EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN FINLAND

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN FINLAND MARJA-LEENA LOUKOLA SIMO ISOAHO KAISA LINDSTRÖM 1

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PREFACE The UN "Earth Summit" meeting in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 adopted the Rio Declaration on the principles of sustainable development and Agenda 21, a global program for the implementation of these principles. Within the Rio process, the foreign ministers of the Baltic Sea Region adopted "Baltic 21", an Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region in 1998. This provides for action programmes in the sectors of agriculture, energy management, fishery, manufacturing, tourism and transportation. The programme also provides for cross-sectoral actions, one of which is designed to promote awareness through education. At their meeting in Stockholm on 23 and 24 March 2000, the education ministers of the Baltic Sea countries discussed the role of education in the Baltic 21 Programme. Considering that education had not been given sufficient attention in the programme, they issued the Haga Declaration, proposing that education should be included as a sector of its own. The prime ministers of the Council of the Baltic Sea States endorsed this initiative at their meeting in Kolding, Denmark on 12 and 13 April 2000. The education ministers will meet in Stockholm on 24 and 25 January 2002 to adopt the education sector action programme called "An Agenda 21 for Education for Sustainable Development in the Baltic Sea Region - Baltic 21E". An organisation composed of representatives of each Baltic Sea State was set up to prepare the programme under Sweden and Lithuania. Most work was done in three working groups dealing with preschool to upper secondary education, tertiary education, and non-formal education. The Finnish representatives were Ms Marja-Leena Loukola, Counsellor of Education at the National Board of Education, in WG 1; Mr Simo Isoaho, Lecturer at the Tampere University of Technology, in WG 2; and Ms Kaisa Lindström, Principal of Otava Folk High School, in WG 3. Simo Isoaho chaired his Working Group. The Working Groups based their work on reviews of education for sustainable development in each of the Baltic Sea countries. The three reports included in this publication give a good overall picture of the extent and contents of education for sustainable development in Finland and of 3

major development needs, which the projected Baltic 21E Programme is designed to address. Since the working language in Baltic 21E is English, the reports are published only in English. The reports have been compiled by the Finnish representatives on the three Working Groups, who are also responsible for the views presented in them. Helsinki, 19 December 2001 Arvo Jäppinen Director General 4

CONTENTS Marja-Leena Loukola: EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SCHOOLS 7 Simo Isoaho: EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN UNIVERSITIES AND POLYTECHNICS 29 Kaisa Lindström: EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NON-FORMAL ADULT EDUCATION 61 5

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EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SCHOOLS MARJA-LEENA LOUKOLA COUNSELLOR OF EDUCATION NATIONAL BOARD OF EDUCATION 7

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 9 1 NATIONAL LEVEL 11 1.1 National policy concerning sustainable development 11 1.2 National goals for EE/ESD in education 12 12 1.3 Plans on a national level to improve EE/ESD 14 1.4 Responsibility of the school 16 1.5 Co-operation between the ministries 17 2 LOCAL LEVEL 18 3 SCHOOL LEVEL 19 3.1 EE/ESD during regular school hours 19 3.2 EE/ESD after-school activities 21 3.3 Contents of EE/ESD 21 3.4 Methods and organisation in EE/ESD 22 3.5 Steps taken to make the school more environmentally friendly 23 3.6 Competence of staff 24 3.7 Support 25 3.8 Partnership 26 3.9 Obstacles 26 4 CONCLUSION 28 8

INTRODUCTION This report describes environmental education and the promotion of sustainable development in Finnish schools. The description covers preschools, comprehensive schools, upper secondary schools and vocational institutes. The source material consists of development schemes, projects, framework curricula and reports of governing bodies in the field of education. The implementation of sustainable development in Finnish schools is mainly described on the basis of the evaluation carried out in 1999 and reported in 2001 by the National Board of Education. The evaluation of sustainable development consisted of a sample of 500 educational establishments. 9

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1 NATIONAL LEVEL 1.1 NATIONAL POLICY CONCERNING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN LEGISLATION According to the Finnish constitution, every individual is responsible for nature and its biodiversity, environment and cultural heritage. It is the task of public authorities to seek to secure everybody the right to a healthy environment, and an opportunity to participate in decision-making concerning the environment in which one lives. Sector legislation defines the areas of responsibility for different lines of business in respect to implementing sustainable development. THE PROGRAMME OF THE FINNISH GOVERNMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT The Finnish Council of State made a Decision-in-Principle on promotion of ecological sustainability in 1998. The Government Programme on Sustainable Development is Finland s third comprehensive document outlining national measures to be taken to promote sustainable development. In 1990, the Council of State presented a report entitled Sustainable Development and Finland to the Finnish Parliament. A second report was prepared by the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development in 1995, Finnish Action for Sustainable Development. The Government s programme for sustainable development is designed to promote ecological sustainability and the economic, social and cultural preconditions for achieving this end. The Council of State Decisionin-Principle defines the strategic objectives and lines of action for key sectors of sustainable development. These sectors were selected with an emphasis on ecological sustainability. In terms of ecological sustainability, the primary goals of the programme are to reduce the use of nonrenewable resources, to preserve nature s generative capacity and ecological values and to generally improve the condition of the environment. The programme also proposes lines of action for solving far-reaching environmental problems through international cooperation. Improving the condition of the natural environment and the 11

environments in which people live also has beneficial consequences for human health. In striving to achieve social and cultural sustainability, the programme is designed to equip society with the skills and knowledge required for meeting the challenges of sustainable development, thereby also generally improving social wellbeing. In respect to the target of economic sustainability, the programme is designed to improve Finland s economic competitiveness and employment, and to reduce the environmental burden of production and consumption. The programme guides planning, decision-making and other activities within the state government. In addition, the programme provides a basis for dialogue with other involved parties, and a framework for planning activities and actions with them. SIGNS OF SUSTAINABILITY The first national collection of indicators for sustainable development were developed as a joint venture between different spheres of government and scientific research in 2000. The indicators are directed at both decisionmakers and citizens. Their purpose is to give information on the state of and trends in factors affecting sustainable development in Finland. The indicators will be used in, for example, monitoring the Finnish Government s Programme for Sustainable Development. Development work on indicators will continue; a further publication on the subject is due in two years time. 1.2 NATIONAL GOALS FOR EE/ESD IN EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT SCHEME OF MINISTRY OF EDUCATION Every four years, the Finnish Council of State approves the development scheme of the Ministry of Education for educational provision, and for university research. The most recent development scheme, Education and research 1999-2004, begins by defining the principles of national educational provision. One of the important principles is sustainable development: The principles of sustainable development will be taken into account in the educational provision, and other activities of different school forms. 12

FRAMEWORK CURRICULA In Finland, the Council of State decides on the common nationwide objectives of education. The Council of State also decides on dividing the available instruction time between individual subjects, subject groups and study guidance in comprehensive and upper secondary schools, and on obligatory subjects and their extent in vocational institutes. The National Board of Education prepares the framework curricula for different types of schools. These curricula contain the definition of the objectives and core contents of educational work, and advice both on assessment and on how schools can make their own curricula. In the 1990s, the norms of framework curricula were made less detailed. More emphasis was put on the objectives being of current interest, and on developing learning to learn skills. There was a general wish to shift decision-making power from a national level to the level of individual educational establishments. PRESCHOOL EDUCATION Finland has revised preschool education, which will be provided in full extent in August 2001. The new curriculum also includes skills relating to sustainable development. The objectives of these skills are to encourage children to take an interest in nature, to learn to observe natural phenomena, and to become aware of the consequences of their own actions. The main contents of these objectives are also outlined in the curriculum. BASIC AND UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION The curricula for basic and upper secondary education will be gradually revised by 2008. The current core curricula (adopted in 1994) raise the question of sustainable development as a rationale for curricular reform, and as one of the themes in discussion about values in schools. The largest amount of material relating to sustainable development is included in natural sciences, but it is also treated in connection with home economics, art and crafts, humanities and languages. In Finland, there are two upper secondary schools specializing in environmental sciences, and seven upper secondary schools specializing in natural sciences. Also, other upper secondary schools offer advanced 13

level and applied courses in topics relating to sustainable development. VOCATIONAL INSTITUTES Vocational curricula are also being revised at the moment. The objective of sustainable development is stressed in the new curricula, which also include environmental know-how in vocational competence. In addition, there are new vocational qualifications in the environmental field: in vocational institutes, and as an option for adults, who can take a competence-based examination in environmental care. PROGRAMME FOR FURTHERING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN 1998-2000 In 1997, the National Board of Education drew up a programme (1998-2000) for promoting sustainable development. The programme proposed 17 measures to be implemented by schools and other educational establishments over a four-year period. According to the programme, the aims of environmental education are an awareness of the necessity of sustainable development, positive attitudes towards working for and sufficient knowledge and expertise to act in keeping with sustainable development, and skills needed to pursue a sustainable way of life. EVALUATION OF THE TEACHING OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT In 1999, the National Board of Education conducted an evaluation of the theme of sustainable development. First, the educational institutions were given instructions for self-evaluation. Second, the National Board of Education carried out an interview based on sampling. The aim was to produce information both about teaching of sustainable development and about its day-to-day practice in schools. The results have been used when describing the situation in schools. 1.3 PLANS ON NATIONAL LEVEL TO IMPROVE EE/ESD 14 The ongoing revision of curricula presents a great challenge for including sustainable development in instruction, everyday life and vocational competence.

Even more emphasis will be placed on teachers guides, various learning materials and in-service training for teachers. Teachers are encouraged to work in co-operation with various experts. Information about nature schools, and other interesting places for visits, projects and programmes will be disseminated more effectively than is done presently. CREATING NETWORKS At the beginning of the 1990s, the National Board of Education launched the Aquarium project, in which schools commit themselves to developing certain topic areas. The project was carried out as 16 networks, one of which was the network for environmental education. The exchange of experiences and the dissemination of ideas took place in training sessions, meetings, through magazines and other publications, and through personal contacts. During recent years, networks have taken new forms. There are now many regional networks, through which schools develop their common environmental programme or participation in cooperation according to a local agenda. In an ever increasing amount, contacts are created and maintained via e-mail and the Internet. The National Board of Education will continue to support these networks in the future. SETTING CRITERIA In order to be able to be in the front line of sustainable development schools need a commonly recognized environmental programme. The National Board of Education, the Trade Union for teachers, and OKKA Foundation are developing criteria, with the help of which schools can evaluate and develop management of environmental matters. The aim of the criteria and the environmental programme for schools is to ensure that the principles of sustainable development are included in all school activities, such as instruction, building maintenance, deliveries and transport, material usage, functions of the school kitchen, and administration of safety matters. When schools commit themselves to maintaining the principles of sustainable development in their activities this will gradually start reflecting itself in all sectors of society. As an encouragement for schools to pay more and more attention to sustainable development an environmental certificate is being prepared. 15

This certificate will be granted to a school as a sign of serious and purposeful environmental work. The preliminary criteria for the certificate consist of three parts: managing environmental matters, instruction and participation, and maintaining environmentally friendly activities. Educational establishments of all levels can apply for the certificate. THE INTERNET SERVICE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT The virtual school is a part of the Ministry of Education s information strategy for education and research. In connection with that the National Board of Education developed the internet service on sustainable development jointly with the Ministry of Environment. The internet service disseminates material relating to sustainable lifestyle to schools, interest groups and the general public. The aim is to stimulate investigative learning. The virtual sustainable development school opened on the net site of the National Board of Education in May 2001. FINNISH OAK Finnish Oak was launched by the National Board of Antiquities and the National Board of Education in 1998. It is a project involving 150 schools and gearing to develop education relating to cultural heritage. The main theme in the project is to raise awareness among schoolchildren and young people of historic environments and the conservation of cultural heritage. One part of the project is disseminating information on UNESCO s World Heritage Sites. The International ASP (Associated Schools Project) Network and World Heritage Centre have launched a special development project on the methods of teaching in order to better promote understanding of and respect for heritage. In 2001, the Ministry for the Environment joined the Finnish Oak project, which will continue until 2003. 1.4 RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SCHOOL 16 Municipalities are required to offer preschool instruction to preschool-aged children living in their area, and basic education to children and young people of mandatory school-attendance age. Preschool instruction lasts for a year, and compulsory education for nine years. A municipality, federation of

municipalities, government-registered organization or foundation can obtain a permission for providing upper secondary or vocational education. The provider of education approves of a curriculum for the instruction to be given. The provider is also required to evaluate the given instruction and its effectiveness. An upper secondary education is provided for adults as well. The upper secondary school syllabus can be completed, and matriculation examination taken by participating in day or evening tuition, or by doing distance learning. In upper secondary school, adults can also complete parts of the basic education syllabus. Education relating to vocational qualifications is provided for adults as well. They can acquire basic vocational degrees, vocational qualifications, and specialized vocational qualifications through competence-based examinations regardless of the way they have acquired their professional competence. 1.5 COOPERATION BETWEEN MINISTRIES The systematic policy for preparing laws relating to the environment and producing and circulating information about the environment belongs to the Ministry for the Environment, the Finnish Environment Institute, and the regional environment centres. Each sector has the responsibility of supervising environmental issues in their own field and putting them into practice. In Finland, there are many boards and committees for cooperation between various ministries. Joint projects are a natural way of working on environmental issues. The Finnish National Commission is the main joint organization at the national level. The chairman of the group is the Prime Minister. Many ministers and civil servants of various sectors are members in this organization. 17

2 LOCAL LEVEL CURRICULA A municipality draws up for its school system a framework curriculum, in which are defined among other things the business idea and key results of the municipality and its school service, the need for regional training, the organisation of education, the limitation of liability, an economic framework, the language programme of primary, secondary and upper secondary schools, the schedule for the revision of curricula, the cooperation between different school forms, and the decision concerning an evaluation of the effectiveness of the school service. The National Board of Education produced a report Curriculum work in municipalities and comprehensive schools in 1994-1999. The report is based on a sampling-based questionnaire. The sample consisted of 238 municipalities, 294 primary schools and 104 secondary schools. The report was completed in 2000. According to the report, municipalities give schools quite a lot of power to decide but municipalities make centralized decisions concerning language programmes, distribution of lessons, and organisation of special education. In the majority of schools, curricula have been made in cooperation with the teachers of a school and one or more cooperative partners. In most cases, cooperation has also taken place with pupils parents. Another common way is to cooperate with other schools and teachers in the municipality. Municipality authorities need to approve of the individual school curricula. LOCAL AGENDA 21 Local agendas cover approximately 83 % of the Finnish population. 15 % of schools have their own action programme for sustainable development. Only 6 % of schools have formulated their environmental programme as part of formulating a local agenda for a municipality. REGIONAL AND LOCAL NETWORKS 18 There are many educational networks for sustainable development in Finland. Some of them work under municipalities developing curricula, action programmes or quality systems, or organizing projects. Networks can cover large geographical areas. More and more interaction is done via e-mail and the Internet.

3 SCHOOL LEVEL The description of the situation in schools is based on the evaluation made by the National Board of Education in 1999. The theme evaluation of the state of sustainable development was carried out with a stratified random sample in 500 educational institutions. The sample consisted of schools of the general (74,2 %), vocational (14,4 %) and liberal adult education (11,4 %). There were representative samples of educational institutions from all of the provinces, EU support areas, and municipality groups. The percentage of Finnish speaking schools was 91, and of Swedish speaking schools 9. The data for the evaluation was gathered through pre-tested questionnaire forms, which were given to headmasters, teaching staff, student unions and non-teaching staff of educational institutions. Answers were obtained from 85,8 % of the respondents. Additionally, information for this report has been obtained from other reports, network reports and projects of the National Board of Education. 3.1 EE/ESD DURING REGULAR SCHOOL HOURS The process of drawing up curricula in a school has started by defining the value basis and business idea of the school. The aim of promoting sustainable development is often recorded in them. According to the evaluation report of the National Board of Education, 72 % of the vocational institutions, and 66 % of the institutions of general education participating in the survey answered that promoting sustainable development has been included in their curricula. In teaching, sustainable development is mostly integrated into other instruction. This was the answer of 87 % of general educational institutions and 90 % of vocational institutions. Environmental education is often part of subject entities or special theme days. According to the report Making curricula in municipalities and schools in 1994-1999 environmental education is the most popular subject entity in primary and secondary school. In primary schools, environmental and natural studies is the subject in which to best put sustainable development into practice. In secondary school, however, biology, geography and home economics are the subjects with most material for dealing with the topic of sustainable development. 19

Upper secondary schools mention biology, geography and chemistry as subjects putting sustainable development well into practice. According to headmasters, basic education in vocational institutions pays attention to sustainable development well. In the opinion of teachers, the same is true to a limited extent. When fields of education were compared with each other the fields putting sustainable development into practice most were considered to be the field of natural resources, tourism and travel industry, food and catering industry, economics, social care, and health care. Teachers of vocational institutions named vocational subjects, the energy economy, environmental education and environmental knowledge, social awareness and knowledge of working life, vocational work, and technology as subjects putting sustainable development into practice most. Periods of practical work are the subject entities which implement sustainable development best. 38 % of the student unions in vocational institutions, and 33 % of those in adult education centres claimed the instruction of their institutions includes too few courses on environmental issues and sustainable development. 30 % of upper secondary school student unions agreed on that. None of the student unions thought there were too many courses on sustainable development. Student unions were asked to name important topics in relation to sustainable development, which should be dealt with in teaching. The most often mentioned topic was recycling. Other topics included foreign cultures, population growth, toxic waste, influence of an individual, provisions control and sorting, greenhouse effect, social matters and equality, the energy economy, the ozone depletion, rain forests, acid rain, extinction and protection of animal species, pollution, an increase in the amount of chemical waste, consumerism, the state of the oceans, environmental legislation, and regional planning. To compare the carrying out of sustainable development issues between school types, the principals answers from each school were given a score, and the mean of these was termed the parameter of sustainable development. This parameter for the vocational schools is statistically almost significantly better than of the general education schools. The parameter for the urban institutions was statistically almost significantly higher than that of rural institutions. 20

3.2 EE/ESD AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES Various organisations cooperate with schools in the area of environmental education. Organisations can participate in planning short courses, projects, special theme days, competitions, work parties, and camps on sustainable development. These can be conducted during a school day or after regular school hours. For example, The Nature League is responsible for afterschool nature clubs in many schools, and The Finnish Association for Recreational Sports and Outdoor Activities organises nature path series for preschool-aged and primary and secondary school-aged children and young people. In Finland, there are various organisations concentrating on environmental issues and nature activities. Many of these organisations have departments for children and young people. Additionally, there are youth councils in many municipalities. In a youth council, young people learn about social participation and decision-making, since the initiatives of youth councils go to municipality councils. In an evaluation on sustainable development, the National Board of Education acquired information about the nature of interests of primary school sixth grade pupils by asking them: Do you spend any of your freetime in nature? Where and how? 21 % of the pupils answered that they go fishing, 20 % said they pick berries or fungi, and 27 % said they walk in nature. 4 % of the pupils participate in scouting trips, and 5 % in other trips in nature. 3.3 CONTENTS OF EE/ESD In most cases, teaching about the principles of sustainable development is integrated into other instruction. The topic of ecological sustainability is mainly associated with the syllabi of the natural sciences. Elements of economic, cultural and social sustainability are to be found in almost all subjects. These types of sustainable development are central, for example, when dealing with the topics of population growth, urbanisation, internationalisation, and family education, graphic arts, and personal and social education. Short- and long-term study units relating to environmental education are organised in all types of educational institutions. Themes for these 21

22 study units include among other things sorting, recycling and refuse disposal, immediate surroundings, traffic, and endangered species of animals. Themes of special theme days vary. Organisation of theme days often depends on responsible teachers and cooperative partners. Local, regional, national, or international projects and programmes are an increasingly popular way of carrying out projects relating to environmental education and sustainable development. Many of these projects focus on doing research on the state of environment, and on comparing the results with the ones of cooperational partners. In some projects, schools draw up their own environmental programme, and plan ways of making the transition to an ecological lifestyle. In cooperation with museums and schools research is done on the cultural heritage of an area. The objective of many projects is to familiarise students with their surroundings, and to take a stand on plans of its development. Some projects include course planning, or revision of an entire curriculum. The aim of leading a life according to the principles of sustainable development manifests itself most clearly in practising sorting and rubbish collection. Conservation of resources and recycling are also important forms of putting sustainable development into practice. Ecological reforms in school kitchens and meals, keeping a watch on the use of water and energy, ecological and economic solutions in school purchases, environmentally friendly detergents, maintaining safety and pleasantness of surroundings, and traffic arrangements are also some of the commonly taken practical measures for sustainable development. In an evaluation, the National Board of Education did research on the attitudes of primary school sixth graders towards the promotion of sustainable development. The level of awareness concerning the importance of protecting the environment was high. Pupils had understood the concept of recycling well, and put the concept into practice. Recycling, and saving energy and water were practiced more at home than in school. 3.4 METHODS AND ORGANISATION OF EE/ESD According to the evaluation report of the National Board of Education on sustainable development, 66 % of educational institutions have included sustainable development in their values and business idea. Social and cultural sustainability appear in curricula as often as ecological and economic

sustainability. However, schools have not defined in clear terms how the instruction on sustainable development is realised. Study methods naturally depend on the topics which are being dealt with. Study projects have increased the use of various kinds of researchbased working methods. Problem-solving processes, cooperative learning, and participation in decision-making have become more common in environmental projects. Maintaining a compost and recycling units, sorting, or gardening have introduced practical activities and the sense of responsibility for one s everyday actions into schools. 13 % of schools of general education have their own action programme for sustainable development. It is part of the local agenda 21 in only 6 % of schools. 26 % of vocational institutes have their own action programme and it is very often part of a quality standard. A team takes responsibility for the organisation of sustainable development in 20 % of schools and an appointed person in 18 %. In most cases a team consists of two teachers, a student and a representative of the non-teaching staff. Very often headmaster belongs to this team. Teams or appointed persons take care of contacts outside school, events and many practical matters. They have an important role in developing the curriculum, courses and learning. 28 % of teachers and 34 % of students think that teachers participate rather a lot in implementing sustainable development in schools. Headmasters lead, plan, delegate and take care of contacts to other organisations. Teachers plan, teach and guide. Students plan, study and participate in many practical tasks alongside staff. Cooperation between staff-members in school manifests itself in discussing, planning and integrating subjects. Personnel cooperate in this way mostly in schools of general education (30 %). 3.5 STEPS TAKEN TO MAKE SCHOOLS MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY Dealing with an increasing number of environmental questions during lessons of different subjects is the first step taken to make a school more environmentally friendly. Schools plan new interdisciplinary courses and extra optional courses concerning EE/ESD. The second step is to participate in projects and to join environmental 23

24 networks. Network cooperation gives schools courage and ideas. Cooperation with local environmental experts, organisations and businesses offers plenty of opportunities for both developing teaching, and for changing everyday practices. Organising recycling is normally the first step in changing day-to-day practices. 96 % of schools keep paper, 58 % glass and 51 % metals and 30 % plastic for recycling according to the evaluation report of the National Board of Education. 30 % of schools compost their kitchen waste and 38 % deliver food waste to farms. Saving material, energy and water, and taking the environmental aspect into account in planning purchases is the second step in changing everyday practices of schools in more ecological direction. This stage is often reached as a result of cooperation between schools and local authorities. The third step is revising curricula so that sustainable development is included in the contents of many or all subjects. Standardising teaching and everyday practices is considered important. A school can draw up its own environmental programme, and a method for evaluating it. An environmental programme of a school can be included in the school s quality standard or be part of a local agenda. In Finland, there are many preschools, and primary and secondary schools which emphasize sustainable development in their teaching. Two upper secondary schools have been granted a special permission to specialize in environmental education. Many vocational institutions have developed their own environmental programmes as part of their quality standard. In 1998, the first vocational institution received the ISO 14001 environmental certificate. 3.6 COMPETENCE OF STAFF In teacher training, the amount of EE/ESD varies greatly depending on the subject, field, and points of emphasis of individual teacher training universities. According to the evaluation report of the National Board of Education on sustainable development, 30 % of school staff had participated in in-service training. Only 3 % of the participants of in-service training had completed 15 credits of study, and 2 % the minimum of 35 credits of study. The duration of the training had normally been 1-5 days. In-service training of teachers has mostly consisted of general

3.7 SUPPORT environmental education, and focused on pedagogical applications of EE. Only 5 % of the respondents had received training in large environmental questions. 71 % of the participants of in-service training were teachers, and 8 % headmasters. Only rarely had cleaners, cooks, secretaries, building managers, janitors or nurses taken part in in-service training on sustainable development. According to headmasters, most of the training on sustainable development has been organised by municipalities. Other organisers included in-service training centres, environmental centres, and environmental organisations. According to the evaluation report on sustainable development, changes in schools depend on the attitudes of the staff. Positive attitudes, and the awareness of the necessity of sustainable development are starting points for changes. The official national-level support in the form of framework curricula and various action programmes, on the other hand, are important for a change in attitudes. In-service training is needed, and offered in abundance. A small amount of the free in-service training provided by educational authorities has been reserved for training in sustainable development. Most of the other education provided by educational authorities is subject to a charge. It depends on the school providers how finances for personnel training are directed. There is plenty of material available for environmental education. There are text books, exercise books, additional teaching material, bulletins, research reports, databases, study material on the Internet, and information in the media. The National Board of Education has published support material for teachers, and provides information of good practical examples of implementing environmental education. There is noticeably less material for familiarising one with profound questions of sustainable development. The Internet service of the National Board of Education on sustainable development, which is accessible to everybody, has been developed to meet the present lack of information. There is methodological material for EE in Finland but little methodological material for ESD. 25

Different networks are an increasingly important source of support in implementing sustainable development. Networks can connect teachers with their colleagues in neighbouring schools, or with local activists. Networks can also be projects or programmes. 3.8 PARTNERSHIP 39 % of all schools and institutions cooperate with a partner from outside their establishments. The most important cooperational partners are local authorities and other schools and institutions. Very often environmental experts in municipalities are the most important partner. They help in purchases, recycling and waste management. Also experts of museums, and forestry and agricultural sectors are important. In some municipalities, students take part in monitoring environment with local environmental experts. There are many school networks in the field of environmental education. Some concentrate on changing ideas and information, some plan action programmes, special theme days, or voluntary work together. Some vocational institutions and upper secondary schools have planned joint courses. Many non-governmental organisations cooperate with schools and have special school programmes. Many organisations also have courses and learning materials for teachers and students, and they organise events and camps with schools. Other cooperation partners include businesses, especially businesses of environmental field, cleaning and waste management. Many enterpreneurs of the field of natural resources are also interested in cooperation with schools. Cooperation with universities has produced joint courses and objects of research. 3.9 OBSTACLES 26 In the evaluation of sustainable development by the National Board of Education schools named the lack of finances and resources to be the greatest obstacle for the implementation of sustainable development. This was asserted by 28 % of teachers, 12 % of non-teaching staff and 5 % of students unions. A lack of time was said to be the second most common obstacle. Many reasons relating to attitudes were also felt to be impediments

for implementing sustainable development. Indifference, a lack of information and cooperational skills, traditions, bureaucracy, and various groupings in work communities were also mentioned. Fast-changing society and working life expect schools to be able to react quickly to megatrends, and the new challenges they encompass. Science produces new and even contradictory information in an ever increasing speed. Sustainable development competes with other important issues, and its contents do not easily blend into the contents of school syllabi. Ecological sustainability has established its position especially in natural sciences. Education concerning a change in values and lifestyle, or in society and production does not have as established a place in school curricula or contents. Support and exchange of experiences are needed. It is important to transmit information of right kind of environmental enterprises, and together develop them further. 27

4 CONCLUSIONS Sustainable development is the greatest challenge facing humankind. When schools in their work commit themselves to principles of sustainable development practising it will gradually be transferred to all sectors of society through young people. It is extremely important that nationwide support is given to the instruction of sustainable development. Sustainable development needs to be clearly recorded in the national documents defining the objectives of education in Finland. Framework curricula have to create a foundation for including sustainable development in different school subjects and educational fields. Instructions are also needed for creating environmental programmes. Changes are required in teacher training, and in-service training for teachers. Since environmental issues are interdisciplinary, and relate to lifestyle, dealing with them in a varied way requires cooperation in work communities of schools, and with partners from outside school. This line of action requires further development and structural solutions. Entire work communities should be involved in training. There is not enough teaching material for promoting sustainable development. Collecting that material personally takes too much time and effort. Network cooperation has proved to be a good way of promoting solutions which are in accordance with sustainable development. Experiences are shared, and established lines of action further developed. Cooperation with environmental experts and organisations of citizens has also helped schools to find new solutions. 28

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN UNIVERSITIES AND POLYTECHNICS SIMO ISOAHO SENIOR LECTURER TAMPERE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY 29

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 31 NATIONAL POLICIES AND STRATEGIES 34 HIGHER EDUCATION IN FINLAND 35 THE RESPONSE OF THE FINNISH UNIVERSITIES AND POLYTECHNICS TO THE FOUR QUESTIONNAIRES 37 TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE WORKING PRACTICES 39 TRAINING IN SD 40 TEACHER TRAINING 46 CONTINUING EDUCATION AND OPEN UNIVERSITY 46 RESOURCES FOR ESD 48 RESEARCH IN UNIVERSITIES 49 R&D IN POLYTECHNICS 52 BALTIC SEA REGIONAL COLLABORATION 52 CO-OPERATION WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION 53 UNESCO PROJECTS 54 CONCLUSIONS 55 APPENDIX 1: THE HAGA DECLARATION IN BRIEF 56 APPENDIX 2: SPECIALIZATION RELATION TO SD 57 30

INTRODUCTION On 24 March 2000, the Ministers of Education of the Baltic Sea Countries adopted the Haga Declaration, according to which the Baltic 21 action programme for sustainable development (SD) will also include education. At the meeting in Haga, a sector network was set up, and Sweden and Lithuania were appointed as the principal partners for the preparation of the Baltic 21 document on education. In Appendix 1, the Haga Declaration is summarized with key words and aspects the ministers approved as guidelines for goals and actions for the Baltic 21 document on education. It was decided that the preparation project would be started with a review of the current educational situation in SD in each Baltic State. The plan of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) will include objectives and actions designed to promote SD at every level of education and daily life. The ministers of education will convene later in 2001 to adopt the action plan. Three working groups were established to cover all levels and categories of education: pre-school to upper secondary education and formal adult education (wg1), universities and university colleges and other institutions of higher education (wg2), and non-formal education (wg3). The Ministries of Education as well as NGOs and IGOs were asked to nominate their representatives for the working groups. This summary report reviews the present educational activities to promote SD in the Finnish universities and polytechnics. The author was requested to survey the situation and to report it. As requested by the principal partners, the summary report has also to be approved by the Finnish Ministry of Education. METHOD AND REFERENCES Three different approaches were considered to survey SD activities in the universities and polytechnics: active organizational units, specialization in SD topics, and effectiveness (in various aspects) of teaching, research, and working practices. This survey is based on the first two approaches and is quantitative. A qualitative survey would have required more time and additional methods. 31

To gather information on SD, four separate questionnaires were sent to all the universities and polytechnics in Finland with the target recipients - administration, various teaching and research units (institutes or laboratories), teacher training and continuing education centers, and open university - receiving a questionnaire specifically designed for each. The questionnaires were otherwise similar for both university and polytechnic recipients, except that the polytechnics were not asked about academic research. All information was distributed and received via electronic mail and www-facilities. Based on an earlier survey by the author, a list of recommended teacher and researcher recipients were prepared separately for each university. The concept of SD, as defined in Our Common Future (WCED report, 1986), is a call for a change in lifestyle rather than a concrete single goal. Difficult to define for practical purposes, the concept of SD urges us to define concrete goals with corresponding criteria and indicators for various dimensions, such as ecological, economic, social and cultural. In addition, goals and criteria strongly depend on the actual context in which they are applied. There are even numerous naturally occurring context parameters, which can be derived from climatic and geographic issues and the stock of natural resources. Also, human societies and nature are not static systems. They are in continuous process of change and therefore fact environments for decision making are inevitably dependent on the era we live in. There seems to be less room for generalizations as perhaps one would prefer in targeting easier political regulation. So far, this view has received less attention in practice. Instead, acute problems due e.g. to environmental emissions, deforestation, overgrazing and waste management have become the main focus of individuals and socially engaged bodies. Consequently, the ecological dimension and sectoral approaches, such as environmental economics, legislation, management and technology, and nature conservation still constitute the common issues in public and academic debate, as well as in education and training. In view of this, it did not seem reasonable to ask the recipients to classify themselves as advocates of either environmental protection or sustainable development. Despite of the conceptual and described situation, the Haga Declaration called for a wider concept for reviewing the present educational activities on the issue, and this request raised a methodological dilemma of how to classify respondents according 32

to their specialization in environmental and/or sustainable development. Therefore, it was necessary to develop a method for classifying university respondents according to their organizational relatedness with issues of environmental and/or sustainable development, since university departments boast a unique organizational basis and background. Both university and polytechnic respondents were asked to tell their specialization relatedness with specific issues of environmental and/or sustainable development. For both classifications, the methodological solution was to use the codes primary, secondary and occasional (as defined and described later in the text). The cover letter to the recipients included the address of the SD website on the Ministry of the Environment homepage in case they wanted a more comprehensive description of the SD dimensions. Information on the SD dimensions was also available on various government homepages and in the statistics and reports compiled by the Ministry of Education. In January 2001, the author prepared a report on environmental specialization in the Finnish universities and polytechnics for the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry. Its results are also used in this report. The survey methods, references, and interpretation of results are described in detail in a comprehensive report (in Finnish) prepared by the author for the Ministry of Education. 33

NATIONAL POLICIES AND STRATEGIES 34 According to the Finnish constitution, each citizen is responsible for nature and its biodiversity and cultural heritage, and public authorities seek to guarantee everyone the right to a healthy environment and opportunities to participate in decision-making about one s environment. Governmental sector legislation defines the areas of responsibility for different businesses to promote SD. In the 1990s, the Finnish government outlined national measures to promote SD in three comprehensive documents. In 1990, the Government presented Parliament with a report entitled Sustainable Development and Finland, and in 1995, the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development prepared a second report, Finnish Action for Sustainable Development. In the most recent one in 1998, entitled Government Programme for Sustainable Development, the Government defines the strategic objectives and lines of action for all authorities concerned. The achievements will be evaluated for the national RIO+10 report. The Government Programme for SD is designed to promote ecological sustainability and the economic, social, and cultural prerequisites to achieve this end. The Programme defines the strategic objectives and lines of action for key SD sectors, and its major goals are to reduce the use of nonrenewable resources, to preserve nature s regenerative capacity and ecological values, and in general to improve environmental conditions. Such improvement of natural and human environments will also benefit human health. In addition, the Programme proposes lines of action for solving farreaching environmental problems through international co-operation. In striving to achieve social and cultural sustainability, the Programme is designed to provide citizens with the skills and knowledge required to meet the challenges of SD and thereby generally improve social wellbeing. Concerning the target of economic sustainability, the Programme is designed to enhance Finland s economic competitiveness and employment and to reduce the impact on the environment of production and consumption. The programme guides planning, decision-making, and other activities within the state government and, in addition, provides a basis for dialogue with other involved parties and a framework for planning activities and actions with them.

The first national indicators of SD, published in 2000, are directed at both decision-makers and citizens with the purpose to inform them about the factors and trends affecting SD in Finland. The indicators for education are still quite general and do not measure ESD, but work on these indicators will continue with a further publication on them due in two years time. DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR EDUCATION AND RESEARCH Every four years, the Finnish Government approves a Development Plan for Education and Research, which is prepared by the Ministry of Education. According to the latest development plan, Education and Research 1999-2004, The principles of sustainable development will be taken into account in the educational provision and other activities of different school forms. The aim of the Finnish Ministry of Education is to strengthen education for SD and to integrate its elements comprehensively into education and training. In Finland, environmental education aims to raise awareness of the necessity of SD, motivate people for a sustainable lifestyle, and provide knowledge and expertise to promote sustainability. HIGHER EDUCATION IN FINLAND The Finnish higher educational system consists of two sectors, universities and polytechnics. The polytechnics are the more practically oriented, training professionals for expert and development posts. In 2000, 2.6 % of the population (5.2 million) were studying at universities and 1.9 % at polytechnics. As a whole, the higher educational system can admit 66 % of the relevant age group (universities 29 %, polytechnics 37 %). More information on the Finnish education system is available on the Finnish Ministry of Education website (www.minedu.fi). UNIVERSITIES Finland has all in all 20 universities: ten multifaculty universities, three universities of technology, three schools of economics and business administration, and four art academies. The University of Helsinki being the largest of them and the Academy of Fine Arts the smallest. Two universities have a faculty of technology. Geographically, the universities cover the whole country. University level education is also provided by the 35

National Defence College, which is subordinate to the Ministry of Defence. The basic mission of the universities is to carry out research and provide education based on it. The principle underlying university education is the freedom of research and institutional autonomy, which afford the universities considerable latitude for independent decision. All Finnish universities are state-run with the government providing some 70 % of their funding. Each university negotiates with the Ministry of Education a three-year agreement on targets and operational principles. The most important legislation governing the universities are the University Acts and Decrees, the Decree on the Higher Education Degree System, and fieldspecific Decrees, which articulate e.g. the educational responsibilities in a given discipline, degree titles, and the structure, extent, objectives, and content of the education. Universities select their students on a keen competitive basis, and all disciplines apply numerus clausus with entrance examinations a key element. The biggest departments are in the disciplines of technology, the humanities and the natural sciences and the smallest in the fine arts, theatre and dance, and veterinary science. The degree system was overhauled in the 1990s with a view to international equivalence, wider freedom of choice, and comprehensive degrees allowing flexible combinations of study modules from different fields and institutions. The new degree system allows undergraduate and graduate studies in 20 different disciplines with the bachelor s degree (120 credits) to be taken in three years and the master s (160 credits, in engineering 180 credits) in five years. Graduates can then continue in a postgraduate programme for licentiate and doctoral degrees. Sixteen thousand degrees are annually conferred in Finland, among them 11,000 master s degrees and 1,000 doctorates. POLYTECHNICS There are 29 polytechnics in Finland, most of them multidisciplinary, regional institutions attaching particular weight to contacts with businesses and industry. The polytechnics are being developed as a part of the national and international higher education community with special emphasis on their expertise in working life and its development. The polytechnics also carry out R&D relevant to their teaching and the world of work. 36

The polytechnics were created gradually over the 1990s as the standards of former higher vocational education were raised and incorporated into multidisciplinary polytechnics. The Polytechnics Act was passed in 1995. The Finnish polytechnics are co-financed by the government and the local authorities. The Ministry of Education negotiates a three-year agreement with each polytechnic on objectives, admissions, and projectand performance-based funding. The polytechnics award professionally oriented higher educational degrees, which take 3.5 or 4 years to complete. The entry requirements are either an upper secondary school certificate or a vocational diploma. Presently about 70 % of all entrants are matriculated students and 30 % vocational graduates. The Ministry of Education confirms the degree programmes. The polytechnics employ two categories of teachers: principal lecturers, required to have a postgraduate (licentiate or doctorate) degree, and lecturers, who must have a master s degree. Both lecturer posts call for a minimum of three years work experience. Polytechnic education is provided in the following fields: natural resources; technology and transport; administration and business; hotel, catering and home economics; health and social services; culture and humanities; and education. Polytechnics also arrange programmes for adult education. THE RESPONSE OF THE FINNISH UNIVERSITIES AND POLYTECHNICS TO THE FOUR QUESTIONNAIRES The organizational response to the questionnaires is shown in Table 1. Table 1. Response rate of Finnish universities and polytechnics to four ESD questionnaires. HIGHER ADMINIST- TRAINING AND TEACHER CONTINUING TOTAL EDUCATIONAL RATION RESEARCH TRAINING EDUCATION RESPONSE INSTITUTION UNITS UNITS UNITS CENTERS *) Quest. A Quest. B Quest. C Quest. D Quest. A D Universities (20 pcs) 15 (75%) 91 (60%) 8 (67%) 12 (52%) 126 (61%) Polytechnics (29 pcs) 9 (31%) 19 (61%) **) 2 (40%) 10 (35%) 40 (43%) Grand total (49 pcs) 24 (47%) 110 (60%) 10 (59%) 22 (42%) 166 (55%) *) Total response shows the total number of the surveyed. **) Relevant figure is 68%, as explained later in the text. 37

University training and research units were asked to define their organizational relation to SD issues. Table 2 shows the number of university units in the primary, secondary, and occasional categories (defined below the table), and an estimated number of potential university units that did not respond. The response rate of the different categories is 49 to 73 percent. Table 2. Organizational relation to SD of university respondents in training and research. UNIVERSITY PRI- SECON- OCCA- TOTAL MARY DARY SIONAL Swedish School of Economics and Business Helsinki School of Economics and Business 1 1 Helsinki University 5 (1) 5 9 19 (1) Joensuu University 2 (2) 2 (2) Jyväskylä University 2 (2) (3) 2 (5) Kuopio University 1 (1) (2) (3) 1 (6) Academy of Fine Arts 1 1 University of Lapland (1) (1) Lappeenranta University of Technology 1 1 1 3 Oulu University 3 4 4 11 Sibelius Academy University of Industrial Arts Tampere University of Technology 2 3 (5) 1 (4) 6 (9) Tampere University (1) 2 4 (2) 6 (3) Theatre Academy 1 1 Helsinki University of Technology 4 (2) 17 6 27 (2) Turku School of Economics and Business (1) (1) (2) Turku University 2 (1) 4 (1) 5 (5) 11 (7) Vaasa University (2) (1) (3) Åbo Academy (2) (4) (15) (21) Grand total 22 (8) 37 (20) 32 (34) 91 (62) *) 73 % 65 % 49 % 60 % *) The percentages are a breakdown of the rate of response to Questionnaire B (see Table 1). The estimated number of university units, known to deal with SD issues but not responding to the questionnaire, is shown in brackets. Primary = The first organizational duty of respondents is to deal with environmental and/or SD issues. Secondary = The respondents consider environmental and/or SD issues a secondary organizational duty besides or within their main duty. Occasional = The respondents participate occasionally in environmental and/or SD issues, for example, in the form of projects or expertise derived from their main specialization. 38

Twenty one (of the 29) Finnish polytechnics offer altogether 31 training programs in environmental and/or SD studies, whereas some programs include only special orientation studies in environmental and SD issues. With the special training programs and the orientation studies from other training programs combined, the polytechnics offer altogether 37 graduation options. The response to questionnaire B covers 25 of these graduation options. Consequently, the correct response of the polytechnic training programs is 68 percent (25 out of 37) and not 61 (19 of 31), as shown in Table 1. The response of the universities and the polytechnics was good and, combined with information available from other sources, enables an estimated quantitative ESD profile of the Finnish universities and polytechnics, as done later in the report. On some single SD topics, the response levels were even higher. TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE WORKING PRACTICES In 1996, The Finnish Ministry of Education called on all universities to promote SD in their work practices. According to this survey and other available information, by the end of the 1990s almost all universities had prepared a Program for SD, focusing on energy and other forms of consumption, waste management, and commuting. Some universities have already adopted ISO 14001 in their environmental management procedures, and most universities have implemented a special waste management plan. SD programs are also considered an exemplary model for students and staff, and documents about SD are available on the homepages of almost all universities. A number of polytechnics have implemented similar programs, and others are in the process of doing so. Thirteen universities and one polytechnic have signed the University Charter for Sustainable Development (CRE, Copernicus). OTHER EXAMPLES OF WORK PRACTICES The University of Tampere has prepared a Plan for Gender Equality and considers it to be an important part in promoting SD (www.uta.fi/tasaarvo). Furthermore, since 1995 the university in conjunction with the student associations has been running an Eco-campus Project (www.uta.fi/opis- 39

kelu/ecocampus). The University of Helsinki has a www-site for the reuse of electronic equipment. Tampere University of Technology holds an annual joint seminar with the student association entitled Technology - Master or Servant? In addition, a number of universities provide environmental education for their staff. In Kymenlaakso and Tampere polytechnics, students participate in an implementation of the environmental management system for the institute. In Mikkeli polytechnic, students organize thematic weeks in environmental issues. Swedish Polytechnic jointly with its students organized a project in waste sorting and management. Tampere polytechnic students participated in planning waste management. TRAINING IN SD The following summary, a quantitative estimation, is based on the response to the above questionnaires and information available in official governmental statistics and in the documents and publications of the Ministry of Education. The author has also used data from his previous survey. Teacher training and continuing education are reported under their own titles because separate questionnaires were used for these categories. SD DIMENSIONS IN TRAINING AND RESEARCH 40 University teaching and research units and polytechnic degree programs were asked to define their specializations as far as they involve the various SD topics shown in Appendix 2. The reply options were primary, secondary, occasional, or no relation. Primary here means that the respondent has high direct expertise in a listed SD topic. Secondary describes frequent or integrated application of the respondent s other major specialization in a listed SD topic. Occasional represents the respondent s less frequent and supportive use of expertise in one of the listed SD topic. In the universities, specialization and organizational connections with SD differ, because a university unit can be classified as a primary organizational SD group (univ-primary) though it may have a secondary specialization in one or more SD topics, or vice versa. This is why the university units appear in three different answer groups. To interpret the results in Appendix 2, it is important to observe that universities and polytechnics recognize their specialization in SD topics in

different ways. University units see their specialization as being based on their research activities, whereas polytechnic degree programmes assess their specialization primarily in terms of the SD topics covered in their teaching or the educational expertise of their teachers. In Finnish universities and polytechnics, teaching and research activities cover all aspects of SD (Appendix 2). Twenty-one percent (23 of 110) of the respondents deal with environmentally related health effects, though only two respondents reported the topic as their primary specialization. Forty-three percent (47 of 110) of the respondents are concerned with ecological environmental protection: 43 % primarily, 32 % secondarily, and 25 % occasionally. Environmental technology represents the largest specialization with 62 % of the respondents (68 of 110): 29 % primary, 40 % secondary, and 31 % occasional involvements. The second largest field is environmental management with 53 % (58 of 110) of the surveyed: 32 % primary, 33 % secondary, and 35% occasional involvements. Fortynine percent (54 of 110) of the surveyed are engaged in political management and administration and/or social and cultural dimensions: 21 % primarily, 37 % secondarily, and 42 % occasionally. Moreover, some of the surveyed, although having no expertise in political and social science or humanities considered it their primary specialization. UNIVERSITY EDUCATION AND RESEARCH UNITS Sixteen universities out of the twenty in Finland have about 90 education and research units whose secondary duties at least involve specific topics in SD. In the universities, 5-10 % of 400 to 450 training and research units are primarily, 10-15 % secondarily, and 15-20 % occasionally involved with SD issues, and in all 35-45 % of the university units participate at least occasionally in SD issues. Some 80 % of the activities involving SD issues are carried out by university units with a background in science or engineering, whereas fine arts, economics, humanities, social and political sciences play a minor role in this regard. During the academic year 1998-99, some 170 graduates majored in environmental subjects, and the figure is expected to reach annually 250-300 graduates in the near future. In 2000, the Finnish universities conferred 11 500 master s degrees, about 2 % of them in various SD specializations. 41

About 40-45 % of Finnish university students study environmental and SD issues at least in some integrated form. The universities offer instruction in SD (mainly EE) in the form of degree programmes and specializations within the programmes, which, offered by approximately thirty university units (Table 2: primary university units) in eleven universities, cover a wide variety of SD topics (Appendix 2). Because a Finnish university graduate s specialization is to a large extent determined by his or her major subject, major subject offerings are relevant indicators of SD training in the universities. Table 3 collates the information on university specializations and integrated major subjects in SD with corresponding student enrolment. Table 3. Majors in SD with corresponding student enrolment in twelve Finnish universities. 42 Major fields of study Primary university units Secondary university units Special.Stud. Integr. Stud. Special.Stud. Integr. Stud. Ecology, chemistry, biology, botany, zoology, agriculture, forestry 17 873 4 130 7 277 11 156 Environmental science 1 130 1? Environmental engineering and biotechnology 9 311 5 73 Other technology field 2 710 14 403 Law and administration 2? 3 870 Environmental management 2 32 1? 1 5 Environmental economy 1 70 Landscape management & construction 2? 1? Architecture & construction 4 465 8 581 Economics & business administration 3 4 +? Political economy 1 3 Communication and information 1 3 Geography, Regional planning 2 205 Psychology 1 232 Ethnic music 1? Theological ethics & religion philosophy 1 50 Total 32 1346 10 1710

All universities, barring the arts academies, offer all students a minor in SD issues (15 to 35 credits in purely or partly environmental issues), some even several minor options. For example, Tampere University of Technology offers minors in environmental protection, future research, and man-societytechnology. Furthermore, in most of universities, students can choose single study courses from a larger course package; for example, Åbo Academy has such a course package worth 85 credits. Asked to select a maximum of five most relevant introductory and advanced course offerings, units from eight universities responded with a total of 164 introductory and 133 advanced courses, of which 21 introductory and 21 advanced courses can be classified as interdisciplinary SD studies. Based on other sources, all Finnish universities offer at least one course in SD and/or ecology for all students. The survey also prompted some respondents to take a closer look at their SD relatedness. For example, the fine arts are usually considered less SD oriented; however, several art forms harbour important potential for intercultural debate regionally and globally and even in issues otherwise too sensitive and premature for direct debate. Furthermore, several forms of art could help promote SD in both children and adults. The response from Professor Pentti Paavolainen of the Finnish Theatre Academy summarizes this context as follows: - One can confidently say that the concept of SD is deeply embedded in our teaching, for the inborn genuinely ethical and humane relationship young people have with their world at large reflects that attitude on the communal level. Views on human consumption, the future of the natural environment and technology as well as ethical questions pervade the entire teaching process. - We can say that SD defined as social and cultural sustainability is included in all our activities: teaching, exercises, productions, and projects. In our Academy, we feel very positive about encouraging cultural diversity as a key SD dimension on a par with the ecological and economic dimensions. - The art subjects of the Academy, namely dance and theatre, are universal arts whose strengths lie in their locality. They flourish among their audience and carry a continuous dialogue with it. Their specific 43

feature is unmediated contact with the public, and they generate experiences that are both intimate and communal. They fuse and interpret international trends into integral parts of their own cultural milieu. Through these arts, an outsider can learn many things about the mentality, values, and thought patterns of a particular country. These arts live their lives on the borders of tradition and change; they modify and channel cultural heritage into new contexts and eras. - The societal importance of the arts, especially that of dance and theatre, is now seen in a wider perspective than before. They are seen as increasing the quality of life of their participants, and they generate emotionally and intellectually stimulating experiences that develop sensitivity, sense of nuances, and capabilities for simultaneous social co-operation and individuality. Engaging in and attending art activities constitute a key element in any civic society, while being barred from them is a form of social marginalization. Art education will therefore have an increasing share in education, and such art forms as theatre and dance, requiring co-operation and joint responsibility, will have much to offer. POLYTECHNIC DEGREE PROGRAMS 44 SD and environmental studies are on offer in 21 polytechnics with 37 orientation options: environmental engineering (13), environmental conservation (2), environmental planning (5), environmental and risk management (5), environmental health (1), and environmental art (1). Ten orientation options are offered in the training programmes in agriculture and forestry. Three polytechnics have a degree programme in SD. During the academic year 2000-2001, 2.3 % of all polytechnic students majored in environmental and SD subjects. In 1998-99, some 150 polytechnic students graduated from SD-related fields, and the number is expected to double in the near future. In 2000, the Finnish polytechnics awarded about 10.000 bachelor s degrees, about 1.5 % of them in various SD specializations. Asked to select a maximum of five most relevant introductory and advanced course offerings, eighteen degree programs in twelve polytechnics responded with a total of 63 introductory and 52 advanced courses. Table 4 collates the information on the number of introductory and advanced

courses in various course fields of study with corresponding number of passed credits in 2000. Three polytechnic respondents reported a compulsory course in SD for all their students. Table 4. Most relevant introductory and advanced courses in SD and environmental issues with corresponding number of credits awarded in eighteen degree programs in twelve Finnish polytechnics in 2000. Study fields Introductory courses Advanced courses Number Passed Number Passed credits credits total % total % Env. biochemistry, ecotoxicology, chemistry, physics and geotechnics 9 631 11 3 120 2 Env. engineering and waste management 11 1195 22 13 1757 36 Env. friendly production and business 2 240 4 4 140 3 Env. management, risk assessment and Total Quality Mgt 4 448 8 9 996 20 Env. law and administration 4 590 11 4 139 3 Env. policy, economics, planning and logistics 8 402 7 5 244 5 Env. protection, health, ecology 13 982 18 7 659 14 Sustainable development 6 478 9 2 80 2 Integration in various professional studies 6 556 10 5 740 15 Grand total 63 5522 100 52 4875 100 POST GRADUATE STUDIES (LICENTIATE AND DOCTORATE) The Ministry of Education, the Academy of Finland, and the universities jointly finance graduate schools (presently numbering 97), which are often network-based, virtual structures. Many of them deal with greatly SD relevant subjects such as public health, environmental protection, applied biosciences, ageing, welfare and technology, environmental technology, and healthy and ecological construction. In 2000, about 90 individual or network-based postgraduate programs were available on environmental and SD issues in 52 Finnish university units with their enrolment by the end of the year accounting for 7,5 % of all postgraduate students (20 500) in Finland. The respondent university 45

units participate in 23 graduate schools (20 % of all environmental and SD students) co-administered by the Academy of Finland and financed by the Ministry of Education. These graduate schools are mainly science and technology oriented, though multidisciplinary programs are on the increase. TEACHER TRAINING In Finland, teacher training is provided by twelve institutes in several universities, where students can specialize to become kindergarten teachers, class teachers, or subject teachers. Eight (67 %) teacher training institutes with a total enrolment of 5400 students in 2000 (4 % of all university students in Finland) responded to the questionnaire. Seven of them (88 %) reported that environmental and SD issues are included in their training programs, and a particular mention was made of their kindergarten teacher and teacher training programs with specializations in biology, geography, and arts and crafts. The Finnish teacher training institutes offer a wide range of study options from single courses to minor subject modules (10 to 35 credits), and they employ professors and teachers who are very active and productive in developing materials and methods for environmental education, both nationally and internationally. The National Board of Education under the Ministry of Education also has a financial strategy for long-term support of continuing education in teacher training. The input therein has been successful and resulted, e.g., in training materials for both trainers and teachers in the field. Finland has also five institutes training vocational teachers in five polytechnics. Two institutes responded to the questionnaire but did not report any extensive activity in ESD as a part of their regular duties. CONTINUING EDUCATION AND OPEN UNIVERSITY 46 Throughout the 1990s, the continuing education centers of the universities actively arranged short- and long-term training programs mainly in environmental issues. Special attention was paid (due to a severe economic recession in our national economy) to conversion training of unemployed professionals in environmental specializations for the public and business sectors. Furthermore, relying on government financial support, the continuing education centers orientated to environmental issues and training geared to small and medium size enterprises and students from Russia and the Baltic

countries. A number of university units were eager to join the projects and thereby to familiarize themselves with environmental issues. The continuing education centers base their activities on the expertise of the teaching and research units of their home universities. In Finland, open university instruction is mainly arranged by the continuing education centers. The open universities also offer studies in environmental and SD issues (www.avoinyliopisto.fi). EXAMPLES OF COURSE OFFERINGS IN 2000-2001 Helsinki University Environmental science/introductory level Environmental biology (25-30 credits) Environmental management, course Food economy, course Economy of consumption, course Non-industrial agriculture, course Jyväskylä University Ecology and environmental management, minor subject Ecology and environmental management, (25-30 credits) Environmental science/environmental chemistry, www-course Environmental law and administration, course Kuopio University Environmental science/minor subject Environmental science/pollutant ecology Turku University Environmental protection/ introductory level, www-course Environmental protection/environment and health, course In Finnish polytechnics, continuing education is often organized separately by each study field which may include several degree programs. Ten study fields from eight polytechnics responded to the questions of short- and long-term (over 5 credits) courses in SD and/or environmental issues. In six polytechnics there are both short- and long-term courses in SD and environmental issues for continuing education. Three polytechnic fields reported that they are not involved in these topics. STUDY COURSE EXAMPLES Forum Mikkeli: Wealthy Environment Safe Food Healthy Man is annual two-day forum with 150 to 200 participants from public administration, private sector and training institutes. (Mikkeli Polytechnic) Specialization studies in Milieu design (40 credits) are offered in 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-2001. Ten credits of studies are in particular focused 47

on SD and environmental issues. (Lahti Polytechnic) Both the Finnish Broadcasting Company and the commercial MTV3 run a special TV-university, offering learning opportunities in many environmental and SD issues. RESOURCES FOR ESD A quantitative estimation of ESD resources was only surveyed in number of teachers and information about additional finance beside regular funds. A target was to glance a prevailing situation, and to see if received figures are in line with other inquired information. Based on the response to the questionnaire for the university units, in 2000 c. 15 % of all teachers and researchers dealt primarily with environmental and SD issues. According to the same response, 10 % of the university units had received additional financing for ESD from their own university and 19 % from external sources. In 2000, 2.2 % of all teaching resources were used for environmental and SD studies, a figure equal to the share of the students specializing in SD studies. Based on the response to the questionnaire for the polytechnic training programs, 42 % (8 of 19) of the training programs had received additional financing for ESD from their own polytechnic and 26 % (5 of 19) from external sources. OBSTACLES AND ASPECTS OF SD TRAINING The answers from the universities and polytechnics reported 79 opinions (Table 5) concerning obstacles and aspects in SD training, about 30 % stressing lack of financial support. Lack of competent teachers was also considered a limiting factor. In addition, university units requested better coordination of planning and implementation of SD studies. The multidisciplinary basis of environmental and SD issues was mentioned as yet another obstacle. Finally, the attitudes among staff and students will have to be surveyed carefully, as two parties still exist on the issue in Finnish universities and polytechnics. 48

Table 5. Opinions of respondents in higher education about present human and financial resources for ESD. Answer group Number of Lack of Lack of Lack of Insufficient Atti- Difficulties Total responses finances Teachers teacher training tudes due to multicompe- coordi- disciplinary tence nation basis Univ-primary 12 (40%) 5 3 5 2 2 3 20 25% Univ-secondary 18 (32%) 8 5 3 4 4 24 30% Univ-occasional 13 (20%) 4 2 5 2 1 14 18% Polytechnics 16 (64%) 6 2 4 8 1 21 27% Total 59 (33%) 23 29% 10 13% 11 14% 10 13% 16 20% 9 11% 79 100% Response shown in percentage in brackets. RESEARCH IN UNIVERSITIES The largest research fields in Finnish universities are technology and the natural sciences, which receive almost half the funding for the universities. In 1999, the universities spent over FIM 4100 million on research, providing 50 % of it from their own budgets. The most important sources of external funding are the Academy of Finland and the National Technology Agency. International contribution to research funding has also increased, primarily because of EU research programmes. Over the last ten years, co-operation between the universities and the business sector has intensified, and research funding and various other mechanisms have enabled accelerated transfer of research results into businesses. CASE EXAMPLE: FINSKEN DEVELOPING CONSISTENT GLOBAL CHANGE SCENARIOS FOR FINLAND The Academy of Finland and Ministry of Transport and Communications are currently funding a three-year project, part of the Finnish Global Change Research Programme (FIGARE), to develop projections of future changes in different aspects of Finnish society, economy and the environment through to the end of this century and beyond. This is the multi-partner project including also universities. THE ACADEMY OF FINLAND The Academy of Finland is an expert research funding organization, which promotes and publicizes high-level research. The Academy funds basic 49

research as the foundation for innovative applied research. Scientifically topical research is given special emphasis. The Academy funds Finnish research by an annual sum of about FIM 900 million, which accounts for about 12 % of the public R&D funding. Some three thousand specialists work on research projects funded by the Academy. A Research Council for the Environment was founded in the Academy in 1983. In the 1970s and 80s, environmental research mainly focused on the ecological impacts of various emissions and wastes, and the researchers backgrounds ranged from biology, chemistry, physics, and toxicology to geography. Only in the 1990s did the humanities and social sciences show more interested in environmental and SD issues. The Academy has four research councils, which allocate on funding on the basis of mutual competition between applications. The research councils are those of Culture and Society, Natural Science and Engineering, Health, and the Biosciences and the Environment. Presently, the Academy of Finland is carrying out twelve SD-related research programmes (Table 6), and during 2001 it will launch another two programmes: sustainable use of natural resources and promotion of health. Table 6. Academy of Finland SD-related research programmes. Research Program Period Projects Researchers Urban Studies 1998-2001 15 Biodiversity 2) 1997-2002 105 300 Finnish Global Change Research Programme 1999-2002 36 100 Finnish Forest Cluster Research Wood Wisdom 1) 1998-2001 120 350 Biological Functions Life 2000 2) 2000-2003 Interaction across the Gulf of Bothnia (Finland & Sweden) 2000-2003 17 120 3) Media Culture Research 1999-2002 9 50 Information Research 1997-2001 26 80 Marginalization, Inequality and Ethnic Relation in Finland 2000-2003 Future Mechanical Engineering 2000-2003 13 60 Ageing 2000-2002 21 100 Environment and Health 2) 1998-2001 46 Finnish Environment Cluster Research Program 2) 1997-2000 1) 33 consortia, 120 projects, 350 researchers from 62 research units 2) Joint Program with National Technology Agency 3)Researchers from both countries 50 To ensure broadly based research and to promote its impact, most Academy programmes are undertaken in co-operation with the National Technology

Agency, other ministries, businesses and industry, and foundations. The Academy funds the scientific work of researchers and research teams in universities and research institutes by means of research appropriations, research posts and grants with about 80 per cent of its research funding going to research in universities. RESEARCH CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE In terms of creating favourable environments for research, the Academy s centres-of-excellence policy is an essential tool for enhancing and maintaining quality, for when successful, the policy both ensures sufficient resources for the best research teams and creates favourable conditions for the emergence of new centres. The share of Academy funding here is about 20 %. There are 26 centres of excellence active in 2000 2005 with seven of them primarily or secondarily working on environmental and SD issues. Four centres focus on ecological issues. In Helsinki University, the Viikki Bio Centre (eight research groups) studies the effects of environmental stress on plants and their adaptation to changed environments, while the Institute of Systematic Ecology focuses on local animal populations living in fragmented surroundings due to human activities, with special approaches in population ecology, genetics, and evolution. In Joensuu University, the Institute of Forest Ecology and Forestry (four research groups) concentrates on the ecology of boreal forests and the principles of sustainable forestry. Special topics here consist of climate change and forest ecosystem dynamics, the biodiversity of forest-based ecosystems, and the defensive mechanisms of plants and animals against environmental change. In Jyväskylä University, the Institute of Environmental and Biosciences carries out research on ecological signal evolution (etology), evolution in breeding strategies, population ecology, and soil ecosystems. Three centres of excellence focus on technology. In Åbo Academy, the research group in industrial process chemistry (four subgroups) characterizes, e.g., the components of environmental emissions from industry. In Tampere University of Technology, the Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Automation explores the use of water (instead of oil) in hydraulic devices and machines such as forest harvesters and tractors. Modern water hydraulic engineering is a new branch within mechanical 51

engineering. In the State Technical Research Centre (VTT), the division of food and biotechnology applies and develops biotechnology in industrial processes, aiming particularly at a higher degree of refinement of renewable natural resources. R&D IN POLYTECHNICS The polytechnics develop their R&D to enhance their capabilities to respond to regional and SME sector needs and to promote regional innovation systems. Close co-operation with working life and high quality are the most crucial issues in developing polytechnic R&D, and the institutions are expected to work out their strategies in this field and take into account reasonable division of labour and co-operation with universities. Few polytechnics have established their own R&D centres in environmental expertise. The focus is largely on testing, measurement, feasibility studies and similar development activities. Two polytechnics reported that they have prepared environmental management systems for SMEs and one polytechnic reported their efforts in life cycle analysis for forest machineries. In their R&D activities, polytechnics are at least partly in a contradictory position because either teachers must put much of their effort into these activities or specialists must separately be employed. Polytechnic students cannot be expected to assume the role of a researcher. BALTIC SEA REGIONAL COLLABORATION The Finnish universities have adopted wide international collaboration and have integrated it in their daily activities. Training and particularly research connections, also in SD, are reaching all continents and developed as well as developing countries, and the polytechnics, too, are rapidly extending their international connections. The Finnish higher educational institutions cultivate active connections with those of the Baltic Sea States. PROJECT AND COLLABORATION EXAMPLES - The continuing education center of the Åbo Academy is our national coordinator for Baltic University (one of the first electronic based university projects on environmental issues), initiated and hosted by 52

Upsala University, Sweden. Fourteen Finnish universities and Åland College participate in the Baltic University Program. - Between 1994 and 1999, with financial support from the Finnish Ministries of Environment and Labor, Tampere University of Technology, jointly with Tallinn Technical University and later with Riga University, arranged five twelve-month training courses in water and environmental management for Russian, Baltic, and domestic professionals. - Helsinki University of Technology is coordinating the training program Baltech Master of Environmental Management and Cleaner Production. - Alexander Institute of Helsinki University organized a conference Ecological Modernization in Russia in the field of environmental politics and policy. - Helsinki University participates in a project Ceesa-Sustainable agriculture in central and eastern European countries. - Tampere University (Department of Folk Tradition) has participated in ethno musicological field studies in Estonia and Southern west part of Russia. - Jyväskylä Polytechnic jointly with Luua Forest Institute in Estonia organized a biofuel seminar for Estonian participants: heat power plant experts, private entrepreneurs, and representatives of municipalities. CO-OPERATION WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION RESEARCH SD is one of the leading principles in the European Union Fifth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (1998-2002), and Finnish universities, research institutes, and industry are currently participating in 75 projects in the Environmental Research Programme of the Framework Programme. The Sixth Framework Programme (2002-2006) is in preparation, and Finland stresses the SD principle in the formulation of research themes for the Programme. 53

EDUCATION AND TRAINING From 1995 to 2000, several Finnish partners, including universities and polytechnics, participated through the EU Leonardo da Vinci Program in nearly 50 European projects such as environmental education, environmental protection, and waste recycling and management. The target group for the ERASMUS part of the Socrates program is higher educational institutions with student mobility an important ERASMUS activity. During the last few years, Finnish institutions have coordinated two projects to promote environmental know-how in higher educational institutions. Between 1996 and 2000, Finnish educational institutions participated in 140 European educational projects concentrating on environmental and natural protection under the Comenius part of the Socrates program, which also involves teacher training. The Socrates program committee has taken SD as one of its key themes for higher educational cooperation in 2002. The fourth phase of the OECD/ENSI (Environment and School Initiatives) project will continue in 2002 with its multilateral development themes of eco-schools, learning environments, and teacher training. The main instrument of the project is special computer software to support education and training in the search, production, and management of societal (economic, cultural, social, and political) information. A simultaneous aim is to create and test new and more advanced models for theory and practice in environmental education. UNESCO PROJECTS Finland participates in several UNESCO SD-related programmes, the foremost of them being the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), which includes the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The biosphere reserves constitute a worldwide network for research and experiment with SD. Two of the nearly 400 reserves are located in Finland: the North Karelian and the Archipelago Sea Area Biosphere Reserves. 54

CONCLUSIONS The survey revealed that the Finnish universities and polytechnics carry out a considerable amount of teaching and research that promotes SD. The main emphasis, however, is still clearly on environmental know-how, whereas multidisciplinary aspects of SD are still searching for a stronger role in teaching and research. There are now enough expert units with specific thematic orientations, degree programmes and majors. However, more than half of all the higher education units have not yet adopted an all-out SD commitment. That is why they will naturally be the primary targets of development and activation. Attention should be attached in particular to programmes in the humanities, social sciences, and economics. Higher educational institutions and their units could markedly benefit from services designed to provide them with easy, real-time access to SD-relevant documents produced in social decision-making and management. Various ministries could e.g. actively channel condensed information to higher educational units in their domains. All participants in higher teaching and research should recognize the need for an in-depth understanding of the concept and contents of SD and focus in particular on multidisciplinary involvement: does the latter mean co-operation among units of various disciplines or staking out new interdisciplinary fields of application and curricula? The survey indicates a wealth of courses and instruction available in higher education on SD and particularly environmental know-how, but the surveyed made a point about a need to improve the co-ordination of this instruction. The answers also underlined a need to raise the qualifications in teaching SD. Perhaps, it not so important to target exact identification of SD criteria but to make teachers and students in higher education institutions aware of SD concept in terms of various dimensions, dilemma and era we are living. There are implications that SD concept is still purely understood and/or known. Because the higher educational institutions are actively and widely connected with their counterparts in the Baltic Sea states, educational contents should receive more attention, particularly solutions to problems of common regional SD development. Furthermore, increased exchange of experiences and consolidation of existing structures such as Baltic University feature as potential targets for development. 55

APPENDIX 1 THE HAGA DECLARATION IN BRIEF GUIDELINES FOR WORKING GROUPS TO PREPARE GOALS AND ACTIONS APPROVED BY THE MINISTERS OF EDUCATION OF THE BALTIC SEA STATES PARA- KEY WORDS ASPECTS GRAPH CODE 1.1 Education, training and Critical aspects for promoting SD public awareness 1.6 EU dimension must be included 1.7 Economic, environmental and ESD is broader concept than EE, social dimensions Recognize importance of cultural issues 1.8 Quality of life, present and Need to maintain and improve future generations 2.1 Agenda 21 for ESD In Baltic Sea Region 2.2 Integrated approach, Requirements broad participation 2.3 Basic understanding, competence For universities and skills 2.4 Bringing added value to process Regional co-operation, own logical structure a Life long process, all ethnic Informal modes of teaching and groups, ages and both genders learning through media b Scientific knowledge, critical thinking, All curricula, integration into existing social learning, democratic process disciplines, special competence c Democracy, gender equity, Integrated approach to economic, human rights environmental and societal development d Teachers & educators, Research Training programmes for teachers and educators, Increased SD research e Competent and fully trained staff, Aim at links with internationally or Opportunities and methods for nationally recognized development students to learn about SD strategies f IGOs, NGOs and media Key role in raising awareness of SD g Sustainable consumption and Need to change lifestyles production patterns 2.5 Good practices Benchmarking, exchange of experiences 2.6 Transparent and democratic process Open to participation by all actors 56 Agenda 21 for ESD should cover the following elements: - Review and evaluation of present educational activities to promote SD within the Baltic Sea region with identification of obstacles and gaps. - Definition of objectives and related actions including targets, monitoring methods, time frame, actors, and financing.

APPENDIX 2 SPECIALIZATION RELATION TO SD Numberofanswers Answerer 1Environmentalhealtheffects 1aMonitoringandmedicalintepretationofeffectsduetoenv.emissions, wastesandanthropogenic&naturalchangesinenvironment 1bOtherenvironmentalhealthaspects 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 group univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics Numberofanswers Answerer 2Ecologicalenvironmentalprotection 2aMonitoringandecologicalintepretationofeffectsduetoenv. emissions,wastesandanthropogenic&naturalchangesinenvironment 2bEcologicalbasicresearchonflora,fauna,microbesandecosystems 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 group univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional 2cNaturalproductivityandavailabilityofnaturalresources 2dOtherecologicalsectors univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics SpecializationrelationtoSD primary= secondary= occasional= 57

Numberofanswers Answerer 3Environmentaltechnology 3aEnvironmentaltechnologiesforminimizationofenv.emmissions, wastesandanthropogenic&naturalchangesinenvironment Technologies&engineeringforwastereclamation 3cEnviornmentalremediation 3dNaturaldisastersandminimizationandrehabilitationofconsequences 3eCleanerproductionandproducts 3fCleanerenergyproductionanddistribution Otherenv.technologysectors 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 group univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics Numberofanswers Answerer 4Environmentalmanagement 4aToolsandinstrumentsforenvironmentalmanagementinenterprises andmunicipalitiestocontrolenv.emissions,wastesandanthropogenic& naturalchangesinenvironment 4bSustainableurbanplanning 4cEnvironmentaleconomics 4dOtherenv.managementsectors 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 group univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics SpecializationrelationtoSD primary= secondary= occasional= 58

5Politicalregulationandadministration,socialand culturaldimensions 5aSocialjusticeinuseofnaturalresources 5bPoliticalandculturalconflictsversusSD 5cEnvironmentalpsychology 5dEnvironmentalsociology 5eCulturalrightsanddiversity 5fPoliticalregulationonSD 5gPublicandbusinesseconomicsandeconomicactorsinSDcontext 5hInformationmanagementforSD 5iAchievementandperformanceevaluationofdifferentactorsofSD 5jKnowledgemanagementforSD Numberofanswers Answerer 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 group univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional 5kEnvironmentalArt,Industrialdesign 5lHistoricalresearchofSDandEnv.issues univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional 5mFutureresearch univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional 5nPhilosophyandSD univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional 5oTopicsinothersectors univ-primary univ-secondary univ-occasional polytechnics SpecializationrelationtoSD primary= secondary= occasional= 59

60

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NON-FORMAL ADULT EDUCATION KAISA LINDSTRÖM PRINCIPAL OTAVA FOLK HIGH SCHOOL 61

CONTENTS 1 AN OVERVIEW OF NON-FORMAL ADULT EDUCATION IN FINLAND 63 2 NON-FORMAL ADULT EDUCATION IN EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 66 3 GOALS AND THE REALITY IN NFAE 74 4 RESULTS OF THE SURVEY 76 5 SOME REMARKS ABOUT THE RESULTS 98 6 INDICATORS FOR ESD 101 7 STATEMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 106 8 CASES/EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE 108 REFERENCES 115 62

1 AN OVERVIEW OF NON-FORMAL ADULT EDUCATION IN FINLAND In the Baltic Region there are thousands of providers of non-formal adult education. In non-formal adult education (NFAE), also called liberal adult education, the contents are decided by the providers and the participants themselves. There are no curricula or syllabuses in general, though often some educational standards and conditions (for instance descriptions of types of courses) are determined - especially if the provider receives economic support from public authorities. In Finland non-formal adult education institutions are also allowed to provide formal general and vocational education courses. Not only is the number of providers large, but the clientele of the nonformal adult education services is huge. In Finland alone there are approximately 35,000 annual adult students in this sector, and additionally 1.5 million people use services produced by non-formal adult education institutions, according to the 2000 statistics of the Finnish Adult Education Association, VSY. In Finland, like in all Nordic countries, non-formal or liberal adult education has its history in the emergence of democracy and folk movements and its roots in the Nordic idea of liberal adult education and popular enlightenment. In Finland non-formal adult education is defined through its purpose in the Liberal Adult Education Act (1998): "The purpose of non-formal adult education (liberal adult education) is to promote varied personal development and people's capacity for operating in communities and to promote the implementation of democracy and empowerment, equality and pluralism in Finnish society." Non-formal adult education (NFAE) complements the formal school system and the provision of formal education. It offers alternative tracks for learning, thereby challenging the methods of the formal school system. The main features of non-formal education are freedom of choice, an independently determined mission for the institutions, and a voluntary 63

orientation and a low threshold to education for the student. Non-formal adult education institutions in the Nordic countries, which receive public (economic) support, seem to have more latitude in defining, planning, informing about and providing environmental education (EE) or education for sustainable development (ESD) than in other Baltic 21 partners. This is probably due to the 'popular enlightenment tradition'. In Finland the NFAE sector includes adult education centres, folk high schools, study circle centres of non-governmental organisations and associations, sport institutes and summer universities. Besides, there are many organisations involved in environmental education and education for sustainable development. According to the Finnish Association for Environmental Education (SYKSE) there are about 55 associations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of this kind. ADULT EDUCATION CENTRES Adult education centres (260) are institutions which provide and develop local and regional adult education services and offer opportunities for selfdirected learning and skill development for active citizenship. They are mainly run by local authorities. The network is wide and their services are available all over Finland. Even though mainly intended for adults, the centres are an important component in the system of children's and young people's art education. They also participate in various projects, which generate new activities for the centres. FOLK HIGH SCHOOLS 64 Folk high schools (92) are residential schools, whose purpose is to promote the ability to pursue self-directed studies. The schools see themselves as free and independent educational institutions outside the official education system. Each folk high school can emphasise its own values, ideology and pedagogical objectives. There are 34 Grundtvigian or non-aligned folk high schools, 44 Christian schools backed by various revivalist movements and 11 political folk high schools maintained by political parties and the labour union movement. Some of the folk high schools are backed by specialneeds associations. Residential folk high schools offer long and short courses (from a couple of days up to one year) and they can also provide consultancy

and other services relating to their educational profile. Under legislation, folk high schools can also be authorised to offer certificate-oriented education and training, although their main emphasis is on non-formal education. STUDY CIRCLE CENTRES Study circle centres (10) and counselling organisations (4) work as national non-formal learning institutions for adults, offering education for adults based on the study circle model, either alone or in cooperation with other civic and cultural organisations. Their aim is an active citizen capable of managing change in society in a creative way. The activities include global and local matters. SPORT INSTITUTES Sport institutes (14) are national or regional residential institutions, which offer sport instructor education, training and coaching facilities, and sportrelated education to all age groups. SUMMER UNIVERSITIES Summer universities (21) serve regionally, offering open university courses and other education for adults, such as language courses. SUPPORT MECHANISM FOR NFAE The public financial support for NFAE institutions is based on an operational licence issued by authorities. The government support amounts to 57% of the running costs of folk high schools, adult education centres and summer universities and 65% of the running costs of sport institutes. NGOs get their income from grants and member fees. They can also receive support from the Slot Machine Association or from the government. 65

2 NON-FORMAL ADULT EDUCATION IN EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2.1 GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS AND INITIATIVES 66 Under legislation, non-formal adult education institutions have pedagogical and ideological freedom and can determine their provision of education for sustainable development (ESD) independently, but they have recourse to certain national documents and initiatives such as: a) Constitution 20 : "Nature and its biodiversity, the environment and the national heritage are the responsibility of everyone. The public authorities shall endeavour to guarantee for everyone the right to a healthy environment and for everyone the possibility to influence the decisions that concern their own living environment." b) Government Programme for Supporting Sustainable development, 1998: In its Programme on Sustainable Development (1998), the Government calls upon schools and educational institutions in Finland to work for sustainable development (SD). The principles of SD should be taken into consideration in every school form and in every sector of education, in curriculum design and in school activities. This demands wide cooperation between different educational sectors and with experts, especially environmental experts. c) Education and Research Policy for 1999-2004 (Accepted by Government) According to the Development Plan for Education and Research 1999-2004, "The principles of SD will be taken into account in the educational provision and other activities of different school forms." d) Promoting Education for Sustainable Development 1998-2000, Board of Education in Finland The programme of the National Board of Education provides a definition of SD and outlines its aims in education. It also provides ideas and issues

recommendations to different types of educational institutions concerning for instance curriculum design and vocational programmes relating to the environment and natural resources. The National Board provides support and guidance on financing agencies, international and national cooperation and evaluation. e) Agenda 21 for sustainable development in the Baltic Sea Region 2001 The Ministers of Education of the Baltic Sea Region have agreed to develop and implement an Agenda 21 for education in the Baltic Sea Region. Sustainable development in education will require an integrated approach and broad participation. The aim is to implement and achieve SD in the region, which entails understanding, competence and skills. The programme will be signed by the Baltic Sea Region Ministers of Education towards the end of 2001. 2.2 GOALS FOR EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NON-FORMAL ADULT EDUCATION The Baltic 21 E work group for non-formal sector (WG3) suggested the following overall goal: Education for sustainable development aims at integration of individuals and communities in the Baltic Region around the principle of sustainability as a new paradigm of thinking and doing. The work group formulated the overall goal for promoting SD in non-formal adult education: Achieving the goal of SD through non-formal education in the Baltic Sea region requires that people - are empowered to influence their own life situation - take part in social development - are aware of SD - learn for SD. 67

ESD is a critical and democratic process of reflection and action in our society. Sustainable development includes a natural element of democracy and social engagement and active citizenship. NGOs have a key role in non-formal learning and awareness raising. The key elements of non-formal and informal ESD are: - information - motivation - training - learning - cultural activities - competence development - projects - availability. Non-formal ESD is expected to give high priority to activities which aim at bridging educational gaps and special attention to people who are educationally, socially and culturally disadvantaged. 2.3 SPECIFIC GOALS FOR THE NFAE SECTOR - KEY ELEMENTS The following list of key elements is a more or less ideal characterisation of the NFAE sector - that is, elements which should be aimed at. These elements involve (implicitly or explicitly) specific goals. Sustainable development is a fundamental part of vital democracy and active citizenship. Participation is possible when elements of democracy (equal access, dialogue and interaction, bottom-up, transparency) constitute the basis of a learning environment. These elements are derived from the tradition of non-formal education. For non-formal EE and ESD to constitute a leaning process and development towards active citizenship, the following key elements should be present: 68 1) Information informing people about learning opportunities, action groups and projects or informing them about possible local problems which they can work for (environmental problems, rural development, planning etc.). This is the responsibility of organisations and NFAE institutions. It entails learning information techniques and entering into dialogue and networking with all other bodies involved in ESD. The knowledge thus acquired should be made widely available and

disseminated by different means. Transparency and wide sharing of information are also a criterion of democracy. 2) Motivation is crucial for all kinds of learning. Non-formal education and ESD have to take into consideration the non-static nature of motivation. When a person starts his/her learning process, motivation largely depends on the expectations of the learner and on the nature of information he/she has beforehand. Later on, inner motivation grows through experience, new interpretations and the usefulness of the knowledge and skills gained. This is why participation and a practical orientation are crucial to keeping the motivation high during the whole learning process. ESD is an area where the threshold from knowing things to working for things is high - especially for adults. Motivation is a key to lowering this threshold. 3) Training - The challenge of ESD is how to show the complicated nature of the societies we live in today, how to make ecological, economic, political and technical processes transparent, how to facilitate a holistic approach to environmental problems. This is the competence needed in this field (EE/ESD). Non-formal education (NFAE), actionoriented projects etc. enable people to act on the knowledge they have acquired, i.e. they build the action competence of the participants. Education is the vehicle for transforming information into knowledge and even further - into understanding. It is important for ESD to use teaching materials, new learning environments, media and communication. Participatory and authentic methods, a dynamic mode of teaching and learning, critical thinking and dialogue and interaction are typical NFAE methods and suit ESD extremely well. A trialect time perspective (past-present-future) is needed. The present situation, present knowledge or the present problem is always in dialogue with the past and the future. Expertise in SD incorporates historical aspects as well as tools for futures research. Staff training is important in the development of ESD in general. The learning outcome in ESD depends on the competence of the staff and their commitment. In building authentic learning environments, we need to extend SD to everyday life in the school or in the organisation. 69

4) Learning is the learner's active process towards ESD goals. The Baltic 21 non-formal group wanted to focus on learning instead of teaching. Learning is a constructive process: the learner constructs knowledge and interprets it according to his/her own former knowledge and according to his/her worldview. Knowledge can be fully understood only when it is used. Personal experiences have a strong effect on the whole learning process. The aim of the learning process is to: - motivate and create positive values and attitudes towards SD - facilitate a holistic approach to SD - bring about real actions and changes in everyday behaviour - involve learners in the learning process, encourage people to work independently and interdependently, enhance their commitment, build up their initiative as well their sense of responsibility - create authentic learning environments, which include networking and interacting in a democratic way with different kinds of bodies in the surrounding society. 5) Culture activities have always played an important role in non-formal education and therefore constitute a key to putting ESD into practise. Cultural activities can be linked to aesthetic ESD; they enhance appreciation of one's cultural heritage and teach practical and traditional skills. At the same time, cultural activities build a platform for learning to understand other cultures. Non-formal education can provide an environment conducive to identity building and thereby help to appreciate things that are different and remote and to understand that remote issues have local expressions, which one can influence. 70 6) Competence development is crucial for putting theories into practice in ESD. The challenge for the education provider is to create learning environments and build networks conducive to competence development. The challenge for learners is to commit themselves to competence development and to the learning process. A learner needs competence (theory, skills) in order to proceed with the learning process, gaining more competence in the process. Social networks, encouragement and cooperation are important elements in non-formal

education and support competence development. When people have positive experiences of their ability to influence society, it encourages them to develop their action competence. 7) Projects are practical working environments in ESD. Projects make for comprehensive learning because they include networking, an authentic situation and competence development. Projects can be large, involving many partners, or small-scale ventures geared to influence concrete conditions or to address a local problem. As flexible and non-bureaucratic bodies, NFAE organisations are well-suited to run projects as part of their normal activities or education. This gives an added value in ESD (competence at project work). In projects which are not primarily ESD projects, ESD criteria can/must be taken into consideration. Further, joint projects with bodies in the Baltic Sea Region expand the ESD learning environment towards international cooperation and cultural understanding. 8) Availability is an essential element in non-formal education. The rationale for non-formal education is that there are "grey areas" where the formal school system does not extend to. ESD covering all aspects of SD requires new learning opportunities. Alternative models and accessibility are important for helping people become active subjects in these issues. Local networks and local action groups are a good example of the opportunities open to ESD: such groups give a context for the personal learning process, a platform for working together and an opportunity to be part of a social network. Partnerships for SD at the organisational or institutional level (e.g. between companies, educational institutions and NGOs) should be promoted. The Internet and virtual, open and distance learning environments offer a wide range of new opportunities for acting in a global network. 2.4 SOME REMARKS ON THE KEY ELEMENTS INFORMATION VERSUS DIALOGUE At its meetings, the work group discussed the difference between information and interaction/dialogue. The concepts of social marketing (changing consumer behaviour), environmental communication and broadcasting are typically information, chiefly one-way information. 71

The concepts of networking and partnering are types of interaction/ dialogue; they are reciprocal relations, in which all those involved are active (collaborative learning). As discussed above, the goals and key concepts of ESD concern the latter. The core relation in non-formal education is a face-to-face, equal relation. However, information techniques and the use of media (radio, TV, Internet) can support the learning processes in NFAE. As stated in point 8 above, the Internet in particular promotes networking. MIND VERSUS ACTION It was emphasised in the group discussions that a great deal of non-formal education focuses on action as compared to formal education, which is more focused on the mind. This action-orientation is accentuated in the goals defined for NFAE, the two first of which require that people are empowered to influence their own life situation and take part in social development. It is also reflected in the WG3 proposal for overall goal for education: " thinking and doing". KEY ELEMENTS AND EDUCATIONAL ORIENTATION There are many similarities between the educational orientation outlined by Arjen Wals, a Dutch researcher and ESD teacher, and the key elements of non-formal education defined by WG3. According to Wals, the integrating aspects of sustainability cannot be realised without critical rethinking about didactical arrangements. He highlights the following points: - from consumptive learning to discovery learning - from teacher-centred to learner-centred arrangements - from individual learning to collaborative learning - from theory dominated learning to praxis-oriented learning - from sheer knowledge accumulation to problematic issue orientation - from content-oriented learning to self-regulative learning - from institutional staff-based learning to learning with and from outsiders - from low level cognitive learning to high level cognitive learning 72

- from emphasising only cognitive objectives to also emphasising affective and skill-related objectives. 2.5 IMPORTANCE OF THE GOALS IN THE NFAE- SECTOR The conditions and frameworks for NFAE in the Baltic Sea countries differ, and therefore the significance of the goals may also vary. Generally speaking, common goals could provide useful guidelines for setting specific aims. In the case of non-formal education, the point is that nobody can tell the institutions or schools what they should do or what values they should embrace in their work. In a sense, this freedom is two-edged. The schools so inclined can make all the SD ideas come true but those not inclined are free to do as they like. There are no means of making them take SD into consideration. This became very clear in the interviews and the survey conducted. There are schools whose core strategy is based on SD and those which are quite indifferent to SD or environmental issues - and many schools between these extremes. Schools may be interested but lack the resources, or may be just starting to implement SD. It was also interesting that the formal education sector had evidently influenced those folk high schools which offer comprehensive school and/ or general or vocational upper secondary syllabi. Because of the stronger ESD initiatives in the formal sector (core curricula etc.), these folk high schools seem to be more aware of these initiatives than NFAE institutions in general. This shows the vital role of information and support. The National Board of Education has actively supported ESD in the formal sector. 73

3 GOALS AND THE REALITY IN NFAE 3.1 INTRODUCTION Besides defining goals and action plans for each sector, the Baltic 21 E working groups sought to establish the present situation in EE and ESD, e.g. how the goals are reflected in everyday school work. WG3 defined its task by identifying some common elements generally found in non-formal education in the Baltic countries. - There is often no curriculum/syllabus for the course, project, seminar, lecture etc. - though it may have recourse to certain advisory documents. - The contents and methods are decided - sometimes also initiated and implemented - by the participants themselves. - The education is directly connected and conducive to practice and action on many levels - personal, political, technical, community, societal, family, household, spiritual - Educational activities are used to help the participants to give a personal meaning and value to the contents on many levels. The national EE/ESD reports will provide an overview of NFAE in the Baltic Sea Region. They are written by the members of the working group, who consult authorities and collect information from different sources. The NGO representatives on the working groups compile NGO reports. The information obtained from national, regional and individual institutions, organisations and networks is based on a questionnaire adapted to national conditions and translated into the national languages, which was then sent out, compiled, analysed and reported. The purpose was to collect information about the state of affairs, developments in ESD/EE and obstacles to SD and ways to overcome these obstacles; proposals and ideas for promoting ESD/EE; and descriptions of good examples and best practices, with the names of local institutions/ associations etc. which might be able to contribute with information. 74

3.2. FINNISH NON-FORMAL ADULT EDUCATION PROMOTING SD The data was collected in March and April 2001. Questionnaires were sent to the folk high schools, adult education centres and summer universities. The evaluation of SD and EE/ESD in schools by Kaija Salmio and Antti Rajakorpi (National Board of Education 2001) was used in this survey, because it included a sample of non-formal education institutions. Together these two surveys give a good picture of ESD in non-formal adult education and of school activities in ESD. Music and sport institutes were not included in this survey, partly because they were in the Board of Education study and partly because their role in ESD is fairly general. The questionnaire was sent via e-mail to all folk high schools through the office of the Finnish Folk High School Association and to a random sample of 60 adult education centres and summer universities. The questions were also available on the net site of the Finnish Adult Education Association, the umbrella organisation, which also provides information about the Baltic 21 Education process. An article was published in the Finnish Folk High School Magazine Kansanopisto. In addition, data was collected by phone and e-mail from experts and some key persons. Information was also collected from educational associations and environmental/educational NGOs. Representatives of the organisations and experts were interviewed. The brochures and pamphlets provided further information about projects and other activities. 75

4 RESULTS OF THE SURVEY 4.1 PUBLIC (NON-GOVERNMENTAL) INSTITUTIONS, PARTLY FUNDED FROM THE NATIONAL OR LOCAL BUDGETS 76 The following organisations or associations were included in the survey: The national umbrella organisation, the Finnish Adult Education Association (Kansalais- ja työväenopistojen liitto, FAEA) and its associated member organisations: the Association of Adult Education Centres (Vapaan Sivistystyön Yhteisjärjestö, AAEC), the Finnish Folk High School Association (Kansanopistoyhdistys, FFSHA), Svenska studiecentralen (Swedish-language study centre) and some national bodies, such as the study centres of the Union for Rural Education (Maaseudun sivistysliitto, URE), the Educational Federation for Unions for Professional Employees (Toimihenkilöjärjestöjen sivistysliitto, TJS), the Green Cultural and Educational Centre (Vihreä sivistys- ja opintokeskus ViSiO), the Trade Union of Education (Opettajien ammattiliitto, OAJ) and the OKKA Foundation (Opetus-, kasvatus- ja koulutusalojen säätiö). In addition, certain environmental education organisations, such as the Recycling Centre Association (RCS, Kierrätyskeskusten yhdistys) and the Society for Environmental Education in Finland (Suomen ympäristökasvatuksen seura, SYKSE), were included in the study. I DEFINITION OF NFAE The first question concerned the definition of non-formal adult education, how the respondents themselves defined it. The educational organisations find their own mission through NFAE. The situation was different with environmental NGOs: their mission relates to the environment, and education was seen more as a tool for protecting the environment and promoting SD. The Green Cultural and Educational Centre ViSiO had both education and environment in their definition. According to the Finnish Adult Education Association FAEA, the basic definition of NFAE is found in their VISIO 2005 document; the key elements are the individual's personality and his/her world view, the civil society, democracy and democratic values.

The Liberal Adult Education Act also contains a good definition of the objectives of NFAE: "... ability to work in communities, to promote democracy and equality in pluralistic society." Non-formal education is a part of lifelong education between degreeoriented and vocational education and informal education. NFAE is given in institutions and schools but also by other means which are free of goalsetting and based on the needs of society and individuals. According to the definition given by the Finnish Folk High School Association, NFAE includes all kind of activities which come under the Liberal Adult Education Act, various educational services and other services connected with education, such as consultancy, product development and projects. The folk high schools differ from other educational institutions in Finland in that they are privately run, residential and have great latitude ideologically and pedagogically and in goal-setting. The Liberal Adult Education Act sets no age limits, but the folk high schools work mainly with adults and young adults. The Green Cultural and Educational Centre ViSiO provides non-formal education for adults with the aim of promoting green values and changes in everyday behaviour. The Recycling Centre Association (RCS) responded: "Even if the Recycling Centre Association and recycling centres have arranged various courses, info-days and events to inform, teach and guide adults, youngsters and families to recycle, it does not identify itself as an actor for NFAE and therefore has no definition for NFAE. In view of its mission, it clearly works in the field of non-formal adult education. The main challenge is to disseminate information and practical advice about recycling but it is up to the individual himself/herself to decide how to use this information. There are 20 local centres which belong to the organisation." The Society for Environmental Education in Finland (SYKSE) had no special definition for NFAE but as an EE/ESD organisation works in the field of non-formal adult education. 77

II POLICIES/AIMS, PLANS OR PROGRAMMES FOR EE OR ESD 78 Next the NGOs were asked if they have any policies, aims, plans or programmes for EE or ESD. The aim was to make people think about the difference between environmental education and ESD. The Finnish Adult Education Association (FAEA) has no policies, aims, plans or programmes yet but answered that ESD could be taken to form part of the FAEA action. "FAEA is a tool for promoting ESD; it provides services, for instance designs action plans or ESD models for organisations and disseminates them to the field. It also arranges EE/ESD seminars in cooperation with other organisations. Thirdly, it designs projects in which SD is part of the action, such as new NGO partnership between Latvia, Finland and Sweden. Similarly, the themes of the last "Meeting in Finland" included ESD. The Finnish Folk High School Association (FFHSA) informed that they have no policy paper or written aims for SD yet but they do have various plans, e.g. for including ESD in in-service training designed by the Association. Some programmes and projects already include ESD. In the residential folk high schools ESD becomes practice. This has been the basis of their ArkeA project and its continuation ITUA project, which involve both environmental and social sustainability, and for the schools it is a matter of economic sustainability as well. Awareness of SD in consumption, practical solutions, recycling etc. is a question of economics for the folk high schools. Their self-evaluation already includes ESD. The situation was same for the Union for Rural Education, which works for rural development. It has no policy paper directly concerning ESD. Its role is to encourage study circle centres themselves to work for the SD. URE has an active role in the joint project "Learn about Your Lake". ViSiO is a study circle organisation which focuses on green issues in their broadest sense: not only environmental issues, but also democracy, equal opportunity and social issues in general. All their education involves ESD in one way or another. Together with other organisations ViSiO promotes SD by means of non-formal education. The Trade Union of Education and the OKKA Foundation promote SD by means of a certificate programme for teachers and staff of schools. All the activities of the Recycling Centre Association (RCS) and SYKSE come under the heading of SD. All their strategies and programmes involve EE/ESD aspects.

III INSPIRATION Then the respondents were asked if their policies, aims, plans or programmes were due to/inspired by national education policies (including legislation, national programmes), national or international educational bodies (e.g. federations, networks), recommendations (e.g. RIO 92) or others. According to FAEA, their programmes derive from regulations which determine FAEA's role as a cooperative body for associated member organisations. "The role of FAEA is to promote liberal adult education, manage international cooperation and promote pedagogical development". All of these tasks include ESD. In the Visio 2005 Programme for the non-formal education sector, the idea of SD is included both implicitly and explicitly. In the opinion of FAEA, a special policy paper would be needed to anchor ESD better in the field. The Finnish Folk High School Association mentioned documents like the Government Programme for SD, Visio 2005 as well as the National Programme on Ageing Workers and Wellbeing at Work as sources of inspiration, but all SD documents have influenced their awareness of these issues. According to the Government SD Programme, the principles of the SD have to be taken into account in curriculum design, teaching and learning and everyday school practices at all levels of education. The National Board of Education is charged with relevant evaluation. It has issued evaluation guidelines to help schools in designing their own models for evaluating SD. In the Visio 2005 process, which started in 2000, working for a better environment and promoting SD and ESD are considered an important task for the non-formal education sector. The National Programme on Ageing Workers implicitly includes SD, especially social sustainability. Other organisations, while underlining the importance of legislation, directives, action plans and SD plans, pointed out that there are no special regulations concerning ESD in non-formal education.the Union for Rural Education mentioned EU directives, because they are an important influence on rural and regional work. For ViSiO, one important influence in addition to legislation and directives is all information in this field. Another source of inspiration for 79

80 them was Rio 92, the Green Flag and ISO 14001. The Recycling Centre Association responded that regulations which govern local authorities in waste management and recycling also govern the work of recycling centres.the values and initiatives of international and regional environmental organisations also guide their work indirectly. Similarly reports of independent research institutes influence the work in the field, the contents of courses etc. and at the same time serve as a source of inspiration." IV STAFF DEVELOPMENT The respondents were asked if they run any sustainability or environmentrelated development programmes for staff or for volunteers. The answers were encouraging. The Finnish Folk High School Association had organised and organises staff development programmes, and URE had arranged programmes for volunteers. The Green Cultural and Educational Centre ViSiO had both EE and ESD development programmes for staff and volunteers, as had RCS and SYKSE. V SPECIAL COURSES/ACTIVITIES WITH DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES FOR EE/ESD The responses to the question about any special courses or activities with SD or environmental perspectives showed that ESD perspectives were well known. A special mention was made of ESD integrated to courses, e.g. life management, EU training, drama, self-expression and cultural courses (TJS). ViSiO had both types of courses and activities, as did URE and FFHSA. RCS mentioned short courses and information events, exhibitions and meetings, such as a sustainable lifestyle course for families with children: how to use ecological diapers, how to cope with bio waste etc. Courses and meetings were the prevalent form of ESD. VI EXAMPLES AND GOOD PRACTICES To get a picture of the practical work and activities in this field, each organisation was asked to give examples or describe good practices. The rationale was that, in order to illustrate the whole variety of activities provided in the NFAE sector, it is very important to describe some of them in the

Baltic 21 E report. FAEA's example was a new NGO partnership between Latvia, Finland and Sweden, which includes ESD. In addition, the last "Meeting in Finland" conference, which convened adult educators from all over the world, also dealt with ESD issues. FFHSA mentioned a project for Estonian and Finnish environmental educators. Its aim was to establish closer interaction between EE/ESD educators and to learn from each other: to share materials and methods as well as experiences. The project also provided for teacher exchanges. Courses were arranged both in Estonia and in Finland. The main result was personal contacts, which have played an important role in the planning of cooperation projects at schools. Learning to know each other's reality and teachers' problems, adopting new methods, reflecting on the work done, sharing experiences etc. also added to teachers' ESD competence. "Learn about Your Lake" is a joint project between many educational and environmental organisations. The condition of lake ecosystems and the quality of lake water, as well as the aesthetic and cultural value of lakes, are important for all citizens and for the future of rural areas in Finland. The goal is to develop knowledge and skills needed to work for lakes, to learn in groups, to do research by "everyman methods", to learn to be active as citizens and decision-makers in the immediate community and in society at large. For instance ViSiO's and URE's mission for rural development is very closely connected with the goals of this project. In addition, ViSiO, together with other partners such as the Swedish-language study centre Svenska studiecentralen, has organised joint projects involving Russia and the Baltic states, in which the focus is on ESD and the dimensions of democracy and civil society intrinsic to SD.** One of the current focuses for the Trade Union of Education is SD. Together with the OKKA Foundation and with the National Board of Education, it has devised criteria for an SD certificate. The certificate is intended for schools which have been active in promoting SD in their work and wish to get public recognition for their work. The criteria of the certificate are higher than those of the Green Flag but less demanding than ISO 14001. The project will start with a competition for a logo, a slogan and posters for school SD. SYKSE's example was the regional "Green Flag" Environmental 81

Education Programme and the "Keep the Archipelago Tidy" campaign. The Green Flag project involves 100 schools and day care centres in Finland. The Green Flag forms part of the International Eco-Schools programme. It has many links with the Local Agenda 21. The Green Flag has generated concrete SD programmes designed by schools or day care centres themselves and provides guidance and evaluation services and the Green Flag criteria. It also has many kinds of participatory elements which extend the activity to the whole family. The National Board of Education has produced an Internet service for ESD together with SYKSE and other organisations. It is a virtual school designed to promote ESD at all levels of education. It is an open learning environment and non-formal by nature: the users, whether schools, school classes or individuals, can use the services in a way best suited for their purpose. The address is http://www.edu.fi/teemat/keke. VII OBSTACLES, BARRIERS 82 The seventh question was: "What are the biggest obstacles/barriers to successful EE and ESD provision/courses or activities?" The need for a policy paper was mentioned by some respondents. It was interesting to note that even freedom can be a barrier. The freedom of non-formal education institutions is a two-edged sword. There are schools which are very active and truly committed to promoting ESD and then there are schools which focus on other values and issues. It seems that a policy paper of some kind is needed to promote SD and ESD. Finances were mentioned as an obstacle, for instance: "The present financial situation in adult education does not encourage folk high schools to venture into new areas and seek new target groups." Some referred to local conditions: "The difficult conditions prevailing in rural areas and in agriculture influence the climate: ESD is not uppermost in people's mind when they have to struggle for their livelihood. Although it is well known that ESD is a crucial issue in rural areas, people need all their time and energy just to survive. That is why hands-on projects and concrete work are important." Lack of resources was one shortcoming: "There is need for different types of ESD but not enough resources for arranging courses or activities." Attitudes and lack of interest were major concerns: "Overall, wrong

attitudes and lack of interest among adults may be the biggest single obstacle to getting results in ESD." Some questioned the major role given to adult education in ESD: "If EE/ESD has been neglected in former studies, it is too late to start the whole thing from scratch in non-formal adult education!" VIII CO-OPERATION IN EE/ESD Educational NGOs and associations listed many kinds of environmental organisations as their partners, and vice versa. FFHSA for instance has worked with many NGOs but mentioned that these partnerships have been task-specific (planning special courses or programmes etc.) rather than permanent. For instance SYKSE had been a valuable partner in the planning and running of the environmental education project for Finnish and Estonian adult educators. The "Learn about Your Lake" project was mentioned by several respondents because it is a joint project involving many study circle centres and environmental organisations. Since the role of ViSiO is to support other organisations in ESD, it has numerous regional and national environmental organisations as partners, and networking is a natural form of work in projects. For RCS, local authorities (and schools and day care centres etc.) are important partners. SYKSE also has organisations as members, for instance the Nature League, the Finnish Forest Society, the Association of Finnish Art Educators, etc. SYKSE also works in cooperation with other non-formal education organisations. IX FUTURE PLANS As an umbrella organisation, FAEA saw its main task to be to highlight the role of liberal adult education and non-formal education in the Finnish society. As regards ESD, it can be used as a tool in informing the member organisations and policy-makers about the possibilities of NFAE in promoting SD. The organisation does not itself arrange a great deal of training but promotes ESD through its services, e.g. designing action plans or ESD models for organisations and disseminating them to the field. It also arranges seminars in cooperation with other organisations on themes relating to SD. The third form is to devise projects with SD elements. One example of this 83

is the new NGO partnership in Latvia, Finland and Sweden. The Finnish Folk High School Association mentioned that it is planning to give ESD a more prominent place in its strategies. ESD will be a component in projects like ITUA and in self-evaluation models. The goal is to encourage folk high schools to be innovative in ESD and to build networks (also international) for promoting ESD. URE was planning to offer more hands-on learning opportunities like "Learn about Your Lake" which improve team work skills. The Union for Rural Education felt that non-formal adult education has an important role in improving skills for active citizenship and promoting awareness of SD. ViSiO intends to go on with its SD work on all levels and by all means of action. The Trade Union of Education and the OKKA Foundation focus on putting their plans into practice: The project for the SD certificate for schools is just about to be launched. There have already been some articles on SD in the Opettaja (Teacher) magazine. The idea is to publicise the SD certificate among schools and teachers and through it disseminate information about ESD and promote positive attitudes towards SD. The Recycling Centre Association and other environmental NGOs wanted to carry on their work for SD by spreading information about recycling and sustainable lifestyles. The recycling idea is easy to understand and for many people the first step towards a sustainable lifestyle. 4.2 SUMMER UNIVERSITIES TAMPERE SUMMER UNIVERSITY AS AN EXAMPLE Summer universities (21) serve large areas. They are typical adult education institutions, with a broad selection of courses, mainly open university courses, but they usually have no special ESD or EE orientation. The Tampere Summer University is a good representative of Finnish summer universities. It provides a wide range of open university courses but also other courses such as language courses for adults, etc. Courses which include SD or environmental perspectives make up about 5% of its educational provision and other activities. It has no special ESD programmes but does offer courses like: 84

- Environmental policy (15 study weeks, open university course) - In-service training for EE teachers - Living cultural landscape- Approximately 2% of their staff teach ESD or otherwise work with SD. The Tampere Summer University cooperates in ESD with the Tampere Museum, the Regional Council of Pirkanmaa, Pirkanmaa league. According to the Tampere Summer University, recycling is one practical form of work for SD in all its partner municipalities. "Living Cultural Landscape" is a joint programme of polytechnics and open universities; it is geared to make people aware of their cultural heritage and to strengthen local identity. The Tampere Summer University would appreciate simple, concrete and precise guidelines for promoting ESD in a local educational institution. 4.3 FOLK HIGH SCHOOLS There are 92 folk high schools in Finland, 38 of which were included in this study. The situation in EE and ESD varies, some of the schools are very active and have the promotion of SD as a principle, but there are also schools which are just beginning to include ESD in their activities. Folk high schools differ in size and location. The network of folk high schools covers the whole country from south to north and from west to east, both rural areas and cities, both Swedish and Finnish speaking population. ROLE IN ESD When asked about ESD aims, plans or programmes, five folk high schools answered that they have special ESD programmes with defined aims. Two schools had ESD plans in the curriculum, two had plans which formed part of the municipal SD plan. Approximately 23% of the schools had plans for ESD. Two folk high schools had a special programme for environmental development. In two folk high schools, ESD was included in their self-evaluation or quality programmes; two schools had programmes on eco-living or ecolifestyles, which the school itself also promoted in its day-to-day activities; 85

six schools had some kind of written SD aims, plans or programmes. About 50% of the folk high schools responded that they have some kind of aims, plans or programmes for EE or ESD. INSPIRATION These aims, plans or programmes were said to be inspired by national educational policies, statutes and documents (e.g. legislation, national programmes) or national or international educational bodies (e.g. federations, networks, etc.). RIO 92 is well known among schools which have some kind of ESD or EE programmes. One school mentioned the VISIO programme, one the National Board of Education's ESD Programme. ArKeA and ITUA projects (joint projects carried out by folk high schools with the support of FFHSA) were mentioned as a source of inspiration. Many of the international projects in which folk high schools have taken part include SD aspects, and guidelines for project design have also provided inspiration for EE or ESD. The Baltic Sea project (BSP) in the UNESCO ASP net has activated the folk high schools participating in it. PROVISION OF ESD 86 Either sustainability-related or environment-related programmes had been offered by 19 folk high schools for their staff, which makes 50% of the schools surveyed. Twelve folk high schools had had special courses with SD perspectives and about 10 folk high schools had run special courses with EE perspectives. The estimates given in response to the question how many (%) of the organisation's annual courses include SD or environmental perspectives were as follows: 3-5% (11 schools), 5-10% (2 two schools), 20-30% (1 school), 50-70% (4 schools), others gave no estimate. Open University courses (Environmental Protection, 15 study weeks) were mentioned in some of the answers. Regarding the question how many (%) of the organisation's other educationally oriented activities include SD or an environmental perspective, the estimates were 1-5% (5 schools), 25-35% (2 schools), 70-80% (3 schools). Four folk high schools had the ESD/EE dimension integrated into all education and day-to-day activities. One folk high school (Perheniemi

FHS) responded that their aim is to incorporate ESD into every course they run. Hoikka FHS had participated in the Green Flag activities organised by the Keep Archipelago Tidy Association. Being residential, folk high schools are a natural context for promoting recycling, energy saving, an ecological lifestyle, etc. Practice needs educational elements to be successful. One school bought eco-electricity in order to give an example of a sustainable practice to its students. The schools were asked for the percentage of students/participants/ members involved in the EE/ESD programmes (courses, study circles, activities): the estimates varied between 2-5% (2), and 30-70% (5). In four schools all students and participants take part in ESD activities. To the question "How many (%) of your professional staff/volunteers teach/work with SD-related courses or activities?", 15 folk high schools responded that they have staff teaching or involved in ESD courses or activities; the breakdown was the following: 2% (2), 5% (2)10% (2), 20% (1), 30% (3), 50% (1), 60% (2), 70% (1), 80% (1). Others gave no figures. GOOD EXAMPLES The most important activities (or examples of good practise) in folk high schools: Viittakiven opisto (Viittakivi International Centre) - Ecoliving Workshop (8 weeks, one week in Denmark) The workshop is an NFAE course focusing on SD and has a theoretical framework combined with practical action, active participation, international cooperation/understanding and problem-oriented methods. One aim is to find vehicles (drama, environmental theatre) for teaching about and raising awareness of environmental problems. The school backs up the course with its vegetarian menu, biodynamic garden, quiet environment and international atmosphere. The students come from many countries. Lapin opisto (FHS of Lapland) The Ekonord Forum is a joint ESD project between folk high schools in the Arctic region: Ekonord Centre in Russia; Svanvik Folk High School in Norway; Kiruna Folk High School in Sweden; and FHS of Lapland in 87

Finland. The main form of action is an annual environmental summer camp arranged in one of the schools involved (in 1997, 1999 and 2000). The work will continue if the necessary funds can be found. Information material has been produced jointly (e.g. an Ekonord Magazine in all the languages of the area, slide series, radio programmes). Northern nature, culture and living conditions form an important shared context for the work. Perheniemen evankelinen opisto (Perheniemi FHS) Perheniemi FHS is one of the folk high schools which have embraced SD as their mission. The school aims to promote respect for nature in all its educational and other activities. ESD is widely included in its programmes. Even though there is no special staff training programme, most of the educational staff is involved in activities related to ESD. More than 60% of their courses include EE/ESD aims. The contents of the courses (which are 60 in 2001) vary from ecological health care to sustainable and vegetarian cooking and ecological gardening. Also different types of therapy (aroma therapy, flower therapy, zone therapy) courses are included. Practical skills and arts and crafts occupy an important place. All their activities are linked to ecological values, and especially a winter course called "Eco arts and crafts". Music and retreats, visual arts and design are considered important elements for ESD. In addition there are long courses in music, phytotherapy, health food and ecology, health food and herbal medicine, and vegetarian cooking. Perheniemi is set to get an official status as a "folk high school for SD", which would mainly focus on SD in both education and day-to-day practices. Otavan Opisto (Otava FHS) At Otava, sustainable development is part of self-evaluation, which started in 1990 when the model for self-evaluation in ESD was created. When the school was developing Internet tools for itself and other folk high schools in Finland (a project supported by the National Board of Education), ESD was implicit in the criteria. Subsequently ESD has gained more importance in the school and in cooperation with the National Board. The school organisation is based on teams, each of which has designed its goals and 88

criteria for SD, with a strong focus on social development. Since Otava, too, is residential and works in the field of modern media, developing open learning environments, the opportunities for promoting ESD are numerous. The model itself is evaluated annually, and the evaluation report is finalised only after open discussion about the work. The model is disseminated through the ITUA project and through the Virtual Folk High School Internet pages. Obstacles and barriers The folk high schools listed the following as the foremost obstacles/barriers to successful EE/ESD provision/courses or activities: - Attitudes and former practices (both staff and students) are difficult to change. "For instance in the virtual learning environment, which today is an important part of folk high school education, it would be possible to save raw materials if users did not print out materials in the same extent as earlier. Printing everything out wastes paper. Overall, we are still far from electronic offices, even if people are aware of the aim." - Lack of economic and human resources - Lack of time - No encouragement from the local school board - The times are difficult for folk high schools; just getting by takes most of the energy. - People with negative attitudes, who need ESD most, never opt for EE/ESD courses. - The slogan sustainable development has been worn out during the past 10 years and is in itself a barrier to successful work for nature and the environment. PARTNERS The folk high schools mentioned the following partners in ESD/EE: local authorities; the Society for Environmental Education in Finland (SYKSE); the National Board of Education; the Finnish Folk High School Association 89

(FFSHA); other NFAE institutions; youth organisations; WWF; Keep Archipelago Tidy; the Fair Trade sailing vessel "Estelle"; the Biodynamic Association; local environmental centres; universities; societies for local history; the Rantasalmi Institute for Environmental Education; and the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation. FUTURE PLANS Concerning future plans for ESD or EE, many folk high schools pointed out that more effort and resources are needed to improve practices for SD in their folk high schools. One school was formulating a new strategy for sustainable energy, another was planning a project for traditional/vernacular building techniques, which also includes cooperation with immigrant education and training. Three folk high schools were planning a special ESD programme for the next academic year; one school was planning a one-year programme on environmental biology. Two of the folk high schools mentioned that they will put more energy into changing attitudes towards SD. One school intended to ensure that SD will be included in all educational and other activities in one way or another, and another wanted to include ESD in the new school curriculum. Two folk high schools said they would continue in the direction they had already started. For them, SD is the main strategy for their future as non-formal education institutions. One had started negotiations with the local and national authorities to be recognised as an ESD/SD school. Some of the schools mentioned projects and the need and their determination to continue offering opportunities for competence development and cooperation for students and for adult groups. These plans often depend on external funding, and it is a challenge for both the schools and authorities to translate the plans into action. PROPOSALS, COMMENTS Lastly, the folk high schools were asked for comments and proposals for the future development of EE and ESD. Examples of the answers: Networking is extremely important, as is encouragement from national and local authorities. It would be important for ESD 90

programmes to include sport and physical activity components with the aim of promoting physical and mental health. Half an hour of physical exercise during the work day would be a good start. It is crucial that the whole staff are committed to carrying on ESD. It was proposed that the staff be recycled, i.e. rotated, within the organisation or with member organisations and partner schools, which was thought to stimulate and inspire, to give a fresh touch and sustainability to the work place and work community. Sustainable health was also mentioned. Folk high schools need to pay more attention to preventing burn-out, stress and rush. This is an aspect which should be added to the ESD programmes. 4.4 ADULT EDUCATION CENTRES There are 260 adult education centres all over Finland. Most of them are municipal. The questionnaire was sent to 60 centres, of which 18 responded (30%). ROLE IN ESD Two adult education centres (AEC) mentioned having a special SD programme including Agenda 21 work. Valko AEC and the Swedishspeaking AEC in Loviisa had a joint Agenda 21 programme. Six adult education centres have no programme of their own but take part in the local SD programme. Local authorities have been active in Agenda 21 work, which has influenced AECs. One of the respondent mentioned that the goals the City of Tampere has for ESD are widely taken in account in the schools and institutions of the city, including AECs. Four of the adult education centres (Lempäälä AEC, Kaarina-Piikkiö AEC, Hiiden Opisto/Lohja AEC, Karjaa AEC) answered that they have a special ESD programme. Four AECs informed that they have other aims, plans or programmes to support SD through education. One mentioned its ongoing pilot project for a holistic SD approach to developing services. However, many AECs had no ESD or EE aims or programmes yet. 91

INSPIRATION When asked whether these aims, plans or programmes are due to or inspired by national educational policy (e.g. legislation, national programmes), national or international educational bodies (e.g. federations, networks), AECs mentioned recommendations (e.g. RIO 92), Government education policy. Rio 92 and the initiatives of the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development had inspired Agenda 21 work. ESD models of other adult education institutions had also been a source of inspiration. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN SD One AEC mentioned an SD-related staff development programme. Two centres had run EE programmes for volunteers. Fourteen AECs had special SD-related courses or activities. Some examples: - Studia generalia lectures on SD - Ögologishe Turismus in Europa (ESD integrated with language learning) - My home village a series of lectures - ESD courses and lectures: ESD and philosophy; Nature view and values for ESD; Recycling; A step towards sustainable lifestyle; Textile work and SD; Recycling and textile work; How to build and use a compost. Exhibitions and events: Eco Explosion (how to build sustainable houses); Exhibition of solar energy and sustainable boating; Eco Trip (sustainable tourism and eco vehicles; Windmill exhibition, etc. All adult education centres except two had had special courses or activities with environmental perspectives. Examples of courses or activities: Nature school for labour union members; Gene-manipulated food food as an environmental hazard; an environmental course for farmers; EE courses for teachers; Use of mushrooms in the kitchen. Man and nature, a series of courses; Environmental techniques; Local environment course, Environmental housing; Natural material in textile work; Green families an action group (worked for five years); Global environmental problems course; Environmental law 92

and administration course. When asked about the percentage of EE/ESD in the annual course or study circle provision, the estimates varied from 0-1% (5) to 2-5% (7). One AEC used the term a light touch in its response to this question. Examples: - One of the AECs has c. 5,000 participants annually and 400-800 of them pursue studies relating to SD, which makes 10%. The number of classroom hours is 11,000-12,000, of which 200-230 are dedicated to ESD, which makes 2% of the total provision. - Another estimated the figure to be around 20%: it celebrates the school year 2000/01 as Year of Culture, with ESD widely integrated into all education. - One AEC gave a very high percentage (70%), which means that it mainly focuses on ESD. The responses to the question about other educationally oriented activities with an SD dimension revealed that AECs implement ESD especially through art education and through practical skills courses. AECs are an important element in young people s art education. Art courses include many activities which could be considered to promote SD. The question how many (%) students/participants/members are involved in the centre s EE/ESD programmes (courses, study circles, activities) resulted in a wide variation: Some of the exhibitions (e.g. Eco Explosion) and events attract thousands of people in a day. The practices in AECs also touch upon vast numbers of people. Joint activities and events arranged in cooperation with local partners have large audiences. It is estimated that Local Agenda 21 work alone involves 30,000 people. ESD in AECs also touches different groups through quality models and self-evaluation models. Environmental courses are not very popular, many AECs said that they had had to cancel a course because of the lack of participants. In the question how many (%) of your professional staff/volunteers are teaching/involved in SD-related courses or activities, the estimates varied from 0 to 100%. The most common answer was 5%. According to one AEC: It is more an exception than the rule that the professional staff 93

is involved in ESD activities. The estimate 100% (permanent staff) came from an AEC whose main focus is ESD and EE. GOOD EXAMPLES Examples of good practise in ESD or EE. Valko AEC and the Swedish-language Loviisa AEC (Lovisa Medborgarinstitut) have a joint Agenda 21 programme. This is an excellent example of SD in practice. The programme includes planning, commitment to SD goals and education for both youth and adult groups, participation by all age groups, different types of schools, both Swedish and Finnish speakers. There are concrete instructions how to proceed towards sustainable lifestyle in schools. It also includes an element of active citizenship (local inhabitants and authorities working together). The Agenda 21 network provides the context for local efforts. Access to ESD opportunities and the key elements of non-formal learning help realise SD. Local Agenda 21 work in the City of Tampere involves the following elements: open and fair administration and transparent decision-making; channels of influence; a good environment; economic sustainability and responsibilities; the potential inherent in education; social sustainability; quality of life through housing; togetherness; progress towards sustainability. According to the Tampere AEC brochure, promoting SD is an essential part of liberal and adult education. ESD can be nicely and comprehensively integrated into arts and crafts (critical consumption, sustainable materials, arts and crafts as part of cultural identity, knowledge and skills for aesthetic milieus). In Local Agenda work, the AECs seem to provide an extension to people s living rooms: easy access because of a low threshold and a relaxed atmosphere. OBSTACLES, BARRIERS The foremost obstacles/barriers to successful provision of EE/ESD courses or activities in AECs were: - Negative attitudes still the main barrier - How to get the staff committed to ESD - Other important things competing for time and resources 94

- AEC teacher mainly work part-time, extra activities are time and energy consuming. Most AECs are municipal. If the local authority has an ESD programme or strategy, it is a big help and encouragement, but if not, it is difficult to struggle alone. PARTNERS Partners in ESD or EE listed by the AECs included local NFAE institutions and schools; different local and regional environmental organisations; local decision-makers; teachers and environmental experts; local environmental centres; universities; different specialist networks; the Allergy and Asthma Federation; health care centres; nature conservation organisations; libraries; local Forest Management Associations, the Martta societies (home economics), Human Powered Vehicles Association, etc. FUTURE PLANS The future plans included: In keeping with the aims of the city to take steps towards a sustainable future. This means cooperation with many of the bodies involved and, little by little, the process will advance in the right direction. More public lectures about important issues; there are plans to renovate the school yard and surroundings.... influencing attitudes and general awareness; addressing global issues; seeking concrete solutions and putting them into practice; developing sustainable lifestyle. ESD is the future of our AEC it is included in all future plans. ESD has an important international element ESD cooperation with Russia and Karelia will become even more important in the future. Offering more opportunities to learn about SD in the future. The plan is to design a special SD programme of three components: education, school practices and general actions. To promote active participation among local people in the planning of their urban environment. 95

PROPOSALS, COMMENTS It would be in common interest to develop vehicles which use muscle energy or electricity. In Finland, innovations and R&D work of this kind are considered weird, and money for the project is difficult to get. Besides promoting the traditional EE approach, we think it essential that ESD includes a participatory element and competence development. This means that we need to promote local identity, reach out to people to encourage them to participate in local SD activities. If people love the place where they live, they are motivated to work for it. Since we also want to fight social exclusion, the societal aspect of ESD and community/participatory methods are essential in our work for a sustainable future. We want to influence society to value nature for its own sake, not only when some natural environment or land area is threatened. Our adult education centre is very willing to participate in joint ESD projects and ESD networks. Information is needed about joint projects and the possibilities to participate in them especially with Russia and Karelia. I am personally very keen on the ideology of SD as a process of competence development and personal growth. I have also studied these aspects in university. Now that I am directing an adult education centre which can influence five municipalities, I have an opportunity and see it as my responsibility to develop the strategies of the school and ESD. Concrete work needs more effort (recycling, waste management, etc.). Environmental and occupational safety need to be more closely linked. SD should be a natural element of teaching materials and equipment; the use of computers should be thought more carefully from the SD perspective, and the idea of the electronic office (paperless office) should be put into practice. It is quite difficult to answer this questionnaire because in our big organisation many person are involved in SD but data about it has never been collected very systematically. 96

4.5. LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS IN ESD FOR NON- FORMAL ADULT EDUCATION Local associations are here represented by the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Recycling Centre, which is a member of Recycling Centre Association. Its educational mission is to inform people about recycling and about sustainable lifestyle. There are 20 local recycling centres in Finland. Metropolitan Area Recycling Centre Ltd In the Metropolitan Area Recycling Centre has 15 permanent employees and some 30-40 volunteers. It is annually used by some 100,000 people. All the Centre s courses and other educationally oriented activities naturally have an SD dimension. When asked about examples of good practice, the Recycling Centre said that they show adults how to find information about recycling and sustainable lifestyle. Families with small kids, students and young adults are very important target groups for the Centre. Young people want to learn and see concrete examples of how small changes can help them be ecological and save money. 97

5 SOME REMARKS ABOUT THE RESULTS 98 The answers showed the wide range of EE and ESD in non-formal adult education institutions. It is a great challenge to implement ESD in the broad, action-oriented, reflective, democratic and inclusive sense of the Haga Declaration. The survey showed that NFAE activities reflect the breadth and qualities prescribed. EE/ESD in non-formal adult education is characterised by hands-on action, projects and case studies, networking, open-ended processes, practical and concrete orientation, and a social dimension. There were also examples of traditional school-like activities, but these were often linked to other learning methods. Adult education institutions have expertise in alternative methods, they are aware that people study and learn differently and take this into consideration in teaching; they organise many types of projects and have a wide range of partners. Often the problem is how to integrate SD principles and values in their work; how to get support, both material and intellectual, from their owner/background organisations and other bodies, and how to commit themselves to ESD. The adult education centres, folk high schools and summer universities which have embraced SD as their mission or included it in their action plans show how all the key elements of ESD can be taken into account in a school s work as a whole. According to Arjen Wals, both the knowledge base and value base of sustainability are variable, unstable and questionable. This is why we need to offer arenas where people can deal with these questions and where the discourse can go on. It is a myth to think that there is a single right vision or best way to sustain the earth or what kind of earth should be sustained. Nobody has the one single vision of what sustainable lifestyle entails. Sustainability potentially brings together different groups in society in search for a common language in environmental questions. Where people with different world views meet, dissonance is created and learning on the edge can happen. Participation is an excellent opportunity to learn about a highly relevant, controversial, emotionally charged and debatable topic at the crossroads of science, technology and society. Dialogue and a holistic approach are time-honoured, commonly used

methods in non-formal adult education. NFAE institutions could go still further in ESD. Motivation grows when people see that they have competence to act and influence and that there is a connection between the condition of the earth and the actions of individuals and groups. There were good examples of how to use culture and arts in ESD. Arts and crafts projects and art education give strong emotional and aesthetic experiences to the participants, making them more aware of and open to environmental issues. Multicultural education and work against racism were mentioned as an important part of ESD, and both areas come naturally to non-formal adult education. The challenge for the NFAE sector seems to be how to keep all the pillars of sustainability in mind and how to carry on the discourse on SD in innovative and fresh ways with an open mind. The adult education institutes called for more support and guidance. This needs to be taken seriously if they are expected to carry on and intensify their activities and efforts in ESD. This may require rethinking the role of umbrella organisations. The response of FAEA was very encouraging in this respect: As regards ESD, it can be used as a tool in informing the member organisations and policy-makers about the possibilities of NFAE in promoting SD. The organisation does not itself arrange a great deal of training but can promote ESD through its services, e.g. designing action plans or ESD models for organisations and disseminating them to the field. It can also arrange seminars in cooperation with other organisations on themes relating to SD. The third form is to devise projects in which SD forms part. Especially adult education institutions which are just beginning to think about their role in promoting SD need encouragement and support from other NFAE bodies. Municipal networks seemed to be very effective in involving local non-formal education institutions in ESD work, for instance through Local Agenda 21 activities. If the municipality has an action plan for SD, this naturally stimulates and influences the schools, libraries etc. even if they have no action plans of their own. Information is still needed about the bodies involved in ESD, about NGOs working in the field, about ESD projects and about materials available 99

for ESD. For instance the Society for Environmental Education in Finland (SYKSE) and the Rantasalmi Institute for Environmental Education are not yet widely known among non-formal education institutions. The Internet is another forum for information and action. The National Board of Education, in cooperation with SYKSE and other organisations, has produced a virtual service designed to promote ESD at all levels of education. This open learning environment is non-formal by nature and used by each school, school class and individual learner in a way best suited to their purpose. 100

6 INDICATORS FOR ESD When developing concepts for evaluating and motoring of ESD in NFAE, one has to consider the independent or self-organising tradition of nonformal education institutions and NGOs. This means that the indicators should measure development on a local and organisational level. However the development on regulatory/political levels are relevant. WG3 pointed out that it is important at all levels to choose indicators and design monitoring concepts in order to be able to feed information back into the local or organisational systems. Concepts of self-evaluation relating to democratic and management processes in organisations seem to be suitable. The processes have two sides for actors and organisations of NFAE: - sustainability itself and turning to sustainability as a social or organisational unit - meaning of education in this context: better performance of educational activities relating to sustainable development and concepts of sustainability. 6.1 ANNUAL EVALUATION (GENERAL QUESTIONS, ANY NFE ORGANISATION) - What was our goals/ vision last year? - What has happened? - What have we done/experienced/achieved? - What can we learn from it? - How can we better distinguish between our sphere of interest and sphere of influence? - How can we act more proactive? - What actions should we take through the coming year? - Should we adjust our vision? - What are our goals for the coming year? 101

6.2 ANNUAL EVALUATION (GENERAL QUESTIONS, SOME NFE INSTITUTIONS) (according to M. Åhlberg, University of Joensuu, Finland) 1) What has happened in the school environment? 2) What has happened in school buildings? 3) What has happened in the school organisation? 4) What kind of curriculum does the school have? 5) What kind of teaching and learning is there in the school? 6) What kind of thinking is there in the school? 7) What are the feelings, values and attitudes like? 8) What kind of action and interaction is there among teachers and students? 9) How is it possible to find information about these issues, what kind of indicators can be used to answer these questions? 10) What can we do to improve the things in 1-9? 6.3 DETAILED LIST FOR (SELF) EVALUATION 102 The list of possible indicators below is based on the key elements of ESD in the non-formal sector. It is a check list, which can be used by institutions and organisations, especially for self-evaluation purposes. The themes and questions are to be seen as a draft for further development. Some issues may be quantified, others can be answered with yes or no, but most of them should be regarded as topics for discussion in the institution/ organisation. 1) INFORMATION a) Does the organisation have a written document (action plan, school policy etc.) which - gives a framework for implementing ESD, - is written in a language and in a style which everyone in the school community/organisation can understand, - is openly discussed and democratically adopted. b) Number of articles, brochures, course information quantity becomes quality!

- How is ESD or ESD goals formulated? c) Methods and channels (different information channels, new media etc.) - What channels and methods are used in different ESD activities? - Are the opportunities offered by the school/organisation well known locally, regionally and nationally? 2) MOTIVATION - At first motivation comes from the information and knowledge that the learner has or through perception of problems, needs or events. - Later the usefulness of new knowledge and skills keep up motivation. The criteria here are the quality of information and linkage between theory and practice. - Changes in attitudes criteria become visible in action. Awareness of and responsibility for promoting SD are closely linked to competence and opportunities to influence conditions. 2.1 Evaluation model of the process of change in attitudes: This model can be used on three levels: personal, team or organisation level. Discussion about the phase where individuals, teams or organisations are placed in this process will work as a tool for evaluation. The commitment for ESD can only grow through the reflective and interactive process of individuals and communities. 1. step - is to think that he/she, team or organisation knows the main things about ESD 2. step - is to know that he/she, team or organisation doesn't know enough about ESD 3. step - is to know about ESD 4. step - is to understand 5. step - is to put the knowledge into practice 6. step - is to develop new models, innovations to promote ESD 3) TRAINING The variety/diversity of training with the goals of ESD for non-formal education 103

- Key elements how do they become visible in training - Equal access - Methods used (participation, projects, experimental methods, stories etc.) - Staff development training, commitment to promoting ESD 4) LEARNING 104 - Open learning environments - Learning process as a whole (individual, groups, communities) - The proportion of interaction and actions, community education - Creative learning 5) CULTURAL ACTIVITIES - Culture and ethics promoting SD (themes in the curriculum) - Arts and crafts and design in promoting SD - Aesthetic view in ESD - Multicultural aspect in ESD - Tools for strengthening identity - Cooperation and networking skills. 6) COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT 7) PROJECTS - The number of authentic situations and opportunities for showing the competence gained, - Communicative and social competence as elements of competence development, - The number of innovations in day-to-day operations and in education, pedagogical methods, learning materials, cooperation, - Problem-solving skills. Competence development is not a value itself, but becomes valuable in actions and interactions, in authentic situations where a person is able to use action competence achieved. - Project design skills (how to take ESD goals into consideration), - Project evaluation (with regard to ESD goals),

- Individual and collective learning process in project work (e.g. the 6- step method) 8) ESD OPPORTUNITIES - The quality and quantity of ESD opportunities - The variety of ESD opportunities not offered by the formal school system. Indicators should reflect all aspects of sustainability (ecological, economic, cultural and societal). 105

7 STATEMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Non-formal adult education has an important role in ESD and cannot be substituted by other types of schools and formal adult education. Different types of education complement each other and deepen knowledge, skills and competence for acting and doing. The work group for the non-formal sector in Baltic 21 Education puts forward the following opinions and recommendations: 1) Education is a key factor in encouraging and furthering sustainability. EE/ESD should be promoted throughout people s lives. 2) All citizens should have access to lifelong learning. Education for sustainable development is itself a lifelong learning process, and sustainability and a safe environment can only become true by means of good educational opportunities for everyone during the whole life span. 3) Non-formal ESD should give high priority to activities that aim at bridging educational gaps and special attention to people who are educationally, socially and culturally disadvantaged. In view of the need to bridge educational gaps and serve groups with special needs, opportunities for non-formal education should be increased. 4) The existence of an active non-formal education sector and widespread NGO activities are a necessary supplement to the formal education system. 5) It is important to support local activities financially and encourage them through grants and national funding. 6) The freedom of the non-formal education sector is a crucial principle for many reasons. But it also causes a dilemma with respect to EE/ ESD, which was well expressed in the following quotation: The point is that nobody can tell the institutions or schools what they should do or what values they should embrace in their work. In a sense, this freedom is two-edged. The schools so inclined can make all the SD ideas come true but those not inclined are free to do as they like. There are no means of making them take SD into consideration. 106

7) Providers of NFAE should be supported in disseminating information more effectively by means of good practices, experiences and concrete tools. It is extremely important that NFAE institutions encourage each other, network and share ESD models. The Internet offers a channel for this kind of interaction. 8) Networking and cooperation among providers and partnership between all bodies of society should be improved and encouraged. 9) NFAE professionals need more opportunities for upgrading their competence. They should also engage in a dialogue to support their own learning process in ESD. 10) Guidelines for ESD should be developed, for instance how to evaluate activities, how to monitor processes, how to work out strategies, how to develop motivation and how to become a self-learning organisation. The concept of sustainability is related to the social, economic, cultural and intellectual aspects of our existence. Integrating sustainability or SD into education requires that the institutions re-think their mission. This discussion should involve all the parties concerned in schools and adult education institutions. Open dialogue is a very Grundtvigian method for starting a learning process non-formal education is an important element in promoting this kind of dialogue on ESD at the local, national and international levels. 107

8 CASES/EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE 8.1 THE WORK IN ECO-SCHOOLS 108 The aim of the Eco-Schools Programme is to raise students awareness of environmental and SD issues through classroom study. It provides an integrated system for environmental management in schools based on an ISO14001/EMAS approach, with water, waste and energy as priority areas at the initial stage. With a view to facilitating SD at the local level, pupils are encouraged to take an active role and take practical steps to reduce the environmental impact of the school. The programme incorporates seven elements which any school can adopt as a methodology. These elements have been designed to be the core of the Eco-Schools process, yet the structure is flexible enough to be adopted in any country and at any level of previous environmental achievement in a school. Pupil involvement is an integral and essential factor throughout the process. 1. Establishment of an Eco-School Committee 2. Environmental review 3. Action plan 4. Monitoring and evaluation 5. Curriculum work 6. Information and activation 7. Eco-code After a period of participation, the school evaluates the success of these initiatives and the methodology, and the whole Eco-Schools programme is assessed in each school. Successful schools are awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag. The opportunity for teachers and students to apply EE concepts and ideas to their everyday life at school, home and the community has several important benefits: - It results in visible improvements in the school environment e.g. reduction in litter and waste- and smaller fuel and water bills. - It strengthens the sense of community and pride in the school. - It boosts environmental awareness through curricular and extracurricular education and activities.

- It enhances school democracy in matters that directly affect the pupils. - It provides pupils with knowledge and tools for making decisions on environmental issues for themselves. - It fosters relationships and improves language skills through European communication. - It involves the local community and brings business support and local publicity. Various support instruments are available to schools and organisations taking part in Eco-Schools. The newsletter Eco-news, with issues and case studies in different languages, is distributed throughout the year to schools across Europe. The programme has an Internet site with information and support for participating schools: www.eco-schools.org. There is an Eco-Schools database which provides a framework for formal exchange of information and communications across the European network. Eco-Schools in the Baltic Area: The number of Eco-Schools in the Baltic Area is growing. The programme started in Denmark in 1991; Sweden joined in 1996 and Finland in 1998; Estonia launched a pilot project in 2000 and started the programme in 2001 (Norway started in 1999). The FEEE organisations in Sweden, Finland and Denmark support the development of Eco-Schools and Environmental Education in the Baltic Area with seminars and teacher training courses, materials, experience exchange etc. The number of Eco-Schools now taking part in the programme is over 1,100, which makes approximately 100,000 children and 5,000-7,500 teachers. References: www.eco-schools.org 8.2 LEARN ABOUT YOUR LAKE Organisations: the People s Cultural and Educational Association KSL (Kansan Sivistystyön Liitto, KSL), the Union for Rural Education (Maaseudun Sivistysliitto, MSL), the OK Study Centre of the Association for Educational Activities (Opintotoiminnan keskusliitto, OK) and the Green Cultural and Educational Centre ViSiO (Vihreä Sivistys- ja Opintokeskus ViSiO) and an NGO called the Finnish Study Circle for Lakes (Suomalainen järvikerho). 109

Learn about Your Lake is a joint project between many educational and environmental organisations. The condition of lake ecosystems and the quality of lake water, as well as the aesthetic and cultural value of lakes, are important for all citizens and for the future of rural areas in Finland. The goal is to develop knowledge and skills needed to work for lakes, to learn in groups, to do research by everyman methods, to learn to be active citizens and decision-makers in the community and in society at large. The project trains people to make observations and use indicators to monitor the quality of lake water and its surroundings: including forests and cultivated areas near lakes. The target group is adults interested in lakes in one way or another. The programme contains three elements: education for making observations and using monitoring techniques designed for this purpose; a study guide Learn about Your Lake ; and data collecting service and data archive Key to lake knowledge on the Internet. The number of participants in the various project activities is several thousands. Some participants use the Internet, others take part in study circles. Because there are some 180,000 lakes in Finland, the number of participants is growing constantly. The main results are an increasing awareness of the condition of the lakes in Finland; skills and tools for monitoring lakes and working for lakes and their future. The Internet services, e.g. Lake Doctor s Advice, are open to all those interested. The database contains a great deal of valuable measurement data revealing the condition of lakes in Finland and will serve researchers in the future. References can be seen on the following websites: http://www.jarvikerho.net, http://www.ksl.fi, http://www.msl.fi, http://okry.fi,http://kaapeli.fi/~visio/ More information: Tuovi Kurttio, KSL, education designer (tuovi.kurttio@ksl.fi) Ulla-Maija Hyytiäinen, Suomalainen Järvikerho PL 119, 00210 Helsinki www.jarvikerho.net 110

8.3. LOCAL AGENDA 21 AS A JOINT ADULT EDUCATION CENTRE PROGRAMME The Valko Adult Education Centre and the Lovisa Swedish-language Adult Education Centre (Lovisa Medborgarinstitut) have a joint Agenda 21 programme (enclosed in Finnish and in Swedish). The Tampere Adult Education Centre and other adult education centres have also been active in Local Agenda 21 work in Finland. The Valko-Loviisa project is an excellent example of SD in practice at the local level. The programme includes planning, commitment to SD goals and education to both youth and adult groups, participation by all age groups, different types of schools, both Swedish and Finnish speakers. There are concrete instructions on how to proceed towards sustainable lifestyle in schools. It also includes an element of active citizenship (local inhabitants and authorities working together). The Agenda 21 network provides the context for local efforts. Access to ESD opportunities and the key elements of non-formal learning help realise SD. Place: Loviisa and its surroundings. In Lovisa both the Finnish and Swedish speaking AECs work together in this project, also serving the surrounding municipalities. The target group is the local population; many schools in the formal education sector are also taking part. The programme can be seen to fall into three parts: sustainable practices in the AECs; ESD in their educational provision; and the evaluation of their ESD provision by the AECs. Besides, Lovisa Medborgarinstitut has plans to improve its parking lot and surroundings as an ESD activity. Involving both Finnish- and Swedish-speakers, the project has been an important forum for networking and cooperation. Both AECs play an important part in local life, and the participation rate in this Agenda 21 programme has been around 20-30% of the local population, that is, some 9,000 people have taken part in it. The results of the programme are seen in school practices: more attention is paid to recycling, energy use and consumption in general. It has also increased educational provision and stepped up cooperation with different bodies in the area. The model for institutional self-evaluation of ESD is a concrete result. The evaluation will be carried out annually. Both AECs have nominated one of their staff to oversee the programme. 111

112 Further development will be to find new courses/methods to encourage more people to do Agenda 21 work. The school yard will be redesigned in keeping with SD principles. The programme and ESD will be modified according to evaluation findings. Local Agenda 21 has similarly inspired the City of Tampere to make improvements: open and fair administration and transparent decision-making; channels of influence; a good environment; economic sustainability and responsibilities; the potential inherent in education; social sustainability; quality of life through housing; togetherness; progress towards sustainability. According to the Tampere AEC brochure, promoting SD is an essential part of liberal and adult education. ESD can be nicely and comprehensively integrated into arts and crafts: critical consumption, sustainable materials, arts and crafts as part of cultural identity, knowledge and skills for aesthetic milieus. References: Lovisa Svenska Medborgarinstitut, Brandensteingatan 21, 07900 Lovisa http://edu.loviisa.fi/mi Principal Anneli Sjöholm Valkon kansalaisopisto, Ratakatu 1, 07900 Loviisa www.loviisa.fi/vako Principal Helinä Hujala Tampereen Työväenopisto, PL 63, 33541 Tampere www.tampere.fi/top Assistant Principal Taina Törmä 8.4 DIGITAL EDUCATION RADIO MIKAELI IN EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Nettiradio Mikaeli is a local non-profit radio in Eastern Finland, coordinated by Otava Folk High School, supported by the European Social Fund, the Town of Mikkeli and the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE). One of the main goals of this educational radio is to serve the rural population in eastern Finland. This part of the country has suffered from the ongoing structural changes: young people s migration, unemployment etc. Nettiradio Mikaeli educates and offers work to many freelance journalists; it focuses on rural issues and environmental values and local

and regional identity. It has given a voice to this particular part of Finland and made it heard in the whole country by means of modern technology. Nettiradio Mikaeli has many international contacts and participates in networking. Small and medium size enterprises and the third sector (NGOs) are important partners the work of Nettiradio Mikaeli. The target group is all those who have access to the Internet. The participants include freelance journalists, educators and active listeners who contribute to Nettiradio Mikaeli. Some examples of the work done by Mikaeli: Digi-forest programme provided in cooperation with the Mikkeli Polytechnic School of Forestry is an example of ESD activities. Nettiradio Mikaeli offers a channel for information about forests as a natural resource, as a livelihood and as a natural environment Digi-forest has strong educational elements, including SD ideology. Mikaeli also offers a forum for discussion about SD. This is important for networking. The rock paintings at Astuvansalmi (on the Lake Saimaa) is one of the educational activities. The paintings are seen on the net site and the information offered has a strong cultural as and environmental (lake ecology) perspective. The weekly updated website contains several articles about rural and environmental issues and the material is available for educational purposes. The interactive forums encourage the site visitors to engage in active participation. One result is that the use of voice in the service, a very sustainable medium, encourages others to use the same formula for instance in developing materials for open and distant learning environments, working with illiterate people and immigrants, and reaching out to groups that are disadvantaged in terms of education and training. This is obviously an important factor for social sustainability. Future challenges are many, but very stimulating in view of all the opportunities for promoting sustainability through information. References: Chief manager Päivi Kapiainen-Heiskanen Nettiradio Mikaeli http://www.yle.fi/mikaeli 113

8.5 EKONORD-PROJECT Target group: Young people and teachers from the participating countries. Content: Svanvik folk high school has for more than ten years been prominent in the EKONORD project, a form of cooperation between schools and institutions in Sweden, Finland, Russia and Norway on environmental issues and democracy. Lapland Folk High School in Sodankylä is the Finnish partner in the project. The project is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Norway. Svanvik has winter-courses (33 weeks) and short-term courses. The main purpose in the EKONORD project is to exchange information on environmental issues. One medium for this is the EKONORD MAGAZINE published once or twice a year in Scandinavian languages and in Russian since 1991 in a circulation of 4000. The magazine is distributed to schools, environmental organisations and private persons in northern Scandinavia and Northwestern Russia. Another is a textbook in Russian on environmental issues. Secondly EKONORD arranges annually free environmental camps for young people and teachers from the four countries. In 1995 EKONORD also established an information and study centre in Apatitt in Northwestern Russia. In addition, there is a wide range of conferences, courses, projects, exchanges, study visits, etc. relating to environmental and democratic issues. 114

REFERENCES Hyytiäinen Jukka et al.: Kestävä kehitys oppilaitoksissa - ekoauditoinnin opas, Opetushallitus 1999 Niemelä Seppo (toim.): Vapaan Sivistystyön Visio 2005, VSY 2000 Rajakorpi Antti, Salmio Kaija (toim.): Toteutuuko kestävä kehitys kouluissa ja oppilaitoksissa, OPH Arviointi/3 2001 Rosenström Ulla, Palosaari Marika (toim.): Kestävyyden mitta: Suomen kestävän kehityksen indikaattorit 2000 Reports, meetings, discussions etc. produced by Work Group 3 in Baltic 21 E- work during 2000-2001 Reports, meetings, discussions etc. produced by Finnish representatives in Baltic 21 E-work 2000-2001 Ström Jacob, Sellin Siv, Lanz Persson Kerstin (edited): Environmental Education "from Words to Action" for Sustainable Development, National Agency in Sweden in coop. with UNESCO 1998 Toiviainen Timo (toim.): Responding to the Challenges of A Changing World; an overview of Liberal Adult Education in Finland, FAEA 1998 Wals Arjen, Richard Bawden: Integrating sustainability into agricultural education, AFANet 2000 Wals Arjen: Education for sustainable development: critique, promise and guide posts, report from contribution to the EDU2 meeting Karlskrona June 18-19, 2001 115