The study was instigated by the new curriculum for Icelandic schools from 2011 where education for sustainability counts as one of the main issues within education.
Kveikjan að könnuninni var meðal annars útgáfa nýrrar Aðalnámskrár árið 2011 en í henni er sjálfbærni talin vera einn af grunnþáttum almennrar menntun.