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What is Environmental Education?
In the interest of creating a working understanding
of the concept of EE, a concise definition for EE has been evolving
over the last 30 years. For many in the field, the understanding is
rooted in the Tbilisi Declaration (UNESCO, 1978), a product of the world’s
first intergovernmental conference on EE:
“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 which has the knowledge, attitudes, motivations, commitments,
and skills to work individually and collectively toward solutions
of current problems and the prevention of new ones.” (UNESCO,
1978)
The Declaration also established three broad objectives
for EE:
- To foster clear awareness of, and concern about,
economic, social, political, and ecological interdependence in urban
and rural areas.
- To provide every person with opportunities to acquire the knowledge,
values, attitudes, commitment, and skills needed to protect and improve
the environment.
- To create new patterns of behavior of individuals, groups, and society
as a whole towards the environment.
The above is but one attempt to define EE, a field
that is so broad and rich with possibility that it has proved extremely
difficult to assign a
succinct, meaningful, universally accepted definition. In that respect,
it is somewhat akin to an attempt to define art, philosophy, or religion.
The concept of EE is incredibly wide and varied, encompassing any and
all disciplines and educational settings.
Ultimately, EE aims to establish an environmentally
literate and aware
citizenry and a sustainable society.
(Courtesy of Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education)
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