Sustainability Literacy – The New Skills Set

The three �Rs' are making a comeback in our universities. But far from meaning �reading, writing and arithmetic', they now stand for �reducing, reusing and recycling'. In place of old-fashioned literacy, we have a new goal for education: sustainability literacy. The term was first coined by the environmental consultancy Forum for the Future, an organisation that has worked extensively with the higher education sector in recent years in exploring the implications of sustainable development. They suggest that a sustainability literate person is someone who understands the need for sustainable development, has the abilities to act in favour of it, and can recognise others' decisions and actions that favour it. Leading advocates of sustainability literacy are vague about content, preferring to accentuate the need for people to be 'aware' of the agenda and act on it in all aspects of their lives. The influential Centre for Sustainable Futures at Plymouth University, for example, aims for students to 'leave with the values and skills and knowledge to drive the sustainability agenda forward in their personal and professional lives'. The vice-chancellor of Bradford University hopes that sustainability literacy will bring about 'pro-sustainability behavioural change' amongst students.