Excellence in 

   Environmental Education —

   Guidelines for Learning (K-12)
INTRODUCTION

Excellence in Environmental Education--Guidelines for Learning (K-12) provides students, parents, educators, home schoolers, administrators, policy makers, and the public a set of common, voluntary guidelines for environmental education. The guidelines support state and local environmental education efforts by:



These guidelines set a standard for high-quality environmental education across the country, based on what an environmentally literate person should know and be able to do. They draw on the best thinking in the field to outline the core ingredients for environmental education.

 

Environmental Education: A Vision for the Future

Excellence in Environmental Education--Guidelines for Learning is grounded in a widely shared understanding of effective environmental education. For many educators, that understanding begins with two founding documents of the field: the Belgrade Charter (UNESCO-UNEP, 1976) and the Tbilisi Declaration (UNESCO, 1978).

The Belgrade Charter was adopted by a United Nations conference 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.

A few years later, the world's first intergovernmental conference on environmental education adopted the Tbilisi Declaration. This declaration built on the Belgrade Charter and established three broad objectives for environmental education. These objectives provide the foundation for much of what has been done in the field since 1978:



As the field has evolved, these principles have been researched, critiqued, revisited, and expanded. They still stand as a strong foundation for a shared view of the core concepts and skills that environmentally literate citizens need. Since 1978, bodies such as the Brundtland Commission (Brundtland, 1987), the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio (UNCED, 1992), and the Thessaloniki Declaration (UNESCO, 1997) have influenced the work of many educators, highlighting the importance of viewing the environment within the context of human influences. This perspective has expanded the emphasis of environmental education, focusing more attention on social equity, economics, culture, and political structure

Environmental education is rooted in the belief that humans can live compatibly with nature and act equitably toward each other. Another fundamental belief is that people can make informed decisions that consider future generations. Environmental education aims for a democratic society in which effective, environmentally literate citizens participate with creativity and responsibility.

 

Essential Underpinnings of Environmental Education

Environmental education builds from a core of key principles that inform its approach to education. Some of these important underpinnings are:

Systems--Systems help make sense of a large and complex world. A system is made up of parts that can be understood separately. The whole, however, is understood only by understanding the relationships among the parts. The human body can be understood as a system; so can galaxies. Organizations, individual cells, communities of animals and plants, and families can all be understood as systems. And systems can be nested within other systems.

Interdependence-- Human well being is inextricably bound with environmental quality. Humans are a part of the natural order. We and the systems we create--our societies, political systems, economies, religions, cultures, technologies--impact the total environment. Since we are a part of nature rather than outside it, we are challenged to recognize the ramifications of our interdependence.

The importance of where one lives--Beginning close to home, learners forge connections with, explore, and understand their immediate surroundings. The sensitivity, knowledge, and skills needed for this local connection provide a base for moving out into larger systems, broader issues, and an expanding understanding of causes, connections, and consequences.

Integration and infusion--Disciplines from the natural sciences to the social sciences to the humanities are connected through the medium of the environment and environmental issues. Environmental education offers opportunities for integration and works best when infused across the curriculum, rather than being treated as a separate discipline or subject area.

Roots in the real world--Learners develop knowledge and skills through direct experience with the environment, environmental issues, and society. Investigation, analysis, and problem solving are essential activities and are most effective when relevant to the real world.

Lifelong learning--Critical and creative thinking, decision making, and communication, as well as collaborative learning, are emphasized. These skills are essential for active and meaningful learning, both in school and over a lifetime.

 

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