ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) / Education for Sustainability

The number of times one comes across the phrase “sustainable society” in newspapers and magazines has recently increased. “Sustainable society” and/or “sustainability” seem like difficult concepts, but I personally grasp them through a simple image. I think of everyone gradually getting along better rather than getting something “more, bigger or faster” than others. Educational movements to make the world more sustainable and enable everyone to live harmoniously have begun in countries across the globe, especially through the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). Various efforts in support of it have taken place within Japan and around the world, aiming to correct society’s growth towards “bigger and faster” and to get people to think beyond themselves to global society and not just of their present selves but of future generations. I also undertook government-funded research studies and am in the process of compiling results into several “messages.” Below, I introduce reports and videos resulting from research projects with which I have been involved. Please do not hesitate to communicate your comments about any of these.

1. International Educational Cooperation by JICA
2. ODA Research Project in Lao PDR under the Official Development Assistance Grants for UNESCO Activities, Exchange and Cooperation Program for Promotion and Development of the Education, Science and Technology and Culture of Developing Countries in the Asia-Pacific Region
3. Scientific Research Grant [Kakenhi] Project
4. ESD Programme by ACCU (Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO)
5. Programme by the Japan Foundation
6. International Workshop and Symposium by the Japan Holistic Education Society (JHES) and ACCU
7. International ESD Symposium by NIER and MEXT
8. ESD Programme by Ministry of Environment
9. ESD Study Visit Programme
10. ESD in Higher Education

1. International Educational Cooperation by JICA

• Developing a Recycle-oriented Community Model Through the Catalyst of a Public School as an Environmental Center

In cooperation with the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, Nagata Lab supports local people to establish an ESD Centre at local public schools.

2. ODA Research Project in Lao PDR under the Official Development Assistance Grants for UNESCO Activities, Exchange and Cooperation Program for Promotion and Development of the Education, Science and Technology and Culture of Developing Countries in the Asia-Pacific Region

• ‘Creation of 'ESD Communities' in Urban and Rural Areas’
• 'Basic Study and Creation and Dissemination of Multimedia Educational Materials Aimed at Building a "Broader ESD Model" for Developing Countries'

3. Scientific Research Grant [Kakenhi] Project

A Study Towards Creation of an ESD School Network in East Aisa

• Mid-term Report[Japanese]
• Final Report[Japanese]
• Challenges of UNESCO ASPnet
• Youth-Led, Cross-Border Collaborative Radiation Measurement Project. (Research-in-Grant Report by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. 2012.
• ‘Youth-Led, Cross-Border Collaborative Radiation Measurement Project: Results and Issues’or: Naoko Yoshida). IN: The Journal of the Victorian Association for Environmental Education. Victoria Association for Environmental Education (VAEE). EINGANA. Vol. 36, No. 3. (ed. by I. Sutherland). December 2013. pp. 7-9.

4. ESD Programme by ACCU (Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO)

ESD Regional Programme Report:

• Tales of HOPE Grassroots Activities of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Asia and the Pacific
• Tales of Hope II
• Tales of Hope III
• ESD Rice Project (Regional Initiative for Cooperation for ESD Promotion Through Rice):
  ESD Rice Project

5. Programme by the Japan Foundation

• Fostering ‘Resilience’ to Overcome Hardships in Disaster-Affected Areas
• Self-Reliance of the Socially Vulnerable and Globalized Community
• Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Environmental Education

6. International Workshop and Symposium by the Japan Holistic Education Society (JHES) and ACCU

• Roots and Wings: Fostering Education for Sustainable Development: Holistic Approaches towards ESD.

7. International ESD Symposium by NIER and MEXT

• Sustainable Development and Education for the 21st Century : What We Can Do Now for the Children of the Future

8. ESD Programme by Ministry of Environment

• The Promotion of ESD Activities at Community Level + Monitoring and Evaluation for ESD Projects (the Japanese Ministry of Environment)

9. ESD Study Visit Programme

• For ESD Study Visit Programme organized once a year, see: ‘Study Visit Programme’ of this Home Page.

10. ESD in Higher Education

1. Project-based learning for a sustainable campus (Japanese)
2. Climate Emergency Declaration (University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo: Japanese & English)
3. Research by KAKENHI: Grant Number JP20H01645
   "Developing and Evaluating "Deep ESD" in Higher Education" (Representative: Prof. Hideki Maruyama)
   KAKEN-Research Project
   Maruyama Lab.

This homepage was supported by KAKENHI Grant Number JP20H01645