Sustainability in foreign language teaching: a current and necessary approach

The concept of Sustainability has constantly evolved, and new approaches have been associated with it, turning the discussion about its importance for society and education into a necessary and relevant issue. This article aims to show how Sustainability can be integrated as a powerful object of knowledge in the foreign language classroom, generating new ways of teaching beyond grammar and vocabulary acquisition. To this end, we explain the origin of the term Sustainability and its journey to the concept we know today. Two examples then give insights in how sustainability can be integrated into training and further education courses for teachers of German as a foreign language. One of the key challenges relies in the development of competencies for education in sustainable development. Based on theoretical arguments and practical examples, we emphasize the opportunities of teaching foreign languages in a new way, making learning more meaningful and dynamic.