Scottish Government

1 THE ACTION PLAN

The Action Plan

1. Countries across the world are taking action to support learning for a more sustainable planet. This Plan sets out the actions we will take in Scotland in support of that global programme: the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. It describes the first stage of actions that we will take over the next five years (to 2010-11). A second action plan covering the period 2010-14 will be published in 2010.

Our aim is that by 2014 people in Scotland will have developed the knowledge, understanding, skills and values to live more sustainable lives.

2. In this Plan we set out what we will do to ensure that:

• Learning for sustainable development is fully integrated into the formal education system
• There are lifelong opportunities to learn
• The sustainable development message is clear and easily understood
• We share our skills, expertise and resources through strong networks and partnerships

3. It covers education and learning in its broadest sense including school education, further and higher education, all aspects of lifelong learning, community learning, and other types of informal education, recognising the roles of the public, private, voluntary and community sectors.

4. The Executive recognises that much of the knowledge, experience and expertise in this area rests with a wide range of partners and stakeholders. A priority for the period ahead will be to learn from these experts, exchange best practice and encourage more effective partnership working.

5. As a consequence, the plan is not going to be set in stone. We recognise that many areas of existing and planned work will not have been captured here - and also that new ideas and opportunities will emerge as we start to implement this plan - not least through bringing people together to share ideas and practice. We welcome this dynamic approach and will review and update the plan on an annual basis to ensure new developments are taken into account.

6. The Executive will establish a small steering group to oversee the roll out of the programme, representing interests from the formal education sector (schools, colleges and universities), voluntary and community sectors, NGOs and civic society.

What is sustainable development?

7. The aim of sustainable development is

'to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life without compromising the quality of life of future generations'.

8. In Scotland we are working towards four broad objectives within this overarching aim. These are described in more detail in the Scottish Executive's sustainable development strategy, Choosing Our Future. The four goals are as follows:

The well-being of Scotland's people, through

• increased economic opportunities for all
• an environment that provides the conditions for health and well-being
• a focus on the promotion of good mental health and well-being

Thriving communities, so we are a nation that

• has well-connected places
• regenerates local environments
• puts people at the heart of change

Scotland's natural heritage and resources are protected,
so that

• biodiversity loss has been halted
• natural resources are managed sustainably
• the environment is protected effectively

A fairer global contribution, so we are a country that

• has reduced its own greenhouse gas emissions
• is reducing its ecological impact
• is contributing to the Millennium Development Goals

9. Sustainable development challenges us to think about and act upon some very big issues. At the global level, we need to face up to the threat of unsustainable development, development that is causing damage to such an extent that the planet cannot sustain human life, leading to a world where future generations would no longer have the resources to meet their needs.

10. Facing up to these challenges means changing the way that we live and develop as individuals, as communities, as a nation, and as part of a global society. It means learning and embracing new approaches to the way we go about things. It means learning how to:

• respect the limits of the planet's environment, resources and biodiversity
• use resources as efficiently as possible - including reducing the need for them in the first place
• get much better at thinking about the long-term consequences of our actions, and their global as well as national or local consequences
• plan and work towards a positive vision of the kind of community, country or world that we want to live in
• develop a much more integrated approach to tackling problems and identifying solutions.

11. This can seem like a daunting agenda. That is why we will we focus over the next few years on working together to:

• bring initiatives together rather than adding to confusion and overload
• pool experience, skills, ideas and expertise
• develop shared approaches and a common language
• provide support to people working in the field
• spot new opportunities
• highlight and celebrate the good work that is already going on
• learn from each other.

The principles of sustainable development education

12. Sustainable development education is an approach that not only delivers knowledge and understanding but also enables learners to act on this information to change their behaviour. The importance of values is central to this: people are more likely to change their behaviour if they value the benefits that a more sustainable way of living might bring.

13. Learning about sustainable development includes an exploration of some fundamental principles of the way we live our lives:

Interdependence: understanding the connections and links between all aspects of our lives and the links between people, other living things and places at a local and global level

Diversity: understanding the importance and value of diversity in peoples' lives and that our lives, our economy and our well-being are impoverished without it

Carrying capacity: understanding that there are limits to the world's resources and the ways in which the world can develop and that the consequences of unmanaged and unsustainable growth are increased poverty and hardship, and the degradation of the environment, to the disadvantage of us all

Rights and responsibilities: understanding the need to lead lives that consider the rights and needs of others and recognising that what we do now has implications for what life might be like in the future

Equity and justice: understanding the underlying causes of inequity and recognising that for any development to be sustainable it must benefit people in an equitable way

Uncertainty and precaution: understanding that our actions may have unforeseen consequences and recognise that there are limits to human knowledge and encouraging a cautious approach to the welfare of our planet

14. Learners - at all ages and stages - also need the opportunity to acquire new skills through action learning, learning through participation in 'real' activities. Three key skills have been identified as integral to learning for sustainable development:

Joined-up thinking: the ability to identify and understand links between the issues being addressed and other relevant issues

Participative working: involvement in decision making, setting priorities and action plans

Reflective practice: being able to look back, identify lessons learned and apply them in the future

15. The purpose of sustainable development education is not to tell people what is important and what they should do, but to enable them to decide what is important to them, decide what they want to do about it, and equip them with the skills they need to do it.

What are the benefits of sustainable development education?

16. Learning to live more sustainable lives can bring some surprising benefits. The case studies and examples included in this Plan highlight some of the following benefits:

Sustainable development education can help:

• teachers deliver the objectives of the new curriculum
• children and young people develop as responsible citizens

A whole school approach to sustainable development can foster:

• a good learning atmosphere
• a wide sense of achievement

Learning outdoors and real-world learning is associated with:

• enhanced emotional development in school children
• reduced stress levels for teachers

Learning to make better use of resources delivers:

• more efficient government
• direct financial savings to Scottish businesses

Building sustainable development into policy making supports:

• more joined-up government
• agendas on health promotion, social inclusion, community well-being

Learning for sustainable development within the formal education system

Schools

17. We want to see a Scotland where:

• Education for sustainable development, in the context of the school curriculum, clearly helps young people to become responsible citizens
• Classroom learning is set within a whole school approach that promotes the same values
• Schools are modernised and improved based on sustainable design
• Schools have access to the highest quality materials, advice and support on sustainable development education
• Learning and teaching in sustainable development is of the highest quality
• Schools are making the best possible use of our natural heritage as a classroom for learning

Ambitious, Excellent Schools

18. School education is in the process of reform under the umbrella of the Ambitious, Excellent Schools programme. We need to explore the opportunities to ensure that sustainable development education forms an important part of this process in a way which is neither onerous nor tokenistic - but is meaningful and adds value. Opportunities should be explored in relation to leadership, initial teacher education, continuing professional development, school-college partnerships and out-of- hours partnerships. The Education Department will take account of sustainable development in the Ambitious, Excellent Schools programme.

The school curriculum

19. The Executive has recently set out - for the first time - a set of clear statements about the purposes of education in Scotland. Principles of sustainability such as those set out in paragraphs 10-15 above are at the heart of the vision for future education set out in A Curriculum for Excellence. The aim is for young people to be:

• Successful learners, enabled to make reasoned evaluations and link and apply learning in new situations
• Confident individuals, who can develop and communicate their own views of the world and their place in it
• Effective contributors, clear thinking and articulate with problem solving skills and 'can do' attitudes to life
• Responsible citizens, who can develop knowledge and understanding of the world and Scotland's place in it, evaluate environmental, scientific and technological issues, enabling them to develop informed, ethical views of complex issues

20. This is an ambitious agenda, shifting the balance of the curriculum from a primarily content-based system to one which concentrates more on outcomes for young people. It also identifies very clearly the potential contribution young people can make to debate and action on global and local issues In short, we are giving greater emphasis to preparing young people to be citizens of the modern world.

21. A key purpose of the curriculum review will be to unify the curriculum providing improved and more coherent opportunities for teachers to usecross-cutting elements such as education for citizenship, environmental education, outdoor education, international education and education for the global perspective, as vehicles for learning across curricular areas and subjects.

22. The curriculum review is currently being undertaken: new guidance should start to come into place from 2007-08, and implementation will follow over forward years. Schools and others with an interest in curricular development in these areas will have an opportunity to engage with the curriculum review, and can register their interest in doing so on www.acurriculumforexcellencescotland.gov.uk .

23. The review of the curriculum presents a major opportunity to strengthen the contribution that education for sustainable development can make in Scotland's schools. A key task is to identify outcomes and experiences for young people that will enable them to experience effective, high quality education for sustainable development. The Executive will liaise with the Sustainable Development Education Liaison Group on options for taking this forward.

24. There are also opportunities to develop stronger connections between sustainable development and education for citizenship and informal learning through both youth work and learning in the wider community. Further research may be required into the role of informal education through youth work and learning in the wider community, as noted above, in outcomes for children and young people.

Whole school approach

25. Classroom learning should be set within a whole school approach, encouraging participation, joint decision making and learning by all including teachers, non-teaching staff, parents and the local community as well as pupils. This is an approach that encourages teamwork and helps to create a shared understanding of what it takes to run a school in a way that respects and enhances the environment.

26. Scotland is leading the way in this whole school approach. Scotland has the highest percentage of schools in Europe who are involved in the Eco Schools Programme.
At present over 70% of schools are registered Eco Schools. The target is to have 80% of all schools registered on the Eco Schools Programme by January 2008.

27. The Executive provides financial support for the programme, from environment and education budgets. Funding of £350,000 will be provided on an annual basis up to 2008-09 and then reviewed.

28. The Eco Schools Programme will continue to develop to provide additional challenge and interest for schools who have already gained Green Flag status. Stronger linkages also need to be made with secondary school education. The Executive will work with the Sustainable Development Education Liaison Group ( SDELG) and the Eco Schools Programme to identify those aspects of the current programme that can be enhanced to encourage active participation by secondary schools in a manner consistent with A Curriculum for Excellence.
This might include different forms of participation and involvement that are more interesting and engaging for an older audience, and more challenging issues for example around Fair Trade, climate change, health, poverty, Millennium Development Goals and global dimensions. The Executive will provide additional funding of £75,000 in 2006-07 and 2007-08 to support the development of this work.

29. Development of the whole school approach should include building and maintaining connections with the wider community. This could be taken forward through partnerships with organisations such as the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers ( BTCV) who have many years' experience working with communities on social, economic and environmental improvements to a local area. The SDELG will explore these options with BTCV (and other community based organisations) and report back to the Executive.

30. The value of this whole school approach can and should be reinforced through the school inspection process. HMIE will ensure that the outcomes and experiences for young people, including those that enable education for sustainable development, are fully reflected in the inspection process.

31. Whole school initiatives have also been developed in support of other cross-cutting issues. All schools are expected to be health promoting by 2007 and are required to take a whole school approach to health promotion which includes the physical, social, spiritual, mental and emotional well-being of everyone in the school. This ensures not only that health education is integral to the curriculum but also that school ethos, policies, services and extra-curricular activities foster well-being and healthy development.

32. There are close connections between these two approaches and they can add value to each other by connecting up:

• health benefits of walking/cycling with environmental benefits of travel choices and travel planning as a skill for life
• designing the estate for environmental impact and health promotion
• linking healthy eating with sustainable food procurement
• prioritising places to play and enjoy quiet time over car parking
• outdoor education - mental and physical health benefits, learning about the environment.

33. Linkages are being made to draw these and other whole school approaches together. The developing Integrated Children's Services Agenda will ensure that there is a more cohesive approach to partnership working in support of the whole school approach. There is close collaboration between Health Promoting Schools, Eco Schools, Sustrans and Outdoor Connections and with an increased emphasis on cross-curricular themes other collaborations are likely. The experiential learning that these whole school approaches offer will help enliven subjects and assist with the four capacities identified in the new curriculum: confident individuals, successful learners, effective contributors, and responsible citizens.

34. One of the main priorities for sustainable development in schools will be to strengthen these linkages and continue to build a more cohesive approach. The SDELG is already examining how schools can bring together their curricular work, their whole school initiatives and the management of their school to create a whole school approach to sustainable development. An approach that has been generating interest in this area is the 'Pathways' framework developed by WWFUK. Two Local Authorities are currently using this framework to develop a joint understanding among staff, join up different initiatives and embed sustainable development in all aspects of the school.

Outdoor education

35. Making the most of learning outdoors can be a very effective way of developing a whole school approach. It can link and strengthen different strands of what can seem like competing agendas.

36. Outdoor education is a whole school approach which forms a valuable component of a rounded and rich educational experience. It provides a very important setting for young people to discover more about themselves, to develop environmental awareness and to engage in the sustainability debate. Young people benefit from regular opportunities to learn in a natural setting, to build up familiarity with a natural place close to home and to relate theory to reality on the ground. SNH is preparing a web-based site directory of places for schools to visit for learning across Scotland to make this easier.

37. The Executive is keen to raise the profile of outdoor education in Scotland by developing outdoor education for all young people. It is recognised that education in the outdoors can contribute to the delivery of the four key purposes of education, in particular developing citizenship through sustainable environmental studies and national heritage awareness. Learning and Teaching Scotland are taking forward this work with a new development programme Outdoor Connections and have appointed a national development officer to identify and disseminate good practice and encourage authorities to review and enhance provision. Some examples of what can be achieved by learning outdoors are included in the annex.

The school estate: sustainable design

38. The management of the school estate should reflect the values and principles of sustainable development. Schools should set an example to those who work and learn in schools. The way schools are managed should model the sustainable development principles that are part of the curriculum. Congruence between what is taught and what is practiced is important for effective learning: without it, good teaching can be badly undermined.

39. One of the Scottish Executive's key priorities is to modernise the school estate. Investments in renewing school buildings across Scotland now exceed £2.3 billion and this will have significant environmental impacts. Sustainable school buildings should be designed for a long life, serving their communities for many years.
A key issue is to take into account whole-life costs, not just the initial capital cost of design and construction.

40. A joint Scottish Executive and CoSLA strategy ( Building Our Future: Scotland's School Estate) sets out the vision for well-designed, well-built and well-managed schools. The Executive has published additional School estate guidance on School Design published in 2003 which provides a checklist of key design issues that need to be addressed including points on sustainable design such as:

• Demonstrating a genuine commitment at all stages in the process to designing and building schools along environmentally and ecologically sound principles
• Conserving the use of energy, water and other resources
• Utilising the natural character of the site, including any changes in levels and orientation to maximise passive solar and wind gains and minimise energy loss
• Using materials which are non toxic, non polluting and selected from certifiable sustainable sources
• Designing the school grounds and the building to promote biodiversity
• Integrating the school within wider transport plans, taking account of issues such as accessibility and travel to school

41. Further guidance on these and other relevant issues is provided in the school estate guidance on sustainability, published in 2004. The Executive has also recently commissioned two publications on the Design and Construction of Sustainable Schools which provide sustainable lessons learned from two study trips focusing on recently constructed school buildings in Norway and Sweden. Work will continue to ensure full consideration of sustainable issues in the commissioning of school buildings.

42. There is also a key learning point here: children up and down the country are getting involved in the designs for their new classrooms, and learning about the relationship between design and the daily management of waste, energy and other resources - in short, putting sustainable development education into immediate practice. Sustainable design therefore has an important role not just in shaping healthy and ecologically-sensitive school environments but also demonstrating to pupils an awareness of the need for all of us to develop more sustainable ways of living.

Materials, advice and support

43. The Executive is working with Learning and Teaching Scotland ( LTS) and other stakeholders to improve the range of and access to good material on education for sustainable development. This work is set firmly within the contexts of the wider citizenship agenda and the purposes of the curriculum as set out in A Curriculum for Excellence. A development officer has been appointed to take this forward.

44. We are aware that there is a wealth of high quality material already in existence, including materials produced by environmental and other NGOs. But we also know that the range and priority of sources is potentially confusing to teachers and schools. The priority is to make it easier for teachers (and others supporting the learning of school-age children) to access the material, including signposting the relevance of material to curricular topics.

45. This work is being taken forward through the Sustainable Development Education Liaison Group, with current priorities including:

• new framework to deliver a more joined-up approach
• new website to make it easier for schools and teachers to access materials

46. New materials have also been produced including:

• New module on biodiversity (launched September 2005)
• New module on global citizenship

47. A joint project will be run in 2006-07 to identify sources of advice, support, good practice examples and resources that can be made accessible to teaching staff. This will be taken forward by LTS, SNH and the Scottish Executive.

Highest quality teaching and learning

48. One of the aims of the Decade internationally is to foster the increased quality of teaching and learning in education for sustainable development. The key action in Scotland will be to integrate it into the new curriculum, as set out above, and to enable a more engaging and interesting experience for young people.

49. The school inspectorate ( HMIE) will look at the extent to which the outcomes of A Curriculum for Excellence are influencing the direction of curricular innovation and improvements in learning and teaching.

50. Learning for sustainable development presents a challenge and opportunity for Initial Teacher Education ( ITE) in Scotland. The Scottish Executive recently undertook a review of ITE and the response was published in May 2005. The review acknowledged that the one-year ITE courses, which provide the bulk of provision, could not cover in depth all areas which new entrants to teaching would eventually be expected to master. Instead, the role of the one-year course was to provide a sound basis for professional practice. The knowledge and experience base of new teachers would then grow during the one-year induction programme, and in the 2-3 years beyond, and it was the totality of this professional development which would provide the professional development new teachers needed.

51. It is clearly important that the knowledge, skills and values of sustainable development and related matters have a key profile in this ongoing process of professional development. There is also now an additional opportunity to achieve this goal, in the development of the new curriculum, A Curriculum for Excellence. Inevitably elements of existing ITE content will need to be redrawn to reflect new curricular priorities. This will provide opportunities to further reflect the concept of sustainable development in Initial Teacher Education.

Further and Higher Education

52. We want to see a Scotland where:

• Our universities and colleges play a key role in developing knowledge and understanding of sustainable development
• Estates developments embody the principles of sustainable development and encourage learners and staff to act sustainably
• Education for sustainable development is integrated into curricula
• The whole experience offered to learners contributes to the development of their sustainability literacy and citizenship skills, attitudes and behaviours
• Universities and colleges have access to the highest quality materials, advice and support to enable them to embed education for sustainable development into their courses and the wider student experience
• The value of sustainability skills is understood and articulated by institutions, learners and employers

Learning and Teaching

53. Universities and colleges will play a key role in developing knowledge and understanding of sustainable development amongst learners and the wider community, by supporting research that leads to more sustainable technologies and by introducing education for sustainable development into curricula.

54. Sustainable development requires people to be able to make connections between diverse sources of knowledge. The Funding Council will work with institutions and bodies like the Higher Education Academy to encourage the development of generic cross-disciplinary modules in sustainable development and trans-disciplinary approaches to learning and teaching.

55. The Council will establish the value and relevance of national educational resources to support staff in embedding sustainable development into courses and will identify appropriate professional development opportunities for staff.

56. In further education, the council will work with SQA to incorporate sustainable development perspectives within its normal processes of curriculum design and review.

57. Demand from employers and professional bodies for sustainable skills, attitudes and behaviours will be a key driver influencing the content of courses. The Council will work with institutions and national bodies to identify and articulate the value of such attributes. This will require research on how career choices and learner opportunities are influenced by sustainable development, in order to establish a 'business case' for institutions, employers and learners.

58. The Council will explore the scope for developing self-audit tools to support institutions in assessing their own position and development needs in relation to sustainable development.

59. The Council will assess the progress made by Scotland's universities and colleges and report annually to the Executive, drawing on a wide range of information compiled at the subject and institutional levels.

Estates

60. Universities and colleges will increasingly embrace sustainable development principles in the management of their estates. The Funding Council has developed new guidance on sustainable development. It will also incorporate it into its forthcoming estates strategy guidance and this will encourage institutions to embed sustainable development in their estates and business operations in a creative and holistic way. This will include encouraging good and innovative practice around principles of resource procurement, energy efficiency and waste management, as well as links to the learning and teaching strategies to reflect the role of the campus, culture and policies in promoting values around global citizenship.

61. The Funding Council, through regular seminars for universities and colleges promotes the sharing of best practice in relation to principles and issues of sustainable development. The Funding Council is also working with the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges - Scotland, who encourage and support sustainable development throughout the tertiary education sector in Scotland to provide a 'one-stop shop' for guidance and advice on embedding sustainability issues into institutional practices in Scotland.

62. The Funding Council has capital grant budgets of
£0.4 billion over the three years 2005-08. Through its capital programmes, the Funding Council is encouraging colleges and universities to embrace the principles of sustainable development throughout the delivery of major capital projects, not just the final product, either a new or a refurbished facility, but through the procurement, construction and occupation phases. During the appraisal of business cases for capital funding, the sustainable development elements of projects are specifically considered, and the Funding Council has a standard condition of grant which requires reporting on the progress of the delivery of the sustainable development items identified in the capital project.

63. The Funding Council will keep track of the sectors' progress with sustainability issues. It will review the current estate management data with a view to incorporating data on waste management as well as developing relevant key Performance Indicators on sustainability and is working with the Scottish Universities and Colleges setting appropriate sustainability benchmarks for the sector, through the UK-wide estates statistics tools EMS and eMandate.

Research

64. The Council is supporting the development of more sustainable development research capacity by investing in new university research centres around issues like carbon storage and environmental sustainability, and feasibility studies into marine science and hydrogen-based systems. Staff involved in such research have the skills and knowledge to make significant contributions to embedding sustainable development in postgraduate and undergraduate courses. The Council will consider ways in which links between learning and sustainability and environment-related research capacity can be improved.

Communities

65. Scotland's universities and colleges make a major contribution to their local communities, in providing learning opportunities, facilities and cultural resources, and as large employers and purchasers of local goods and services. They can also act as drivers for change within their local communities, encouraging progress on ethical purchasing and other aspects of sustainable development. Colleges contribute to the social and economic sustainability of communities by helping unemployed people and redundant workers back to work and through targeted support for those with low skills or learning disabilities in locally-based community learning centres. Students contribute to local cultural diversity and - through activities like volunteering - make a major contribution to the well-being of local communities and community groups.

66. The Council will support the development of estates which contribute to the cultural capital of local communities and encourage procurement practices which support sustainable development at the local and global level. Universities and colleges will continue their long-standing civic activities and their role in community planning and will develop further as beacons of good practice to their local communities. Building on the 'Studentification' report, institutions will continue to work in partnership with their community to ensure that learners are increasingly ambassadors for positive change.

Funding Council

67. The Funding Council will aim to conduct its business in a sustainable way and in line with its organisational environmental policy. The Scottish Executive will work with the Council to develop jointly staff capacity, skills and knowledge in sustainable development in order to take forward its new duties. This might include commissioning research and training materials as required.

There are lifelong opportunities to learn

68. Learning for sustainable development is for everyone, at whatever stage of life they find themselves. This is a key priority if we are to learn to:

• understand the consequences of our actions in terms of sustainable development
• identify what we can do to achieve better outcomes
• know how these changes can be made

69. We need to stimulate activity and create opportunities in all the places where learning takes place. This is clearly not limited to the formal education sector. In the sections below we set out the actions we will take to provide opportunities for individuals to get involved in activity, in debate and in learning.

70. Experience shows that, when given the opportunity, people are very motivated to play their part in change - especially when it contributes to improved quality of life, financial savings, protection of the environment or global peace and justice.

71. We recognise that there is still much work to be done to develop routes for learning about and engaging with sustainable development outside the formal education system. The action plan for the second half of the Decade will need to give greater emphasis to engagement across all walks of life in Scotland. Developing new suggestions, ideas and approaches will be therefore be a priority for all stakeholders over the next five years. As a first step, the Executive will host a conference on 'involving people in sustainable development' by March 2007.

Consumer awareness

72. We need to build on people's growing awareness of social and environmental concerns and the influence they have as citizens and consumers. One example would be the Fair Trade movement. Another approach is to use the ecological footprint as a tool for increasing understanding of unsustainable consumption and learning how to make more sustainable choices. The Executive will continue to support the work of WWF and partner organisations to roll out this footprint approach to local authorities and schools across Scotland.

73. The Executive will also work with the UK Government, retailers, NGOs and others to encourage informed public debate around the environmental and social consequences of the goods and services consumers buy, supporting initiatives such as Environment Direct, a proposed new consumer information service, which is expected to be launched across the UK in late 2006.

74. Transport Scotland is the new national transport agency for Scotland. Its purpose is to support delivery of the Scottish Executive's vision for sustainable transport in Scotland, making a real difference for people and businesses using the national rail and road systems. Transport Scotland is working closely with the transport industry and other stakeholders to make this happen. Through the National Transport Strategy which is due to be published towards the end of 2006, and working in partnership with the Scottish Executive, we aim to deliver this vision.

The business community

75. Making the business case for sustainable development can be a key mechanism in increasing understanding and engagement. There are many examples of innovation that have led to major economic as well as social and environmental benefits for businesses in Scotland.

76. Working with the business community to improve understanding, develop skills and celebrate success will be a priority for the communication plan for the new sustainable development strategy, as well as this action plan.

77. Support, information and advice needs to be accessible and business-friendly. It is recognised that although there are many valuable sources of advice the co-ordination of their services could be improved in order to provide a 'one-stop shop' service to businesses. This is being taken forward through a review of advice and support to businesses on resource efficiency.

Civic society

78. Developing capacity within civic society can help us become a more sustainable nation. The Executive is committed to this approach in Scotland and will encourage participation and engagement in policy development and implementation.

79. There is already a broad network of individuals, groups and organisations who are actively involved in the sustainable development agenda. The Executive will continue to support the Scottish Sustainable Development Forum to facilitate debate, encourage participation, raise awareness and understanding, promote good practice and recommend action in the pursuit of a more sustainable Scotland.

80. The Executive will also support the new SUS IT OUT programme with core funding for the next three years. The Future Scotland partnership has been working since 2001 to promote awareness of sustainable development amongst civic society organisations and to encourage the Executive to take a participatory approach to the development of sustainable development policy. The partnership has developed SUS IT OUT to support these objectives. The programme will include a tailor-made awareness raising tool, training and development for organisations across Scotland and annual pledges of activity in support of sustainable development.

Voluntary sector

81. The voluntary sector including NGOs already play an important role in the stewardship of natural resources, engagement of volunteers, awareness raising and policy development advice. They often pioneer new approaches and can provide learning opportunities for young people outside school settings and practical ways for people and communities to become involved through volunteering. They operate most effectively as an independent force, capable of entering into partnership with government where their experience and skills can bring benefits. The Executive is committed to developing the relationship with the voluntary sector and we will continue to support constructive endeavours by the voluntary sector to assist sustainable development learning.

82. The Executive will work with the voluntary sector to support their own learning for sustainable development, looking to identify practical ways to support their work and build on their skills and experience including:

• ways of identifying and evaluating sustainable development objectives
• training needs analysis and support
• new guidance and toolkits

83. Natural heritage volunteering provides opportunities for people to engage with the natural world and to understand the part it plays in supporting our emotional and physical well-being. The Executive is supporting a joint project with BTCV Scotland to explore the benefits of environmental volunteering in Scotland, reporting by the end of 2006.

Communities

84. Scotland has a strong tradition of community action and involvement. There is a very real opportunity for Scotland to be a leader in supporting community learning and engagement in sustainable development by looking creatively at ways of building on existing activity and making the connections with sustainable development.

85. The Executive is driving support for the growing role of communities through its guidance on community learning and development, Working and Learning Together to Build Stronger Communities. It emphasises the importance of building learning in communities around issues of real and immediate concern, and linking it to support for action by communities to influence these. Linking learning and action in communities in this way has a key role in sustainable development.

86. Community Planning Partnerships have an important part to play in strengthening connections between local activity and sustainable development. Recent guidance to Community Planning Partnerships on community learning reinforced that environment and the natural heritage can be a key issue for communities. The communications work will support this agenda through proactive PR relations and working with local media, etc. to share best practice (leading by examples/ localising issues to make them relevant to that community).

87. There are many examples of programmes in Scotland that are supporting individuals and communities to learn by doing, linking training and development packages with practical conservation and environmental improvement programmes. We want to build on the success of this type of initiative, extend the coverage (but with a particular focus on deprived neighbourhoods) and identify critical success factors for any future programmes. The Executive will provide funding of £100,000 for the next three years to develop, support and evaluate this initiative.

88. Forward Scotland are committed to fostering a culture of sustainable development within Scotland and will be working to develop a network of champions for sustainable development across Scotland, helping them to achieve consensus on priority issues of sustainable development and enabling members of local communities to take a pioneering or visionary approach to sustainable development.

89. Learning within communities can often depend on having somewhere to meet. Learning will be easier when there are accessible 'hubs' like schools or community halls. This is also an efficient way of using existing resources. Other resources and forms of support are also important including childcare and accessible transport. Communities across rural Scotland have been supported to develop community facilities which have the capacity to be multi-functional and appeal to a wide age group. Such hubs have the potential to be self-sustaining and communities are being encouraged to consider how to make them so. Some of our newer halls have been designed on sustainable development principles, incorporating efficient energy use and waste minimisation.

Skills and training

90. Training in sustainable development needs to be embedded into all types of professional and business education, so that there is the widest understanding of how to achieve greater sustainability in all fields of commercial practice. As technology advances against a background of rapid change, global competition and rising expectations of choice, the skills of our people and their continuing development are ever more important.

91. We are keen to work with the relevant bodies to develop the existing skills base and support the development of necessary new skills. The green jobs strategy sets out a range of support actions in this area, including:

• work with the Funding Council to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable development in higher and further education institutions
• work on skills in the waste and renewables sectors
• taking forward the recommendations of the FREDS Skills Sub-Group
• working with Energy and Utility Skills on their functional and occupational mapping of the waste and renewable energy sectors, and on their labour market investigation of the waste management sector
• working closely with Futureskills Scotland
• careers Scotland will highlight emerging opportunities within the labour market when supporting individuals in planning their careers
• working with Transport Group and Transport Scotland to further public knowledge, use and opportunities for sustainable transport.

The sustainable development message is clear and easily understood

Communications plan

92. The new UK Framework challenges governments to 'promote a clear understanding of and commitment to sustainable development so that all people can contribute to the overall goal through their individual decisions'.

93. We recognise that this is a major challenge and will:

• continue to explore the most effective mechanisms for communication and engagement
• work in partnership with key stakeholders
• develop a coherent framework for communicating key messages on climate change, waste, energy efficiency, travel and biodiversity

94. Proposals for taking this new approach forward will be set out in the communications plan that will support Choosing our Future. Implementation of that communications plan will need to go hand in hand with work to take forward the actions for learning.

95. A priority for the communications plan will be to develop and deploy common branding (images, straplines, shared language) to help 'link up' educational and communication initiatives across sectors, age ranges and topics. This will support and reinforce partnership working. It will also make it easier for individuals to make the connections between issues.

Raising awareness - building capacity

96. The Scottish sustainable development strategy Choosing our Future sets in train a comprehensive programme of action across all sectors of Scottish life. We recognise that there is a need to build awareness, understanding, skills and capacity in order to deliver the programme successfully and to ensure that it is more than the sum of its parts. We also recognise the importance of learning from the practical experience of implementation - what works, what doesn't, how to transfer skills and expertise, how to share best practice, learning the lessons from ideas that don't work and capturing the inspiration from those that do. The Executive will ensure that each workstream in the implementation plan for Choosing our Future includes an analysis of relevant learning requirements or opportunities.

97. Training and awareness are needed so that policy makers have the skills, knowledge and understanding to promote sustainable development. This includes learning how to overcome institutional and cultural barriers to more 'joined-up working' with a focus on the outcomes we are collectively trying to achieve rather than the delivery of individual programmes.

98. This is an important learning agenda for the Executive and a new programme will be introduced to promote skills for sustainable development within the organisation. This will include a one-day programme for senior managers, training and support for a network of 'environmental guardians', awareness raising seminars and the integration of sustainable development issues within Better Policy Making. Competencies will be driven by the requirements for spending proposals to be subject to pre-expenditure assessments to identify social, economic and environmental impact; the application of Strategic Environmental Assessment to all policies, programmes and plans; and the need for all proposals for legislation to be accompanied by a sustainable development commentary to inform parliamentary scrutiny.

99. There are many ways in which continuing professional development can improve understanding and raise awareness of sustainable development objectives. Organisations like Forward Scotland have been developing partnership models with public sector organisations; joint training programmes have been piloted on a partnership basis through some of Scotland's major public bodies through the SENCE group. ¹

100. The underlying principle is to build on the existing skill set of participants and encourage them to 'link their thinking' and look at what they do differently. Within the Scottish Executive for example, policy makers will be encouraged to explore connections between their areas and search for the sustainable development 'wins'. At a more hands-on level, youth and outdoor workers involved with John Muir Trust recognise that they already spend a lot of time working outdoors but are not necessarily making the most of the learning opportunities that natural classroom presents. Making connections between programmes - building in skills or employability to conservation work; looking at environmental issues as part of outdoor education programmes - can build skills and capacity, strengthen partnership working, and engender commitment and enthusiasm among participants.

Strong networks and partnerships

101. This plan reflects contributions and commitments from a wide range of Scottish Executive departments, agencies and public bodies. A list of partners and stakeholders is included in the annex.

102. The Executive will explore with these and other partners the most appropriate mechanisms to pull contributions together, including for example:

• national and local co-ordinating groups
• an annual conference to share experience and celebrate success. The first annual conference will take place by the end of 2006
• regular updates to re-enforce and empower the networks via email or other channels
• stronger branding of the learning agenda within overall communication strategy
• use of ICT to exchange information and best practice
• dedicated website for UN Decade in Scotland and linkages to other websites
• mechanisms to share ideas and practice across educational sectors (websites, newsletters)

103. We are keen to build on and consolidate this collaborative working and pull in the positive contributions that all sectors can make to this agenda. Summary statements of the contributions that organisations are making will be pulled together and publicised on the Scottish Executive website. Some early examples are included in the annex.

104. The Sustainable Development Commission ( SDC) in Scotland has a role to play in encouraging a climate of opinion, promoting wider public debate and shared learning and developing partnerships with key organisations and sectors. The SDC can contribute to partnerships for learning through:

• Access to case studies of schools and programmes across the UK
• Links to UK networks of organisations working with and for young people
• Information on projects and programmes (such as a self-evaluation tool for schools)

Monitoring and evaluation

105. The Executive will develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to support delivery of this plan. The plan will be put in place by the end of 2006. It will draw out links with:

• monitoring and reporting arrangements for the Sustainable Development strategy
• the new sustainable development indicator set
• Defra work on an education indicator 'to be developed to monitor the impact of formal learning on knowledge and awareness of sustainable development'
• international work through UNESCO on evaluation of the Decade's impact
• SDELG comparative study of sustainable development education across Europe.

Reporting framework

106. Monitoring of this plan, including progress on commitments and achievements of outcomes, will be included within the reporting arrangements for Choosing our Future, Scotland's sustainable development strategy.

107. The plan will be reviewed in 2009 as part of the wider review of the sustainable development strategy. This will provide a useful opportunity to take stock of progress against objectives and to assess the extent to which the outcomes are being achieved.
A new action plan for the second half of the Decade (2010-14) will be put in place alongside the second sustainable development strategy, due for publication in 2010.