L'Ontario GT
www.sustainable-ontario.org
Educational Alliance for Sustainable Ontario (EASO) has been established in response to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD), which runs from 2005 to 2014. EASO is one of several provincial/territorial working groups established or under development across Canada. It was initiated and supported by Learning for a Sustainable Future, Environment Canada and Ducks Unlimited Canada.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) encourages us to explore the profound interdependencies of ecological, societal, and economic systems.
ESD is about respecting and perserving our histories, valuing culture and community, caring for others and the environment, and taking action to create a fair, healthy, and safe world for all beings. EDS also supports flexibility, creativity, critical reflection, and fosters a sense of personal responsibility for the economy, society, and environment.
EASO intends to ensure that all people and ecosystems in Ontario are thriving sustainably, supported by an educated and engaged society. It provides a forum for collaboration and leadership to advance education for thriving, diverse communities and ecosystems.
Vision
All people and ecosystems in Ontario are thriving sustainably, supported by an educated and engaged society.
Mission
To provide a forum for collaboration and leadership to advance education for thriving, diverse communities and ecosystems.
Goals
- Create leadership and support for formal, non-formal and informal sustainability education in the across the province.
- Provide a mechanism for individuals and organizations working on sustainability education to share ideas and resources, collaborate and co-ordinate activities, and work together to advance ESD on a local, regional and province-wide scale.
- Recognize and address the complexity involved in a large-scale transformation to a truly sustainable education system through renewing and refocusing the energy of the ESD community to form new partnerships, develop shared understandings and vision, and take ownership of shared action and vocabulary, and strengthening the diversity of participation in ESD.
Subcommittees
- Formal Education: addresses policy by engaging in curriculum policy review processes and supporting enhancement of Ministry of Education documents by bringing an ESD perspective. It also works with all teacher affiliates to create professional development opportunities for teachers.
- Informal/Non-formal Education: works toward education for sustainable development by identifying, supporting and facilitating education and networking opportunities outside of the formal education system.
- Biodiversity and Awareness Network (BEAN): aims to encourage and strengthen education and awareness programs about the importance of biodiversity and the causes of biodiversity loss, as well as its protection and sustainable use. BEAN engages people from many different organizations representing formal education, NGOs, industry, government and Aboriginal peoples. It reports to both EASO and the Ontario Biodiversity Council.
- Communications: promotes EASO, ESD and the UN Decade of ESD throughout Ontario. The Communications subcommittee works to create proposals, grants, presentations, articles, brochures and Op-Eds to communicate the importance of ESD and ESD initiatives.
- Fundraising: raises funds to maintain and enhance EASO’s operations and programming.
To read more about Subcommittees, please visit; http://www.sustainable-ontario.org/subcommittee.html
