Scaling Sustainability Learning: Size and Scope Matter

Working across scales presents barriers and opportunities to Education for Sustainability (EfS) programmes. It changes the way these programmes are implemented and can provide the tools for addressing systemic problems that have so far eluded localized approaches to sustainability learning. In particular, issues of scale affect the implementation of contemporary EfS through: (i) greater use of communication technologies that can support information exchange and educational programmes across ever-increasing distances; (ii) the development of a broader scope for educational investment from outcomes based around individuals to opportunities for societies and even globally; and (iii) increased emphasis on the intractable nature of complex sustainability issues towards a focus on approaches that can effectively link local and global scales. Decentralized, global networks have emerged in the development, operation and implementation of EfS programmes to capitalize on these advantages and address issues associated with scale. However, there is little documented evidence of the success of decentralized global network approaches or of the inherent barriers and opportunities in scaling up EfS programmes from the local to the global scale. This article examines the concept of ‘scalability’ to develop a theoretical framework for the evaluation of EfS programmes delivered through decentralized global networks.