The document discusses the importance of education for sustainable development (ESD) in equipping students with the necessary skills to work sustainably, emphasizing that a significant percentage of graduates expect to engage in sustainability during their careers. It highlights the UN Sustainable Development Goals, outlines various accredited business schools’ commitments to sustainability, and showcases Greenleaf Publishing's role as a key resource in the field of sustainability and responsible management. Furthermore, it mentions the need for collaborations and expanding the reach of sustainability literature and education internationally.

1. Building knowledge and skills to live
and work sustainably
John Peters
Greenleaf Publishing
www.gseresearch.com

2. Sustainable Development
• We all want to do well
• Most of us want to ‘live right’ and ‘do good’ while we ‘do well’
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs"
Source: Our Common Future, “The Bruntland Report”, 1987
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3. Knowledge work challenge
Not just about minimizing our ecological footprint…
…but also maximizing our ‘brainprint’
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4. www.gseresearch.com
Student Expectations
“Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) … can most
simply be described as education that aims to give students the
knowledge and skills to live and work sustainably.”
Important because:
• the vast majority of recent graduates (96%) have an
expectation to be involved in sustainability in some way
during their careers
• more than a third of UK growth likely to come from “Green
Business”
Source: National Union of Students (NUS) website

5. www.gseresearch.com
Employability
Students become increasingly focused on employability
throughout their time at university.
• 70.3% of respondents believe that sustainability should be
covered by their university course
• There is a continued preference among students for a reframing
of curriculum content rather than additional content or courses.
• 66% of students said they would take a lower salary to work
for a company with a good environmental and ethical record.
• Students believe employers value sustainability skills, with
almost 80% of second year students viewing universities as a
key provider of these environmental, social and economic skills.
Source: National Union of Students (NUS) website

6. www.gseresearch.com
It’s an increasingly important area
More than 600 business schools worldwide are signatories to the
UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME)
57 UK & Ireland business schools are signatories to PRME
22 UK & Ireland business schools are UN Global Compact
signatories
Every (?) mainstream UK & Ireland business school has
sustainability and responsible management in their strategy and
values
EFMD (EQUIS) and AACSB business school accreditation specify
and demand a commitment to sustainability and responsibility

7. www.gseresearch.com
Masters courses: inter-disciplinarity
Nearly 1300 Masters degree courses worldwide, multi-
disciplinary and inter-disciplinary , themed around sustainability
Many in business and management…but also:
• Law & criminology
• Hospitality and Leisure
• Sports and Tourism
• Nursing
• Veterinary Medicine
• Design
• Architecture and urban planning
• Philosophy and sociology
Source: findamasters.com

8. www.gseresearch.com
PhD theses
6819 “sustainability”
3503 “responsible management”
687 “corporate social responsibility”
281 “responsible fashion”
138 “sustainable tourism”
Source: ethos.bl.uk British Library. Abstract search

9. www.gseresearch.com
It’s a major UN commitment
The theme of International Literacy Day 2015 was
Literacy and Sustainable Societies. Literacy is a
key driver for sustainable development.
Literacy skills are the prerequisite for the learning
of a broader set of knowledge, skills, attitudes and
values, required for creating sustainable societies.
At the same time, progress in areas of sustainable
development, such as health and agriculture,
serves as an enabling factor in the promotion of
literacy and literate environments.
Source: UNESCO

10. www.gseresearch.com
United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals 2015 - 2030
“We are resolved to free the human race from the tyranny of
poverty and want and to heal and secure our planet. We are
determined to take the bold and transformative steps which are
urgently needed to shift the world onto a sustainable and
resilient path.”
17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets
People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, Partnerships
Source: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org

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Sustainable Development Goals
These are likely to be an important agenda item for
management education and organizations from now
Greenleaf titles and the online collections support and inform
progress on understanding and achieving the SDGs

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Not much you would argue with…
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
End hunger, achieve food security and promote sustainable agriculture
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong
learning
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable energy for all
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and
productive employment and decent work for all
Make cities and settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development
Adapted from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org

13. www.gseresearch.com
“Not on our agenda”
Yet, we do still hear (occasionally) – “it’s not really on our
agenda”

14. Responsible business
Greenleaf Publishing works closely with the United
Nations Global Compact and Principles for
Responsible Management Education (PRME), and
supports and endorses the UN Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
We are a signatory to the UN Global Compact and a
member of Business in the Community, and support
and uphold their principles.
We were pleased to launch the first Inspirational
Guide for the Implementation of PRME at the 2012
UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio
(“Rio +20”).
www.gseresearch.com

15. www.gseresearch.com
Supporting the responsibility mission
• Greenleaf is the leading specialist publisher in the field of sustainability
and responsible business. It’s been our sole focus since the 1990s
• The Sustainable Organization Library is the world’s largest online collection
of published material on sustainability and related areas
• We commission, gather and disseminate research and best practice
through our PRME series www.greenleaf-publishing.com/prmeseries and
we include the PRME series titles in our online collections
• We carry material from the UN Global Compact, and other NGOs such as
Oxfam and the ILO; and other publishers’ sustainability collections,
including Berrett-Koehler, Do Sustainability and Practical Action Publishing
in our online collections
• We work closely in partnership with accreditation and membership bodies
such as EFMD, AASHE and BITC

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Greenleaf collections – GOL
Greenleaf Online Library (GOL)
363 titles dating from the turn of the millennium (with a few titles from
the 1990s) to the end of 2015, including the full archives of the Journal of
Corporate Citizenship, Greener Management International Business, Peace
& Sustainable Development; Building Sustainable Legacies; Journal of
Sustainable Mobility; and recent issues of the Journal of Applied
Management and Entrepreneurship; Annual Review of Social Partnerships.
Also includes collections first published by the United Nations Global
Compact, and the Geneva Association.
On subscription: Access to all new titles as published, plus full access to
the archive (363 titles to end 2015; see above) as long as a subscription is
maintained. 12 month subscription term, or longer term rates available on
request.

17. www.gseresearch.com
Greenleaf collections
Greenleaf Portfolio 2016.
55 titles (subject to confirmation) including Conversations with the Dalai
Lama; Water and Climate Governance; the World Sustainable Development
Outlook; Sustainable Development in Libraries; and titles covering
innovation, animal welfare, gender, accounting, and a perspective on ISO
14001, 20 years on. Also journal issues from the 2016 volumes of the
journals listed above
Greenleaf Digital Archive 2010 – 2014.
129 titles from Greenleaf’s recent archive, including the best-selling
Responsible Leadership, by Sir Mark Moody-Stuart of the United Nations,
and former CEO of Shell and Anglo-American; Tackling Complexity, by
Probst and Bassi of the World Economic Forum; The Business Student’s
Guide to Sustainable Management; and titles covering sustainable luxury,
fashion, food, technology and cities. Also journal issues 2010 to 2014 from
the journals listed above.

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Greenleaf collections – EBA
Greenleaf Evidence Based Acquisition (EBA).
Greenleaf EBA gives access to all new titles as published, plus full access to
the archive (363 titles to end 2015; see above) for a fixed Evaluation
Period.
At the beginning of the Evaluation Period (normally 12 months) a customer
chooses the number of titles they wish to retain (normal minimum 25; no
upper limit).
The Evaluation Period allows the customer to inform their selection of the
titles with usage information (download, abstract and table of contents
views).
At the end of the Evaluation Period, the customer chooses the titles they
wish to retain.

19. www.gseresearch.com
Greenleaf collections – SOL
The Sustainable Organization Library (SOL)
868 titles dating from 2000 to 2015 (a few titles from the 1990s) from
Greenleaf Publishing and partner organizations, including publishers,
agencies and NGOs. SOL is the world’s largest dedicated collection on
sustainability, responsible management and related areas. Partners include
Oxfam, EFMD, the UN Global Compact, Berrett-Koehler Publishing, AASHE,
AMACOM, Do Sustainability, Litwin Books, and others. Includes many case
studies, and several full journal archives.
On subscription: access to all new titles as published, plus full access to
the archive (868 titles to end 2015; see above) as long as a subscription is
maintained. 12 month subscription term, or longer term rates available on
request.

20. www.gseresearch.com
Future directions
Build our ‘brainprint’
Build international publications portfolio (c 40 new books and
5 journals in 2016, growing annually)
Commission SDG collection(s)
Build partnerships and collaborations internationally (China,
Latin America, Italy, US)
Build our team (sales, service, publishing, admin) and provide
decent and enjoyable work
….what else can/should we do as publishers in this field?

21. Contacts
Sales and enquiries email: sales@gseresearch.com
Sustainable Organization Library: www.gseresearch.com/sol
Greenleaf Online Library: www.gseresearch.com/gol
john@gseresearch.com
richard@gseresearch.com
GSE homepage: www.gseresearch.com
Greenleaf homepage: www.greenleaf-publishing.com
GSE/Greenleaf is a United Nations Global Compact signatory and supports and abides by
its ten principles.
www.gseresearch.com