Sustainable urban development calls for knowledge, ability and determination. Knowledge, to understand challenges such as globalisation and climate change. Ability, to deal with technical options and social or economic innovation. And, finally, the determination to break new ground together on the road to a sustainable, equitable, liveable city.

To help children and adults understand sustainable action and anchor the principles of sustainable development in Frankfurt’s educational environment, in 2008 the City Council agreed to the city‘s participation in the UN Decade of “Education for Sustainable Development“ (BNE). The “Learn Sustainability in Frankfurt“ network was set up and numerous projects and programmes initiated. For this innovative work, Frankfurt has already been voted City of the UN Decade of “Education for Sustainable Development“ three times.

In the Green-City process, the impact of educational programmes on climate, energy, recycling, nutrition, mobility and sustainable consumption was enormous. Schoolchildren not only acquire key life and professionally-relevant competencies, they support the Green-City process with their concrete projects and act as multipliers in their families.

Education is more than just transferring information and acquiring knowledge: it is multi-dimensional and also specifically targets aspects beyond cognitive processes. Education for Sustainable Development encourages networked thinking and changes in perspective.

Education then becomes a driving force for innovation and an indispensable element in the success of the Green-City process. For this, it is necessary to develop an educational and learning environment in the city, in which the material, social and personnel conditions for sustainable learning and actions are included and promoted, whereby political decisions, structural-technical measures and educational opportunities must intertwine.