I've just watched JP's recent lecture at the University of the West of England (Bristol) UWE – you can access it via this NAEE blog post. Whilst what he said was of interest, especially the sooth-saying element of his talk: 4 things to watch for in the coming years, it was what he didn't say that drew my attention. Inevitably, of course, in 30 minutes he didn't say quite a lot – for example, he never once mentioned FIFA and its future contribution to sustainability. This would not have taken long.
More significantly, he didn't mention education, and its future contribution to sustainability. This is less understandable, especially as he was talking in a university. And, let it be said, not just any old university, as UWE has embraced sustainability as an organisation, and has even gone out of its way to incorporate the outcomes of the HEA / QAA guidelines on ESD into how it operates.
What a faux pas, you might think. What an omission! But Jonathon Porritt doesn't do omissions. If he didn't single out education as something to watch, it's because he thought it wasn't worth a mention. Quite sobering.
PS, whatever did happen to those QAA / HEA guidelines that we going to transform higher education?
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