What is Environment Education?!

What is Environment Education?!

My own personal philosophy of what environmental education has been changing over the past couple of years and I think it will continue to change throughout my life. Years ago environmental education to me involved teaching people about recycling and the impact this has on their surrounding environments. My view on this has not changed but has merely matured and developed. Environmental education enables people to develop their knowledge, values and skills about their surrounding areas and how it impact on everything we do. Not only is it about showing individuals what negative impacts they are having on the environment but it is also informing them about how to make decisions that affect the environment, positively and improve the quality of life on earth without damaging it for future generations.  

A wide range of research has been conducted on what environmental education is and how it should be taught to younger generations. Bill Stapp (1969) creator of Environmental Education (EE) said that,

"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".

He also suggests that there are four major objectives of EE, 1."A clear understanding that man is an inseparable part of a system...man has the ability to alter the interrelationships of this system", 2. "A broad understanding of the biophysical environment, both natural and man-made, and its roles in contemporary society", 3. "...fundermental understanding of the biophysical environmental problems confronting man, how these problems can be solved...", and 4. "Attitude for the concern for the quality of the biophysical environment...". All of these objectives should be taken into consideration when educating individuals about the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (2014) (EPA) suggests that environmental education is a method in which every individual is allowed the opportunity to explore surrounding issues locally, nationally and regionally. Environmental education is not about having one viewpoint of how we should look after the environment, but teaches and gives individuals ideas and suggestions of how they can take care of the environment. Through their knowledge and understanding of environmental challenges, individuals can problem solve ideas and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions. The North American Association for Environmental Education (2011) proposes that if environmental education is done right it will lead to environmentally literate people who recognise that their daily choices may have a bigger impact on their environment. They will understand what they need to do to sustain the environment's resources for future generations. 

References

Environmental Protection Agency. (2014). What is Environmental Education?. Available: http://www2.epa.gov/education/what-environmental-education. Last accessed 1st October 2014.

North American Association for Environmental Education. (2011). What is Environmental Education. Available: http://www.naaee.net/what-is-ee. Last accessed 1st October 2014.

Stabb, W.B. (1969). The concept of Environmental Education. The Journal of Environmental Education. 1, 30-31.