STAGE 1: Establish Selected Practices

Most schools and districts are at this stage, and:

  • Use some practices that contribute to environmental, social and/or economic sustainability
  • Provide some aspects of Education for Sustainability

Now, Expand the Effort!

Learn more about Sustainability and Education for Sustainability.

  • Utilize this and other websites
  • Attend related presentations, workshops and conferences. Some are listed in our event list.
  • Read our newsletter
  • Read books. Consider forming a school or district book club to discuss sustainability-related books with others
  • Organize a discussion course; for example from the Northwest Earth Institute

Involve others

  • Organize a school or district sustainability event to inspire new thinking, perhaps with a speaker. group discussion or visioning.
  • Review the stakeholder list on each topic resource page and determine whom you’d like to involve.
  • Contact local government agencies and non-profits about technical assistance and/or programs you can participate in.
  • Help others learn about Sustainability and Education for Sustainability.
  • Work with a student, classroom or student club.
  • Help the school or district form a sustainability team.
  • Involve your peers, colleagues, parent-teacher organization

Implement a project(s)

  • See the Role-Based Opportunities for ideas.
  • Can be as big or small as you make it
  • Select a topic area(s); Explore related resources
  • Identify work that is already being done and join in, or
  • Introduce new sustainability practices into your own school / district activities and share your effort with others.

 

Stage 1 projects and practices WILL:

  • Increase knowledge and expertise
  • Reduce negative impacts to sustainability

Stage 1 projects and practices do NOT usually:

  • Get integrated into internal procedures and standards. As a result they are often viewed as an extra, optional activity and disappear when the teacher, staff person, parent or student who started them moves on.
  • Include the long-term or systems thinking that’s needed to completely eliminate negative impacts.
 

SSC

Take Action

The Sustainability Journey

Take Action - Intro

STAGE 1: Establish Selected Practices

STAGE 2: Embrace Sustainability as an Organization

STAGE 3: Integrate Sustainability Systematically

Thoughts to guide the sustainability journey

Demonstrated top-level support REALLY helps!

Include and train “on-the-ground” staff in order to achieve maximum success.

Change is difficult. It’s very helpful (perhaps necessary) to obtain coaching from someone not employed by the district.