In the pseudo-documentary "The Age of Stupid" (Armstrong 2009), a historian from 2055 scans the remnants of civilization and asks why, in the early twenty-first century, people did not save themselves when they had the chance. The film serves as a motif for issues raised in this article. Why do people continue to believe that education plays an important role in their attempt to transition toward more sustainable ways of living when it already appears to have failed? The role of education in transmitting values, beliefs, and cultural practices, in expanding knowledge and understanding, and in socializing future generations can hardly be deemed successful if it has not managed to establish the basic values and practices necessary to sustain life on the planet. Indeed, it appears that everyday cultural pedagogies are an extremely efficient means of educating for unsustainability; people most effectively learn ways of living that threaten to destroy themselves and other life forms. However, instead of abandoning the idea that education for sustainability can serve as an agent of change, the author argues that changing everyday cultural practices requires a reconsideration of the very concept of pedagogy. She argues that to move beyond the realm of rhetoric and wishful thinking, it is necessary to examine the global and postcolonial context of pedagogies concerned with education for sustainability and environmental education. (Contains 1 note.)