In Conversation with Dr Tania Dias Fonseca, Associate Professor & Strategic Academic Lead for Sustainability, Kingston University

With over 20 years experience in education at both secondary school and higher education levels, Tania’s expertise lies in how institutions empower youth to participate in social-environmental scientific decision-making.

Tania collaborates with senior leadership, academics, and community stakeholders to drive practice and policy change. Her leadership in this field has been recognized through the 2023 UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards, and as a finalist in the 2024 International Green Gown Awards and the London Higher Awards 2024.

Additionally, Tania has served as an advisor and expert to the European Commission, the Azorean Government, Pearson Education and the Museums and Galleries of Scotland on Inclusion and Education for Sustainable Development, to name a few. She has designed participatory tools and training for civic engagement and youth on environmental and sustainable education (e.g.,  http://reda.azores.gov.pt, Education for Sustainability and Climate Change Pedagogy, BIG).

Tania chats to us about her role in integrating sustainability into the academic framework at Kingston University, including highlighting challenges such as breaking down silos, aligning sustainability with existing agendas like ED&I, and how to avoid this adding extra burden on already overworked colleagues.

She shares how she has used the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to embed sustainability into all courses and the ways she ensures authentic integration and avoiding tokenism.

We again emphasize the importance of relational approaches, using existing systems, and where we can find the support needed to embed sustainability effectively.

We are sharing our conversations about sustainability to help you start your own.