Free Sustainable Development Courses & Certifications

Swayam’s MSD-011 Sustainability Science course is focused on the principles and genesis of Sustainability Science and its structure, central elements, goals, and growth. This course has been developed by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), and it is carefully designed to emphasize the importance of sustainable development.

MSD-011 Sustainability Science course also discusses the concepts of Natural Resource Management at the landscape level and Evergreen Revolution as effective routes to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. With the help of Indian examples, you will understand the concept and evolution of sustainable development and sustainability indicators.

Besides, the MSD-011 Sustainability Science course by Swayam has an extensive curriculum spread over 12 weeks. Learn about the powerful relationship between humans and the environment and how their interactions affect sustainability with the help of this post-graduate level course and display your knowledge.

Education for Sustainable Development Certification will discuss the details of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) which is primarily based on UNESCO’s 17 sustainable development goals. 

Education for Sustainable Development Classes will cover key concepts like what is sustainability, sustainable development, UNESCO sustainable development goals, and education for sustainable development.

In order to address educational challenges and create systems that are inclusive, equitable, and relevant to all, sustainable development requires political will, global and regional collaboration, and active engagement of educational institutions, civil society, youth, the corporate/private sector, and other multilateral agencies.

All students get an Education for Sustainable Development Certification from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) under the Swayam Initiative by the Government of India. 

The Principles of Sustainable Finance online course is designed by the Erasmus University Rotterdam and provided by the online education provider website Coursera. The course instruction is an outline consisting of nine modules that take the learners almost seventeen hours to complete. Dirk Shoenmaker(Professor of Banking and finance), Rob Van Tulder(Professor of International Business-Society Management), Karen Maas(Academic Director of Impact Centre Erasmus), Eva Rood (Director of Positive Change Initiative), and Steve Kenndy(Associate Professor of Corporate Sustainability) are the course educators who will guide the students with their expert guidance. 

The course is about transforming the finance sector and achieving a sustainable economy in the world. The candidates will gain insights on sustainable banking strategies, management of resources, evaluation of sustainable scenarios, long-term value creation, and effective engagement. It also provides an overview of the United Nations’ Sustainable development goals and regarding the avoidance of strategies that consider social and environmental factors as externalities for a sustainable economy.

The Best Start in Life: Early Childhood Development for Sustainable Development programme that is brought to the learners through edX will be answering many frequently asked questions such as how the development of a child’s brain takes place at the age of 3, how surroundings become a factor in affecting the all-round development of a child and many other areas. The course consists of experienced and skilled faculty members from top institutions such as Harvard University, New York University, and UNICEF. The instructors from these institutes will make sure that the candidates understand how the study of sociology, neuroscience, anthropology, and others has influenced early child development. 

This course is for a tenure of eight weeks. In these eight weeks, the student will learn all about the growth of a child from its birth and will also learn to reach the goals for sustainable child development. The course will be provided in English language for all, and the candidate can complete his study by putting in 2 to 4 hours every week. This course is self-paced but the candidates will be getting free audit access to complete the course for a specified time. Whereas the verified track is payable and the access is also unlimited.

The Decolonising Evaluation course by edX provides an assessment taking part as a fundamental part in comprehending to what degree contrasting creativity of evolution indicates and challenges in a plan of action calculating and directing.

Decolonising Evaluation programme formally presents the candidate about convergence in between appraisal and decolonising discussion accompanied by turn of events within the development sector. This Decolonising Evaluation training course deals with the present problem in all areas of Africa and to push forward the debate on establishing the colonies assessment through deliberation by the given structures and details.

This programme keeps an eye on appraisal booster and programme for technical staff in the development sector. The candidate will learn an introductory level of decolonising evaluation that will help them in achieving their desired goals The Decolonising Evaluation training is self paced candidates can go through the course anytime when they wish. The Decolonising Evaluation certification course also makes candidates know about how interventions summons presiding colonial point of view in assessments. The candidates will be getting verified and shareable certificates at the end of the Decolonising Evaluation training which can be shared on platforms like LinkedIn.

Achieving sustainability has become a major task in the present time. Major issues like climate change and population growth worldwide have raised concerns in cities everywhere. The Co-Creating Sustainable Cities certification course highlights citizens' role, along with businesses, researchers, governments, and NGOs in empowering political, technological, and socio-economic developments to attain sustainability. The Co-Creating Sustainable Cities online course uses examples of cities including Beijing, Nairobi, Suzhou, Amsterdam, Ho Chi Minh City, and Kampala. It is done to examine the dimensions of co-creation responsible for sustainable cities all over the world. You will understand how sustainability is the outcome of the interaction between daily lives, policies, and technology.

The Co-Creating Sustainable Cities programme by edX will let you explore concepts like ICTs, infrastructure, smart technologies, participative democracy, and big data. The course will analyse the cities mentioned above on certain themes like green spaces & food, air, mobility, energy, water, and waste. The programme utilises a worldwide perspective to explain why certain kinds of co-creation are preferable in particular urban contexts. Edx offers 2 separate tracks that can be used to opt into the course and then they shall be given access either for a limited period or the access may be unlimited. If the students want limited access they will have to choose the audit track and if they want unlimited access to the course materials they will have to choose the audit track.

Global capitalism, while providing massive economic growth and wealth, has also put profits before the people. It has ensued toxic consumption practices and neglected our planet’s needs. The rightful answer to this is sustainable development, which focuses on starting a new world order to replace global capitalism’s vices, ensuring human well-being, development, and environmental security. If you want to learn about this, then edX’s Sustainable Development: The Post-Capitalist Order programme is perfect.

Curated by the SDG Academy, the Sustainable Development: The Post-Capitalist Order certification syllabus will teach you why countries and organisations globally are adopting sustainable development. Moreover, it will also explain how this concept is transforming the way we work, live, and govern our dear planet.  The curriculum discusses Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030 as the vital successors to the current laissez-faire-style capitalism. 

The eight-week Sustainable Development: The Post-Capitalist Order online course belongs to the ‘Economics and Finance’ purview, offering a free-to-learn curriculum. The programme is self-paced, and you can also purchase a verified certificate to show your recruiters if you have opted for the verified mode. In the free mode, you can audit the programme for a limited duration. 

The Introduction to Biomimicry certification course delves into the innovative practice of drawing inspiration from nature to tackle human challenges. It welcomes learners from all backgrounds and is supported by industries invested in research and innovation. Participants explore case studies and practical applications to gain a holistic understanding of biomimicry's potential across industries.

The Introduction to Biomimicry certification by Swayam emphasizes adaptation of nature's proven strategies rather than reinvention. Through interdisciplinary learning, participants engage with theoretical frameworks and practical examples, equipping them with skills to integrate biomimicry into their respective fields. Students emerge with a comprehensive understanding of biomimicry's role in driving sustainable innovation and problem-solving.

Landscape management and restoration should be among every company’s list of priorities, not only to protect the environment but to also meet the Sustainable Development Goal on Land Degradation Neutrality (SDG No 15.3). The introduction of the goal has caused companies to accelerate the process of land restoration.

These goals can be met only if the professionals working in these companies have the right set of qualities: knowledge, vision, and skill. With this course, the students can learn about the interdependence of a business and a healthy and thriving landscape. Students will also learn about the importance and value of resources found in and around the ecosystem.

This course aims to teach its students about the concept of Landscape Degradation which is a global issue that is contributing to the depletion and exploitation of the Earth’s resources. So, one of the solutions to this problem is landscape restoration that is driven by businesses, a concept this course wishes to impart knowledge about.

Sustainable development has emerged as a big challenge in our world today. That is why the world's governments have adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreement. How to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals online course offers a thorough look at strategies for implementing Sustainable Development Goals.

The ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim for prosperity, world peace, ending poverty, and the planet's protection. This course on How to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals will reflect how these massive goals are achieved. You will also know the answers to questions like - what transformations are needed for success and why these SDGs were adopted in the first place.

How to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals certification course by edX covers a broad spectrum of topics such as policy development and financing. You will find out the roles of global partnerships, businesses, governments, and civil society in achieving the SDGs. The self-paced course can be taken by the learners in two different tracks; verified and audit. In the audit-free mode, the candidates will be given access to the course for a limited period. 

The Theory of Change for development certification course introduces the learners to an approach of Theory of change or ToC which will help them to understand developmental and social interventions and the causes of these changes. This introductory Theory of change for the development program on social studies is offered by edX, a top online provider for education, and the program is crafted by the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg which is popularly known as Wits University. The Theory of Change for development by edX is brought to the students as a series of graded assessments with online lectures taken by top faculties of Wits university. Like the majority of the edX courses, this course also comes with the flexible learning options of free audit sessions and verified track accounts. 

This Theory of change for development certification is commonly centred around deeply exploring the ToC approach which is considered both as a product and process for describing many contributors to change, levels of results that are an outcome of program implementation. 

The Organising for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) certification is a 7 weeks long course that is developed by the Hanken School of Economics, and the certification is provided by FutureLearn. The United Nations’ sustainable development goals have been to eradicate issues such as protecting the planet, climate issues, ending poverty, and people maintain the action and peace towards sustainability. To achieve these goals there is a necessity to rethink a society’s action including government, and businesses and this course addresses all things required towards sustainable development.

In this Organising for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) training, candidates will be able to explore the 3 w’s i.e. what, why and how of the 17 sustainable development goals. It will also help know about the key global challenges that will remain while there is work going on towards a sustainable future world.

Organising for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) certification syllabus is made up of courses that are divided week wise, and includes activities, and steps, that learners can complete depending on their own pace.

Sustainable development is the need for an hour for continuing the existence of humans on Earth. We are developing our technologies and life every day but somewhere at the cost of harming mother nature. Utilizing resources without giving a thought to their renewability is becoming a reason we are observing nature. Sustainable development is one solution to protect mother earth for future generations. The Sustainable Development in the 21st Century with Ban Ki-moon is an initiative by Yonsei University for the people who are willing to be a part of the change and wish to help Earth. 

Sustainable Development in the 21st Century with Ban Ki-moon training is provided by Ban Ki-moon and it focuses on the agenda of 2030 and the five pillars of sustainable development. The pillars include interdependence of people, prosperity, planet, peace, justice, and partnership. This is the self-paced online course available on the portal of Coursera for guiding the students about the process, rules, regulations, and technological advancements done so far in sustainable development. The candidates shall also receive Sustainable Development in the 21st Century with Ban Ki-moon certification by Coursera by the end of the course. 

The world we live in today is financially fragile. Even with all the economic growth and improvements in the standard of work and labour, there still aren’t enough opportunities for people to find decent jobs. So much so that there are over 200 million unemployed people around the world. 

This situation is unsustainable in the long run. If this is an issue that concerns you, then the Work and Employment for a Sustainable Future course by edX is for you.

Take the Work and Employment for a Sustainable Future online course to learn about the state of work in the world and what we, as a society, need to do to ensure steady, sustainable, and inclusive economic development, from experts from Harvard University, International Labour Organisation, and other renowned institutions.

The Work and Employment for a Sustainable Future certification course is a six-week, intermediate-level programme in Economics & Finance, brought to you by the SDG Academy. You can watch the video lectures and learn at your own pace. English transcripts are also available, making it easier for you to follow along. There are two varied options to enrol in the course, namely, paid and free. In the free mode, the learners will get access to the course only for a limited duration. 

The course Smart Cities provides an amazing learning chance for all the candidates who are interested in learning about the structure and formation of developing cities. Candidates will learn through this Smart Cities training course curriculum in online mode only. It is recommended that candidates who are willing to pursue Smart Cities certification courses should invest 6 weeks in completing this program. Aspirants should spend 3-4 hours each week learning through this course curriculum. Students will be able to learn about how the country of New Zealand is using science and technology to develop sustainable and developed cities. 

This program is created by the platform of EdX in association with UCx. The Smart Cities course offered here is an intermediate-level course. Certification for this Smart Cities training course curriculum is present after successfully completing the course. This program will teach the students on the basis of instructor-led training. Candidates interested in achieving verified certification for this Smart Cities training course should pay the course certification fee according to the guidelines of the platform. Certification which will be provided to the students contains the logo of the institution and is highly beneficial for all the students. They can also audit it for a limited duration free of cost. 

Circular Economy for a Sustainable Built Environment by edX is a 6-week program. The training focuses on the Circular Economy model principles and guidelines to promote sustainable building construction and reduce environmental impact. It is a helpful course if you are interested in transitioning to a more sustainable construction manner. 

Through the online program, learners will get familiar with circularity as a multi-disciplinary, systemic approach. It is concerned with different scales, from material to product, building, region, and city. Circular Economy for a Sustainable Built Environment certification syllabus also teaches how the Circular Economy can realign business incentives in supply chains. Students learn to maximize reuse and recycle levels by closing material loops.

Moreover, the Circular Economy for a Sustainable Built Environment certification allows you to engage customers and contribute to the transition with new business models. You will enable circular design, remanufacturing, repair, reuse, and recycling of building components. After the end of this course, if you choose to buy, you will also receive a verified certificate to display your gained knowledge and skills. 

Learners have the option to choose anyone from the verified track or audit track and complete the programme. Both these tracks are self-paced but there is a time constraint in case the students choose the free audit mode since it offers only limited access to the course materials. The verified track is on the other hand a paid version that offers paid but unlimited access to the materials of the course.

This concept in Sustainable Development: An Introduction to the Key Issues certification course made ready by the University of Leicester on the provider platform of FutureLearn will help the learners study the preliminary concepts of sustainability, and how it has become a complex problem of the society. 

The Concepts in Sustainable Development: An Introduction to the Key Issues certification syllabus will help look at the different cultural, social issues, inequality in the wealth, use, and flow of energy in the world, and also what effects does history, geography, or culture have on sustainability.

Concepts in Sustainable Development: An Introduction to the Key Issues training will also be conducting a strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats analysis, that will be done keeping in mind the global issues of sustainability like climate change, and other prospects. Within just 6 weeks they get to make collective attempts so that they can move ahead.

Creating a sustainable future is not an easy task but is essential for the survival of humankind. To transition from fossil towards biomass resources, Students first need to learn about the economic principles, consumer science, logistics, and business aspects. From Fossil Resources to Biomass: A Business and Economics Perspective online course by Edx discusses the value of biobased products and explores ways to finance them through a business model. 

Furthermore, the Edx certification From Fossil Resources to Biomass also focuses on ways to move away from fossil fuels. The course emphasizes how we can not depend on fossil fuels for food, chemical products, and energy. The certification tries to lay a foundation for the biobased economy in the students by teaching relevant concepts. 

The From Fossil Resources to Biomass course is a self-paced online program developed by Wageningen University and Research. The training is a part of a series of three MicroMasters courses called Chemistry and Technology for Sustainability. Students may have to devote 20-28 hours weekly for comfortable program completion. There are two options for students to enrol in the programme, namely, free audit and paid modes. In the free mode, the course will be available for learners to audit for limited period of time. 

Promoting decent work which serves as the primary engine of sustainable development along with analyzing the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDG) forms the primary agenda of the course on SDG: Moving towards sustainable work. This intermediate SDG: Moving towards a sustainable work training course is offered by edX, an online educational provider along with the renowned institution, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M). The extensive and informative curriculum offered by the course is under the guidance of experienced professors from UC3M institution. This online certification SDG: Moving towards a sustainable work training course offers flexible learning systems of free audit courses along with the provision of upgrading the account to avail maximum benefits.

SDG: Moving towards a sustainable work certification course explores the features and possibilities delivered by the UN’s initiative on sustainable development. The course mainly focuses on key concepts such as Diversity management, the robot revolution, the digital economy, work impact, challenges in a workspace, and so on. It also closely analyses the four pillars of decent work in detail: employment, social dialogue,  social protection, and social rights. The candidates can enrol in the programme in verified or audit track. The audit track is free of cost and provides access to the programme only for a limited duration. 

In this Measuring Sustainable Development certification course candidates will get the knowledge from experienced mentors for making the Sustainable Development Report about the importance of estimating progress on the SDGs, and how an instrument like the SDG Index and Dashboards helps policymakers and different partners settle on significant choices about their improvement needs. Candidates will be able to look at the changed kinds of information that can be utilized to quantify improvement progress and become familiar with the specialized advances expected to develop a record for the SDGs.

The candidates will be able to investigate local and city-level files and examine new ways to deal with SDG estimation and information based dynamic. The duration of the Measuring Sustainable Development program is 5 weeks where candidates can study at their own pace. The efforts needed by the candidate to complete this Measuring Sustainable Development training will be 1-3 hours of weekly efforts.

The candidate who will be having the upgraded Measuring Sustainable Development certification will be getting the verified institutional certificate from edX which will be a shareable certificate that can be added on LinkedIn and the candidate can also audit this course free of cost but for a limited time and also without any certificate of completion. Another track helps the candidates to complete the course which is not free but gives a completion certificate and unlimited access. This is called the verified track and can be found on the Edx platform.

The Sustainable Construction and Development certification, a 5 weeks online course on sustainability in construction is by Chartered Institute of Building Academy, and London South Bank University. This Business and Management course is found on the provider platform of FutureLearn with which people from all sectors, especially construction can improve their understanding of sustainability.

The development of sustainability can be met by doing proper activities that don’t compromise the ability of the upcoming generations for meeting their own needs. The Sustainable Construction and Development certification syllabus deals with actions, and tasks that have an important role to play in sustainability initiatives.

Environmental, social, and even economical sustainability are the 3 factors affecting construction sustainability, so learning about the ideal, and best possible practices is very important. This Sustainable Construction and Development training is conducted for a very short period of time that makes the candidates understand the issues in achieving future sustainability. In the construction sector.

Traditional linear economies are no longer viable in a world where the population is expected to exceed 9 billion people by 2050, with roughly 70% of them living in urban areas and consuming three times as many resources as we do now. The 4 weeks Circular Business Models for Sustainable Urban Food Systems online course by FutureLearn teaches to design circular food systems.

The course teaches candidates to create circular food systems for making smart, resilient and sustainable cities. In order to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, candidates will examine the role of cities as catalysts in fostering inclusive and healthy food policies, institutional innovation, adopting systems thinking and participatory approaches. The Circular Business Models for Sustainable Urban Food Systems training teaches about the circular economy and sustainability strategies, how it can be improved and what are the barriers to its implementation.

The Circular Business Models for Sustainable Urban Food Systems syllabus covers local and urban food systems as well as various food-related policies and strategies. The course covers best practices and various business cases in urban food systems.

Business and Sustainable Development certification is a 4 weeks course that is the design of both NPTEL and IIT Bombay and is presented on Swayam. The course level can cater to both postgraduate and undergraduate students. The point of credit offered is one. With the climate economy constantly fluctuating it becomes essential for all the companies to get protected from all kinds of physical, and regulatory changes of the environment, and hence this course was discovered.

Business and Sustainable Development training gives business owners protection from business challenges by giving them business challenges. This course paves the way for firms who think that sustainable development is a necessary criterion for the decision-making process. This certificate course will include the ideas, perspectives, tools, and strategies including business opportunities that arise from sustainable development.

The Landscape Leadership: Catalyse Sustainable Development in Landscapes online course is designed to offer insights on leadership and innovation strategies involved in driving the sustainable development of landscapes. The course is provided by the online education platform Edx with support from the Global Landscapes Forum.

The course duration for the program is four weeks and the students are expected to spend one to three hours every week to complete the course. The self-guided learning program provides free online training to students who wish to learn about sustainable landscapes, leadership, and development goals. This course is categorized under the energy and earth sciences domain. 

The course curriculum is developed by Wageningen University and helps the students discuss the risks and challenges associated with the change for sustainable development. The eligible students of the ‘Landscape Leadership: Catalyse Sustainable Development in Landscapes’ training program will get a course completion certificate from Edx if they opt for the verified mode by paying the course fee. For free, the learners can enrol in the self-paced course and get (audit) access for a limited duration. 

The ‘Strategic Communication for Sustainable Development’ online certification program is developed for the students to enhance their knowledge and skills of communication improvised with professional strategies for development. This multidisciplinary certification program is provided by the Swayam educational platform initiated by the government of India and the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL). The course classes are held online aided by experiential learning methodologies that include video lectures, and other interactive and experimental training for four weeks.

The students of this program are guided by Prof.Aradhna Malik from the management studies department at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. The candidates of this course are evaluated through internal assessments, assignments, and the final examination. 

The ‘Strategic Communication for Sustainable Development’ certification course equips the students with the course certificate and course credits after successful completion of the course. This is an undergraduate and postgraduate level course for the students and is approved by the All India Council for Technical Education(AICTE).