Sustainability and Environmental Management: A Cross-Disciplinary Primer

Non-Degree / Dates: 13 – 17 July 2026

Sustainability is one of the defining challenges of our era, linking environmental change with social and economic transformations. Yet the concept is not uniform: it has been developed through different schools of thought and is often contested. This course provides a concise, cross-disciplinary introduction to sustainability and environmental management. It is designed for students from diverse fields who wish to grasp the foundations of sustainability and resilience concepts, while also engaging with critical perspectives on how these ideas are applied in practice.

The course examines the environmental dimension of sustainability, including the drivers and necessity of sustainable action framed by e.g the planetary boundaries concept. Topics such as the importance of biodiversity, and the societal impacts of climate change and ecological degradation are linked to the development of solutions – methods, strategies, goals, and agreements.

The social and economic dimensions are addressed through the lens of socio-ecological systems and resilience. Students will apply systemic thinking to analyze interdependencies between environment, society, and economy, and to evaluate potential pathways for strengthening sustainability and enhancing resilience. Attention is given to the implications for human well-being, including mental health, and to strategies of mitigation and adaptation.

Finally, the course explores environmental management as a set of tools and frameworks to address the sustainability challenge. Students will consider the principles of the EU environmental policy, sustainable development frameworks, and the role of environmental management at multiple scales. Case examples illustrate environmental management tools and measures, which are discussed not only in terms of their intended outcomes but also from a critical standpoint.

By the end of the course, students will understand the complexity and contested nature of sustainability, recognize different schools of thought, and apply both systemic and critical thinking. They will also be able to connect sustainability principles with environmental management practices across scales and sectors, and apply this knowledge to their own fields.

Why this course?

Interdisciplinary entry point – no matter your background, you’ll gain a solid foundation in sustainability and environmental management which you’ll be able to apply this knowledge in various fields.
Critical perspectives – explore different schools of thought and go beyond the basics of the “triple bottom line.”
Real-world relevance – connect global challenges to policy, management, and everyday practice.

Teacher(s)

Piret Vacht, PhD in ecology, associate professor of environmental management at Tallinn University. In recent years her focus has been interdicipinary reseach and development of study programs and courses to engage various diciplines in the topic of sustainability (e.g sustainable human relations, soil science for architects, nature conservation and recreational management, environmental communication).