Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to
teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human
beings can manage behavior and
ecosystems 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 often implies education
within the school system, from primary to post-secondary. However, it
sometimes includes 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).
Environmental education focuses on:
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 behavioural change (Bamberg & Moeser,
2007; Wals et al., 2014).
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).
- Garden-based learning (GBL)
is an instructional strategy that utilizes the garden as a teaching
tool. It encompasses programs, activities and projects in which the
garden is the foundation for integrated learning, in and across
disciplines, through active, engaging, real-world experiences that have
personal meaning for children, youth, adults and communities in an
informal outside learning setting.
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 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’s
Silent 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"
Environmental education is not restricted to in-class lesson plans.
Children can learn about the environment in many ways. Experiential
lessons in the school yard, field trips to national parks, after-school
green clubs, and school-wide sustainability projects help make the
environment an easily accessible topic. Furthermore, celebration of
Earth Day
or participation in EE week (run through the National Environmental
Education Foundation) can help further environmental education.
Effective programs promote a holistic approach and lead by example,
using sustainable practices in the school to encourage students and
parents to bring environmental education into their home.
The final aspect of environmental education policies involves
training individuals to thrive in a sustainable society. In addition to
building a strong relationship with nature, 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 train to effectively teach and
incorporate environmental studies. On the other hand, the current
workforce must be trained or re-trained so they can adapt to the new
green economy. Environmental education policies that fund training
programs are critical to educating citizens to prosper in a sustainable
society.
In the United States some of the antecedents of Environmental Education
were Nature Studies, Conservation Education and School Camping. Nature
studies integrated academic approach with outdoor exploration (Roth,
1978). Conservation Education brought awareness to the misuse of natural
resources.
George Perkins Marsh discoursed on humanity’s integral part of the natural world. The governmental agencies like the
U.S. Forest Service
and the EPA were also pushing a conservation agenda. Conservation
ideals still guide environmental education today. School Camping was
exposure to the environment and use of resources outside of the
classroom for educational purposes. The legacies of these antecedents
are still present in the evolving arena of environmental education.
