Research (SustainERA)

Main Focus

Sustainable lifestyles require significant mindset shifts, behaviour changes, and rethinking societal structures, including decoupling economic growth from the "good life." The adoption of sustainable behaviours faces barriers such as financial hardship, lack of information, and technological optimism, while community initiatives need a critical mass to succeed. Overcoming these challenges requires education to critically engage with values and technological development, ensuring that sustainability goals are met through informed, collective action.

The Role of Individuals in Achieving Sustainability

Achieving sustainable change requires action across multiple levels—government legislation, social movements, community initiatives, organisational strategies, and individual behaviour. While technological progress is important, broader societal adjustment is essential to drive lasting transformation.

This project will focus on the role of people in sustainability, emphasising that no actor operates in isolation—coordinated efforts across all levels of society are crucial. It will explore key questions, such as whether sustainable transitions are possible without alignment among different actors and how public attitudes toward economic growth versus environmental protection influence government policies, and vice versa

Education as a Key Driver

UNESCO’s Education 2030 Agenda highlights the importance of lifelong learning to empower individuals to drive societal change and care for the planet. Similarly, the "GreenComp" framework advocates for the full integration of sustainability into both formal and informal education, fostering knowledge, critical thinking, and the skills needed to address sustainability challenges.

This project will position sustainability education as a core intervention strategy, developing initiatives across all education levels—from primary education to lifelong learning. It will engage diverse groups, including youth, adults, communities, and workplaces, to promote a comprehensive and inclusive approach to sustainability.

Focus on Estonia in a Global Context

Positioned at the crossroads of the Nordic and Baltic regions, Estonia offers a unique environment to study sustainability transitions across various sectors and actors. Among Central and Eastern European countries, Estonia stands as a leader in sustainable performance and innovation growth.

However, despite this progress, Estonians exhibit low concern for climate change and show minimal eco-conscious behaviour, highlighting a gap between governmental actions and individual attitudes.

Estonia’s high participation in education and training presents an opportunity for change, provided that attitudes and practices align with sustainability goals. Additionally, broader international and historical perspectives will enrich the Estonian context, offering valuable insights into sustainability transition.

Publications

Related Projects

OpenLab

The SustainERA OpenLab and the Open Toolkit of Sustainable Futures will be established to engage public stakeholders in developing educational interventions for sustainability and providing research-based recommendations for policymakers, organisations, and businesses on advancing sustainable futures.

The Open Lab will facilitate the collection and sharing of expert knowledge through the Open Toolkit of Sustainable Futures, which will include validated research instruments, conceptual frameworks, datasets, case studies, findings, and best practices. It will also offer skills development through micro-credential courses, training sessions, and workshops, creating a comprehensive knowledge pool that can be leveraged across education, society, and policymaking.

The Open Toolkit of Sustainable Futures aims to support the inclusion and capacity building of new actors in the field while fostering knowledge exchange among stakeholders and leading research groups, promoting collaborative efforts toward sustainable development.

SustainERA Seminars

Starting in September 2025, we will launch the SustainERA Seminar series, bringing together experts and stakeholders from Estonia and abroad. This will include over 30 online webinars across 5 years, which will later be shared on YouTube and our website, as well as numerous in-person visits to foster direct engagement and collaboration.

Open Toolkit

Conceptual frameworks
Validated research instruments
Datasets
Training and workshops