Sustainability and the Educational Lab

Attitude, educational principle and implementation | The topic of sustainability has a high priority in the Educational Lab. In some labs it has been explicitly addressed for some time, while in others ecological, economic and social aspects of sustainability have become an important cross-cutting issue.

Sustainability as a basic attitude and premise for action | Acting sustainably means living and doing business in such a way that future generations can live at least as well as today’s, particularly with regard to safeguarding the natural environment. In the Educational Lab, which sees itself as a research-oriented platform for innovative forms of teaching and learning, education for sustainable development is of great importance. Young people, as the decision-makers of tomorrow, and adults (lifelong learning) are equally addressed. Sustainability aspects are a central focus and important cross-cutting issue in a wide range of teaching and learning settings as well as research-oriented projects. The activities of the Educational Lab include awareness-raising, knowledge transfer and decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Sustainability as a multi-layered challenge | Sustainability is addressed in its ecological (How do we treat nature?), social (How do we organize ourselves as a society?) and economic dimensions (How do we do business?). Sustainability is primarily seen as a cultural challenge encompassing all three dimensions. It is about values and their realization in a social context.

A critical and reflective approach to the topic of sustainability | Sustainability issues touch on complex interrelationships and defy simple solutions. They have a socio-spatial impact at different levels. Individuals are addressed just as much as larger communities, the problems have a regional and global impact. There is a great deal of knowledge on individual topics and yet the overall context can only be surveyed and assessed to a limited extent. Sustainability goals can contradict each other, such as ecological and social or ecological and economic aspects. Sustainability concepts also vary in scope and rigor – whether and to what extent we as a society need to change our lifestyle in order to remain sustainable is controversial, as is the importance of technology.

The Educational Lab helps people to recognize the complexity of sustainability issues. The aim is to promote skills in dealing with sustainability in the sense of «sustainability literacy».

Sustainability between aspiration and reality | Concepts or political position papers that are adopted at international level and usually contain very comprehensive goals give weight to the issue of sustainability and motivate us to work towards sustainable development. At the same time, the long road from a fundamental vote in favor of sustainable action to actual implementation must be seen. In this respect, the Educational Lab sees sustainability as a guiding principle that cannot always be realized in every respect, but can be pursued in the best possible way.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals as a reference point for the activities of the Educational Lab | The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations (UN) provide the Educational Lab with a reference point for relating educational offerings to specific social problems and making their significance for sustainability visible. The reference is once again reflective and critical: the goals can be weighted differently by stakeholders. Goals can contradict each other and lead to dilemmas (e.g. SDG 8 – Decent work and economic growth can be achieved at the expense of SDG 15 – Life on land be achieved). It must also be taken into account that the goals and indicators formulated from an international perspective are not always suitable for a European country like Austria, although this does not diminish their importance (SDG 2 – Food security or SDG 6 – Sanitation are taken for granted in many parts of the world, but not yet in many). The SDGs are not easy guidelines to implement, but they are a widely supported and catchy way of making sustainable development more tangible in its multidimensionality.

Sustainability in concrete terms | In the Educational Lab and the Educational Innovation Lab for Sustainable MINT (EIL4MINT), research is carried out on specific topics for which concrete solutions are sought. The 17 SDGs are of varying importance in the individual labs and projects.

Common to all activities is the high importance of SDG 4 – Quality Educationin particular sub-goal 4.7, which aims to ensure that «by 2030, all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and an appreciation of cultural diversity and the contribution of culture to sustainable development».

When discussing aspects of sustainability, it is always important to think about gender equality (Who makes decisions? How are resources distributed? What role do social roles play in this context?) The basic principles of SDG 5 – gender equality and the empowerment of girls and women are taken into account in all labs in the way in which research and educational settings are designed and in the use of gender-equitable and diversity-conscious language.

Further specific priorities of the labs in the area of individual SDGs are shown on the respective pages.

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* https://www.bundeskanzleramt.gv.at/themen/nachhaltige-entwicklung-agenda-2030/ziele-der-agenda-2030/ziel-4-hochwertige-bildung.html