International conferences mark changes in thinking and approaches. They also set new agendas for action. The first set of international recommendations to guide environmental education were developed in Tbilisi, Georgia in 1977. The 4th International Conference on Environmental Education, held in Ahmedabad, India, in 2007 within the framework of the UN DESD, marks 30 years aftger Tbilisi. July-Dec 2007

Whether we view sustainable development as our greatest challenge or a subversive litany, every phase of education is now being urged to declare its support for education for sustainable development (ESD). In this paper, we explore the ideas behind ESD and, building on work by Foster and by Scott and Gough, we argue that it is necessary now to think of two complementary approaches: ESD 1 and ESD 2.

What motivates more than 800 people from 101 countries around the world to meet at a World Environmental Education Congress? And how does one make the most of such an incredible gathering of people, cultures, thoughts and minds? What did people learn and was it worthwhile? These are just some of the questions that have been chasing through my mind in the weeks following the fourth World Environmental Education Congress held in Durban, South Africa in July 2007.