University and Community Engagement: Toward Transformational …
793
2 Sustainability in Higher Education SHE
The notion of sustainability is built upon the definition of the term “sustainable development” as laid out by the Brundtland Commission (WCED 1987), hereafter called
the Brundtland 1987 report. The Brundtland 1987 report defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Many HEIs adapt this
Brundtland 1987 report to develop their own definitions of SHE. At UVM, for example, SHE is defined as “the pursuit of ecological, social and economic vitality with
the understanding that the needs of the present must be met without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
2.1 Implementation of SHE
It has been generally accepted that sustainability is rooted in the two fundamental principles of (1) balancing between the three pillars of “Environment, Society,
Economics” and (2) equitable and fair distribution of interests and responsibility
between “the current and future generations” (Koh and Teh 2019a). Sustainability
(or sustainable development) is a concept deeply rooted in the continuity of humannature ecosystem. It is intended for guiding human activities and behaviours towards
a future secured in the renewability of natural resources critical to the vitality of
the human-nature ecosystem. Since the Brundtland 1987 report, various definitions
of sustainability have been proposed by diverse entities, including corporations and
HEIs, to suit their respective objectives and to drive the actions that follow (Dale and
Newman 2005). The self-interested structures of some HEIs may, however, preclude
them from a firm definition of the term “sustainability” (Farley and Smith 2014).
The definitions of sustainability implicitly consider human-nature ecosystem with
complex, interconnected and vulnerable components that connect current and future
generations, in ways that are not yet clearly understood. Hence, sustainability must
embrace complexity and uncertainty as a guiding principle in the search for integrated and holistic solutions. That the actions of the current generations will affect
the well-being of the future generations is beyond doubts. However, understanding
how the current and future generations are interconnected through the human-nature
ecosystem remains a daunting challenge. To meet this daunting challenge, HEIs must
fulfil a major task of providing quality education and research with clearly defined
SLOs. HEIs are duty bound to equip future leaders, citizens and community with the
vision and mission to achieve the UN SDGs, sometimes referred to as the UN 2030
Agenda.
793
2 Sustainability in Higher Education SHE
The notion of sustainability is built upon the definition of the term “sustainable development” as laid out by the Brundtland Commission (WCED 1987), hereafter called
the Brundtland 1987 report. The Brundtland 1987 report defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Many HEIs adapt this
Brundtland 1987 report to develop their own definitions of SHE. At UVM, for example, SHE is defined as “the pursuit of ecological, social and economic vitality with
the understanding that the needs of the present must be met without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
2.1 Implementation of SHE
It has been generally accepted that sustainability is rooted in the two fundamental principles of (1) balancing between the three pillars of “Environment, Society,
Economics” and (2) equitable and fair distribution of interests and responsibility
between “the current and future generations” (Koh and Teh 2019a). Sustainability
(or sustainable development) is a concept deeply rooted in the continuity of humannature ecosystem. It is intended for guiding human activities and behaviours towards
a future secured in the renewability of natural resources critical to the vitality of
the human-nature ecosystem. Since the Brundtland 1987 report, various definitions
of sustainability have been proposed by diverse entities, including corporations and
HEIs, to suit their respective objectives and to drive the actions that follow (Dale and
Newman 2005). The self-interested structures of some HEIs may, however, preclude
them from a firm definition of the term “sustainability” (Farley and Smith 2014).
The definitions of sustainability implicitly consider human-nature ecosystem with
complex, interconnected and vulnerable components that connect current and future
generations, in ways that are not yet clearly understood. Hence, sustainability must
embrace complexity and uncertainty as a guiding principle in the search for integrated and holistic solutions. That the actions of the current generations will affect
the well-being of the future generations is beyond doubts. However, understanding
how the current and future generations are interconnected through the human-nature
ecosystem remains a daunting challenge. To meet this daunting challenge, HEIs must
fulfil a major task of providing quality education and research with clearly defined
SLOs. HEIs are duty bound to equip future leaders, citizens and community with the
vision and mission to achieve the UN SDGs, sometimes referred to as the UN 2030
Agenda.