1 What can you achieve in one year of ESD?

In this presentation, Barry Peak reflects on his first year as Dublin City University’s inaugural ESD Officer, offering insights into the opportunities and challenges of embedding sustainability in higher education. Drawing on his background in secondary education and social justice pedagogy, Barry outlines his core priorities: building staff capacity, strengthening commitment, and cultivating a culture where sustainability is woven into DCU’s values and practices.

He describes how strong but sometimes siloed initiatives already existed across faculties, often driven by passionate individuals. His role has focused on moving from isolated “pockets of practice” to programme- and faculty-level integration. Key developments include working with course teams on curriculum design, supporting academics to map sustainability into modules, and piloting approaches such as challenge-based learning and sustainability-focused assessments.

Mr Peak also highlights professional development opportunities introduced at DCU, including an online Moodle resource, a digital badge in Education for Sustainability, and an “Ideas Exchange” network connecting academics across disciplines. Student engagement is another priority, with initiatives ranging from society-led sustainability projects to staff–student forums that feed directly into university decision-making. He positions the first year as a foundation for future work. The long-term aim is to create a culture in which ESD is not an optional add-on but a shared norm that shapes teaching, learning, and the wider institutional identity.