Historic cultural references for education oriented to sustainability

This page presents a summary of the path of Environmental Education in its progress towards  the current dimension of Education for Sustainability.

Environmental education started as  education oriented to know, protect and preserve the natural environment (Conference Bangkok 1965). The many environmental disasters happened since this data have suggested the change in this setting,  and environmental education, in addition to the conservation and protection of nature, has focused in all the physical space and cultural context in which human beings live (the Stockholm Conference 1972 and Tblisi 1977, define its new identity).

Environmental education then finds its place inside the concept of sustainable development, with the aims to promote sustainable and conscious behavior (Agenda 21 in Rio de Janeiro, 1992).

In the recent years  targets are expanded further: not only information to change behavior and spread good practices, but also to propose a critical attitude to information and develop  actions and experiences in which it is possible to activate the process of cultural change and social sustainability (Thessaloniki Declaration 1997).

During the Summit on Sustainable Development in  Johannesburg (2002) was enhanced the concept of sustainable development at all levels, from the local to the global and was proclaimed the International Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD ) for which UNESCO has developed a strategy to be implemented at International level

Regarding Italian context  represent milestones the agreement of Fiuggi Charta (1997), the Environmental Education National Conference (Genova 2000) and the consequently develop of  INFEA Guidelines.

The establishment  in the 90s  of ANPA ( National Agency Environmental Protecionts) and Agencies for Environmental Protection (ARPA / APPA) has contributed to enrich the offer of services and territorial structures for Environmental Education and to raise awareness of cooperate in networking.

In addition the different actors involved in the field of sustainability at the national and local level have taken as point of reference the Italian Commission of UNESCO for the implementation of the DESS (Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014)