Sustainability education offers opportunities to extend the reach of open education and deepen its engagement with the academy.
When one uses "sustainability" in the context of open education, the word usually relates to whether or not an initiative has solid funding or a viable business model. Yet the growing movement of sustainability education offers a range of promising opportunities to extend the reach of open education and perhaps deepen its engagement with the academy.
This presentation will consider the thematic and practical parallels between the two movements. The many definitions of "sustainability" itself must be considered. Concepts such as "the commons", "non-rivalrous resources", "reuse", "inputs and outputs" will be explored from both
perspectives. More concrete questions such as carbon footprints and human work will also be considered.
These broader issues will be focused in part through a case study examination of The University of British Columbia, which has worked to coordinate open and sustainability education initiatives. This case will illustrate how sustainability education can serve as a strategic driver for openness across the institution, as well as promote a more permeable university that engages the wider community. Several projects will be discussed, not the least an open-source, small-pieces-loosely-joined, bottom-up, radical-reuse open content management framework that has enjoyed massive growth over the past year.
