<P><FONT color=#33711E><STRONG>Day 2 – Session 3E: <br>Consumer Behaviour: Changes through the Private Sector and Media for ESD</STRONG></FONT></P>

Saitip Room, 3rd Floor

8.50 – 9.10

3.E.1 Expanding the Scope of Education for Sustainable Development among Employees of Organizations Implementing the Environmental Management System
Nik Ramli bin Nik Abdul Rashid, University Teknologi Mara, Malaysia
Discussion concerning education for sustainable development (ESD) should not be limited to classroom experiences. ESD can also be implemented by business organizations, for example by businesses promoting positive environmental norms among their own employees. This paper describes a study which hypothesizes that the development of a feeling of high involvement among employees of organizations implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) could result in a “spillover effect”, in which employees demonstrate environmentally responsible behaviour in other domains, for example, a preference for environment-friendly products. The study was carried out by means of a survey involving 526 employees from 56 ISO14001-certified organizations, from various sectors, including manufacturing, services, plantations and petrol-chemicals. One major conclusion of the study was that organizations should extend their efforts in heightening their employees’ involvement with EMS since it was found that it contributed positively to other environmentally-friendly behaviour (ERB). In addition, all findings of the study lend support to previous studies of ERB phenomena.

Download the paper (word, 80kb) and presentation (pdf, 60kb)

9.10 – 9.30
3.E.2. Media Literacy for Sustainable Development: The Challenge for Thailand
John Langer, Victoria University, Australia
In Roger Silverstone’s book titled, “Why Study the Media?”, Silverstone addresses his own question by saying … “our media are ubiquitous … We have come to depend on media … for pleasures and information, for comfort and security, for some sense of the continuities of experience and from time to time also for the intensities of experience”. Thais now swim in an ocean of media, and contemporary experience in Thailand is inextricably connected to media culture. This culture however is rarely value-neutral and without consequence. Increasingly, in the Thai context, media presence and media representation have been locked in step with life styles, outlooks and aspirations, the “intensities” of which are derived from an ideology of consumerism, the growth of individualization and the emergence of what Guy Dubord calls “the society of the spectacle”. This paper will argue that in order for an agenda of sustainable development to be framed, connections between media culture and contemporary experience need to be explored and unpacked in educational programmes developed specifically to promote media literacy. Some approaches to media literacy will be presented, and it will be suggested that, historically and socially, Thailand may be entering an era of development and self-reflection from which such an agenda can emerge.

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9.10 – 9.30
3.E.3 Education for Sustainable Development: Private Sector Engagement
Richard Welford, CSR Asia and University of Hong Kong
Zinaida Fadeeva, Institute of Advanced Studies, United Nations University
Recognizing the importance of id entifying strategic points for engagement in order to strengthen the connection between the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) movement and the private sector, this paper highlights several approaches and initiatives that could be of interest for the DESD. This paper identifies a number of initiatives taking place in the private sector in relation to education and sustainable development. Companies from various sectors carry out initiatives in the area of education and capacity building for the environment, human rights, health, community development and others. However, while these initiatives cover some of the issues attributed to the broader agenda of sustainable development, very few of them could be classified as fully-fledged education for sustainable development (ESD) initiatives. Many of the initiatives have a strategic fit with the interests of the businesses involved. A study of educational initiatives from seven industrial sectors (power and fuel, automotive, apparel and footwear, electronics, information and broadcasting, banking and construction) was made and this paper provides suggestions regarding future educational initiatives in the analyzed sectors.

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9.30 - 9:50
3.E.4 Opportunities for a certification scheme to promote ESD in the Private Sector
Steven Usher, UNESCO Bangkok, ESD Unit
Increased private sector involvement in sustainable development (SD) initiatives, while welcome, warrants formalization and coordination of individual company efforts. The plethora of voluntary certification schemes, designed to stimulate private and public sector distinction in areas of product quality and production processes, have multiplied in recent years and provide an important and viable opportunity to strategize private sector contributions. In this brief report, a focus on the private sector reveals that despite the large number of certification schemes and their growing relevance to the developing world, most are concerned only with the environment and none focus specifically on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). In appreciation of their mandates, it is suggested that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with other UN bodies, such as the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), play a leading role in contributing to the developmnt and/or administering of a private sector ESD certification scheme. A prerequisite to any scheme is the development of a tailored and applicable ESD curriculum for dissemination in the work-place. Companies that demonstrate commendable implementation and measurable understanding of the curriculum by the work-force would be duly certified. Potential collaborative partners to develop a certification scheme are identified and the preliminary steps already undertaken are reported. The paper concludes by asserting that any ESD certification scheme could be designed to be cost neutral.

Download the paper (word, 70kb) and presentation (pdf, 80kb)