Warning: This article is packed with good news, which you may have grown unaccustomed to. Read at your own risk!

Whenever I sit down to write a blog article, I freeze. I feel it is too big a job for me right now, that I don’t have the headspace, that I am not good at it, that it will take me days and that surely I must have more important things to prioritise. Will this blog article even change anything for anyone? 

That might be how Sustainability Education or Education for Sustainability feels like for you and your colleagues right now. A “nice to have”. A “too hard to implement”. A “tomorrow thing”. Yet, deep down, if you are reading this, you know it has to be done. 

So first good news. I’ll do for free what my coaches and therapists have been doing for me for a fee: show you that (1) what you do is critical, (2) you are already more than halfway there and (3) this can be a fun and fulfilling ride. 

You are already doing Education for Sustainability (pat pat on the back!)

Yes, you are already implementing “Education for Sustainability” whether you know it or not.

In a world full of complex interconnected problems, the best thing we can do for our children right now is to educate and empower them to thrive within the limits of our planet. Fostering sustainable 21st century citizens necessitates more than simply incorporating gardening, composting, and recycling into the early years classroom. Fortunately, you are well on your way to putting what is necessary into practice! 

Through our extensive multidisciplinary research at Endless Play Studio, we have come to the conclusion that as early childhood educators, parents and citizens, there are 3 things we need to help our children do right now: 

1. DREAM: help them imagine a sustainable and regenerative world because “we cannot create what we can’t imagine” (Lucille Cliffton). There are plenty of beautiful examples of this in the natural world, in Indigenous cultures and in some of the latest innovations. 

2. DEVELOP: teach them about sustainability as a practice but also very importantly nurture and develop general competencies required to transition to a sustainable world. Think of presence, empathy, compassion, complexity awareness and perseverance to name a few. 

3. DARE & DO: help them strengthen their confidence & agency to take action and drive the change they want to see in the world. 

In your day to day, are you, for example, supporting our children in developing empathy, compassion, courage, critical thinking, communication, presence, problem-solving, collaboration, creativity, intercultural responsiveness, confidence and / or agency? If yes, then you are already educating for sustainability. These amongst others, are critical skills we must all develop and nurture to transition to a sustainable world, one where social and economic development occurs within ecological boundaries. And it’s not just us at Endless Play Studio saying that, it has been very well researched and documented. You might find both the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) and the European sustainability “GreenComp” framework helpful in identifying those must-develop competencies. 

Small changes for great impact

The first small change we can make is looking at sustainability holistically and embracing Education for Sustainability. In early childhood education, there has been such emphasis on the environmental dimension of sustainability that we have almost become blind to the whole picture. That narrow focus on all things “green” has been counterproductive in some ways. It has limited our ability to come up with a wide range of complimentary activities that will shape the sustainable citizens of tomorrow.

So it’s really important to go back to definitions. Our Western definitions of sustainability and regeneration, but also very importantly Indigenous ones. I promise you that once you do that, you will have a completely fresh perspective on all of the things you can do to bring sustainability into the classroom, and driving Education for Sustainability at your centre will become a whole lot easier. 

EYLF 2.0 is your best friend

If it hasn’t yet become apparent, EYLF 2.0 is your best friend in your implementation of Education for Sustainability. This document is a masterpiece in holistic thinking and in supporting a bright future for our children. Yes, it is a bit of a beast (I certainly felt overwhelmed at first) but it forms a strong base for everything we need to do to support our children growing up as sustainable thinkers, doers and innovators. 

I am not just talking about meeting the Sustainability principle, I am talking about leveraging the whole of EYLF 2.0 to help children dream up a regenerative world, develop the competencies they need to bring that world to life, and help them garner the confidence and agency to take action towards that world. When you work towards all 5 outcomes, you are well on your way to growing sustainable citizens!

You can tick all of the boxes in EYLF 2.0 by doing Education for Sustainability, it’s not more work, it is the work we need to do. 

What the EYLF 2.0 doesn’t give you is what Education for Sustainability looks like in the classroom in terms of play and learning activities. But you already know how to come up with fun, engaging and educational activities and experiences, you just need a bit of help extending those to become circular and regenerative. Helping you with this is why Endless Play Studio exists. But again this is nowhere near as hard as you might think.

Fun and fulfilment await

Helping kids imagine a sustainable future and bring it to life is fun, hopeful and can ultimately take whatever shape brings you joy and satisfaction. 

Are plants and animals your favourite topic? Well you can make children dream by helping them see what we can learn from (not just about) other living things. 

Are you a great connector or leader? Well you can bring people and skills together to help children see our interconnectedness to everything else on this planet.

No matter your passions, strengths and experiences, you have something unique to bring to Education for Sustainability. And that special thing will bring you deep satisfaction. 

You are as important as wolves in Yellowstone National Park: a keystone species. 

In case you are still wondering if whatever you do could or would really make a difference, let me tell you about what happened when wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park in the US. When a small population of wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park 25 years ago, this “one action changed the soil, the growth of plants and grasses, and the diversity and populations of wildlife throughout the park. It even changed the way the rivers flow. And all we did was bring back wolves.”*

For a 4 min shot of hope and energy, watch the video below (and show the children as well!).

All of our research makes us believe early childhood educators are like the wolves in Yellowstone national park: YOU CAN CHANGE THE SYSTEM (owooooo!). By implementing Education for Sustainability in your centres, you will impact children, parents and the community at large and contribute to deep change in our broader social, political, economic and biological systems, supporting our children and future generations to thrive within the limits of our planet. A small action resulting in massive changes. 

Now that you know you are like wolves in Yellowstone National Park, find your colleagues and howl around “let’s deepen Education for Sustainability, it’s easier than you think!”. 

To continue your Education for Sustainability journey, subscribe to our blog and other news by filling the form below and / or reach out directly at dorothee@endlessplaystudio.com. When you are ready, our professional development programs for educators and childcare leaders might be just what you need.

*Jamie Rappoport Clarke (2020) ‘We Were Wrong About Wolves, Here’s Why’