Education for sustainable development in Canada and the United States

Abstract

This chapter establishes the overarching context for the book and provides a conceptual framework for education for sustainable development (ESD) within the realm of formal education in the United States and Canada. The authors describe some of the current global challenges along with those more specific to the education community. ESD is tied to the basic purposes of education as well as the concept of quality education, which is the major concern of ministries of education and school boards and districts. This chapter describes the features of sustainable development and the four thrusts common to education for sustainable development efforts around the world. Short descriptions of each chapter are provided along with comments about the interrelationships between the chapters.