Education for Sustainable Development Grounded in Sundanese Local Wisdom: A Case Study of Environmental Awareness in an Indonesian Elementary School

Sutarjo Sutarjo; Ine Rahayu Purnamaningsih; Lilis Karyawati; Muhamad Taufik Bintang Kejora Bintang Kejora; Risma Kahpiah; Aisyah Nur Febryanti Febryanti; Li Kun Mei Li Kun Mei

doi:10.35445/alishlah.v18i2.9384

Education for Sustainable Development Grounded in Sundanese Local Wisdom: A Case Study of Environmental Awareness in an Indonesian Elementary School

Sutarjo Sutarjo, Ine Rahayu Purnamaningsih, Lilis Karyawati, Muhamad Taufik Bintang Kejora Bintang Kejora, Risma Kahpiah, Aisyah Nur Febryanti Febryanti, Li Kun Mei Li Kun Mei

Abstract

The global environmental crisis requires elementary education to move beyond environmental knowledge toward sustained ecological behavior. However, limited empirical evidence explains how Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) grounded in Sundanese local wisdom shapes students’ environmental awareness and practices.This qualitative case study was conducted at SDN Ekologi Kahuripan Padjajaran, Purwakarta, Indonesia. Data were collected over ten weeks through in-depth interviews with 14 informants, including the principal, teachers, extracurricular coaches, an ecological consultant, school committee members, parents, and students. Participant and non-participant observations and document analysis were also conducted. Data were analyzed using the Miles–Huberman model and mapped through an Input–Process–Output–Outcome framework.The findings show that ESD was institutionally embedded through school governance, curriculum planning, ecological facilities, and a whole-school culture rooted in Panca Waluya values and the Sundanese philosophy of silih asah, silih asih, and silih asuh. ESD practices were implemented through intracurricular, co-curricular, extracurricular, and school culture activities. These practices produced ecological artifacts, improved environmental literacy, strengthened school cleanliness, and encouraged spontaneous ecological behaviors such as sorting waste, watering plants, saving water, and reminding peers to care for the environment.The study demonstrates that Sundanese local wisdom can function as a contextual mechanism for internalizing ESD values in elementary education. Strengthening green funding, teacher capacity, community partnerships, and outcome-based monitoring is recommended to support replication in other schools.

Keywords

education for sustainable development; sundanese local wisdom; whole-school approach; environmental awareness; primary education

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v18i2.9384