Education for Sustainable Development in the Early Years

Book excerpt: It is in early childhood that the foundations of many of our fundamental attitudes and values are first put into place. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is all about the future and it is young children who have the greatest stake as citizens in the future. This book provides an introduction to education for sustainability in the field of early childhood. Written by leading experts and including the very latest international thinking on the subject, it clearly describes how the idea of ESD emerged, and shows how today it includes an integration of social, environmental and economic aspects of life and society. The authors look at what is already being done in early years settings and provides practical support for practitioners to develop this further drawing on best practice from around the world. Presenting a wide range of examples of projects carried out with young children, this timely book aims to offer practitioners inspiration for further development of Education for Sustainable Development in the early years. It will also be a rich source of information for those concerned with policy development.