LLinE Lifelong Learning in Europe

Editorial by Kristiina Kumpulainen: Sustainable development and the footprints of lifelong learning

What constitutes sustainable development? Even a quick glance over the ways in which this term is frequently cited reveals that sustainable development holds a number of definitions and focuses. Sustainable development is often examined from the viewpoint of the environment and its protection but also in terms of economic, sociopolitical and cultural sustainability. The latter stresses the importance of cultural diversity for humankind - for our intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual existence.

Despite the richness of perspectives towards sustainable development, a common thread connecting many of them is the emphasis on development that ‘meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. This often quoted definition stems from the famous report of the Brundtland Commission, formally the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). It powerfully captures the essence of sustainable development no matter from which angle it is approached or examined.

Although defining sustainable development is spirited and ongoing, no less are the discussions about the education of citizens for sustainable development. What should we know, believe, and be able to do? How can educational institutions and society, their lifelong learning policies and practices best convey the knowledge, develop the skills and cultivate the attitudes required for the promotion of sustainable development? These questions are contested and complex, and they are dealt with in such diverse forums as formal education institutions, government, the media and popular culture. Their trajectories must be understood in relation to the evolution of the world itself, its technological change and economic integration, conflicts and cultures, ideologies, as well as in relation to global and local practices.

Sustainable development is not an abstract system that can be put into practice and be expected to function, nor is it a set of institutional arrangements that can be evaluated satisfactorily simply by examining outcome figures or flowcharts. Sustainable development is rather the process and product of interaction, the interaction of a system and its institutions with the cultural context and even most importantly the people who make sustainable development a reality. Here, lifelong learning has an important role to play.

In this issue of LLinE we dive into the developments and struggles over the promotion of sustainable development in diverse contexts. We examine the cultural uniqueness and multiplicity of local practices that constitute our attempts towards the advancement of sustainable development. We explore practices whose variety and diversity are both consonant with and enriching the core conceptions of what we believe sustainable development is about. Through these explorations, we hope that this issue can contribute to the ongoing conversations taking place around the globe about what lifelong learning policies and practices can and should entail, in specific places, in specific cultures, at specific times for the promotion of sustainable development in our environment, economy, social and cultural life and in us as lifelong learners.

Kristiina Kumpulainen
Editor-in-Chief of LLinE
Director of CICERO Learning
University of Helsinki, Finland