An Introduction to Education for Sustainability (EfS)

Although the various resources we offer are unpacked in more detail with links below, if this is your first time navigating our resources or considering how best to embed sustainability into your modules and teaching materials, we recommend first having a look at our Introduction to Education for Sustainability guide. 

It covers all the bases in a light-touch, easy to digest format with suggested resources for your teaching, including addressing the following questions:

• What is sustainability and how is it understood?
• How is Education for Sustainability defined?
• What's the Christ Church approach to it?
• What do I need to know to embed sustainability in my module/programme?
• Why is student engagement so important?
• How can my students get involved in extra-curricular sustainability-related activity?
• Where can I find more resources to use in my teaching?

Digital teaching resources for sustainability

On Blackboard there is ‘Teaching Resources for Sustainability’ (please note: this is only accessible internally and you must be logged into Blackboard to access it) to help tutors of all courses to source relevant content for their modules. You can enrol yourself on this Blackboard for access once you're logged in, but if you have any problems, please do get in touch with Maz and she can organise access for you.

Teaching Resources for Sustainability was devised and developed by members of the Academy's core sustainability team to support ideas and activities to help embed sustainability into the formal, informal and campus curricula. We have created a virtual space for the easy access and exchange of quality ESF resources. If you are looking for ways to explore connections between environmental, social and economic wellbeing for present and future generations in your discipline and beyond, here you will be able to:

• Find and download a variety of resources (papers, videos, weblinks, case studies, books, games etc.) organised by subject area.
• Explore interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary resources, including the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Find out about projects on campus and in the area.

Introducing sustainability in ten Q&As

On Youtube we have several playlists of videos that unpack sustainability in the form of questions and answers created and filmed by Christ Church students and staff. These are available to everyone and can be embedded in lecture slides, presentations and more as needed. Videos in these collections include Tiktoks, 3 minute answers to common sustainability questions, a 12 minute short film combining the common questions about sustainability, answered, and the longest, most in depth version, a 44 minute short film comprising all ten, full length Q&As.

Sustainability education in the classroom

Academy team member Dr Stephen Scoffham has co-authored 'Sustainability Education; A Classroom Guide' available through the CCCU Bookshop and other retailers, and alongside it has published a series of free, open-access powerpoint presentations and additional resources to support and expand on the topics discussed in each chapter.

Exploring Sustainability

Exploring Sustainability is also an excellent source of information and inquiry, offering a means to explore some of the many areas of sustainability with video resources, further reading, and prompts to guide discussion and thinking around different sustainability issues.

Dr Stephen Scoffham, who is a Visiting Reader in Sustainability and who devised Exploring Sustainability, has been a regular contributor to the University's Expert Comment blog on local sustainability issues and a compilation of his blog articles to date is available for educational use.

Stephen also co-authored Sustainability Education: A Classroom Guide published by Bloomsbury in 2022 and created a set of educational powerpoint presentations that are available and free for educational use among the companion resources available online for this book.

Sustainability special collection

As well as these online resources, in early 2022 we curated a dedicated Sustainability Collection of books in the Canterbury campus library which reflect the sustainability-related interests of staff across all faculties and departments, who have hand-selected them over the years. Books from this collection are available to borrow through our Augustine House library,

Additional titles for the sustainability collection can now be requested by staff by emailing library acquisitions with the book details (Title, Author, Publisher and ISBN), and stating  that the book(s) requested are to be added to the Sustainability Collection.

Physical resources

The Academy also has a range of resources that can be used in class, from carbon footprinting games, to creative prompts and tools to help people explore who they are and what matters to them.

You can view our list of educational resources we have to lend or speak to a member of the team about what we have on offer. We've also been piloting Craftivism workshops for students and staff in 2021/22, please contact Adriana if you'd like to find out more about how we could facilitate these for groups in future.

Sustainability Yurt

The sustainability yurt, which moves around the Canterbury campuses sites across the warmer months of the year, is also a bookable space for small team meetings, teaching and community-building activities. Contact Maz if you'd like to enquire about using the yurt.

Sustainability Roundhouse

The sustainability roundhouse is a permanent structure on the Anselm lawn at the Canterbury campus. It is available for anyone to use on a flexible basis, without booking, but may occasionally be unavailable for ad hoc use when a planned event is taking place there.

EAUC membership

CCCU are long-standing members of the EAUC Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education, and any staff or students within our organisation can sign up for access to the EAUC's resources, events and communities of practice. You'll find more information about how to do this and what the benefits are on our Community Collaborations page.