• Environmental education (EE) refers to organized

efforts to teach about how natural environments function

and, particularly, how human beings can manage their

behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably. It is

a multi-disciplinary field integrating disciplines such as

biology, chemistry, physics, ecology, earth science,

atmospheric science, mathematics, and geography. The

term is often used to imply education within the school

system, from primary to post-secondary. However, it is

sometimes used more broadly to include all efforts to

educate the public and other audiences, including print

materials, websites, media campaigns, etc.

• Environmental Education (EE) is the teaching of

individuals, and communities, in transitioning to a society

that is knowledgeable of the environment and its

associated problems, aware of the solutions to these

problems, and motivated to solve them [6]. The United

Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation

(UNESCO) states that EE is vital in imparting an inherent

respect for nature amongst society and in enhancing

public environmental awareness. UNESCO emphasises

the role of EE in safeguarding future global developments

of societal quality of life (QOL), through the protection of

the environment, eradication of poverty, minimization of

inequalities and insurance of sustainable development

(UNESCO, 2014a).

• 1. Engaging with citizens of all demographics to;

• 2. Think critically, ethically, and creatively when

evaluating environmental issues;

• 3. Make educated judgments about those environmental

issues;

• 4. Develop skills and a commitment to act independently

and collectively to sustain and enhance the environment;

and,

• 5. To enhance their appreciation of the environment;

resulting in positive environmental behavioral change

• Environmental education has crossover with multiple other disciplines. These fields of education complement environmental education yet have unique philosophies.

• Citizen Science (CS) aims to address both scientific and environmental outcomes through enlisting the public in the collection of data, through relatively simple protocols, generally from local habitats over long periods of time (Bonney et al, 2009).

• Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aims to reorient education to empower individuals to make informed decisions for environmental integrity, social justice, and economic viability for both present and future generations, whilst respecting cultural diversities (UNESCO, 2014b).

• Climate Change Education (CCE) aims in enhancing the public's understanding of climate change, its consequences, and its problems, and to prepare current and future generations to limit the magnitude of climate change and to respond to its challenges (Beatty, 2012).

• Science Education (SE) focuses primarily on teaching knowledge and skills, to develop innovative thought in society (Wals et al, 2014).

• Outdoor Education (OE) relies on the assumption that learning experiences outdoors in ‘nature’ foster an appreciation of nature, resulting in pro-environmental awareness and action (Clarke & Mcphie,2014). Outdoor education means learning "in" and "for" the outdoors.

• Experiential education (ExE) is a process through which a learner constructs knowledge, skill, and value from direct experiences" (AEE, 2002, p. 5) Experiential education can be viewed as both a process and method to deliver the ideas and skills associated with environmental education (ERIC, 2002).

• While each of these educational fields has their own objectives, there are points where they overlap with the intentions and philosophy of environmental education.

• The roots of environmental education can be traced back

as early as the 18th century when Jean-Jacques

Rousseau stressed the importance of an education that

focuses on the environment in Emile: or, On Education.

Several decades later, Louis Agassiz, a Swiss-born

naturalist, echoed Rousseau’s philosophy as he

encouraged students to “Study nature, not

books.”[1] These two influential scholars helped lay the

foundation for a concrete environmental education

program, known as nature study, which took place in the

late 19th century and early 20th century.

• The nature study movement used fables and moral

lessons to help students develop an appreciation of

nature and embrace the natural world.[2] Anna Botsford

Comstock, the head of the Department of Nature Study

at Cornell University, was a prominent figure in the nature

study movement and wrote the Handbook for Nature

Study in 1911, which used nature to educate children on

cultural values.[3] Comstock and the other leaders of the

movement, such as Liberty Hyde Bailey, helped Nature

Study garner tremendous amounts of support from

community leaders, teachers, and scientists and change

the science curriculum for children across the United

States.

• A new type of environmental education, Conservation

Education, emerged as a result of the Great Depression

and Dust Bowl during the 1920s and 1930s. Conservation

Education dealt with the natural world in a drastically different

way from Nature Study because it focused on rigorous

scientific training rather than natural history.[4] Conservation

Education was a major scientific management and planning

tool that helped solve social, economic, and environmental

problems during this time period.

• The modern environmental education movement, which

gained significant momentum in the late 1960s and early

1970s, stems from Nature Study and Conservation Education.

During this time period, many events – such as Civil Rights,

the Vietnam War, and the Cold War – placed Americans at

odds with one another and the U.S. government. However, as

more people began to fear the fallout from radiation, the

chemical pesticides

• mentioned in Rachel Carson’sSilent Spring, and the significant amounts of air pollution and waste, the public’s concern for their health and the health of their natural environment led to a unifying phenomenon known as environmentalism. Environmental education was born of the realization that solving complex local and global problems cannot be accomplished by politicians and experts alone, but requires "the support and active participation of an informed public in their various roles as consumers, voters, employers, and business and community leaders" [5]

• One of the first articles about environmental education as a new movement appeared in the Phi Delta Kappan in 1969, authored by James A. Swan.[6] A definition of "Environmental Education" first appeared in The Journal of Environmental Education in 1969, authored by William B. Stapp.[7] Stapp later went on to become the first Director of Environmental Education for UNESCO, and then the Global Rivers International Network

• Ultimately, the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 – a national teach-in about environmental problems – paved the way for the modern environmental education movement. Later that same year, President Nixon passed the National Environmental Education Act, which was intended to incorporate environmental education into K-12 schools.[8] Then, in 1971, the National Association for Environmental Education (now known as the North American Association for Environmental Education) was created to improve environmental literacy by providing resources to teachers and promoting environmental education programs.

• Internationally, environmental education gained recognition when the UN Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972, declared environmental education must be used as a tool to address global environmental problems. The United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) created three major declarations that have guided the course of environmental education.

• Environmental education has been considered an additional or elective subject in much of traditional K-12 curriculum. At the elementary school level, environmental education can take the form of science enrichment curriculum, natural history field trips, community service projects, and participation in outdoor science schools. EE policies assist schools and organizations in developing and improving environmental education programs that provide citizens with an in-depth understanding of the environment. School related EE policies focus on three main components: curricula, green facilities, and training.

• Schools can integrate environmental education into their curricula with sufficient funding from EE policies. This approach – known as using the “environment as an integrating context” for learning – uses the local environment as a framework for teaching state and district education standards. In addition to funding environmental curricula in the classroom, environmental education policies allot the financial resources for hands-on, outdoor learning. These activities and lessons help address and mitigate "nature deficit disorder", as well as encourage healthier lifestyles.

• Green schools, or green facility promotion, are another

main component of environmental education policies.

Greening school facilities cost, on average, a little less

than 2 percent more than creating a traditional school,

but payback from these energy efficient buildings occur

within only a few years.[10]Environmental education

policies help reduce the relatively small burden of the

initial start-up costs for green schools. Green school

policies also provide grants for modernization,

renovation, or repair of older school facilities. Additionally,

healthy food options are also a central aspect of green

schools. These policies specifically focus on bringing

freshly prepared food, made from high-quality, locally

grown ingredients into schools.

• In secondary school, environmental curriculum can be a focused subject within the sciences or is a part of student interest groups or clubs. At the undergraduate and graduate level, it can be considered its own field within education, environmental studies, environmental science and policy, ecology, or human/cultural ecology programs.

• Environmental education is not restricted to in-class lesson plans. There are numerous ways children can learn about the environment in which they live. From experiential lessons in the school yard and field trips to national parks to after-school green clubs and school wide sustainability projects, the environment is a topic which is readily and easily accessible. Furthermore, celebration of Earth Day or participation in EE week (run through the National Environmental Education Foundation) is a great way to dedicate your lessons to environmental education. To be most effective, promote a holistic approach and lead by example, using sustainable practices in the classroom and school grounds and encouraging students and parents to bring environmental education into their home.

• The final aspect of environmental education policies, but certainly not least important, is training individuals to thrive in a sustainable society. In addition to building a strong relationship with nature, American citizens must have the skills and knowledge to succeed in a 21st-century workforce. Thus, environmental education policies fund both teacher training and worker training initiatives. Teachers must be trained to effectively teach and incorporate environmental studies in their curricula. On the other hand, the current workforce must be trained or re-trained so that they can adapt to the new green economy. Environmental education policies that fund training programs are critical in educating citizens to prosper in a sustainable society.

• A study of Ontario teachers explored the obstacles of

environmental educators. [11] Through an internet-based

survey questionnaire, 300 K-12 teachers from Ontario,

Canada responded. Based on the results of the survey,

the most significant challenges identified by the sample

of Ontario teachers include over-crowded curriculum,

lack of resources, low priority of environmental education

in schools, limited access to the outdoors, student apathy

to environmental issues, and the controversial nature of

sociopolitical action.[12]

• An influential article by Stevenson (2007) outlines the conflicting

goals of environmental education and traditional

schooling. [13] According to Stevenson (2007) the recent critical

and action orientation of environmental education creates a

challenging task for schools. Contemporary environmental

education has the revolutionary purpose of transforming the

values that underlie our decision making, from the present ones

which aid and abet environmental (and human) degradation to

those which support a sustainable planet in which all people live

with equal human dignity. [14] This contrasts with the traditional

purpose of schools of conserving the existing social order by

reproducing the norms and values that currently dominate

environmental decision making. [15] Confronting this

contradiction is a major challenge to environmental education

teachers.

• Awareness and sensitivity to the environment and environmental challenges

• Knowledge and understanding of the environment and environmental challenges

• Attitudes of concern for the environment and motivation to improve or maintain environmental quality

• Skills to identify and help resolve environmental challenges

• Participation in activities that lead to the resolution of environmental challenges

• Environmental education does not advocate a particular viewpoint or course of action. Rather, environmental education teaches individuals how to weigh various sides of an issue through critical thinking and it enhances their own problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Environmental Education

• Increases public awareness and knowledge of environmental issues

• Does teach individuals critical-thinking

• Does enhance individuals' problem-solving and decision-making skills

• Does not advocate a particular viewpoint

Environmental

Information

• Provides facts or opinions

about environmental

issues

• Does not necessarily

teach individuals critical-

thinking

• Does not necessarily

enhance individuals'

problem-solving and

decision-making skills

• May advocate a particular

viewpoint

• There is now a wide appreciation of the damage

being done to the environment through human

activity. This damage is sometimes global, as in the

case of the depletion of the ozone layer and of the

increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Often the

damage is regional, as with pest degradation of

native forests, or the erosion of river catchments.

Often too, the damage is local. Pollution from motor

vehicles, contamination of soil by chemicals, sewage

discharges; these and hundreds of other human

activities stress the environment.

• Environmental education, together with sound legislation,

sustainable management, and responsible actions by

individuals and communities, is an important component

of an effective policy framework for protecting and

managing the environment.

• Environmental Education is a new focus for education. It

is a way of helping individuals and societies to resolve

fundamental issues relating to the current and future use

of the world's resources. However, simply raising

awareness of these issues is insufficient to bring about

change. Environmental Education must strongly promote

the need for personal initiatives and social participation to

achieve sustainability.