What is Environmental Education?
Environmental education has been defined and redefined over the last twenty-five years. Definitional issues are inherent in a field this broad and encompassing. It is generally agreed that environmental education is a process that creates awareness and understanding of the relationship between humans and their many environments – natural, man-made, cultural, and technological. Environmental education is concerned with knowledge, values, and attitudes, and has as its aim responsible environmental behaviour. |
Appreciation of, and concern for our environment is nothing new. Since the early writings of John Muir, Aldo Leopold and Henry David Thoreau, amongst others, concern over humankind’s impact on the environment has been well discussed and documented. In 1962, Rachel Carson’s release of Silent Spring, a seminal work documenting the effects of pesticides in the environment, brought about a new sense of urgency in how humankind interacted with their environment. As Daniel Einstein notes, “a new educational movement was born” (1995). Silent Spring quickly became a catalyst for the environmental movement. From this movement, a different emphasis began to emerge, one of awareness of human complicity in environmental decline and the involvement of public values that stressed the quality of the human experience and hence of the human environment (NEEAC, 1996). Public concern over our effects on the world around us began to mount. Events that both celebrated the environment as well as called to attention the issues affecting it became increasingly popular. Earth Day was born. Those that taught about the environment called for a new type of curriculum that included an examination of the values and attitudes people used to make decisions regarding the environment (Einstein, 1995). And environmental educators began work towards a common definition for environmental education.
Much of the work on environmental education within the last quarter century has been guided by the Belgrade Charter (UNESCO-UNEP, 1975) and the Tbilisi Declaration (UNESCO, 1978). These two documents furnish an internationally accepted foundation for environmental education.
Belgrade Charter, 1975
The Belgrade Charter was developed in 1975 at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Conference in Yugoslavia, and provides a widely accepted goal statement for environmental education:
Much of the work on environmental education within the last quarter century has been guided by the Belgrade Charter (UNESCO-UNEP, 1975) and the Tbilisi Declaration (UNESCO, 1978). These two documents furnish an internationally accepted foundation for environmental education.
Belgrade Charter, 1975
The Belgrade Charter was developed in 1975 at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Conference in Yugoslavia, and provides a widely accepted goal statement for environmental education:
The goal of environmental education is to develop a world population that is aware of, and concerned about, the environment and its associated problems, and which has the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations, and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones. |
Tbilisi Declaration, 1977
Following Belgrade, the world's first Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education was held in Tbilisi, Georgia. Building on the Belgrade Charter, representatives at the Tbilisi Conference adopted the Tbilisi Declaration, which challenged environmental education to create awareness and values amongst humankind in order to improve the qualities of life and the environment. A major outcome of Tbilisi was detailed descriptions of the objectives of environmental education. Most environmental educators have since universally adopted these objectives.
Following Belgrade, the world's first Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education was held in Tbilisi, Georgia. Building on the Belgrade Charter, representatives at the Tbilisi Conference adopted the Tbilisi Declaration, which challenged environmental education to create awareness and values amongst humankind in order to improve the qualities of life and the environment. A major outcome of Tbilisi was detailed descriptions of the objectives of environmental education. Most environmental educators have since universally adopted these objectives.
Awareness– to help social groups and individuals acquire an awareness and sensitivity to the total environment and its allied problems.
Knowledge– to help social groups and individuals gain a variety of experience in, and acquire a basic understanding of, the environment and its associated problems. Attitudes– to help social groups and individuals acquire a set of values and feelings of concern for the environment and the motivation for actively participating in environmental improvement and protection. Skills– to help social groups and individuals acquire the skills for identifying and solving environmental problems. Participation– to provide social groups and individuals with an opportunity to be actively involved at all levels in working toward resolution of environmental problems. (UNESCO, 1978) |
Characteristics of Environmental Education
The outcomes of Tbilisi and Belgrade have, in many ways, provided the basis for many environmental education programs. Certainly, having both a commonly accepted goal statement and associated set of objectives has allowed many educators to better address the desired outcomes of their programs. Equal to the need to identify both a common goal and set of objectives is the need to consider the characteristics of environmental education.
In Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence (1996) the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) identify a number of specific characteristics of environmental education. According to NAAEE, environmental education:
The outcomes of Tbilisi and Belgrade have, in many ways, provided the basis for many environmental education programs. Certainly, having both a commonly accepted goal statement and associated set of objectives has allowed many educators to better address the desired outcomes of their programs. Equal to the need to identify both a common goal and set of objectives is the need to consider the characteristics of environmental education.
In Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence (1996) the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) identify a number of specific characteristics of environmental education. According to NAAEE, environmental education:
is learner-centred, providing students with opportunities to construct their own understandings through hands-on, minds-on investigations involves engaging learners in direct experiences and challenges them to use higher-order thinking skills is supportive of the development of an active learning community where learners share ideas and expertise, and prompt continued inquiry provides real-world contexts and issues from which concepts and skills can be used
(NAAEE, 1996)
These characteristics, when applied in conjunction with the above mentioned goal and objectives for environmental education, have allowed environmental educators to develop programs that lend to the formation of positive beliefs, attitudes and values concerning the environment as a basis for assuming a wise stewardship role towards the earth (Caduto, 1985).
As a program planner or environmental educator, however, it’s a lot to take in. Goals, objectives, characteristics…the question quickly arises: how do we attempt to develop a program that meets all of these components, without losing sight of what we originally set out to do? One such framework, offers a clear approach:
Environmental education has long been defined to include three critical components: awareness , leading to understanding which in turn creates the potential and capacity for appropriate actions. More specifically, environmental education includes:
As a program planner or environmental educator, however, it’s a lot to take in. Goals, objectives, characteristics…the question quickly arises: how do we attempt to develop a program that meets all of these components, without losing sight of what we originally set out to do? One such framework, offers a clear approach:
Environmental education has long been defined to include three critical components: awareness , leading to understanding which in turn creates the potential and capacity for appropriate actions. More specifically, environmental education includes:
developing personal awareness of the environment and one's connections to it;
developing an understanding of environmental concepts and knowledge of ecological, scientific, social, political and economic systems;
the capacity to act responsibly upon what a person feels and knows, in order to implement the best solutions to environmental problems.
(Staniforth & Fawcett, 1994)
Ultimately, environmental education as it is practiced in the 21st century is largely based on a rich legacy of existing environmental education declarations, frameworks, definitions, and models as a foundation. The field as a whole owes a great deal to those who have worked to create these documents. Each document is based on a different set of assumptions and priorities, yet the commonalities are considerable.
Article from Measuring the Success of Environmental Education Programs by Gareth Thomson (CPAWS) and Jenn Hoffman (Sierra Club, BC Chapter)