Cultivating values of sustainability and global

citizenship through the lenses of the Earth Charter: overview and insights

Mirian VilelaEarth Charter International 

Sustainability

ValuesEducation

E A R T H C H A R T E R I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Is the current education system helping to

perpetuate the current paradigm of

unsustainability?Or

is it cultivating a culture of care and respect for the

large living world?

E A R T H C H A R T E R I N T E R N A T I O N A L

What values do you think are underlined, embedded or taught in the processes of teaching-learning (in mainstream education)?

What are the values that are influencing and guiding our lifestyles and where do they come from?

What are the values that are influencing the worldview of the children, youth and adults of our communities?

How to incorporate values and ethics of sustainability

and global citizenshipin processes of education and

learning?

Global Citizenship Education - GCEDAims to equip learners with:

a) A deep knowledge of global issues and universal values such as justice, equality, dignity and respect;

b) cognitive skills to think critically, systemically and creatively, including adopting a multi-perspective approach that recognizes different dimension, perspectives and angles of issues;

c) non-cognitive skills … social skills such as empathy and conflict resolution…; and

d) behavioural capacities to act collaboratively and responsibly, and to strive for collective good.

UNESCO. 2013. Outcome document of the Technical Consultation on Global Citizenship Education: Global Citizenship Education – An Emerging Perspective.

“Consists in educating to generate social transformation with the objective to create more sustainable societies…”

The goal of UNESCO ESD effort is to incorporate the values

inherent to sustainability in all aspects of learning.UNESCO Sourcebook for ESD (2012)

Education for Sustainable Development-ESD

Curriculum

Pedagogy

Operations

Space

Community

Transform the institutional culture – Ethos

Whole Institutional Approach to ESD

To reorient a curriculum to address sustainability, educational communities need to identify the knowledge, issues, perspectives, skills, and values central to sustainable development and integrate them into the curriculum.

UNESCO Sourcebook for ESD (2012)

ESD - What is envisioned?

The Earth Charter articulates the values and principles of sustainability and Global Citizenship, and can be used as an

instrument of values examination and clarification.UNESCO Resolution 2003

The Earth Charter… what is that?

Institution

Education

Center

Global Movemen

t/Initiative

DocumentEthical

Framework

E A R T H C H A R T E R I N T E R N A T I O N A L

The Earth Charter and its Systemic Nature

I

Respect and Care for the Community 

of Life

II

Ecological Integrity

III

Social and Economic 

Justice

IV

Democracy, non violence 

and peace

An ethical compass

Earth Charter

Responsibility with the Earth Community

Respect and Care for theCommunity of Life

with Understanding, Compassion and LoveEC Principle 2

Recognize that peace is the wholeness created by the right relationships with 

oneself, other persons, other cultures, 

other life, Earth, 

and the larger whole of which all are partEC Principle 16f

Some Perceptions with regards to Values Based Education…

•Values Based Education is often perceived as religious education, but it is not always the case.

•VbE is carried out in a vertical, authoritarian, and transmissive way, limited to theory and disconnected from reality, but it is not the only way in which it is carried out.

•Values clarification, examination or reflection is considered superfluous, useless or abstract, but they are reflected in our behavior and daily decisions.

•The study of values and/or ethics belongs exclusively to the domain of philosophers or scholars in religion or ethics, but it is a subject that is present in our daily lives.

What are key pedagogical elements for VbE through

the lenses of the EC?

Examples

Good Practices with the EC

ESD Journal 2010The Heart of the Matter

A collection of 19 experiences of ESD

A collection of 27 stories of good practices with the EC in education

Charting the Way Forward: Cases of the Earth Charter in Motion

A collection of 20 cases of the use of the Earth Charter

Offers some reflections and examples of the Earth Charter use in education.

The Earth Charter in Action: Toward a Sustainable Development

Essays and articles

Primary / Seconda

ry

Higher Educatio

n

Non Formal

Total

30 23 63 116

Examples of Schools using the Earth Charter

Avonwood Earth Charter

School(United

Kingdom)

Yurusti School(Costa Rica)

CEUNA School(Costa Rica)

Examples of Universities using the Earth Charter

Methodist

University

(Brazil)

Granada

University

(Spain)

University of Crete

(Greece)

FGCU (USA)

Learning and transformation (either on VbE or ESD) occurs more easily when we consider a

holistic approach… …

MindUnderstandingReasoningReflectingObserving

HeartEmotionFeelingPerceiving

HandsActionsDecisions

Sustainability Values Education with the Earth Charter

7Elemen

ts

Human Connect

ion Human-Nature

Connection

Inquiry

Dialogue

Aesthetics

Holistic System

ic Approa

ch

Arts and StoryTell

ing

Modeling

Experience/Service

Learning

Context

Action – Reflection -

Action Coherence

Sensitivity

SensesFlexibility

Surprise

Mirian Vilela, Earth Charter International 2018

Selected EC Resources

Bringing Sustainability into the Classroom

Educating for a Sustainable Lifestyle with the Earth Charter

A Guide for Using the Earth Charter in Education

Earth Charter Bibliography

The EC can be used to support the following educational goals:

Assisting educational institutions in reorienting their teaching and operations towards sustainability.

Raising awareness, challenging our assumptions and clarifying the values and principles of sustainability.

A Guide for using the EC in Education

“Educating for a Sustainable Lifestyle with the Earth Charter”

Emphasized the importance of

REFLECTION – ACTION – REFLECTION

Examining and clarifying values through daily life situations and decisions.

Illustrations through stories, examples and images.

Dialogue

The Earth Charter Music Album

The Little Earth Charter (Canada)

Selected EC Resources

Earth Charter Board Game

Pictures of Success

Examples of EC Resources

32

Helps people visualize the links between the Earth Charter and the SDGs.

Serves to motivate and educate people about the SDGs and the Earth Charter Principles.

Offers a space to share activities organized to help implement the SDGs and the EC.