There are many issues requiring attention in an educational institution's everyday work. It is not enough just to regard sustainability issues as important in principle, they also have to be placed high enough in the list of priorities. Many everyday requirements require immediate action, whereas sustainability issues are developed in the long term, by building a sustainable future. An individual persons’ concern about nature may serve as the motor for change and demands for new kinds of activities may increase. The school may also be required to make changes by the administration, for example, when new measures are needed in connection with wider plans and strategies – which may also have originated from concerns expressed by researchers and concerns arising from their research results. The need for change may thus come from the bottom up or vice versa – or from both directions at the same time.
It is essential to remember that
- a real change will not take place if we do not perceive the need for it just now
- the change must take place at many levels of activity
- the relationship of each area of activity with sustainability must be identified.