The crucial role education plays in fostering sustainable development, moving society toward a more environmentally and socially conscious future, and influencing the attitudes and behaviours of both the present and the future generations are explored in this article. The authors analyse the concept of education for sustainable development (ESD), a transformative learning technique designed to provide individuals and communities with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to encourage moral behaviour. ESD must be integrated into a number of learning contexts in order to have a full and all-encompassing impact, underscoring the need for interdisciplinary and holistic methods that are considerate of different learning styles, backgrounds, and circumstances. Moreover, the article examines the role of key stakeholders, such as educators, policymakers, and local communities, in designing and implementing transformative learning experiences that foster behavioural change, critical thinking, and social engagement. It discusses the significance of teacher training, curriculum development, and innovative educational resources in nurturing a culture of sustainability and encouraging collective action. Additionally, the article investigates the potential barriers to adopting ESD, including resistance to change, insufficient funding, and a lack of awareness, and proposes strategies for overcoming these challenges. The authors conduct a survey among university students to detect the key challenges of ESD and how to address them from their perspectives.

The promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship is a crucial element in advancing economic development, and achieving gender equality within this sphere can significantly contribute to this progress. Despite this, women continue to face numerous challenges in starting and expanding their businesses, including limited access to markets, technology, networks, and financing. Moreover, gender bias and inequality play a significant role in shaping entrepreneurial ecosystems, restricting the opportunities available to women and impeding their capacity for innovation and value creation. This research aims to explore the significance of gender equality in promoting creativity and entrepreneurship, ultimately supporting economic growth. Employing an analysis of earlier studies, the authors examine how entrepreneurship and creativity can be stimulated by gender equality. A key component of this research is the inclusion of interviews with female entrepreneurs to understand the main challenges they face and to gather their suggestions on how these challenges can be addressed. Through these interviews, the study identifies the barriers that women encounter when starting and expanding their businesses. These obstacles not only involve limited access to resources but also encompass deeply entrenched societal norms and biases that disproportionately affect women. Furthermore, the research sheds light on the policies and programs that can help women overcome these challenges and thrive in the entrepreneurial world. The analysis highlights the need for a comprehensive approach that addresses both the supply and demand sides of the issue in order to promote gender equality in entrepreneurship and innovation. This entails combating prejudice and gender bias in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, implementing measures to increase women’s access to markets, technology, and funding, and nurturing an environment that supports women’s growth and development as entrepreneurs. Additionally, the study emphasizes the importance of fostering networks and mentorship opportunities for female entrepreneurs. By connecting women with experienced business professionals and peers, these networks can help them navigate the complex world of entrepreneurship, learn from the experiences of others, and build crucial relationships that can contribute to their business success.

This study explores the influence of sustainability-promoting social media influencers on their followers’ adoption of sustainable behaviours. Specifically, it examines how influencer credibility (IC), perceived behavioral control (PBC), and attitudes toward sustainability (AS) shape actual sustainable behavior (ASB) among followers. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) based on the survey distributed among the followers of sustainability-promoting influencers in the winter of 2024–2025, our findings reveal that influencer credibility is a key driver in advancing positive attitudes toward sustainability, as followers who perceive an influencer as knowledgeable, trustworthy, and relatable are more likely to develop favorable views on sustainable practices. Furthermore, influencer credibility has a direct impact on the actual sustainable behaviors of their followers. Perceived behavioral control is also a significant predictor of both attitudes toward sustainability and sustainable behavior. However, positive attitudes toward sustainability alone may not directly drive behavioral change without sufficient perceived control and credible influence. These findings highlight the importance of influencers maintaining high credibility and empowering followers with practical, achievable guidance to facilitate sustainable lifestyle changes. Thus, this study highlights the potential for social media influencers to play a meaningful role in advancing sustainability.

In the context of growing environmental concerns and the need to promote sustainable living, this study explores the potential of the Lucy Veg App, a digital solution under development, in contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Valencia. The app is designed to empower the local vegan community by providing resources such as plant-based recipes, eco-friendly product recommendations, and a platform for connecting like-minded individuals. This research utilizes a review of relevant literature and examines the theoretical implications of the app on the achievement of SDGs in Valencia. Methodologically, this study draws on existing research related to digital technologies, sustainable living, and SDGs, focusing on the potential of the Lucy Veg App to promote plant-based diets and sustainable lifestyles. By analyzing the app's features and exploring its potential contributions to multiple SDGs, the research studies the app's alignment with various sustainability dimensions. The findings suggest that the Lucy Veg App has the potential to contribute to several SDGs by fostering community engagement, driving positive behavior change, and addressing key sustainability challenges related to food production, consumption, and their associated environmental and health impacts. The study also identifies promising avenues for future research and practical implementation of the app, including evaluating its effectiveness, expanding its features, analyzing user data, and assessing its broader contribution to SDGs in Valencia. In conclusion, the Lucy Veg App presents a promising opportunity to support Valencia's efforts to achieve the SDGs by promoting plant-based diets, sustainable lifestyles, and leveraging digital technologies. Further research and ongoing evaluation of the app's impact on users' behavior and the achievement of SDGs are necessary to maximize its potential in fostering a more sustainable future.

In the frame of this article, the authors maintained that natural resources and environmental conditions are the basis of material production and the life of the population. Systematization of the scientific sources on sustainable development indicated that the state of the environment and the quality level of resource use, protection, and reproduction largely determine the rates of economic growth and production efficiency. The relevance of this scientific problem decision is that at the present stage of economic development, consideration of the ecological and social factors when making decisions on sustainable development is becoming especially significant. One of the factors affecting social behaviors when it comes to sustainable decisions is awareness of the importance of sustainability. The primary purpose of this research is to measure sustainability awareness in Uzbekistan. A survey of 440 Uzbek citizens was conducted to fulfill the research aim. The survey results were analyzed using SmartPLS software. The paper presents the results of an empirical analysis, which showed that environmental awareness is positively and significantly connected with energy conservation. At the same time, the authors found that energy conservation is positively and significantly connected with sustainability issues. In line with the above findings, the obtained results allowed stating that sustainability issues are positively and significantly connected with sustainability awareness. The authors concluded that raising awareness among the population could positively effect the sustainability issues being solved in the region. The scientific novelty of this research could be described in the fact that, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no such research has been previously conducted.

Urban sustainability has become a critical issue in the past few decades due to rising urbanisation and mounting environmental problems. This article aims to develop a novel formula for assessing urban sustainability in Uzbekistan, a country with very little recent research in the field of sustainable development. The formula was created specifically for the setting of Uzbekistan to evaluate urban sustainability by taking into account a variety of socioeconomic and environmental aspects specific to the discussed region. The article provides a thorough review of the research on urban sustainability, with an emphasis on evaluation techniques and their use in the Uzbek context, which not only contributes to the development of the theoretical framework for the research but also identifies the knowledge gaps in the assessment of urban sustainability in Uzbekistan. Utilising this newly developed formula, an empirical analysis of urban sustainability in Uzbekistan urban settings was conducted, offering comprehensive insights and suggestions for urban planning and policymaking. The results of this research are expected to advance the discussion about urban sustainability on a global scale as well as act as a catalyst for additional research in the area.