Sustainability in higher education in the Asia‐Pacific: developments, challenges, and prospects

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the contributions of the Asia‐Pacific region to leading practice in sustainability in higher education (HE), as prelude and orientation to this special issue collection from different countries and regions.Design/methodology/approach – This is a critical review that includes international and regional policy contexts in sustainability and “education for sustainable development” (ESD), whilst exploring the trajectories of key initiatives across the region and considering the broader context of sustainability innovation within the HE sector.Findings – The Asia‐Pacific region offers many creative initiatives and shows considerable progress in ESD and in understanding the learning dimensions of sustainability. At the same time, it mirrors global trends in that further work is needed to promote systemic change in educational arenas, particularly in terms of strategic integration within HE institutions. The Asia‐Pacific contributions to this colle...

[1]  Leith Sharp,et al.  Green campuses: the road from little victories to systemic transformation , 2002 .

[2]  John Francis Fien,et al.  Towards education for a sustainable future in Asia and the Pacific , 2000 .

[3]  W. Clark.  Sustainability Science: A room of its own , 2007, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[4]  Osamu Abe,et al.  Higher education for sustainable development in Japan: policy and progress , 2010 .

[5]  Daniella Tilbury,et al.  Asia Pacific Guidelines for the Development of National ESD Indicators , 2007 .

[6]  Sarah A. Bekessy,et al.  The failure of non‐binding declarations to achieve university sustainability , 2007 .

[7]  Zinaida Fadeeva,et al.  Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCEs): an overview , 2008 .

[8]  Dustin Mulvaney,et al.  The creation of an integrated sustainability curriculum and student praxis projects , 2011 .

[9]  K. Takeuchi,et al.  Sustainability science: building a new discipline , 2006 .

[10]  Osamu Abe,et al.  The education for sustainable development movement in Japan: a political perspective , 2009 .

[11]  Derek Elias.  UNESCO's Approach to Implementing the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) in Asia and the Pacific , 2006 .

[12]  Peter Blaze Corcoran,et al.  The Problematics of Sustainability in Higher Education: A Synthesis , 2004 .

[13]  D Tilbury,et al.  A National review of environmental education and its contribution to sustainability in Australia : further and higher education , 2005 .

[14]  Robin Sakamoto,et al.  Cross-border partnerships in higher education: strategies and issues , 2010 .

[15]  R. Scholz,et al.  Higher education as a change agent for sustainability in different cultures and contexts , 2008 .

[16]  Tarah Wright,et al.  The Evolution of Sustainability Declarations in Higher Education , 2004 .

[17]  A. Wals,et al.  “Sustainability” in higher education: from doublethink and newspeak to critical thinking and meaningful learning , 2002 .

[18]  R. Bawden.  Sustainability as Emergence: The Need for Engaged Discourse , 2004 .

[19]  John Fien,et al.  Environment, education, and society in the Asia-Pacific: local traditions and global discourses , 2000 .

[20]  Dong-xiu Niu,et al.  Higher education for sustainable development in China , 2010 .

[21]  Overlaps and Tradeoffs: Coordinating Policies for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific , 1993 .

[22]  Hamoon Khelghat-Doost,et al.  Regional Centre of Expertise as transformational platform for sustainability: A case study of Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang , 2008 .

[23]  Adi Irfan Che-Ani,et al.  Campus Sustainability: Student's Perception on Campus Physical Development Planning in Malaysia , 2011 .