=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-3930/paper13
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|title=Digital Learning Hub for future green and ethical leaders: A mapping of educational initiatives related to sustainability in Higher Educational Institutes
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3930/paper13.pdf
|volume=Vol-3930
|authors=Maria Partalidou,Evie Kouroumichaki,Florian Ulm,Tiago Silva,Aleksandra Gulc,Joanna Godlewska,Justyna Kozłowska,Ewelina Tomaszewska,Irene Kalemaki,Ioannis Sotiriadis,Dimitrios Vlachopoulos
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/haicta/PartalidouKUSGG24
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==Digital Learning Hub for future green and ethical leaders: A mapping of educational initiatives related to sustainability in Higher Educational Institutes==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3930/paper13.pdf
Digital Learning Hub for future green and ethical leaders:
A mapping of educational initiatives related to
sustainability in Higher Educational Institutes⋆
Maria Partalidou1,†, Evie Kouroumichaki2,†, Florian Ulm3,†, Tiago Silva3,†, Aleksandra Gulc4,†,
Joanna Godlewska4,† Justyna Kozłowska4,†, Ewelina Tomaszewska4,†, Irene Kalemaki2,†,
Ioannis Sotiriadis2,∗,† and Dimitrios Vlachopoulos5,†
1
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Agriculture, Dep. of Agricultural Economics, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece
2
Stimmuli for Social Change, 15 Agias Sofias, P.C. 54623, Thessaloniki, Greece
3
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute,
Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, C2, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
4
Bialystok University of Technology, Bialystok, Poland
5
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Burgemeester Oudlaan 50 3062 PA Rotterdam, The
Netherlands
Abstract
Ethical business management practices (in terms of environmental, social, and economic ethics) are at the
forefront of the public debate. Towards this direction, a critical question is whether Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs) are prepared to contribute to the creation of future “green” and ethical leaders. Indeed,
many institutions in Europe engage in the effort towards a socio-ecological transformation and are playing
a pivotal role in utilizing methodologies of transformative education to enhance student’s competencies,
knowledge, and ethics towards a more sustainable and resilient future. This paper, outcome of the
ERASMUS+ project PermaLABS (https://www.permalabs.eu/), tries to map educational initiatives related
to sustainability in HEIs and then incorporate the principles & ethics of Permaculture into business and
management studies which could further enable graduates capable of creating and leading sustainable,
innovative, and resilient business that can better navigate the complex challenges of the modern world.
Ultimately, learning materials such as syllabus, lesson plans, best practices from living labs and the creation
of a digital social space for interaction among various stakeholders-students, business sector stakeholders,
and citizens- would enhance peer-to-peer communication and cooperation and facilitate connections
between academia and the business world, enabling students from different HEIs to exchange ideas and co-
develop common projects.
Keywords
Permaculture, ethics, principles, Higher Education Institutions, sustainable business, management,
training 1
1. Introduction
In a period of extreme changes in the labor market, and global pressure for more ethical
management practices, organizations should be ready for changes towards more environmentally,
socially, and economically ethical pathways [1]. The role of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)
⋆ Short Paper Proceedings, Volume I of the 11th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies in
Agriculture, Food & Environment (HAICTA 2024), Karlovasi, Samos, Greece, 17-20 October 2024.
∗
Corresponding author.
†
These authors contributed equally.
parmar@agro.auth.gr (M. Partalidou); evie.kouroumichaki@stimmuli.eu (E. Kouroumichaki); ulm.florian@gmail.com
(F. Ulm); tiagombs@gmail.com (T. Silva); a.gulc@pb.edu.pl (A. Gulc); j.godlewska@pb.edu.pl (J. Godlewska);
j.kozlowska@pb.edu.pl (J. Kozłowska); e.tomaszewska@pb.edu.pl (E. Tomaszewska); irene.kalemaki@stimmuli.eu (I.
Kalemaki); giannis-sotiriadis@hotmail.com (I. Sotiriadis); vlachopoulos@rsm.nl (D. Vlachopoulos)
0000-0001-6712-2094 (M. Partalidou); 0000-0002-1980-213X (E. Kouroumichaki); 0000-0002-1137-0651(F. Ulm); 0000-
0002-6401-4765 (A. Gulc); 0000-0001-9538-7014 (J. Godlewska); 0000-0001-5164-4023 (J. Kozłowska); 0000-0001-6278-0194
(E. Tomaszewska); 0009-0003-9890-3493 (I. Sotiriadis); 0000-0002-2033-7343 (D. Vlachopoulos)
© 2024 Copyright for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
CEUR
Workshop
ceur-ws.org 77
ISSN 1613-0073
Proceedings
towards this effort is crucial. The first step is implemented already by some innovative HEIs that
want to prepare their students as future green and ethical leaders. In fact, institutions in Europe have
been playing a pivotal role in times of crisis and engage in efforts towards a socio-ecological
transformation [2], utilizing methodologies of transformative education to enhance student’s
competencies, knowledge, and ethics for a more sustainable and resilient future. However, there is
little evidence of new concepts and transdisciplinary approaches in academic syllabuses. The project
entitled “Envisioning sustainable futures in higher education business departments, inspired by
Permaculture design principles” (acronym: PermaLABS) tries to fill this gap.
When we talk about the concept of Permaculture, we refer to a design system for human habitats
“which mimics the patterns and relations found in nature” [3]. Furthermore, the term “Permaculture”
should be used when adhering to its inherent ethics and principles (Figure 1), which guide the system
towards benefitting life in all its forms [4]. Incorporating Permaculture ethics and principles into
business management studies could lead to better equipped graduates capable of creating and leading
more sustainable, innovative, and resilient businesses and navigating the complex challenges of the
modern world.
Figure 1: Permaculture ethics: People care, earth care, fair share. Source:
https://permacultureprinciples.com/ethics/
The present paper brings a research effort for a place-based and experiential learning that will
lead to a digital learning hub, inspired by Permaculture. This effort will serve as a steppingstone to
prepare a capacity building program. The mapping of existing educational initiatives in Business and
Management Departments of HEIs in the five European countries that are part of the project (The
Netherlands, Greece, Portugal, Poland and Croatia) is not merely about cataloging these initiatives,
but rather about gaining a nuanced understanding of their pedagogical underpinning, operational
frameworks, and their potential impact on fostering a sustainability mindset among students and
faculty members.
2. Methods and Material
The mapping of the initiatives used a qualitative approach with key-informants, experts’
interviews (teachers/academic staff) by an online questionnaire, designed in a way to capture
detailed information including objectives, methodologies, impact, and resources employed within
HEIs. This structured approach facilitated a thorough analysis of each initiative but also enabled the
comparison among different initiatives across the five partner European countries, thereby enriching
our understanding of the diverse ways in which sustainability education is being approached in
management and business education [5]. The research design focuses on the aspects of curricular
and extracurricular activities, interdisciplinary approaches, community engagement, and innovative
methods used. Responses from partner universities were gathered and analyzed with descriptive
statistics and manual coding was conducted to foster in depth interpretive content analysis [6]. A
major axis of the analysis advocates on the ways that current initiatives align with permaculture
ethics, paving the way towards a more effective understanding of the integration level of
permaculture in existing programs of study in Management and Business education. The codification
consists of the following categories: type of activity of the initiative, challenges, opportunities,
engagement of other community partners, methodologies employed, and finally the intended
outcomes of the initiative.
78
3. Survey results
3.1. Initiatives and target groups per country
Almost all initiatives identified the “knowledge broadening on sustainability” as their major aim
and most of the times these initiatives are supported by ERASMUS+ and/or other European projects
embracing other stakeholders too, such as NGOs, Ministries, Innovation hubs, local businesses,
municipalities, and local community bodies. For example, a free, open access MOOC in Greece
introduces the concepts of sustainability and Ecological Footprint and an e-Learning course
"SPARKLE.eu" enhances technical, business-oriented skills and entrepreneurial activity for students,
in Greece and other four partner countries in the Mediterranean, while at the same time empowering
critical thinking and social and cultural awareness. Other Greek initiatives place an emphasis on social
innovations and new ethical business models, such as urban farming and social agro-food businesses,
embedded in increased community participation and volunteerism.
The connection to Permaculture can be identified in all research/education/citizen science
projects mapped also in Portugal, with hands-on initiatives concerning nature-based solutions,
which are mainly connected to the ethics “Earth care” and “People care”. "Bioislands" project, for
basic green infrastructure and improved microclimate, two tiny-forest projects in the University of
Lisbon (one of them the "FCULresta" is the first Miyawaki-type urban tiny forest) as well as the
student’s social initiative "HortaFCUL" promote education and sustainable development through the
lens of permaculture.
In The Netherlands academics, students, and non-academic staff, are working collaboratively
to cultivate an interdisciplinary culture, as for example in the case of the Rotterdam School of
Management, Erasmus University, and the Design Impact Transition (DIT) platform that exemplifies
this commitment by linking research and educationto the creation of a sustainable future. Some
courses emphasize the critical importance of integrating entrepreneurship and the business
environment within the framework of sustainability, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) while at the same time aiming to generate also ecological and social value.
Permaculture ethics and principles in the case of Poland are met in several initiatives, such as
the sustainable development "My Green University" at Bialystok University of Technology integrates
permaculture to address contemporary global challenges (climate change, pollution, resource
depletion, and biodiversity loss). The "European Green Deal for Cities" (EGD4Cities) initiative aims to
strengthen the involvement of local authorities and non-governmental organizations in sustainable
development and the green economy, primarily through educational and awareness-raising
activities, while supporting leadership skills and creativity [7]. Other student-led initiatives, such as
the "Parcel for a Green Friend" campaign, also play a significant role in fostering ecological
consciousness [8].
Finally, in Croatia the Permaculture ethics are promoted through many programs in universities.
From the initiative mapped, in many of the courses, emphasis is placed on finding innovations, often
through student’s participation in competitions aiming at enhancing and achieving sustainability
and linked to entrepreneurship and ensuring a protected environment-ecosystem.
Overall, more than half of the initiatives mapped in all the HEIs are designed especially for their
students. The following most important target group, is the group of academics, and educators in
terms of “train the trainer”. Finally, a handful of initiatives identified as target group the community
members, towards having a wider impact. To that end one initiative also targets schoolteachers,
providing a teachers’ training opportunities (see table 1).
79
Table 1
Target groups of the initiatives
Target group Number of initiatives
Students 22
Academics/educators 11
Community 7
School teachers 1
3.2. Permaculture Ethics, Activities and Outcomes
Almost all initiatives (22 out of 24) are linked to the Permaculture ethic “Earth care”, indicating
a common perception among all partner countries that sustainability is primarily associated with
environmental issues. The ethic of “People care” is identified in half of the initiatives (12/24),
suggesting that the human condition and community care are increasingly seen as an important
element of sustainability. Lastly, only a handful of initiatives (8/24) deploy aspects of social economy
and community building, which is associated with the third permaculture ethic “Fair Share”.
The analysis indicates that workshops are one of the most used types of activity (for more than
30% of the initiatives), while formally established study courses are less than 30%, advocating on the
need for a new approach and a new curriculum beyond the classical courses. Albeit there are many
efforts to increase sustainability education concepts through different methodologies, such as
research projects and informal training experiences, lectures etc. (Figure 2). Overall, the analysis
highlights a diverse range of methodologies being employed across sustainability initiatives, with a
notable emphasis on interactive, experimental, and real-world learning methods (Figure 3). Open
discussions and workshops were the most popular, followed by the category of hands-on experience,
used in 10 initiatives, which is also highly prevalent, emphasizing the importance of practical,
experiential learning in sustainability education. The least chosen methodologies are those that have
more innovative and specialized characteristics, such as the Miyawaki method, and the method of
flipped classroom, or MOOCs. The percentage reflects that the adoption of innovative and diverse
teaching approaches is less frequent, highlighting the opportunity to develop useful digital tools.
Training experience
6%
Programms of study Research projects
12% 18%
Lectures
3%
Courses
27%
Workshop
34%
Figure 2: Type of activities within HEIs initiatives
80
MOOC
Narrative
Flipped classroom
Miyawaki Method
Lectures
Quizzes
Guest Speakers
Use of collaborative onli ne pl atforms
Case study description
Hands-on experience
Open discussion and workshops
0,00% 5,00% 10,00% 15,00% 20,00% 25,00% 30,00%
Figure 3: Type of methodology within HEIs initiatives
In terms of learning outcomes, primarily focus is given on knowledge and skills acquisition, with
more than half of the initiatives emphasizing this aspect. Strengthening the ecological awareness of
students and enhancing sustainability and environmental protection is the outcome of 5 out of the
total 24 initiatives, whereas connecting people is prioritized in 4 initiatives. The remaining mapped
outcomes relate to contact with nature, connection of entrepreneurship with sustainability, creation
of a new training program and some generalized social outcomes in a handful initiatives.
3.3. Challenges and Opportunities
The most challenging issue (see Figure 4) that HEIs face is the lack of participants and volunteers.
In other words, one out of three initiatives and/or projects have a difficulty in finding the “right”
people to engage in such novel concepts. Administrative issues came up as the second most
important challenge in terms of introducing and establishing the initiative within a strictly formatted
academic structure with curricula, courses, and fixed semester protocols. This challenge was
followed by lack of funding to support initiatives that fall outside the mainstream organization of
the courses in an academic institute. Overall, the abovementioned challenges go hand in hand with
bureaucracy and strict internal protocols, which were mentioned as another challenge albeit
covering the same strand of barriers. Apart from the above, other barriers such as linguistic, time
constraints, appear to be the least challenging problems for the sustainable initiatives mapped.
No challenges
6% Funding problem
Other problem 18%
23% Bureaucracy and
strict internal
protocols
12%
Time constraints
6%
The language Lack of
6% volunteers/non-
participation or
suitable persons
29%
Figure 4: Challenges mapped in HEIs (number of times mentioned out of the 24 initiatives)
81
Nevertheless, there are future opportunities, as the upscaling of initiatives was pointed out in all
countries, as well as teacher’s trainings, meaning peer- to-peer learning and exchanges within
academic staff; activities supporting also by ERASMUS and other European initiatives.
4. Discussion
Embedding Permaculture ethics and principles into higher education curricula presents a
significant opportunity to address systemic and non-linear sustainability challenges, dismantle siloed
thinking, and promote cross-disciplinary collaboration. This approach fosters a culture of
environmental, social, and economic responsibility. The mapping of initiatives by Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs) in the five partner countries of the PermaLABS project highlights efforts to
integrate sustainability ethics into business schools, despite the challenges and obstacles associated
with traditional courses.
There is an evident need for developing evidence-based resources for teaching staff, providing
them with the knowledge and methodologies-tools necessary to design and deliver lessons aligned
with the PermaLABS approach. These resources should include learning materials such as syllabus,
lesson plans, and best practices from living labs. Additionally, a set of co-created activities, developed
in collaboration with students and experts, featuring permaculture-based businesses, lesson plans,
and infographics, could bridge the gap in available tools and methods.
Creating a digital social space (a learning hub) for interaction among various stakeholders—
students, business sector stakeholders, and citizens—would enhance peer-to-peer communication
and cooperation. This platform would facilitate connections between academia and the business
world, enabling students from different HEIs to exchange ideas and co-develop common projects;
but more importantly empower the green and ethical leaders of the future.
Acknowledgements
PermaLABS project entitled “Envisioning sustainable futures in HEI business and management
departments, inspired by Permaculture principles” is funded by the European Union within
ERASMUS+ program [https://www.permalabs.eu/]. The project number 2023-1-NL01-KA220-HED-
000157951 is coordinated by Erasmus University – Rotterdam School of Management.
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not
necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive
Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Declaration on Generative AI
The author(s) have not employed any Generative AI tools.
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