Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften

Abstract:
Education for sustainable development is an integral part of a teacher‘s job. Providing students with additional knowledge and having them voice intentions do not generally lead to improvements in sustainable behaviour. A long-term implementation of well-meant behavioural intentions only occurs if these intentions are in sync with the identity, the preferences and the resources of individual students. Recognising one‘s personal identity in the domain of sustainable development engenders the foundation for suitable action spaces that enable students to independently determine and achieve their goals. In such an environment, teachers have the important task of making sure that students employ a suitable approach during the implementation phase. Th is approach makes the envisaged ecological, economic and social sustainable behaviour more effective and satisfying and therewith sustainable at an individual level too. Sustainable education for sustainable development thus requires more than introducing the subject and mentioning a few examples with appropriate behavioural changes to accompany them.