Foundation to Environmental Education
Introduction
Environmental education is based on
ecological thinking and respect for all life on the planet. Peace
Education supports a holistic appreciation for the value of life and the
interdependence of living systems on the planet. Additionally,
environmental education is part of peace education since peace education
recognizes that peace cannot exist without environmental sustainability and
respect for the earth. Some of the many ways in which this relationship
can be seen is in wars that are fought over increasingly scarce natural
resources, and how pollution disproportionately impacts those with the fewest
resources.
The modern environmental education
movement, which gained significant momentum in the late 1960s and early 1970s,
stems from Nature Study and Conservation Education. The movement comes from the
success of Rachel Carson's text, Silent Spring, fear of radiation
fallout and general concern for health, both of the planet and its residents.
Much has been written about the
theories and applications of environmental education and it is beyond the scope
of this section to give a detailed account. Rather, the focus will be the
relation between environmental education, social justice and peace education.
Relevant and usable examples will also be offered.
Definitions
A basic, but nonetheless encompassing, definition of environmental education was offered some 40 years ago by William B. Stapp et al (1969):
“Environmental Education is aimed at producing a citizenry that is knowledgeable concerning the biophysical environment and its associated problems, aware of how to help solve these problems and motivated to work toward their solution.”
After this time, two more detailed definitions came forth from the Belgrade Working Conference on Environmental Education in 1975 and the Tbilisi Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education in 1977 (Stapp, 1997).
According to the Belgrade Working Conference (1975):
“Environmental Education should be an integral part of the educational process, aimed at practical problems of an interdisciplinary character, build a sense of values, and contribute to public well-being. Its focus should reside mainly in the initiative of the learners and their involvement in action and guided by both the immediate and future subjects of concern.”
According to the Tbilisi Conference
(1977):
“Environmental Education is a process aimed at developing a world population that is aware of and concerned about the total environment and its associated problems and has the attitudes, motivation, knowledge, commitment and skills to work individually and collectively towards solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones.”
Often when people think of environmental education, they think of sciences such as biology and ecology. Environmental education includes, but is not limited to, these elements. For example, environmental issues always have social and political elements, and thus can just as easily be integrated into social studies or civics classes. It is important to note the interdisciplinary nature of environmental education, and that it can be integrated into all subject areas.
The Tbilisi Declaration (1977)
This declaration was a result of the first U.N. conference about environmental education. The declaration notes that environmental education is key for the protection of the world's environmental resources and balanced development. The Tbilisi Conference endorses goals, objectives, and guiding principles for environmental education.
Objectives
According to the Tbilisi Conference, the objectives of environmental
education are:
1. Awareness—to help social groups
and individuals acquire an awareness and sensitivity to the total
environment and
its allied problems.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Skills—to help social groups and individuals acquire the skills for identifying and solving environmental problems.
5. Participation—to provide social groups and individuals with an opportunity to be actively involved at all levels in Working toward resolution of environmental problems.
Guiding principles
According to the Tbisili Conference, environmental
education should:
- Consider the
environment in its totality—natural and built, technological and social
(economic, political, cultural-historical, ethical, esthetic);
- Be a
continuous lifelong process, beginning at the preschool level and
continuing through all formal and non formal stages;
- Be
interdisciplinary in its approach, drawing on the specific content of each
discipline in making possible a holistic and balanced perspective;
- Examine major
environmental issues from local, national, regional, and international
points of view so that students receive insights into environmental
conditions in other geographical areas;
- Focus on
current and potential environmental situations while taking into account
the historical perspective;
- Promote the
value and necessity of local, national, and international cooperation in
the prevention and solution of environmental problems;
- Explicitly
consider environmental aspects in plans for development and growth;
- Enable
learners to have a role in planning their learning experiences and provide
an opportunity for making decisions and accepting their consequences;
- Relate
environmental sensitivity, knowledge, problem-solving skills, and values
clarification to every age, but with special emphasis on environmental
sensitivity to the learner's own community in early years;
- Help learners
discover the symptoms and real causes of environmental problems;
- Emphasize the
complexity of environmental problems and thus the need to develop critical
thinking and problem-solving skills;
- Utilize diverse learning environments and a broad array of educational approaches to teaching, learning about and from the environment with due stress on practical activities and first-hand experience.
B
What are Environmental Ethics?
According to Wikipedia,
“In environmental philosophy, environmental ethics is an established field of practical philosophy “which reconstructs the essential types of argumentation that can be made for protecting natural entities and the sustainable use of natural resources.” The main competing paradigms are anthropocentrism, physiocentrism (called ecocentrism as well), and theocentrism. Environmental ethics exerts influence on a large range of disciplines including environmental law, environmental sociology, Eco theology, ecological economics, ecology and environmental geography.”
Global warming, global climate change, deforestation, pollution, resource degradation, the threat of extinction are few of the issues from which our planet is suffering. Environmental ethics are a key feature of environmental studies that establishes the relationship between humans and the earth. With environmental ethics, you can ensure that you are doing your part to keep the environment safe and protected.
Every time that a tree is cut down to make a home or other resources are used, we are using natural resources that are becoming more and more sparse to find. It is essential that you do your part to keep the environment protected and free from danger. It is not as difficult to do as you may think so long as you’re willing to make a few simple and easy changes.
With the rapid increase in the world’s population, the consumption of natural resources has increased several times. This has degraded our planet’s ability to provide the services we humans need. The consumption of resources is going at a faster rate than they can naturally replenish.
Environmental ethics builds on scientific understanding by bringing human values, moral principles, and improved decision making into conversation with science. It was Earth Day in 1970 that helped to develop environmental ethics in the US, and soon thereafter, the same ethics were developed in other countries, including Canada and North America. This is important because the ethics of the environment are of major concern these days.
Types of Environmental Ethics
With the emergence of several theories, several environmental ethics have emerged. While some protect human beings, others protect plants, animals and other elements of nature. The types include:
- Social ecology, which is the study of human beings and their relation to their environment.
- Deep ecology promotes that all beings have an intrinsic value.
- Ecofeminism is a branch of feminism that helps us look at earth as a woman so that we can respect it in a better way.
Development-ethic definition
An example of development ethics is how society's needs will be met in a new building project.
Principles to achieve Sustainable Development: A Number common principals are embedded in most action programmed to achieve sustainable development. These include (Hargroves & Smith 2005).
i) Dealing transparently and systematically with risk, uncertainty and irreversibility.
ii) Ensuring appropriate evaluation, appreciation and restoration of nature
. iii) Integration of Environmental, Social, human and economic goals in policies and activities. iv) Equal opportunity and community participation/ sustainable community.
Conservation of biodiversity and ecological integrity
Ensuring inter-generational equity.
Recognizing the global integration of localities.
A commitment to the best practice.
No net loss of human capital or natural capital.
The principal of continuous improvement.
The need for good governance.
Create a global alliance.
Minimize depletion of nonrenewable resources.
Conserve earth’s vitality and biodiversity
Environmental ethics is maintained by the following methods
Equitable utilization of natural resources.
Equity among the people of rural and urban areas. Equity for males and females. Conservation of resources for future generations.
Environmental rights of animals.
Environmental education.
Conservation of traditional value systems
. Prevention of sacrifice of animals to poojas.
Prevention of ecoterrorism.
Use of ecofriendly items.
Keeping the environment neat and clean.
Avoid carry bags and plastic items.
Environmental
ethics( Industry, Individual and Global)-
Industrial production is a significant contributor to almost all elements of the environmental problematique. Both the scale and the structure of today’s industrial production are problematic from an environmental point of view. The global scale of industrial production and the huge variety of hazardous materials generated impose significant risks upon society and the natural environment. Industrial firms are considered the primary cause of environmental degradation because corporations exploit natural resources on a large scale and usually release highly concentrated hazardous substances and wastes. Moreover, environmental problems caused by firms are clearly visible; the activities of companies are highly scrutinized by consumers and environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); companies must report on their emissions; and authorities control the destiny of used hazardous materials.
The left circle of the diagram shows your sphere of influences: your actions and their impacts to your family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, pets/animals/plants, all living things and all things in existence. The right circle drives your mind to explore 3P principles (people, planet,profit - the triple bottom line), which leads to the SUSTAINABILITY concept. Also, in all sense of practicality, the global environmental (sustainability) ethics, I presume, have aptly been formulated in the UN Global Sustainable Development Goals & Objectives as follows:
Now, here come my points of comparison: ACTIONS on the practical industrial environmental (sustainability) ethics that also have worked for me for many years. Again, for your convenience, they are shown only in simple diagrams. I hope they are self-explanatory.
(1) Moving from Non Renewable Energy (Fossil Fuel Industry) to Renewable Energy
(2) Integration of Sustainability, Quality, Safety, Health, Environmental & Social / Community Accountability Management Systems. My greatest apology for showing some explanations below in our local Indonesian (Malay) language. This practical industrial “ethics” principles have worked for years with our energy industry in Indonesia & Malaysia: migrating from fossil fuel energy (oil, gas, coal) to the renewables (solar/photovoltaic, wind, hydro-power, biomass, and especially now focusing on geothermal energy).
The industrial ethics in actions show the BEST PRACTICES IN INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY, ENVIRONMENTAL, QUALITY, SAFETY, HEALTH & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 26001, ISO 45001) TO ACHIEVE OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE; MOVING FROM OIL & GAS TO GEOTHERMAL ENERGY INDUSTRIES. The actions consist of 4 action periods and 8 action subjects :1.Industrial Ethics Best Practices, 2. Sustainability Business Culture, 3.Continuous Emergency Response System, 4. Safety & Occupational Health Management Systems (ISO 45001), 5.Environmental Management System (ISO 14001), 6. Sustainability Reporting, 7. Risk-based Integrated Sustainability Management Systems for Operators, 8. Ditto - for Contractors & Suppliers.
I those above narratives compare the global environmental ethics with the (practical) industrial environmental ethics.
C
APPROACH TO TEACHING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Interdisciplinary approach, Multidisciplinary approach
The objectives of environmental education are:
Awareness: to help individuals and social groups acquire an awareness of and sensitivity to the total environment and its allied problems.
Knowledge: to help individuals and social groups acquire basic understanding of the total environment, its associated problems and humanity's critically responsible presence and role in it.
Attitude: to help individuals and social groups acquire social values, strong feelings of concern for the environment and the motivation for actively participating in its protection and improvement.
Skills: to help individuals and social groups acquire the skills for solving environmental problems.
Evaluation ability: to help individuals and social groups evaluate environmental measures and education programmes in terms of ecological, political, economic, social, aesthetic and educational factors.
Participation: to help individuals and social groups develop a sense of responsibility and urgency regarding environmental problems to ensure appropriate action to solve those problems.
Curricular patterns for environmental education
=Single-subject approach: where components are drawn from a SINGLE academic discipline
= Interdisciplinary approach: where components are drawn from two or more academic disciplines and focused SIMULTANEOUSLY on a single topic.
= Multidisciplinary approach: where components are drawn from two or more academic disciplines and focused SEQUENTIALLY on a single topic.
= Holistic approach: where there is co-ordination of separate courses such that the diverse fragments of knowledge and understanding are WOVEN together.
Explanation:
- In the case of the inter disciplinary approach, the people will work under a single unit that aims in the preservation of environment like controlling pollution levels.
- While in the case of the multi-disciplinary approach, the people will work at different units that includes the improvement in the environment conditions.
Environmental Science a multidisciplinary field?
Environmental Science is an educational field that brings physical, biological, and information sciences altogether. Zoology, biology, mineralogy, oceanology, physics, chemistry, plant science, limnology, soil science, geology, physical geography, and atmospheric science, are all included in information sciences. Since Environmental Science consists of knowledge based on numerous subjects, it is known as a multidisciplinary field.
the Multidisciplinary Nature of Environmental Studies? The Multidisciplinary Nature means the combination of more than one discipline or field of study. It defines the multi-sectoral, and multi-dimensional study in various fields. EVS is a diverse subject that contains all the knowledge of various either subjects such as science, geology, statistics, health, economics, sociology, etc. This is meant by the Multidisciplinary Nature of Environmental Studies.
EVS is a multidisciplinary academic field that is involved with the exploration, research, and expansion of an understanding of the living and physical environment. It has all the aspects of various subjects such as anthropology, science, social science, statistics, economics, computers, geology, health, and sociology. It brings our natural environment and human impacts altogether. Environmental Studies is essential as it helps us to understand our surrounding environment and natural phenomena.
It provides us with the necessary skills to obtain solutions for various environmental issues such as pollution, global warming, and climate change. It aims to preserve and protect biodiversity. Environmental Studies deals with various areas – conservation of natural resources, controlling pollution, the impact of the growing human population on the environment. Environmental issues such as conservation of energy, toxic emissions, water conservation, proper disposal of wastes, rising global temperature, and many more are also explained to us by environmental studies.
The emerging climatic and environmental concerns need multidisciplinary solutions. Environmental issues are an alarming indication of upcoming disasters. Therefore, to gain knowledge about these issues, the Multidisciplinary Nature of Environmental Studies is a must. The scope of Multidisciplinary Nature of Environmental Studies consists of various aspects such as biological, cultural, social, and physical. It is also related to other subjects such as science, geography, economics, statistics, health, technology, population, and ecology.
Implications of environmental education in classroom
The environmental education teacher should be able to understand and use the following:
A. Educational technology such as:
instructional modules
inquiry techniques
investigative laboratory activities
individualized instruction techniques
lessons which reflect environmental processes
B. Audio-visual aids:- preparation and use of aids
C. Library resources
D. Educational methodology such as:
• techniques of questioning
• visual aids appropriate to the topic
• activity-oriented teaching
• instructional games
• role playing and simulation
• group dynamics
Community resources - such as individuals, organizations and natural resources
Organize and supervise field trips
Plan and equip a laboratory for environmentally related practical
Be familiar with various curriculum materials, journals and environmental organization
Mathematical skills
Laboratory procedures and techniques
Environmental education programs are ideal for both the formal and non-formal channels of education because it involves participation by the individuals and the activities could be carried out either individually or in groups with little or no supervision. Environmental activities such as group projects are ideal channels for preparing young citizens to understand and practice responsibility and participate in a collective understanding of life situation which have a direct bearing on their quality of life. This could also provide an excellent opportunity to enhance national unity and racial integration since environmental issues transcend political, geographical and racial barriers. It only helps one to:
understand the complex nature of the environment and how crucial it is to maintain it,
be aware of the physical, biological and social interactions, and acknowledge it as a life science since life depends on the environment.
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