Ingrid Molderez

Spirits of ecological thinking

This paper aims to prevent sustainability from being encapsulated within a prearranged framework. What was once a marginal concept has been captured by the dominant way of thinking within the corporate sector and education sustainability. This is based on a top down approach to management and hence sustainability where system and environment are identified as being separate. By tracing the tensions within this approach and investigating a process of creating meaning in action shows how the division between system and environment is problematic. Instead, an argument is offered for openness, inclusion, tolerance to be guiding principles of education for sustainable development.

A Summer School for Sustainable Management as a Strategy for Fostering Collaborative Competencies to Be Able to Build Multi-Actor Partnerships

Business schools are more and more thinking about innovative ways to integrate sustainability into the curriculum. The Summer School Sustainable Management was developed by the close collaboration between three Belgian organizations, i.e., KU Leuven, a university, Odisee, University College, an institution for higher education of professional level, and VOKA Oost-Vlaanderen, a chamber of commerce, with that particular aim. Participants came from institutions of higher education, companies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The delegates were especially attracted by the format of the summer school, i.e., people coming from diverse backgrounds working together on a sustainable challenge formulated by SMEs. The most important conclusion is that solving real-world learning cases by a diverse group composed of students, managers, and NGOs representatives is helpful for fostering collaborative competencies, on the condition that the group is as diverse as possible. Moreover, students are eager to attend when they can add this experience to their academic portfolio or when they can gain credits. Managers and NGOs representatives will be motivated to participate when the summer school is limited in time and when the sustainable challenges are of relevance to them. When several alternative learning approaches are integrated, a summer school can also stimulate the competency for creativity, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary work.