Sustainability Commons and Other Innovations in Five Southern African Countries

Abstract

One day everyone will live and work in a Sustainability Commons. Although they may not use the term Sustainability Commons, such is the imperative to reduce human impact on non-renewable fossil fuels, save money and live more sustainably that many people are experimenting with different ways of living. One way to do this is to implement a range of ‘low-carbon’ technologies through the Sustainability Commons concept. A ‘Sustainability Commons’ is thus a place to try out sustainable living (Taylor & Westerman, 2013). It is also a place that anyone can visit and experiment with low-carbon technologies, which are usually very simple and inexpensive, and are being used locally for the benefit of the community and the environment. This article reflects on the development of five Sustainability Commons that are being developed in Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Zambia and Botswana. Interestingly, each of these Sustainability Commons is unique and reflects the local priorities and social contexts of the institution in which they are being developed. Such approaches to education for sustainable development (ESD) are also supported by a range of innovations which are also described further on in this article.