Education FOR the Environment

What is it?

In this approach we become advocates for the environment. Where can we conserve our resources; where can we adapt to change our behaviours; where can we innovate and create new solutions? With your students, start by examining our day-to-day behaviours to assess our impacts (e.g., use and waste of paper, energy; driving cars). Then trace the connections between individual behaviour and local/global impacts (e.g., resource extraction, transportation, energy generation, consumerism.) Create opportunities to address impacts through organizing, communicating, campaigning, and taking action on environmental issues. Moving from awareness to action is a critical step in developing responsible, ecologically literate citizens. The three categories of action named by the U/N/ are conservation, adaptation, and innovation.

Understanding and reducing human impact through thinking in systems terms

We explore the multiple dimensions of events, trends, and decisions by using tools that reveal interconnections (e.g., EcoLiteracy Tools —Scenario, Dependency, Consequence and Concept Mapping)
We “walk the talk” by reducing the use of energy and other resources in our teaching and learning activities.
We assess and evaluate the impact of our daily activities and plan, communicate about, and act on, choices that reduce our footprint.

Citizenship action—responding to environmental issues

We see learning about the environment as a way to build active citizenship skills.
We include diverse perspectives when exploring environmental issues.
We provide opportunities for students' expression of their appreciation for, concern about, and response to environmental problems (e.g., through drama, dance, music, visual arts, media, language arts).
We explore the range of actions for responding to an issue: Where do we conserve? Where do we adapt? Where do we innovate? Where do we campaign for change?

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Activities

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