Out-of-school science education institutions such as natural history museums, science and technology museums, science centres, planetariums, zoos, botanical gardens, and aquariums have a critical and unique role to play in educating children and youth for a sustainable future. Wicked sustainability problems challenge the idea that science can provide the right or the definitive answer. Because wicked problems are found at the intersection between science and society; science and technology alone cannot provide proven, unambiguous answers.

We consider out-of-school science education institutions to play an absolutely crucial role in helping humanity transition towards sustainability, and we believe that these institutions should be ready to play much more proactive and transformative roles than has been the case so far. Although out-of-school science education institutions are well placed to disseminate sustainability, they still face the significant challenge of deconstructing and reconstructing sustainability concepts and notions to fit their own practices.