This document discusses education for sustainable development goals at the regional level in the Czech Republic. It describes several projects conducted by the Regional Centre of Expertise Czechia between 2018-2021, including research on competencies for sustainable development and the role of arts in education for sustainability. It also outlines a new project on building regional capacities for sustainable development through courses taught to local actors. The document analyzes megatrends like population aging and their influence on key areas like sustainable settlements. It provides examples of how community-driven trends like zero-waste initiatives and community agriculture relate to these megatrends and strategic goals for regional development.

1. Empowering education
for SDGs on Regional level
Jana Dlouhá, Iveta Šindelářová
Jiří Dlouhý
Charles University Environment Centre
South Bohemia University

2. Situation in 2019
New member:
Students‘ association
Online Encyclopedia of
Migration (NGO)
Academic knowledge 
to schools, media and
general public

3. RCE Czechia 2019 – applied research projects
(Technology Agency CR)
Education for future, 2019 – 2021
Partner: Association for Creativity in Education
Outcome: role of arts in ESD – arts-integration and artivism
 competencies for civic engagement
Ensuring Quality of Open Education Resources: How to Create and
Use Open Access Materials…, 02. 2019 – 06. 2021
Partner: Central Library of the Charles University
Outcome: research to develop methodology
for students and teachers & support OER use/creation

4. Transformative education for SDG 12
“Responsible consumption – basis for sustainable lifestyle education”
02.2018 – 01.2021. Partners:
• TEREZA educational centre + Eco-school network (> 400 schools)
• Pedagogical Faculty Ústí nad Labem + Pedagogical Faculty Prague
Outcomes: prepared educational materials, testing phase: 09. 2019
Research on ESD competences: article:
Dlouhá, J., Heras, R., Mulà, I., Salgado, F. P., & Henderson, L. (2019).
Competences to Address SDGs in Higher Education—A Reflection on the
Equilibrium between Systemic and Personal Approaches to Achieve
Transformative Action. Sustainability, 11(13), 3664.
Relevance of transformative education at lower levels of the ed. system?

5. National
conference
Our Common
Presence 2019

6. OER for SDG 12 – Faculty of Sports course:
students‘ essays in Enviwiki OER

7. Sustainable Development on Regional Level –
combination of theory and practice
Project to address SD in underdeveloped regions (2019–2021, TA CR)
 Capacities for Regional Sustainable development
jointly developed by RCE stakeholders in cooperation with local actors:
• Charles University Environment Centre
• Economic Faculty University of South Bohemia,
Department of Regional Management
• National Network of Local Action Groups in CR
• Society for Sustainable Living
• UN Information Centre Prague support
• & other RCE members

8. Life-long learning for Regional SD
Outcomes of the project:
• 9 whole-day courses, 2 academic years
• Target group: National LAGs‘ representatives + local actors
• SD themes:
• 3 environmental
• 3 economic
• 3 social
• Developed by RCE members & external experts
• Advisory committee – guarantee of quality

9. Bottom- up approach
Research question: What are local opportunities
to meet national Agenda 2030 strategy framework?
Identifying core actors in regions:
• National Local Action Group Network:
• Strategies of Community-led Local Development
• Local Action Plans for development of education – ensuring
quality, discussion on contents, change of methods
• Strategy 2030+ in education – prepared in a participatory way
• regionally relevant knowledge; ESD still missing
• Library network, group Sustainability in Libraries

11. Identified problems / opportunities
Method: Analysis of SCLLD + interviews with LAG representatives
• Focused on local problems (ageing, depopulation,…)
• Economic development
• big enterprices considered to be drivers, in reality bring problems
• innovative approaches missing (SME development)
• Missing awareness of the potential of the region in SD context
• climate change  drought adaptation (agriculture)
• ecosystem services provider?
• Youth – incentives to stay in the region?
• Vocational training to educate people for employment in local SMEs?

12. TOP DOWN APPROACH
RESEARCH QUESTION: How do megatrends influence regions ?

13. Who we are
South Bohemia University, Regional Management department
Scope of interest:
Sustainable development of region
Bio-mass potentials (Power4Bio project)
Economic and social regional issues
Practical seminars/trainins
Ing. Iveta Šindelářová, Researcher and Phd. Student
Scope: local economies, communities, zero-waste activities and waste management

14. Source: Ritola M. et al. Cleantech takes over consumer markets, Consumer cleantech report, Demos Helsinki. 2017
https://www.smartupaccelerator.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/consumercleantechreport.pdf
What are the current MEGATRENDS ?
 Changing population
 Scarce resources
 Global economy
 Digitalisation
 The age of community-driven individuals

15. Key are: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF SETTLEMENTS AND TERRITORIES
Urbanization
Ageing of
population
Regulations
Democratizati
on of society
Economic
growth
Climate
change
Social
disparities
Energy
consumption
Relations between MEGATRENDS with impact on the KEY ARE
of SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF SETTLEMENTS AND
TERRITORIES
Source: Evaluation of relations between selected global megatrends and their impact on selected key areas of development of the Czech Republic by the year 2030, Government Office of Czech republic 2016,
https://www.cr2030.cz/strategie/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/Zhodnocen%C3%AD-megatrend%C5%AF-web.compressed.pdf

16. Research: top-down versus bottom-up: Megatrends influencing regions
Source: Backhaus J. et al. SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES: TODAY’S FACTS & TOMORROW’S TRENDS, 2012. European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7 SSH-2010-4) under grant agreement n° 263962 https://www.scp-centre.org/publications/sustainable-lifestyles-todays-
facts-tomorrows-trends/ , Source: Evaluation of relations between selected global megatrends and their impact on selected key areas of development of the Czech Republic by the year 2030, Government Office of Czech republic 2016, https://www.cr2030.cz/strategie/wp-
content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/Zhodnocen%C3%AD-megatrend%C5%AF-web.compressed.pdf
Strategic framework document 2030, https://www.cr2030.cz/strategie/
Strategic Agenda 2030
Strategic GOALS for REGIONS AND MUNICIPALITIES
 Public services in the territories are for all residents available
 The growth of the quality of life in individual municipalities decreases
regional inequalities
 Good urban development of settlement units is ensured
 Cities and municipalities have reduced emissions and adapted on th
negative effects of climate change.
 Territorial public administration specifically uses tools for sustainable
development of municipalities.

17. MEGATREND: Age of community driven individuals
• Community supported agriculture: community that supports farmer and its
production by regular orders (35 communities in CZ, 2018)
• Sharing communities: swap of clothes, sharing surpluses from gardens
(online communities on Facebook)
• Zero-waste communities: advices where to buy, how to make zero-waste
households (Facebook community with 21ths. members in CZ/K)
Practical examples

18. Community supported agrigulture
Czech Republic
Source: Nosko T., 2019 Community supported agrigulture, University of Sout-Bohemia, České Budějovice
35 communities in CZ (2018)

19. Zero-waste communities
Czech Republic
Who is typical zero-waste citizen ?
 Citizens up to 40 years of age with secondary school / university education
 They are personally affected by global problems
 They sort waste, carry their own shopping bag, reduce plastic
 When living in a family house, they own a bio-bin or even compost
 They are buying or interested in packaging-free shopping - they are currently
shopping in hyper / supermarkets
 They would like to try the community way of buying + selling their own surpluses
Source: Šindelářová I., Sagapova N., Sedlák J. 2019. Zero-waste activities of inhabitants (České Budějovice). University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice

20. Thank you
for attention
http://rce.czp.cuni.cz/
jana.dlouha@czp.cuni.cz
sindelarovai@ef.jcu.cz
jiri.dlouhy@czp.cuni.cz
Technology Agency CR, TL02000012
Grant Agency of University of South Bohemia, GA JU 074/2017/S