NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE RCE ON ESD Copyright © 2010 SAGE Publications (Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC) www.sagepublications.com Vol 4(1): 61–72 10.1177/097340820900400113 An Early Look at Building a Social Learning for Sustainability Community of Practice RCE Grand Rapids’ Flagship Project HAROLD GLASSER Abstract Grand Rapids is the first United Nations University (UNU) Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) on education for sustainable development (ESD) in the United States. It builds on the region’s long history and deep foundation in research, planning and problem solving to build a sustainable future. This article explores the concept of RCEs as social learning for sustainability com- munities of practice in the context of experiences with creating our first flagship project, the City High/Middle Centre for Economicology. This model is used to broach the question of evaluation, indirectly, by suggesting the importance of identifying early indicators of likely success. It closes with six ‘meditations’ that were used to guide the flagship project and which may have wider relevance to the global RCE community. Keywords: UNU RCE, social learning, communities of practice, ecocultural sustainability, K-12 education, evaluation Acknowledgements: The author would like to thank Mr Wege and the Wege Foundation for their vision and commitment and the core City High/Middle Centre for Economicology team; Principal Dale Hovenkamp; Retired Grand Rapids Public Schools Superintendent, Bert Bleke; and the Sustainable Futures Group Education Director, D. Marie Jones. Harold Glasser is associate professor in the Environmental Studies Program and the Environ- mental Institute at Western Michigan University, Kalamzoo, Michigan, USA. In addition to chairing the President’s Universitywide Sustainability Committee, he is one of the architects of RCE Grand Rapids’ flagship project. Email: harold.glasser@wmich.edu