costs of stabilising the climate are significant response, based on a shared understanding emphasised by the recent report of the Change”. This report made clear that the but manageable; delay would be dangerous and of long-term goals and agreement on frameworks Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change situation facing the world is very serious. much more costly’. for action’. (2007). It seems obvious that the way forward Here are some quotes from the executive • ‘Action on climate change is required across all is through sustainable development but this is summary. countries, and it need not cap the aspirations You can find out more about the Stern Review not straightforward as there is no one broadly • ‘The scientific evidence is now overwhelming: for growth of rich or poor countries’. at this website: http://www.hm-treasury.gov. accepted definition of the concept of climate change is a serious global threat, and it • ‘A range of options exists to cut emissions uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_ sustainable development. demands an urgent global response’. (of greenhouse gases); strong, deliberate policy economics_climate_change/sternreview • ‘Climate change could have very serious effects action is required to motivate their take-up’. _index.cfm Th Th e pla e pla 01 HUMANITY’S ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT, 1961-2003 02 ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT AND BIOCAPACITY BY REGION, 2003 c 10 c e o e o 01 Humanity’s world 1.8 ecological 03 f sus footprint over time. f sus 1.6 02 Ecological North America Latin America and (© 2006, WWF 8 (panda.org). Some footprint by the Caribbean on t t Europe EU ain rights reserved.) region. ain 1.4 Europe Non-EU Asia-Pacific (© 2006, WWF pers ability in de ability in de (panda.org). Some Middle East and Africa rights reserved.) per ths 1.2 6 –3.71 Central Asia 03 Prospective es +3.42 r Ear relative impacts a 1.0 of climate change +0.82 Biocapacity available assuming l hect planet within region 'business as 4 sign & t sign & t of 0.8 normal'. oba (© Guardian News gl 3 & Media Ltd 2006) 0.6 –2.64 Number 200 2 e e chn chn +0.24 0.4 –1.20 –0.60 olo olo 0.2 gy e gy e 0 326 454 349 270 535 3489 847 0 Population (millions) duc duc 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 03 a a tion tion Mar Mar g g arit arit a P a P avlova an avlova an d J d J am am e e s Pitt s Pitt 74 Design & technology - for the next generation Design & technology - for the next generation 75 Th Th Whilst this concept is useful, we feel it is limited by Working within an essentially capitalist model 1. All life has value in itself, independent e pla To what extent do you think e pla it is possible for design & giving equal weighting to each of the three bottom of society, they extend the concept of capital of its usefulness to humans. c lines. We believe that environmental sustainability to include natural, human, social, 2. Basic ideological, political, economic c e o technology lessons to provide e o is pre-conditional, because without it the other manufactured and financial capital and say: and technological structures must change. f sus ? f sus space for students to rethink bottom lines can’t exist!’ ‘Sustainable development is the best way to manage t t what is desirable and (Forum for the Future, 2006) these capital assets in the long-term. It is a dynamic ain To what extent do you ain process through which organisations can begin ability in de ability in de to challenge assumptions believe that ‘All life has value about what is needed? People in many developing countries might to achieve a balance between their environmental, give greater emphasis to economic or social social and economic activities… in itself, independent of its ? usefulness to humans’? What is meant by aspects of development. For Western societies, In the sustainable society, four conditions must however, it is important to give the apply…The system conditions mean that nature What are the implications sign & t sign & t 'sustainable development'? environmental bottom line particular is not subject to systematically increasing for designing and making? significance. The model of sustainable 1. concentrations of substances extracted from e e A widely used definition comes from the development described here presupposes that the earth’s crust - such as heavy metals. chn chn However sustainable development is World Commission on Environment and the carrying capacity of the ecosystem 2. concentrations of substances produced by society - conceptualised, everyone agrees that education olo Development (1987), in what is generally olo (environmental limits) defines and envelops such as plastic waste. plays an essential role as we move towards gy e gy e known as the “Bruntland Report”. the extent of human action. The economy 3. degradation by physical means - such as rising more just and sustainable relationships and duc duc Sustainable development is defined as is tailored to work within this ecosystem’s sea levels or desertification. hence world order. In this chapter we are ‘development that meets the needs of the present a a capacity. The needs of communities to And, in that society… considering the contribution of design & tion tion without compromising the ability of future develop and maintain eco-efficient and 4. human needs are met worldwide…’ technology towards education for sustainable generations to meet their own needs’. This has sustainable technologies or ways of doing development, which is usually called just ESD. Mar led to a well-known approach for analysing things have to work within the limits This thinking is expanded by Jonathan Porritt Mar g g arit arit sustainability that includes social, economic of natural ecosystems. (2005) in his book “Capitalism as if the earth a P Recent developments in ESD a P and environmental dimensions without any avlova an matters”.