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David Orr’s speech reveals the dilemma faced in today’s world. In our pursuit of knowledge to create a better future, such as the developing things for comfort, technological or even health advancements, responsible use of resources and care for the environment becomes sidelined. Education that is supposed to serve the needs of the people take precedence over care for the Earth, lead to an ecological imbalance and possibly an unsustainable future. As Orr puts it, ‘education did not put an adequate barrier to barbarity’. He reiterates this by dispelling the notions that education will change things and solve problems. Although this might seem as a challenge to building a sustainable future, there is an increasing awareness that our practices have to change. In Orr’s words, ‘knowledge carries with it the responsibility to see that it is well used in the world’. Hence, even as we attempt to reach the Sustainable Development Goals, education can be the driver to support these ambitions if the knowledge gained is used responsibly. Reaching the UN SDGs can be supported by education as we come to a better understanding of the balance required in the environment and communities and the practices that need to be undertaken to achieve a more sustainable future.
An example would be The Good Life Goals project, https://sdghub.com/goodlifegoals/, which seeks to use education to support individuals and organizations to reach the UN SDGs.