Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Academy

This case study describes the Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Academy, launched in March 2025 as a collaboration between the ATU Centre for Sustainability and the ATU Teaching and Learning Centre. Recognised as an AASHE Centre for Sustainability across the Curriculum, the Academy adopts a whole-of-university approach to embedding sustainability, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), climate action, and justice across teaching, research, campus operations, and community engagement.

Operating across module, programme, faculty, institutional, and cross-institutional levels, the Academy supports curriculum integration, staff capacity building, community partnerships, and “living labs” approaches to sustainability. Early activities include Carbon Literacy training, SDG engagement initiatives, postgraduate certification in Education for Sustainability, and collaborative retreats and roadshows across ATU campuses. The initiative contributes to building institutional leadership in ESD through coordinated professional development, community engagement, and sustainable curriculum transformation