Abstract
This chapter tells of a passion-fuelled journey through Phyllis Araneo's doctoral research journey. The story begins in the 1970s in a polluted low-income suburb of New Jersey (NJ). It progresses to securing a research fellowship in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and ultimately to the attainment of a tenured position at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) in Australia. The research, a global case study, explores the questions:
* Who teaches and learns ESD?
* What are common course qualities?
* What challenges its effectiveness?
The findings lead to bigger, deeper questions of how and why students develop environmentally responsible behaviours (ERB) or not, which is arguably the ultimate learning outcome of ESD courses. These questions prove to be difficult to address, as understanding the complex nature of human behaviour is an ever-changing and growing field. Some of the challenges in producing ERB in the ESD cohort are the multi-/inter-/cross-/pluri- and transdisciplinary nature of ESD, the inherent skill knowledge of teachers, the motivational domains of students, course content, and the ability of curricula and pedagogy to instil positive futures possibilities. This chapter delves into the highs and lows of the decade-long project, inviting contemplation on how daily habits and ways of being can extend beyond mere transactions. By exploring the interconnectedness between humanity and the natural world through the lens of sustainability science, the PhD culminates with suggestions regarding how ESD can provide avenues for relational, transformational, and even transcendent experiences towards ERB.