These materials can be used in study circles or for self study, but they will also serve as the core of a free online course offered by IEF on 7 September - 18 October 2026. See this page for information about the online course. You can register for the online course here.

Are you worried about the future?

This course explores the environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainability from both scientific and ethical/spiritual perspectives inspired by Bahá'í principles. It examines the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on creating a new, equitable world order and practical, local actions for environmental and social justice. Combining science and spirituality can help us to work with both our head and our heart to build a more just and sustainable world.

The six units are:

1. Introduction to the Concept of Sustainability
In redefining prosperity, we go beyond the assumption that development always leads to human wellbeing and prosperity, and review the principles and practices of sustainability that can be applied individually or in a local community.

2. The Environmental Challenge and Bahá'í Approaches
We must learn to live within planetary boundaries, reducing our environmental impact while rising above the inner boundaries of unacceptable poverty and injustice.

3. Economics and Sustainability: Poverty and Wealth
Development is usually equated with economic growth, but while the world has become wealthier, the extremes of wealth and poverty have also increased, threatening future economic crises if we do not transform the economic system.

4. Social Justice: Crises and Solutions
The human side of sustainability is its social dimension, putting human capital and social action at the centre drawing on spiritual values.

5. Future Perspectives on Human Prosperity
We explore the various possible paths to a sustainable future, using systems thinking.

6. Education for Sustainability: Individual and Community Action
Knowledge should lead to action, so you can learn about education for sustainability, and explore some practical steps for yourself, your family and your community to live in a more sustainable way.

The course materials, with each unit requiring a few hours, can be studied individually at your own pace, or used to organise your own class or discussion group among friends, in a community or organisation, discussing the materials as appropriate. You simply need to share the link with those participating. Each unit has a supplementary page of additional resources if you want to go further.

The online course (7 Sept. - 18 Oct. 2026) will include online discussion forums and weekly discussions on Zoom. The free course also offers opportunities to meet (virtually) other individuals from around the globe who are similarly interested in sustainability and human prosperity.
You can register for the online course here.

The faculty for the course include Dr. Arthur Dahl, Dr. Rebecca Teclemariam-Mesbah, Dr. Amani McHugh, Christine Muller, and Dr. Laurent Mesbah. You can see their biographies here.

If you have questions about the online course, difficulties accessing the content, and comments or suggestions for improvements, please contact the IEF at info@iefworld.org.

These materials were used by the Wilmette Institute under the auspices of the US National Spiritual Assembly for its course "Sustainable Development and the Prosperity of Humankind" from 2009 - 2024. After a change in the direction of the Wilmette Institute to University Credit courses and to specifically addressing American concerns, it discontinued most of its courses including this one, and the IEF decided to revise these materials and make them available to anyone in the world through its own website.