Environmental education

Environmental Education

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION 

(EE)

John McConnel• Founder of

International Earth Day (was proclaim in 1970)

It is a well-known fact that the biosphere continues to

suffer from the abusive impact of human population

and their technology.

Are just few of the problems that we have created and now must be solved

• Depletion of natural resources• Localized famine aggravated by land

misuse• Expanding population• The growing list of species

extinguished/ endangered by loss of habitat

• The poisoning of soil and streams with toxic wastes

• Global warming caused by deforestation and combustion of fossil-fuels

Environmental Education

a process by which people develop awareness, concern and knowledge about the environment and learn to use this understanding to preserve, conserve and utilize the environment in a sustainable manner for the benefit of the present and future generations.

Environmental education (EE)

• 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 intended for all types of learners, students, out-of-school youth, community leaders, policy makers and the general public to develop appropriate environment-related skills

Environmental education is a learning process that increases peoples knowledge and awareness about the environment and associated challenges, develops the necessary skills and expertise to address the challenges, and fosters attitudes, motivations, and commitments to make informed decisions and take responsible action

• Environmental education enhances critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective decision-making skills, and teaches individuals to weigh various sides of an environmental issue to make informed and responsible decisions. Environmental education does not advocate a particular viewpoint or course of action.

• It entails the will to take personal initiatives and social participation to achieve sustainability.

History 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.”

• 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

Influential scholars helped lay the foundation for a concrete environmental education

program, known as NATURE STUDY

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Louis Agassiz

• Jean-Jacques RousseauoAs early as

18th cent., he introduced a philosophy on environmental education in his work, Emile

Louis Agassiz

•A Swiss-born naturalist, he encouraged the students to study nature, not books

• 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

• 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

was a major scientific management and planning tool that helped solve social, economic, and environmental problems during this time period.

The first article about environmental education as a new movement appeared in Phi Delta Kappan in 1969, authored by James A. Swan

A definition of "Environmental Education" first appeared in Educational Digest in March 1970, authored by William Stapp

• the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 – a national teach-in about environmental problems – paved the way for the modern environmental education movement

• President Nixon passed the National Environmental Education Act, which was intended to incorporate environmental education into K-12 schools.

• 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.

Stockholm Declaration

• June 5–16, 1972 • The Declaration of the United Nations

Conference on the Human Environment. • The document was made up of 7 proclamations

and 26 principles "to inspire and guide the peoples of the world in the preservation and enhancement of the human environment."

The Belgrade Charter

• October 13–22, 1975 • The Belgrade Charter was the outcome of the

International Workshop on Environmental Education held in Belgrade, Serbia.

• The Belgrade Charter was built upon the Stockholm Declaration and adds goals, objectives, and guiding principles of environmental education programs. It defines an audience for environmental education, which includes the general public.

The Tbilisi Declaration

• October 14–26, 1977• "noted the unanimous accord in the important

role of environmental education in the preservation and improvement of the world's environment, as well as in the sound and balanced development of the world's communities."

• The Tbilisi Declaration updated and clarified The Stockholm Declaration and The Belgrade Charter by including new goals, objectives, characteristics, and guiding principles of environmental education.

• In 1977, the Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education in Tbilisi, Georgia emphasized the role of Environmental Education in preserving and improving the global environment and sought to provide the framework and guidelines for environmental education.

• The Conference laid out the role, objectives, and characteristics of environmental education, and provided several goals and principles for environmental education.

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.

• 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

• 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

• 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.

• Environmental education policies that fund training programs are critical in educating citizens to prosper in a sustainable society.

Related disciplines Outdoor education

omeans learning "in" and "for" the outdoors. It is a means of curriculum extension and enrichment through outdoor experiences.“

oThe out of doors experience, while not strictly environmental in nature, often contain elements of teaching about the environment.

Experiential educationoIs a process through which a learner constructs knowledge, skill, and value from direct experiences“oExperiential education can be viewed as both a process and method to deliver the ideas and skills associated with environmental education.

Focus of EE1) Awareness and sensitivity about the

environment and environmental challenges

2) Knowledge and understanding about the environment and environmental challenges

3) Attitude concern for the environment and help to maintain environmental quality

4) Skills to mitigate the environmental problems

5) Participation for exercising existing knowledge and environmental related programs.

GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND AIMS OF

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND AIMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL

EDUCATION• The main goal of environmental

education is to develop concern and awareness among world population about the total environment and its associated problems

• This requires a commitment to work individually and collectively towards solution of current problems and the necessary prevention

The goals of environmental Education are:

1. To improve the quality of environment2. To create awareness among the people on

environmental problems and conversation3. To create an atmosphere so that people

participate in decision-making and develop the capabilities to evaluate the developmental programs

The goals of Environmental Education

• (i) help students develop factual knowledge about the natural environment, particularly with regard to how ecosystems work and human impacts on the natural environment;

• (ii) foster more positive perceptions about the value of the natural world;

• (iii) develop eco-friendly habits, such as getting people to recycle and to produce less waste

• (iv) engage students in environmental rejuvenation projects and action

• (v) develop students' psychological and spiritual relationship with nature

The goals of Environmental Education

Objectives of Environmental Education are classified as follows:

1. Awareness2. Knowledge3. Attitudes4. Skills5. Participation

EE

Aware-

nessKnow

-ledge

Attitudes

Skills

Participatio

n

GLOBAL CITIZEN

IS SOMEONE

WHO:

Is aware of the wider world and

has sense on their own role as a

world citizen

Respects and

values diversity

Has understanding

of how the world works

economically, politically, socially,

culturally, technologically

and environmentall

y

Is outraged by social

justice and takes

responsibility for their

actions

Participates in and

contributes to the

community at a range of levels from

local to global

Is willing to act to make a more

sustainable place

• To provide different groups of people as well as graduates in a variety of professional fields with the knowledge needed to develop a sense of responsibility toward environment and the rational utilization of its riches

Aims of Environmental Education

To make use of its knowledge and skills to preserve, conserve and utilize the environment in a sustainable manner for the benefit of the present and future generation.

o It involves learning how to employ new technologies, increase productivity, avoid environmental disasters, alleviate poverty, utilize new opportunities and work individually and collectively toward the solution of the existing environmental problems and prevention of new ones.

Aims of Environmental Education

Importance of Environmental Education

1. Increases the student engagement in science

2. Improves on student achievement in core subject areas

3. Provides critical tools for the 21st century workforce

4. Helps address “nature deficit disorder”

Environmental Education in the Philippines

• All inhabitants of the Planet Earth are already experiencing environmental stress brought about by toxic wastes entering the different layers of the earth’s biosphere: atmosphere, lithosphere and the hydrosphere.

• The earth is already giving us indications of its alarming state.

TO PRODUCEGLOBAL CITIZENS IS TO PROVIDE GLOBAL EDUCATION

• We are now experiencing the effects of climate change, global warming, ozone depletion, pollution, species extinction, desertification and improper waste management.

• Philippines is not an exemption in letting us feel the harsh realities of these environmental threats and challenges.

• With all the ever increasing demands created by the environmental problems accompanied by social, political and technological changes happening, the education sector is faced with challenges and is expected to initiate changes in the curriculum and give more attention to environmental education.

The curriculum should be geared towards the provision of knowledge, skills and values that will help the learners cope and adapt to these

changes.

• The goal of environmental education is to develop an environmentally literate and responsible citizenry who will ensure the protection and the improvement of the environment, and bring about sustainability, social equity and economic efficiency in the use of the country’s natural resources.

Because of the existing environmental problems we are into and the thrust for sustainability, the protection and improvement of the environment have become imperative educational goals.

• It is also envisioned that within the next decade, a great majority of Filipinos will be imbued with a sense of responsibility to care for, protect for, and enhance environmental quality that is conducive to their wellbeing and supportive of the nation’s economic development.

Major Environmental Issues and Concerns

• Water Pollution• Air Pollution• Waste And Land

Pollution• Climate Change

Water PollutionCauses Dumping industrial

wastes into the nearby sources of water

Improper disposal of human and animal wastes

Fertilizers, pesticides used in agriculture

Pathogens, sediments and chemical pollutants

Effects Damage to the food chain Diseases can be spread

through polluted water Acid rain Alteration of the overall

chemistry of water Contaminated Marine

food resources Altered water

temperatures which can kill the marine life

Air pollutionCauses burning of fossil fuel Increased level of carbon dioxide

in the air Car exhausts and other

emissions(SMOG) Released extra dust and sand into

the air due to desertification of wilderness

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in refrigerants and aerosol propellants

Increased road and air traffic

Effects Acid rain Health

problems to human beings i.e. respiratory disorder, cancer, etc.

Global warming

Waste and land pollution

Causes Degenerative actions

i.e. deforestation, overuse of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, desertification, mining, inadequate waste treatment

Misused of land

Effect Leads to loss of forest

cover of the earth Destruction of natural

habitat of species leading to their extinction

Bio magnification whereby certain non-biodegradable substances accumulated in the food chain affecting the food pyramid

Waste and land pollution

Causes Soil pollution caused

by overuse chemical fertilizers and pesticides

Land conversionUrbanization,

improper waste disposal, E-wastes, industrial activities, nuclear research etc.

Effect Effects of

biodiversity that brings about disruption of the balance of nature

Diseases and health problems

Climate changeCauses Global warming

due to greenhouse effect

Increased world population

Burning of fossil fuel

Effect Heat waves Rising temperature Worsened air pollution Increased SMOG Wildfire smoke and pollution Drought, floods Spread of epidemic diseases Worsened waterborne illnesses,

infectious diseases

Environmental Principles

• Nature knows best• All forms of life are equally important• Everything is interconnected• Everything changes• Everything must go somewhere• Ours is a finite Earth• Nature is beautiful and we are stewards of God’s

creation

The MISSION of GLOBAL EDUCATION is outlined in

UNESCO’s Recommendation on Education for International

Understanding, Cooperation and Peace.

This document calls on teachers in schools around the world to promote

education at all levels with an international dimension and a global

perspective in, to understand and respect all peoples and their

cultures, values and ways of life, to become aware of the increasing global interdependence between

peoples and nations and to understand the necessity for

international solidarity

Nature knows best• Nature has the ability to regulate, perpetuate

and maintain its balance and keep living and non-living organism stable. However, when humans interrupt and alter these abilities, imbalance happens and ecological backlash occurs. In fact, natural calamities are mechanisms used by the environment to keeps itself from balance

All forms of life are equally important

• All the living organisms have the inherent right to exist. All of them play an important role that is evident in the food chain. Diversity is the characteristic of nature and the basis of ecological stability. Biodiversity in many ways supports human life

Everything is interconnected

Everything is interconnected

• All things on earth are interconnected to each other to everything else. Each organism depends on other organisms to survive. (food chain/web). When we break the chain of interconnectedness and drastically alter the same these will result to extinction and species will perish.

Everything changes• Seasons helps produce different flowers,

fruits, vegetables and other crops. Every year in animals, changes can be seen in the transformation of caterpillar to butterflies, maggots to fly, etc. The process is called metamorphosis. These changes produce new life forms that are essential in maintaining the balance in nature.

Everything must go somewhere

Everything must go somewhere

• This law reminds us on the Laws of Conservation of matter. Matter cannot be created nor destroyed. It can only be transformed. Since everything that we see around us is “matter” then we should know that nothing here on earth disappears or simply goes away. Biodegradable waste eventually back to the soil. However, the nature only has the ability to recycle natural products.

Globalization finds its greater impact on education. Due to the advent of

globalization, the way people think, study and learn have changed tremendously.

The effects of globalization on education can be seen in the rapid developments in

technology and communications, changes within learning system, the

changing roles of students ad teachers, and major concern on lifelong learning.In this borderless information society, education has to respond to additional

demands of a rapidly globalizing world by raising awareness of societal and cultural diversity and the idea of a global village. To produce global citizens is to provide

global education

Ours is a finite Earth• This law tells us that there are limits to the

population that an area can support to prevent exhaustion of resources, limits to the amount of yield that an area can produce at a particular time to maintain its ability to sustain life.

Nature is beautiful and we are stewards of God’s creation

Nature is beautiful and we are stewards of God’s

creation

• Humans are barely borrowers of the earth resources. As they are the only ones gifted with the capability to conserve and protect nature which is their source of existence and sustenance

Green tips to save mother Earth1. Don’t throw away plastic or polythene

pouches anywhere. Throw them in appropriate container marked as plastic disposable dustbin

2. Don’t waste too much water unnecessarily as bathing under the shower for 10 minutes can waste up to 70 gallons of water, while we can bathe in 2 buckets of 20 liters

3. don’t destroy the grass covering around your house completely. The insects and microorganisms will suffer. Also soil erosion will occur heavily in absence of grass4. don’t cut big trees around your house for letting in more sunlight. You can prune the branches.

Green tips to save mother Earth

5. don’t drive too fast. It will lead to more fuel consumption. Also make sure make sure that your vehicle doesn’t pollute the environment6. don’t use inor4ganic fertilizers or pesticides in your garden and try to threat the plants by organic materials. This will maintain the soil fertility

Green tips to save mother Earth

7. don’t buy any illegal wildlife product(fur, bones, nails, feathers). Also stop buying meats of tortoise, shark, dolphin, etc. , as when buying stops, killing stops, too.8. Save power. It can be form of electricity, petrol, diesel, firewood, etc. whatever it may be, we are getting it at the expense of natural resources, so optimum use of power will boost not only our economy, but also our environment.

Green tips to save mother Earth

9. Take steps for hazardous waste management of segregation of waste10. don’t release those colorful balloons in the air. For balloons that escaped the grasps of our hands will get into oceans and seas and they will be mistaken as yummy jellyfish by the sea turtles. Sea turtles take a lot of years to mature and unfortunately some of them got killed by eating balloon or plastic bags.

Green tips to save mother Earth

11. reduce, Reuse and Recycle. 12. Recycle things to conserve our resources, collect old newspapers, books, magazines, used papers, bottles(plastic and glasses), and any other things that could sell in junkyards. There is money in garbage and at the same time we’re doing our part in recycling process.

Green tips to save mother Earth

13. Be kind to trees. As much as possible use forest products and timber very well with optimum efficiency. Use both sides of paper. Use pencils until they become smaller as small as possible, and don’t play with matches. Try to get involved in tree planting in your local conservation program.

Green tips to save mother Earth

• 14. Broken scientific apparatus like thermometer, barometers, manometers, sphygmomanometers and float valves and other things that have mercury on should be disposed properly. Avoid throwing them in the rivers for mercury is toxic and poisonous.

15. Minimize use refrigerators, foam blower, solvents, aerosol spray propellants, fire extinguishers and chemical reagents for these contains chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs) that are responsible to the climate change and depletion of our precious ozone layer. Do not burn plastic please. This habit is also harmful to our ozone layer

Green tips to save mother Earth

16. Do not buy exotic and endangered animals. These animals are intended to be in the wild no as mere decorations to your homes or as pets or playthings17. Do not even bother to try eating exotic and endangered animals for they are not intended to be part of humans diet. Let the other predatory animal od the stalking and eating. You’re not fit to be a lion.

Green tips to save mother Earth

18. Do not patronize things(coats, purse, belt, etc.) that are made up of endangered animal or animal part19. Be responsible with your garbage, disposed them properly. Also try to use segregation scheme with your trashes, separate those decomposable from those that are not. You may utilize compost pit to house all your organic trashes and eventually use this as your fertilize for your backyard garden or to your plants

Green tips to save mother Earth

20. Get active in the community! Encourage others to make these changes and start working towards a better, more sustainable world. And at last, but not the least – SHARE this information.

Green tips to save mother Earth

THAT’S ALL THANK YOU!!!!- ROSE FE WAMAR

- MSC-MAED