Abstract
Teaching sustainability in the language classroom has the potential to promote both climate action and community engagement, especially when the curriculum is experiential, participatory, and connected to real-world issues. Programs that include hands-on projects, leadership opportunities, and systems thinking encourage meaningful behavior change and climate leadership. They may help students cultivate the resilience required to continue learning in a world of rapidly evolving climate change and determine the most responsible and feasible actions in their context. This article examines the integration of sustainability education and community-engaged learning in postsecondary German classes at all levels, including in a languages for specific purposes course. Drawing from multiple sustainability projects, the authors present a pedagogical framework that combines language-learning tasks with action-oriented approaches to addressing global challenges. The courses and curricula proposed are built around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that emphasize student agency, cross-cultural collaboration, and the development of transferable skills.