An effective environmental education for sustainability curriculum provides the knowledge and understandings, skills, attitudes and values, and opportunities for participation and action that will help students to create a sustainable future. The basic characteristics of curriculum planning to promote environmental education for sustainability are:14

A favoured pathway to implementing environmental education for sustainability in the curriculum involves a whole-school approach, working across all curriculum areas and complemented by wholeschool policies and activities in other related areas.

Some specific approaches include:

• identifying environmental education for sustainability outcomes within a broader curriculum framework or in key learning areas or subjects, such as Creative Arts, English, Health and Physical Education, Languages Other Than English, Mathematics, Science, History, Studies of Society and Environment, and Technology;
• integrating environmental education for sustainability issues and topics into specific key learing areas or subjects (such as those noted above)
• having a separate subject such as Environmental Science or Environmental Studies that links to ongoing training, tertiary studies and career pathways;
• incorporating environmental education for sustainability into literacy and numeracy programs; and
• developing an environmental education for sustainability perspective across learning areas either by one teacher or as a collaborative approach

Key concepts and themes of education for sustainability

Ecological Sustainability	Social Sustainability	Ecomomic Sustainability	Political Sustainability
Biodiversity Habitat Carrying capacity Conservation Ecological footprint Ecology Ecospace Ecosystems Interspecies equity Natural cycles and systems	Basic human needs Cultural diversity Cultural heritage Human rights Intergenerational equity Participation Peace Risk Management Social justice	Cost-benefit analysis Economic development Eco-efficiency Life-cycle analysis< Natural capital Natural resource accounting Steady-state economy Sustainable consumption Sustainable production Triple bottom line	Citizenship Democracy Decision making Tolerance Power Respect Conflict Resolution

(Karl-Henrick) Robert, frustrated with the confusion and disagreement over the meaning of sustainability, sought consensus from Sweden's leading scientists. Through an iterative process of consultation (some twenty-two different versions of his report were circulated), consensus emerged. At the heart of this consensus are four critical system conditions:

1. that substances from the earth's crust must not be allowed to systematically increase in the ecosphere;
2. that substances produced by society must not systematically increase in the ecosphere;
3. that the physical basis for productivity and diversity of nature must not be systematically diminished; and
4. that fair and efficient use of resources with respect to meeting human needs must occur.

(The Natural Step Framework, 1996)

The Melbourne Principles for a Sustainable Community were tabled at the U.N. World Summit on Sustainable Development, August 2002, by the City of Melbourne, Australia, and endorse by civic leaders worldwide:

• Provide a long term vision for cities based on: sustainability; intergenerational, social, economic and political equity; and their individuality.
• Achieve long term economic and social security.
• Recognise the intrinsic value of biodiversity and natural ecosystems, and protect and restore them.
• Enable communities to minimise their ecological footprint.
• Build on the characteristics of ecosystems in the development and nurturing of healthy and sustainable cities.
• Recognise and build on the distinctive characteristics of cities, including their human and cultural values, history and natural systems.
• Empower people and foster participation.
• Expand and enable cooperative networks to work towards a common, sustainable future.
• Promote sustainable production and consumption, through appropriate use of environmentally sound technologies and effective demand management.
• Enable continual improvement, based on accountability, transparency and good governance.

In simplest of terms, the concept of sustainability refers to the need to improve the human condition while at the same time caring for and protecting the natural environment. This concept has economic, social and ecological parameters, which have been referred to in th[is] as "the three spheres of sustainability".

The principle of sustainable development extends from this general concept, and has six key themes embodied within it. These are: intergenerational equity; carrying capacity [ecological footprint]; social equity; prosperity; diversity; and individual and community health. These themes relate to all of the three spheres.

An aggressive commitment to sustainability by Husky Injection Moulding led to a 15% reduction in energy consumption in 2002 alone. Husky sells about 93% of its waste to recyclers, which means revenues of $632,000 rather than disposal costs of $420,000 – or a 2% addition to net earnings. ~ the Honourable Stéphane Dion, P.C., M.P., Canadian Minister of the Environment