Our Mision
Developing Support for Sustainability Education
We aim to transform sustainability education by supporting teachers, students and connecting with organisations in a transdisciplinary approach. The sustainability competence mindset map and digital support platform provides valuable support in all learning situations. We invite you to take part in the project to apply sustainability education that takes a student-centred learning approach.
This project is important as it will contribute to our ongoing work to fulfill the targets for quality education for sustainability as part of the UN’s sustainable development goal 4. At an UNESCO world conference, a declaration for advancing education for sustainability (ESD) by 2030 was addressed, which states that to learn for our planet and act for sustainability we need to train our teachers to teach for sustainability.
This learning-lab platform that we would like to co-create with you contributes to a learning progression approach to sustainability education with innovative inspirational activities and real world challenges. We provide the sustainability competence mindset map as a formative assessment. You can search for and share tips on pedagogical activities for teachers to apply to class plans and get involved with a networking platform. Collaborations with seed organisations working with sustainability challenges can provide real-world sustainability challenges and practical knowledge. In turn, we can facilitate student’s learning and the students will gain a transformative sustainability education, nourishing their interest and increasing their ability to work for sustainability.
Specifically, the tool will assess the students’ key sustainability competencies (KSC) using a questionnaire survey. An analysis of the data and a comparison with the modules, courses and programs’ curriculum will provide insights about what can be done to transform and develop curriculum for sustainability. In turn, participants can identify what support is required to advance their facilitation of sustainability education. The co-creation of this digital platform becomes a learning space for teachers, students and organisations to contribute to discussions about sustainability challenges and sustainability education, share pedagogical experiences and create and organise new activities for continued development.
Together, we can transform towards a sustainable future. Enjoy!
Our Projects
Region Västerbotten (UFS): a research project about sustainability narratives in local organisations called: A Model for Sustainability Competence Development.
PUNKTUM pedagogical action research project called: A Systematic and Holistic Approach for ESD: Developing a Curriculum Framework with Teaching Support.
SSHRC Connection Grant: Transdisciplinary Network for Impact Research & Practice, (with Dr. Kent Williams, Dalhousie University)
Our Bio
Alice Annelin (PhD)
I was born and grew up in London, England. After travelling and teaching through Europe and Asia, learning different languages and experiencing different cultures, I now live in Sweden. My interest in sustainability education stems from a passion for nature and alternative learning spaces.
My interest in sustainability education has brought me to my current position teaching students in higher education. At USBE, I have applied sustainability education in accounting classes and find the experiential learning approach very beneficial. The students are decision makers of the future and can change their narratives by learning through the sustainability mindset.
Publications
Annelin, A. 2026. Sustainability competence mindset: building capacity with students. International Journal of Sustaoinability in Higher Education. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-04-2025-0369
Annelin & Boström. 2026. A Facilitating Platform for Transdisciplinary Partnership to Co-Create Sustainability Education. The Elgar Companion to Management Education and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Annelin, McGuigan & Boström. 2025. Building Sustainability Competence Capacity amongst Educators: Uncovering Interdisciplinary Perspectives. In book, Competence Building in Sustainable Development. Edited by, Walter Leal Filho, Bianca Rebelatto, Alice Annelin and Gert-Olof Boström, as part of the world sustainability series.
Annelin, A. and Boström, G-O. 2024. Interdisciplinary perspectives on sustainability in higher education: a sustainability competence support model, Frontiers Sustainability, Sustainable Organizations, Volume 5, https://doi.org/10.3389/frsus.2024.1416498.
Annelin, A. and Boström, G-O. 2023. Sustainability Competence Assessment Validation. Sustainability in Business Education, Research and Practice, Springer.
Annelin, A. and Boström, G.-O. 2022. “An assessment of key sustainability competencies: a review of scales and propositions for validation”, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-05-2022-0166
Gert-Olof Boström (PhD)
I was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. After working as a software developer for some years, I moved to Umeå for university studies. I have enjoyed living in Umeå and working at the university so much that I decided to stay, both at the university and in the town.
Publications
Boström, G.-O. (2020). A Generic Approach for Giving a Course a More Sustainable Profile – Complementing the Textbook with Contemporary Material. Studia Periegetica. 3(31), 67-80
Boström, G.-O., Winka, K. & Boström, K. W. (2021) Extra-Curricular Activities as a Way of Teaching Sustainability. In Leal Filho, W., Salvia, A.L., Frankenberger, F. (Eds) (2021) Handbook on Teaching and Learning for Sustainable Development. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham.