Abstracts

Raj, Sanjeeva P.J. (2011, April)

Management of the Food Web in Pulicat Lake. Indian Journal of Environmental Education, Vol. 11, pp 5-16

Food Web in Pulicat Lake is constructed for the fi rst time, and is graphically represented, explained and analysed for its complexity. Management of Food Web for the sustainability of the Pulicat Lake ecosystem, impacts of climate change on the lake and its food web are discussed. Construction of food webs in various ecosystems, as an exercise in environmental education, for students is explained.

Late, Amul; Dhapate, A.S et al. (2011, April) Compulsory Environment Education at Junior College Level in Maharashtra State. Indian Journal of Environmental Education, (11), pp 22-26

This paper deals with the compulsory environmental education at junior college level in Maharashtra state as per the directives of Honourable Supreme Court and guidelines of National Council for Education and Training Research, Delhi. Information regarding the implementation of compulsory environmental education at Junior College level in Maharashtra state was collected. This process was facilitated by the circulars issued by Maharashtra State Secondary & Higher Secondary Education Board (MSSHSEB) to colleges under Right to Information Act (RTI) from board. The present paper is an effort to focus on the present scenario with respect to its year of implementation, syllabus and distribution of workload,

appointment of lecturers (temporary/ permanent/fi x pay basis/ clock hour basis), qualifi cation criteria, remuneration paid and the examination pattern. A special attention has been given to the

lacunas and shortcomings in the system ,adopted for the implementation of this subject. It also provides suggestions for proper and effective implementation of this subject to comply the moto of Honourable Supreme Court.

Wals, Arjen E.J. (2011, September) Learning our way to sustainability.

Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, Vol 5 (2), pp 177-186

Should environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD) try to change students’ behavior or should it focus on capacity building and critical thinking? The latter is more likely to lead to a citizenry that can examine new challenges and act wisely. New forms of learning are entering EE and ESD such as ‘social learning’, learning by mirroring one’s own ideas, vie s, values and perspectives with those of others, and ‘transformative social learning’, which requires the integrative switching back of and forth among a set of mindsets. Four areas of research in new learning methods are identified.

Qiaoling, Wang (2011, September) Characteristics of ESD-Promoting Strategies in China’s Basic Education.

Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, Vol 5 (2), pp 215-223

This article describes how education for sustainable development (ESD) has been integrated into education in China over the past decade through the efforts of the secretariat of a national steering committee working with UNESCO in conjunction with the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. ESD is now a part of a new national education plan in China.

The author found six principal methods that successfully promoted ESD in China: two sets of drivers for these efforts-inside and outside the legal profession. Drivers from within the legal profession include the American Bar Association as well as several state and local bar associations; law firms and other law organisations; and current and prospective law students. Drivers from outside the legal profession include clients, universities and colleges, NGOs, and government. This article then describes what US law schools are now doing in the areas of curriculum, research, buildings and operations, community and outreach and service, student life, and institutional mission, policy and planning. More generally, it suggests that law schools need to play a leading role in the national and global effort to achieve sustainability.

1. Using a theoretical framework as the driving force.
2. Public educational policies made on the basis of education research.
3. Regional educational reform that meets the needs of local sustainable development.
4. Curriculum teaching methods constituted with features of ESD.
5. ESD characteristics integrated in the physical plant of the campus.
6. Chinese-foreign exchange and cooperation in ESD at various levels.

Dernbach, John C (2011, September) Legal Education for Sustainability:

a report on US progress. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, Vol 5 (2), pp 229-230

This article is an overview of sustainability efforts in US law schools. It describes two sets of drivers for these efforts-inside and outside the legal profession. Drivers from within the legal profession include the American Bar Association as well as several state and local bar associations; law fi rms and other law organisations; and current and prospective law students. Drivers from outside the legal profession include clients, universities and colleges, NGOs, and government. This article then describes what US law schools are now doing in the areas of curriculum, research, buildings and operations, community and outreach and service, student life, and institutional mission, policy and planning. More generally, it suggests that law schools need to play a leading role in the national and global effort to achieve sustainability.

Resource materials developed under Rebuilding Trust and Hope programme:

• Brochure: ‘The Earthquake-Helping Children Cope: The Role of Parents and Teachers’ has tips for parents and teacher to help children cope the stress after the disaster, available in Urdu and English.
• The Urdu trans-adaption of “Riskland -Let’s Learn to Prevent Disasters! Fun Ways for Kids to Join in Risk Reduction” and “The Educator’s Guide to Helping Children Cope with Stressful Situations” (original publications by ISDR and UNICEF). The former provides disaster risk reduction through fun activities, while the latter acts as a valuable tool for parents and teachers to recognize trauma and help children cope.
• Az Sare Nau Tamer - Jahni Iztirab aur Uska Hal” Urdu trans-adaptation of teachers’ manual “Rebuilding Hope - An Educators’ Guide to Helping Children Cope with Stressful Situations” (original publication by CEE, Ahmedabad)
• Multimedia Mobile Exhibition: The exhibit includes colourful panels, posters, models and take-away education material. Developed with technical support from VASCSC, Ahmedabad.
• Year planner providing information on Disaster Risk Reduction and national and international days of environmental and social importance.
• Pictorial Book labels on the local fauna and flora and other relevant information to the state. 

Research Abstracts

Blaming cities for climate change? An analysis of urban greenhouse gas emissions inventories

David Dodman, IIED, 3 Endsleigh Street, London WC1H 0DD; david.dodman@iied.org

Cities are often blamed for high levels of greenhouse gas emissions. However, an analysis of emissions inventories shows that — in most cases — per capita emissions from
cities are lower than the average for the countries in which they are located. The paper assesses these patterns of emissions by city and by sector, discusses the implications of different methodological approaches to producing inventories, identifi es the main drivers for high
levels of greenhouse gas production, and examines the role and potential for cities to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 21, No. 1, 185-201 (2009)
http://eau.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/21/1/185

“This is no longer the city I once knew” Evictions, the urban poor and the right to the city in millennial Delhi
Gautam Bhan, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of California, gbhan@berkeley.edu

Between 1990 and 2003, 51,461 houses were demolished in Delhi under “slum clearance” schemes. Between 2004 and 2007 alone, at least 45,000 homes were demolished, and since 2007, eviction notices have been served on at least three other large settlements. Fewer than 25 per cent of the households evicted in this period have received any alternative resettlement sites. These evictions represent a shift not just in degree but also in kind. They were not ordered by the city’s planning agency, its municipal bodies or by the city government. Instead, each was the result of a judicial ruling. What has this emergence of the judiciary into urban planning and government meant for the urban poor? This paper analyzes the dictums of verdicts on evictions in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India from 1985 to 2006. Using these judgments, it explores
the “misrecognition” of poor that became dramatically apparent in the early 1990s and that underlies and justifies evictions. This shift is then located in the larger political, economic and aesthetic transformations that are reconfiguring the politics of public interest in Indian cities.

Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 21, No. 1, 127-142 (2009)
http://eau.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/21/1/127

A tale of two wards: political participation and the urban poor in Dhaka city
Nicola Banks, University of Manchester, nicolabanks@gmail.com

This paper investigates the extent of political participation of the urban poor in Dhaka, identifying the actors with whom the urban poor interact for problem solving and gaining access to services. Through a comparison of different experiences of “active” and “non-active” poor residents across two wards, the research identifies barriers to effective political participation; it then considers how
opportunities for participation can be advanced. The experience of the Coalition for the Urban Poor’s Basti Basheer Odhikar Surakha Committee illustrates how collective mobilization of the poor has been successful in incorporating the urban poor into municipal governance. Alongside its successes, the research also investigates constraints to such initiatives in terms of securing national commitment to urban poverty reduction.

Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 20,No.2,361-376 (2008)
http://eau.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/2/361

Between Constructivism and Connectedness
Mordechai Gordon, Quinnipiac University; mordechai.gordon@quinnipiac.edu

Parker Palmer is correct in his claims that good teaching depends more on capacity for connectedness than on technique and that helping teacher candidates cultivate a strong sense of personal identity is crucial. To whatextent are Palmer’s claims compatible with the various
constructivist models of learning that are now prevalent in many colleges of education? And, how are the goals of Palmer’s approach integrated with those of constructivism?
This essay responds to these questions and negotiates between constructivism and Palmer’s educational approach. First the author lays out a predominant constructivist model of teaching and learning. Next, he explores some potential limitations facing constructivism and argues that
Palmer’s notion of connectedness can help mitigate some of the shortcomings of constructivism. Finally, the author examines a specifi c example from an English methods course that represents an attempt to integrate the virtues of Palmer’s approach with those of constructivism.
http://jte.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/59/4/322

Research Abstracts

Developing new approaches for people-centred development

Jockin Arputham SDI, PO Box 9389, Mumbai 400 026, India

Jockin Arputham founded the National Slum Dwellers Federation in India and is president of Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI). This paper describes Jockin’s life and work and the many different methods he has used to fight eviction and get government support for people-centred
development over the last 40 years. This includes the long fight to protect Janata colony in Mumbai from eviction, working with Bangladeshi refugees, and the formation of the federation of slum dwellers, fi rst in Mumbai and then for all of India.

Key Words: community organizations • evictions • federations• grassroots

Environment and Urbanization,Vol. 20, No. 2,
483-499 (2008); DOI: 10.1177/0956247808096124
http://eau.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/2/319

“Negotiated spaces” for representation in Mumbai: ward committees, advanced locality
management and the politics of middle-class activism

Isa Baud University of Amsterdam, Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development Studies, baud@wxs.nl

Navtej Nainan University of Amsterdam, navtejnainan@gmail.com

In Mumbai, new forms of cooperation between local government and citizens seek to improve local
representation and the quality of services. This paper examines which residents are represented or excluded in these arrangements, the mandates anda processes by which the arrangements are negotiated and the outcomes. Local representation through elected councillors is compared with
that through voluntary neighbourhood groups (Advanced Locality Management groups, or ALMs), which work with the executive wing of local government. ALMs, involving middle-class groups, work on environmental, security and upgrading issues. They are expanding their claim to both political and public space, often excluding “unwanted” people. Elected councillors are channels mainly for low income groups, addressing issues relevant to municipal services but also responding to personal grievances and concerns. Confl ict between political representatives and their parties and ALMs is not unusual. Both of these “negotiated spaces” give citizens some way of holding
government to account, although middle-class citizens are finding greater scope for action.

Key Words: citizenship • civil society participation • India •urban governance • middle-class activism • Mumbai • spaces

Environment and Urbanization,
Vol. 20, No. 2, 483-499 (2008)
http://eau.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/2/483

Climate, climate change and human health in Asian cities

Sari Kovats, Centre on Global Change and Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK, sari. kovats@lshtm.ac.uk

Rais Akhtar, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi-110067, India, raisakhtar@hotmail. com

Climate change will affect the health of urban populations. It represents a range of environmental hazards and will affect populations where the current burden of climatesensitive disease is high — such as the urban poor in lowand middle-income countries. Understanding the current impact of weather and climate variability on the health of urban populations is the fi rst step towards assessing future impacts. The authors review the scientific evidence for the effects of temperature, rainfall and extreme events on human health, in particular the impacts of heat waves and fl oods. The methods for assessing the risks of climate change are undergoing development, and there is
a need to shift the focus from global and regional to local studies. Sectoral approaches to climate change impact assessments often ignore the effects on health. There is a need to better describe the risks to health from extreme weather events as well as improve the effectiveness of public health interventions. Improving the resilience of cities to climate change also requires improvements in the urban infrastructure, but such improvements may not be achieved quickly enough to avoid an increased burden of disease due to global climate change.

Key Words: cities • climate change • diarrhoeal disease • floods • heat stroke • heat waves • mortality

Environment and Urbanization,
Vol. 20,No.1,165-175 (2008)
http://eau.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/1/165

Research Abstracts

Sustainable Development, Systems Thinking and Professional Practice

Stephen Martin is Visiting Professor at the Centre for Complexity and Change, Open University and the Centre for ActiveLearning, University of Gloucestershire, and an Honorary Professor of the University of Worcester Email: esm@esmartin.demon.co.uk

This article explores the impact of the sustainable development (SD) agenda on the occupational and professional needs of those who have undergone educational and training programmes in the environmental field either at the undergraduate or the postgraduate level or through relevant professional institutions’ continuing professional development programmes. It also describes a one-day workshop for the professions on sustainable development based on systems thinking and practice. The workshop provides a model for developing greater understanding and effective action in professional practices by using dialogue and inter professional learning to approaches to sustainability in a variety of business and professional contexts. It introduces the principles underpinning the concept of sustainability and provides tools to support the integration of SD into professional practices and organisational change.

Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, Vol. 2,
No. 1, 31-40 (2008); DOI: 10.1177/097340820800200109

Sustainability Education’s Gift Learning Patterns and Relationships

Dilafruz Williams, Professor at the Graduate School of Education, Portland State University, United States. Email: williamsdi@pdx.edu

The crisis of sustainability can be linked to the traditional forms of schooling driven by mechanistic and technocratic worldviews. Progressing to a more sustainable world requires a fundamental
shift in the framework of formal education- its structure, content and process- to include principles of systems thinking and holistic learning. A case study from the United States draws upon the Learning Gardens model in Portland, Oregon, where students in kindergarten through eighth grades are learning to grow, harvest and cook food based within a curricular and instructional framework that is multicultural, interdisciplinary, intergenerational and multisensory. Students’ writings reflect that they are learning in patterns and relationships a critical aspect of sustainability education’s gift.

Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, Vol. 2, No. 1,
41-49 (2008); DOI: 10.1177/097340820800200110
http://jsd.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/2/1/41

Youth Can Lead the Way to Sustainable Consumption

John Fien, Professor of Sustainability at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia; john.fien@rmit.edu.au

Cameron Neil, Director of the International Young Professionals Foundation,Canberra; cameronneil@iypf.org

Matthew Bentley, Research Fellow at RMIT University at the time of writing; matt.bentley@usa.net

This paper provides the rationale for a new education for sustainable development (ESD) project being developed in Australia. Titled Project otherWISE, it seeks to build the capacity of young Australians to be agents of change towards sustainable lifestyles in their communities. The rationale for the project is grounded in three themes that are analysed in this paper. The first
is an explanation of consumption as a key defining characteristic of contemporary society and the social and environmental impacts of global consumerism. The second is the rise of post material values and the potential of sustainable consumption to provide alternatives to mainstream lifestyles. The third is the enormous potential for young people to develop skills in questioning the pressures towards unthinking consumption and to create alternative ways of living in the world.

Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, Vol. 2,
No. 1, 51-60 (2008); DOI: 10.1177/097340820800200111
http://jsd.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/2/1/51

Opinion Essay: What We Need to Learn to Save the Planet

Moacir Gadotti, Director of the Paulo Freire Institute, Professor of Philosophy of Education at the University of Sao Paulo, and author of many books on education. Email: gadotti@paulofreire.org

The author argues that education, as we see it today, is more a part of sustainable development’s (SD) problem than a part of its solution because it reinforces the principles and values of an unsustainable lifestyle and economy. He argues for an economy that is not centred on free market and profit, and which circulates wealth with a logic of cooperation rather than competition. Solidarity economy has incorporated the principles of inclusion and social emancipation. Sustainability and solidarity are emergent and convergent themes. Gadotti proposes that without social mobilisation against the current economic model, education for sustainable development (ESD) will not reach its goals. In addition, education for a sustainable life—not only for a sustainable development—is required. The Decade of Education for Sustainable Development is an opportunity for formal education to construct a new quality of education, a social-environmental quality, to replace the current education model that has been eroding the planet since the nineteenth century.

Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, Vol. 2,
No. 1, 21-30 (2008); DOI: 10.1177/097340820800200108

Research Abstracts

Learning in a Changing World and Changing in a Learning World: Reflexively fumbling towards sustainability

Arjen E.J. Wals, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Wals asks the question: what have we learned in over 30 years? Are there any new insights in ‘our’ field? What kinds of innovations in ‘learning’ have entered ‘our’ field (regardless of whether you call this field environmental education (EE), education for sustainable development (ESD), education for sustainability (EfS), sustainability education (SE), learning for sustainability (LfS), or something else)? Are we learning at all in this changing world? This paper links the theme of ‘Learning in a
changing world’ to the idea of ‘Changing in a learning world’ to highlight the need for reflexive responsiveness and the creation of learning societies in moving towards a world that is more sustainable than the one currently in prospect.

Full text available at
http://www.eeasa.org.za/publications/035_wals.pdf

The Ecological Footprint of cities and regions: comparing resource availability with resource demand

Mathis Wackernagel, Centre for Sustainability Studies in Veracruz, Mexico; Global Footprint Network,USA
Justin Kitzes, Dan Moran, Steven Goldfinger and Mary Thomas Global Footprint Network, USA

Cities and regions depend on resources and ecological services from distant ecosystems. The well-being of city and region residents is affected by both the health and availability of these ecosystems, especially in today’s ecologically strained world. The management of a city or
region’s resource metabolism, including the natural capital that supports these flows, is becoming increasingly a central concern to cities and regions that want to succeed. Urban infrastructure is long-lasting and influences resource needs for decades to come: which cities are building future
resource traps, and which are opportunities for resourceefficient and more competitive lifestyles? Reliable measures comparing the supply of natural capital to human demand are indispensable for managing resource metabolism, as they help identify challenges, set targets, track progress
and drive policies for sustainability. This paper describes one such measurement tool: the Ecological Footprint. After explaining the assumptions behind the Footprint and describing some representative findings, it provides examples of how this resource accounting tool can assist
local governments in managing their ecological assets, and support their sustainability efforts.

Environment and Urbanization, Vol.18,No.1,103-112 (2006)

For more information visit:
http://eau.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/18/1/103

The eco-city: ten key transport and planning dimensions
for sustainable city development

Jeffrey R Kenworthy, Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy, Murdoch University, Australia, 6150; J.Kenworthy@murdoch.edu.au

Making existing cities and new urban development more ecologically based and liveable is an urgent priority in the global push for sustainability. This paper discusses ten critical responses to this issue and summarizes them in a simple conceptual model that places the nexus between
transport and urban form at the heart of developing an eco-city. This involves compact, mixed use urban form, well-defined higher-density, human oriented centres, priority to the development of superior public transport systems and conditions for non motorized modes, with minimal road capacity increases, and protection of the city’s natural areas and food producing capacity. These
factors form the framework in which everything else is embedded and must operate, and if they are not addressed only marginal changes in urban sustainability can be made. Within this framework, environmental technologies need to be extensively applied. Economic growth needs to emphasize creativity and innovation and to strengthen the environmental, social and cultural amenities of the city. The public realm throughout the city needs to be of a high quality, and sustainable urban design principles need to be applied in all urban development. All these dimensions need to operate within two key processes involving visionoriented and reformist thinking and a strong, communityoriented, democratic sustainability framework for decision-making.

Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 18, No. 1, 67-85 (2006)

For more information visit:

http://eau.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/18/1/67

Research Abstracts

Sustainable Development, Systems Thinking and Professional Practice

Stephen Martin is Visiting Professor at the Centre for Complexity and Change, Open University and the Centre for Active Learning, University of Gloucestershire, and an Honorary Professor of the University of Worcester. Email: esm@esmartin.demon.co.uk

This article explores the impact of the sustainable development (SD) agenda on the occupational and professional needs of those who have undergone educational and training programmes in the environmental field either at the undergraduate or the postgraduate level or through relevant professional institutions’ continuing professional development programmes. It also describes a one-day workshop for the professions on sustainable development based on systems thinking and practice. The workshop provides a model for developing greater understanding and effective action in professional practices by using dialogue andinterprofessional learning to explore approaches to sustainability in a variety of business and professional contexts. It introduces the principles underpinning the concept of sustainability and provides tools to support the integration of SD into professional practices and organisational change.

Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, Vol. 2, No. 1, 21-30 (2008)

Towards action on social determinants for health equity in urban settings

Tord Kjellstrom: National Institute of Public Health, Ostersund, Sweden, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, Health and Environment International Trust, Nelson, New Zealand, E-mail: kjellstromt@yahoo.com

Susan Mercado: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, the Philippines, mercados@wpro. who.int

More than half of the global population now live in urban settings. Urbanization can and should be beneficial for health. In general, nations with high life expectancies and low infant mortality rates are those where city governments address the key social determinants of health. Better housing and living conditions, access to safe water and good sanitation, efficient waste management systems, safer working environments and neighbourhoods, food security and access to services such as education, health, welfare, public transportation and child care are examples of social determinants of health that can be addressed through good urban governance. Failure of governance in today’s cities has resulted in the growth of informal settlements and slums that constitute unhealthy living and working environments for one billion people. A credible health agenda is one that benefits all people in cities, especially the urban poor who live in informal settlements. International agreements calling for urgent action to reduce poverty, such as the Millennium Development Goals, can only be met through national strategies that include both urban and rural commitments and involve local governments and the poor themselves. Health inequalities in urban areas need to be addressed in countries at all income levels. Urban development and town planning are key to creating supportive social and physical environments for health and health equity. Achieving healthy urbanization in all countries is a shared global responsibility. Eliminating deprived urban living conditions will require resources — aid, loans, private investments — from more affluent countries in the order of US$ 200 billion per year, no more than 20 per cent of the annual increase in GDP in high-income countries. Creating global political support for a sustained and well-funded effort for social, economic and health equity is one of the greatest challenges of this generation.

Environment and Urbanization,Vol.20, No 2, 551-574 (2008) http://eau.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/2/551

Microfinance for community development, poverty alleviation and natural resource management in periurban Hubli-Dharwad, India

Robert M Brook, School of the Environment and Natural Resources, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK, r.m.brook@bangor. ac.uk Karen J Hillyer, CAZS Natural Resources, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK, s.a.hughes@bangor. ac.uk G. Bhuvaneshwari, Department of Agronomy of University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, bvndwd@yahoo.co.in

This paper reports on the findings of a study of a microfinance and community mobilization initiative in six villages in the periurban zone of Hubli— Dharwad in Karnataka state, southern India, where a number of self-help groups established by two NGOs were studied over a three-year period (2001—2004). Despite deliberate targeting of the poor and very poor sectors, their representation in the self-help groups was found to be no different from their proportions in the populations of the villages. (Targeting of women was more successful, with 64 per cent of members being female.) However, the poor and very poor were more actively involved in microcredit than members of the other wealth classes. Over the life of the project, the poor moved above the state poverty level and their household savings increased by 647 per cent. More than 77 per cent of the funds mobilized through this programme were raised through self help group subscriptions and a further 14 per cent came from linkages with banks. Findings point to the success of the NGOmediated self-help group model of community mobilization and microfinance provision relative to other models.

Environment and Urbanization Vol.20, No.1,149-163 (2008) http://eau.sagepub.com/cgi/content/short/20/1/149

Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCEs): an overview

Author(s): Yoko Mochizuki, Zinaida Fadeeva

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education: Year: 2008; Volume: 9; Issue: 4; Page: 369 - 381; Publisher: Emerald Group

Publishing Limited Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to offer an overview of the United Nations University’s Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCE) initiative–the global process created to support the implementation of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development(DESD, 2005-2014)–and discuss the roles of institutions of higher education (IHEs) in RCE efforts. The paper provides a historical overview of the RCE initiative, clarifies the philosophy behind it, and describes the guiding principles for RCE establishment and operations. The paper reveals the UNU’s views about effective strategies to promote Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and discusses the roles of IHEs as partners within and among RCEs. Highlights the potential roles of IHEs in overcoming the compartmentalization of knowledge and linking policy and practice. The paper recognises that RCE is an evolving concept and calls attention to the RCE process as a promising example of “social learning” and “communities of practice”, and at the same time, of “knowledge management system”. The paper clarifies the expected functions of RCEs as multisectoral and interdisciplinary partnerships and “local-regional knowledge base” and exhorts local ESD stakeholders, including higher education institutions to use RCEs as value-adding learning networks at the local and global levels. The paper refines the RCE concept and offers practical advice to RCEs and RCE candidates. Opportunities are indicated for higher education institutions in contributing towards ESD and sustainable development through RCEs. For more information visit: http://emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContainer.do?container Type=Issue&containerId=6013499