Sustainable development education: Averting or mitigating cultural collision

The essay explores the role educational institutions can play in fostering sustainable development, a framework based on the integration of the econom ic, social, and environmental dimensions. Sustainable development, a cultur e sensitive model, lends itself to reconciling competing cultures in a cont emporary context driven by global demands for competition and consumerism o n one extreme, while the other focuses almost exclusively on strict environ mental protection. It further affirms the value of traditional or indigenou s knowledge to complement modern knowledge. The paper suggests that educati ng for a sustainable future requires inclusion of six features: an interdis ciplinary approach; teacher-training, pre- and in-service; curricula based on the three pillars of sustainable development; social and environmental j ustice; meaningful political participation; and respect for local and indig enous cultures. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.