14 August 2008 Sustainability Paper Named Outstanding Paper of the Year

Two of Lincoln University’s environmental specialists have received international recognition for a paper which advances education for sustainability.

Ian Spellerberg, Professor of Nature Conservation; and Graeme Buchan Associate Professor of Environmental Physics and Environmental Education, have received an Emerald Literati Network award for their paper entitled “Education for Sustainability: Developing a postgraduate-level subject with an international perspective.”   

Written in conjunction with Professor Winfried Blum of BOKU University, Vienna, Austria, the paper was judged the Outstanding Paper of the Year 2007 by the editorial team for the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education.

It is the second award of its type received by Professors Buchan and Spellerberg from the Emerald Group, a leading publisher of management journals and databases.  They received the 2004 award for a paper describing Lincoln University’s implementation of its Environmental Policy.

The 2007 winning paper describes an innovative course on sustainability in an international context, co-designed by Lincoln and BOKU, as a core part of their jointly awarded, ‘cross-planetary’ Masters degree (the Master of Natural Resources Management & Ecological Engineering, or MNaRMEE). 
The award judges, who include top academics and judges, said the Lincoln University paper was “one of the most impressive pieces of work the team has seen throughout 2007.”

Ian Spellerberg and Graeme Buchan say they are delighted to receive recognition for their work in education for sustainability.   “Our work in this area comes from a long-standing professional interest in developing programmes which bring sustainability principles into the mainstream of public policy, planning and business management, conservation and technological practice,” they said.

“The UN declared the International Decade of Education for Sustainability in 2005, and our teaching innovations are in part a direct response to that objective.”

About Lincoln University
Lincoln University continues to achieve international recognition for its teaching and research activities.  It is renowned for its entrepreneurship, relevance and as a catalyst for new and diverse approaches to stimulate the development and transfer of knowledge.  The University fosters alliances with the users of research information both nationally and internationally and has established a number of significant alliances with other research organisations.  The university is structured into four divisions: Commerce; Agriculture and Life Sciences; Environment, Society and Design; and Bioprotection and Ecology. 

Ian Spellerberg, Director, Isaac Centre for Nature Conservation
Charlotte Mayne   , Director of Marketing & Communications, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand