Beyond Schools: The Whole Institution Approach in Non-formal Food Education
How can non-formal education embed sustainability across a whole institution? In a new study (in German) in the journal Haushalt in Bildung & Forschung, Verena Staudinger, Daniel Fischer and Jorrit Holst examine how the Whole Institution Approach, an approach to promoting sustainability across an entire institution, can be put into practice in non-formal education.
The study looks at seven non-formal institutions that offer food education for adults and identifies the specific features of this context that shape how an institution-wide sustainability approach is implemented. The authors describe conditions, obstacles and potentials of the approach and address a research gap: so far, there has been hardly any evidence on how the Whole Institution Approach can be applied beyond the formal education system.
The article shows that the structural characteristics of non-formal institutions, such as voluntary participation, the voluntary engagement of those involved and limited financial resources, shape the transfer process. At the same time, they open up their own room for sustainability-oriented learning and for embedding sustainability in the institution.
Paper Abstract (our translation):
The Whole Institution Approach is an approach to promoting sustainability across an entire institution. For non-formal education institutions, there are hardly any studies on how such approaches are used. This study examines seven non-formal institutions offering food education for adults, shows specific features of non-formal institutions that influence implementation, and outlines the potential of the approach.
Bibliographic reference:
Staudinger, V., Fischer, D. & Holst, J. (2026). Nachhaltige Ernährungsbildung in der non-formalen Bildung: Potenziale des Whole Institution Approachs. Haushalt in Bildung & Forschung, 15(1), 14–27. https://doi.org/10.3224/hibifo.v15i1.02
