I
had always considered myself a relatively ‘eco-friendly’ person, enjoying time
spent outdoors, despising litter and pollution, growing up in a countryside
household that values the environment. I reassured myself that by recycling
plastic bottles, walking short distances and by availing of public transport as
opposed to driving a car that I was able to justify endless of television and
laptop use, recreational shopping and an occasional flight to Europe for a holiday
in the sun. In recent years I have since come to accept that I can no longer engage
in the same consumption practices of the past without a sharp pang of guilt. The
‘you-should-know-better’ voice inside my head (that developed as a result of four
years of environmental and sustainability-related lectures) now lingers when I
queue to pay for a heavily packaged pair of shoes, or a box of fruit that has
been transported thousands of miles from its source of origin. Education has
indeed opened my eyes to the reality of my contribution to increasing carbon
emissions and the associated consequences.
As suggested
by the title of this blog, to me, ignorance was bliss. Although I was aware
that my energy consumption practices far outweigh those of people my age in
other parts of the world, it was a thought that rarely crossed my mind. Thus,
for several years I was blissfully engaging in the unsustainable
mass-consumption economy I was born into. Taking a rather Orthodox Marxist perspective,
I would argue that the environmental issues at hand today are inherently
interlinked with this capitalist system and that the current crisis of the
situation necessitates a demand for scientific, technological and other developments
to improve our current understanding and the methods employed for resolving
these issues. This information then needs to be distributed to and understood
by people of all ages, across all levels of society, in both the public and
private sector. In short, we need education.
As
my awareness of the extent of the global environment issues grew, I must admit
the temptation to adopt a despondent, existential attitude was there – after
all, given the magnitude of the situation, if nobody else was making changes
what difference could I make? However I ultimately believe that knowledge,
particularly knowledge pertaining to the effects of an individual’s lifestyle
and personal choices, has the ability to empower and inspire meaningful action.
The role of education in this regard has become increasingly recognised by
actors and organisations across multiple spheres. Departments of Education worldwide
and multinational organisations such as UNESCO and the WWF run programmes in
support of sustainability-based education. Such courses aim to promote
sustainable lifestyle choices and often take a particular focus on the
education of younger generations. In August 2013 for example, the Irish Department
of Education and Skills launched a plan to develop the ‘National Strategy onEducation for Sustainable Development in Ireland’. This strategy expresses the
significance of education. It aims to establish sustainable development learning at all
levels of the education system and to promote public awareness and create
support for education for sustainable development. I strongly believe the implementation of such strategies, as
part of a wider movement that recognises the importance of education, is the
first step in the long road to sustainable living.
Claire Quinn
