Education for Sustainable Development: The STEM …
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Programme. Its purpose is to support the implementation of the SDGs by communicating them to young people across the globe and by engaging concrete actions to
fulfil the SDGs. It offers free, high quality education via a mobile first platform with
content closely tied to the SDGs, focussing on mobilizing youths’ local actions as
solutions to global challenges. It collects and showcases local challenges, solutions
and inspirational stories, the effects of which can serve as feedback to and enhance
advocacy for the international development goals (Chin and Jacobsson 2016).
This paper will focus on relevant quantitative skills and competences, based upon
science and technology, in promoting SDGs, premise on the confidence that our
common cultural heritage would foster meaningful dialogue to embrace inclusiveness of all knowledge and competence domains (Hanley 2005). This approach is
consistent with the program undertaken by the School of Mathematical Sciences
(SMS) in integrating sound scientific education in relevant ICT and mathematical
skills and competences with other domains and social-cultural values. This paper
aims to demonstrate the application of quantitative methodology in support of sustainable management of the environment, covering both the local, national and global
scales, focusing on the water segment. Sustainable management of water and sanitation for all (SDG 6) is central to the attainment of virtually all other SDGs (Kadi
2016), particularly SDG 1 (No poverty), 2 (No hunger), 3 (Good health), 14 (life
below water) and 15 (life on land). Globally, water is one of the leading drivers
of economic development but is also a potential source of contention and conflict
(UNEP 2008). The patterns of inequity, variability, extremity and unreliability in
water resources and their allocations are deteriorating in many regions because of
the impacts of climate change (UN DESA 2015; WWAP 2015). High population
growth, rapid urbanization and industrialization, coupled with increasing material
demand from affluent lifestyle, have increased demand for many natural resources,
including food and water. The intensified and unsustainable use of these resources
will have serious implications for the environment and long-term security of many
sectors. Technological innovations that enable more food to be produced with fewer
resources, producing more crop per drop of resources utilized, will be critical to
addressing the growing challenges of resource constraints and long-term depletion.
With fast growing population and economic development, Asian and African countries face mounting challenges in meeting the growing demand for food, water and
other resources. How a specific university like Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has
contributed to innovative approaches in education and research on SD in addressing
these mounting environmental pressures is the focus of this paper.
2 Method: Sustainable Management of USM Campus
Environment
In support of DESD, USM initiated the concept and practice of a “University in a
Garden”, in which human coexists with the entire ecosystem in harmony, consistent
569
Programme. Its purpose is to support the implementation of the SDGs by communicating them to young people across the globe and by engaging concrete actions to
fulfil the SDGs. It offers free, high quality education via a mobile first platform with
content closely tied to the SDGs, focussing on mobilizing youths’ local actions as
solutions to global challenges. It collects and showcases local challenges, solutions
and inspirational stories, the effects of which can serve as feedback to and enhance
advocacy for the international development goals (Chin and Jacobsson 2016).
This paper will focus on relevant quantitative skills and competences, based upon
science and technology, in promoting SDGs, premise on the confidence that our
common cultural heritage would foster meaningful dialogue to embrace inclusiveness of all knowledge and competence domains (Hanley 2005). This approach is
consistent with the program undertaken by the School of Mathematical Sciences
(SMS) in integrating sound scientific education in relevant ICT and mathematical
skills and competences with other domains and social-cultural values. This paper
aims to demonstrate the application of quantitative methodology in support of sustainable management of the environment, covering both the local, national and global
scales, focusing on the water segment. Sustainable management of water and sanitation for all (SDG 6) is central to the attainment of virtually all other SDGs (Kadi
2016), particularly SDG 1 (No poverty), 2 (No hunger), 3 (Good health), 14 (life
below water) and 15 (life on land). Globally, water is one of the leading drivers
of economic development but is also a potential source of contention and conflict
(UNEP 2008). The patterns of inequity, variability, extremity and unreliability in
water resources and their allocations are deteriorating in many regions because of
the impacts of climate change (UN DESA 2015; WWAP 2015). High population
growth, rapid urbanization and industrialization, coupled with increasing material
demand from affluent lifestyle, have increased demand for many natural resources,
including food and water. The intensified and unsustainable use of these resources
will have serious implications for the environment and long-term security of many
sectors. Technological innovations that enable more food to be produced with fewer
resources, producing more crop per drop of resources utilized, will be critical to
addressing the growing challenges of resource constraints and long-term depletion.
With fast growing population and economic development, Asian and African countries face mounting challenges in meeting the growing demand for food, water and
other resources. How a specific university like Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has
contributed to innovative approaches in education and research on SD in addressing
these mounting environmental pressures is the focus of this paper.
2 Method: Sustainable Management of USM Campus
Environment
In support of DESD, USM initiated the concept and practice of a “University in a
Garden”, in which human coexists with the entire ecosystem in harmony, consistent