CHANGE
Envisioning sustainable futures

Amid the current deepening ecological and sustainability crises, educating future generations to take responsibility for change is a complex task – especially when no one has precise knowledge of the solutions. In schools and universities, collective discussions and decisions based on scientific future scenarios are essential for identifying the most effective paths toward sustainability. Once the collective and technical-material conditions and possibilities within a specific institution are understood, meaningful and achievable goals can be defined through creativity, adaptability and a willingness to learn things that do not yet even exist.

In educational practice, these competences are expressed through addressing change in schools and universities. For practitioners, it is often easier to focus on concrete ways to improve sustainability and reduce environmental impact within their own institutions, rather than relying on abstract visions. They are interested in what concrete options are available to them and what specific changes are needed. Uncertainty and eco-anxiety can make the process burdensome.

Roadmap to change

Main enablers

Stories

Competences

Materials

Future unfolds through visions and concreteness

Outlining possible future visions and how they can be translated into concrete goals within the school or university is important. Studying undesirable, probable and preferable futures can sometimes lead students and even adults to apathy and despair, so it is important to empower the community with belief in the possibility of a sustainable future. Designing a shared, realistic vision of the steps the institution can take helps the vision of the preferred future to become concrete. If the institution decides to improve its technical-material capacities, it is also important to consider long-term procurement and to think critically about future maintenance, durability and the life cycle of the equipment.

To envision alternative sustainable futures by imagining and developing alternative scenarios and identifying the steps needed to achieve a preferred sustainable future.

Futures literacy empowers learners to create their visions for a sustainable future by providing them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to understand the futures as a variety of alternatives. Research commonly differentiates between three approaches in order to understand the futures:
- expected future, i.e. what we expect to happen based on what it is happening today and what we know, e.g. business as usual;
- alternative future(s), i.e. what will happen may differ from expectations, e.g. creation of green jobs that currently do not exist;
- preferred future, i.e. we may envision a sustainable future for us, our community and our planet, and identify the steps and actions needed to achieve that future, e.g. a circular economy.
Through futures literacy, learners can anticipate, prepare and invent as changes occur55. Futures literacy encourages learners to i) use their imagination when thinking about the future, ii) tap into their intuitions and creativity, and iii) assess the possible steps needed to achieve their preferred future. By using real-life experiences, learners can be taught in futures methodologies that adopt qualitative and/or quantitative research methods.

Knowledge

Knows the difference between expected, preferred and alternative futures for sustainability scenarios.

Knows the difference between short , medium and long term approaches and their implications for sustainability scenarios.

Knows that scenario development can factor in past events and current signals of change.

Knows that scenarios can inform decision making for a desired sustainable future.

Knows that effects caused by humans play a major role when mapping alternative and preferred future scenarios.

Skills

Can envisage alternative futures for sustainability that are grounded in science, creativity and values for sustainability.

Can analyse and evaluate futures and their opportunities, limitations and risks.

Can identify action and initiatives that lead to a preferred future.

Can anticipate future implications by looking at past trends and present conditions.

Attitudes

Has a long-term perspective when planning, assessing and evaluating sustainability actions.

Is concerned about the impact of one’s own action on the future.

Is aware that the projected consequences on self and community may influence preferences for certain scenarios above others.

Seeks to combine rigorous methods for thinking about the future with creative and participatory approaches.

Using simple planning exercises – like basic future-scenario sessions and working backwards from key goals (c)
Empowering students to take on the role of community ambassadors and believing that they could shape the future(c)
Hands-on activities to try out new tools and think about reusing materials can turn big sustainability ideas into small, projects of change that give hope and help the school learn and grow(c)
Critical reflection on how to realise the visions of a sustainable future in one’s own life and in the community(i)
Vision promoted by leaders who prioritise sustainability in their daily decision-making processes and encourage everyone to envisage preferred and feasible futures (i)
From ambition to action by testing plans against real-world constraints (i)
Strengthening institutional material capacities, while empowering school communities to manage and maintain sustainable infrastructures over the long term (t)
Easy‐to‐update equipment makes it easier to keep long‐term plans realistic and flexible(t)

Creating or strengthening:

- - - - (i)=individual competence
        
        (c)= collective competence
        
        (t)= technical-material competence

Lack of understanding the meaning and value of visioning (i)
Indifferent leadership and fragmented communication result in hesitation and cynicism among students, who then doubt the impact of their efforts (i)
Contradiction between what is recommended at school and the dynamics that govern today’s consumer society(c)
Demands for a less consumerist future remain vague, as it is difficult to imagine such a future in the current context (c) (i)

Creating or strengthening:

- - - - (i)=individual competence
        
        (c)= collective competence
        
        (t)= technical-material competence

How can we integrate sustainability into our daily decision making and long-term planning?
How can we empower students to take leadership roles in sustainability efforts within the school and the wider community?
Are our current strategies and resource allocations aligned with our sustainability goals? If not, what needs to change?
How can I incorporate hands-on, hopeful sustainability projects into my teaching to make abstract ideas tangible?
How can I support students in navigating the contradictions between sustainability education and consumer culture?
How do I feel when thinking about the future, and how can I turn those feelings into motivation for change?

Adaptation: Being flexible in the face of change without compromising well-being

Encountering change is always a personally burdensome experience, even when it leads to a better future. The school or university can support the entire community – including students, teachers and maintenance staff – by providing opportunities to build their capacities and avoiding know-how gaps through learning. Management practices play a crucial role in the adaptation process and steering the development of concrete, shared, preferably written action plans. Possible new technologies require flexibility from the whole community: maintaining a critical attitude, accepting uncertainty, and believing in the power of learning.

To manage transitions and challenges in complex sustainability situations and make decisions related to the future in the face of uncertainty, ambiguity and risk.

Adaptability is about being flexible and able to adapt to new situations and adjust in order to accommodate changes in our complex world. It is essential that learners be able to cope with uncertainty
about the future and the ambiguity of wicked sustainability problems and how they may evolve. Adaptability should provide learners with the ability to cope with trade-offs in sustainability e.g. environmental impacts and social outcomes as well as economic aspects. Moreover, learners should feel empowered to consider options and make decisions even when facing contradictions and risks in terms of the future.
People can learn in order to acquire knowledge, which may result in them changing their opinions and behaviour, and learning to manage their emotions. For cognitive adaptability, this might involve better teaching people about the significance of a changing climate. For behavioural adaptability, this might involve promoting positive and constructive actions among young people that support and sustain the environment, such as saving energy, recycling, harnessing clean energy, controlling water use, and encouraging others at home and at school to do the same things.