Leading Sustainability in Education
The Community for Educational Innovation (CEI) hosted a webinar on 10 June 2026: “Leading Sustainability in Education.” The webinar examined how education institutions can turn sustainability commitments into concrete action through teaching and learning, curriculum renewal, institutional leadership, and cross-sector collaboration.
The session featured expert insights on transformative learning, futures-oriented science education, and institutional transformation in higher education. It also introduced the Education for Climate Coalition as a European community supporting collaboration on sustainability in education.
To learn more about the session, you can access the following resources:
Three Expert Perspectives
Gabriela Gliga, Lecturer, Atlantic Technological University, Ireland:
Gabriela Gliga explored the gap between sustainability values and sustainability practices in education. She argued that many institutions include sustainability in strategies, missions and learning outcomes, but these commitments are not always reflected in everyday teaching, learning and assessment. Her presentation emphasised that sustainability education should move beyond awareness and knowledge towards action, agency and reflection. Using the ReLoop game as an example, she showed how students can apply circularity principles to redesign everyday products and services, making sustainability more tangible and connected to real-life decisions.
Olivia Levrini, Full Professor of Physics Education and History of Physics, University of Bologna; Honorary Research Fellow, University of Oxford:
Olivia Levrini discussed how GreenComp can support futures-oriented science education. Drawing on the FEDORA project and the FEDORA Teacher Academy, she explained how science education can help learners engage with uncertainty, complexity and different possible futures. The presentation highlighted the importance of future literacy, “what if” thinking, and complex systems perspectives in sustainability education. It argued that sustainability should not be treated as an additional activity, but as a way to rethink disciplines and curricula so that learners develop the mindsets needed to shape sustainable futures.
Anete Veidemane, Researcher, KITES, University of Twente:
Anete Veidemane examined sustainability transformation in higher education, with a focus on academic leadership. She explained that universities can support sustainability through education, research, societal engagement, campus operations and governance, but that institutional change is often slow and complex. Drawing on the DECODE project, the presentation identified key drivers, obstacles and support needs for embedding sustainability in universities. It also introduced five policy levers for change: strategy and awareness, mapping and monitoring, capacity building, incentives, and structures and regulations. The presentation highlighted that leaders can drive, support, delay or block sustainability transformation, and that meaningful change requires both central leadership and unit-level commitment.
Key Takeaways
- Sustainability education should move from values to practice. The webinar highlighted that learners need opportunities to act, reflect and apply sustainability values in concrete situations. Teaching about sustainability is not enough.
- Transformative learning and action competence are central. Learners become agents of change when they engage with real problems, make decisions, and practise sustainability in meaningful learning activities.
- GreenComp can help rethink curricula. The framework supports education institutions in connecting sustainability values, complexity, future thinking and action, especially when used to redesign learning rather than simply add sustainability content.
- Institutional transformation requires leadership and support structures. Universities need strategies, data, training, incentives and internal structures to embed sustainability across education, research, engagement, operations and governance.
- Academic leaders play a decisive role. Leaders can enable change by setting priorities, supporting staff, creating incentives and reducing barriers. They can also slow progress when decisions are delayed or sustainability remains ambiguous.
- The Education for Climate Coalition supports collaboration. The webinar introduced the Coalition as a European platform where education stakeholders can share practices, resources and activities on sustainability and climate action.
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