Breakout Session 1 - 16th September at 12:25 - 1:05

Education for Sustainability – There is no Planet B.

Abstract

In a time of intense climate change, school leaders need to support staff, students and communities to become more knowledgeable, adaptive and resilient in the face of changes to local and global environments.

In 2025, I had the privilege of winning the ASB-APPA Travelling Fellowship. I travelled to seven countries looking to engage with leading environmental educators, to understand what innovative practices are being promoted to support communities to live in more sustainable ways, now and in the future.

There is a consensus among global leaders from the United Nations Climate Action Hub, the International Confederation of Principals, the Foundation of Environmental Education Global, the OECD and others, that innovation needs to be ground-up, grassroots, adaptive and flexible for different contexts. It also needs to be student-led, ‘hands on’ and focused on action. Decisions made about economics, social justice and the environment need to be focused on ensuring any decision made does not negatively impact upon future generations.

For our tamariki and rangatahi to be future-ready, we need school leaders to focus not just on learning but on ‘learning for life’.

How to weave ‘Education for Sustainability’ through curriculum, where learning is relevant, authentic and future-focused, is one of the most important leadership challenges of our time. This workshop is designed to present key findings about ‘Education for Sustainability’ using local and global examples, with opportunity for participants to reflect and discuss ways their leadership can become more future-focused.

How do we prepare our tamariki and rangatahi for the challenges climate change will continue to create going forward?

Biography