Towards sustainable community development: education for sustainable development initiatives in Nishinomiya, Japan

Abstract

Sustainable development was designated an international priority at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992. Agenda 21, an action plan for sustainable development formulated at the summit, encouraged local authorities to address sustainable development at the local level and implement initiatives to develop sustainable communities through community participation. In Nishinomiya city, Japan, the local government introduced education for sustainable development (ESD) programmes in the late 1980s to promote community participation and sustainable community development. The Learning and Ecological Activities Foundation for Children (Leaf), a non-profit organisation (NPO), was established in 1998 to facilitate and maintain the programmes initiated by local government and further promote sustainable community development in Nishinomiya city. This paper identifies some of the key elements necessary for developing a sustainable community by reviewing initiatives currently in place in Nishinomiya.