A university wide approach to embedding the sustainable development goals in the curriculum—a case study from the nottingham trent university’s Green academy

Abstract

Since 2015, governments, businesses and civil society, together with the United Nations have been encouraged to work towards seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2017). In this context, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have a special responsibility to embrace the SDGs as they educate the decision-maker of tomorrow. The aim of this paper is to give practical examples of how to embed the SDGs in the curriculum of an HEI by outlining the process of integrating the SDGs into the core curriculum at Nottingham Trent University (NTU). This includes, among others; a Future Thinking Learning Room: an innovative online resource library, discipline specific approaches, the use of the estate as a ‘Living Lab’, community case studies and investing in staff development. As a result, ESD no longer needs to be an afterthought when it comes to curriculum content, allowing it to be an easily achievable priority across all academic departments. This chapter may be of interest to those looking for inspiration and ways to embed the SDGs within Higher Education and beyond.