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Environmental Education

How can educators, students, schools, and communities go green? Learn about sustainability, conservation, and other earth-friendly practices and curricula.

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North American Association for Environmental Education

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• K-12 Environmental Education: Guidelines for Excellence

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• Guidelines for Excellence
• K-12 EE: Guidelines for Excellence Executive Summary

K–12 Environmental Education: Guidelines for Excellence provides students, parents, caregivers, educators and others a roadmap to achieving environmental literacy by setting expectations for fourth (age 10), eighth (age 14) and twelfth grade (age 18) students and outlining a framework for effective and comprehensive environmental education programs and curricula. These guidelines help define the aims of environmental education. They set a standard for high quality education, based on what an environmentally literate person should know and be able to do by the time they graduate from high school. They draw on the best thinking in the field to outline the core ingredients of environmental education.

Through the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education , the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) is taking the lead in establishing guidelines for the development of coherent and comprehensive environmental education materials and programs. These guidelines draw on our best thinking honed by scholars and practitioners across a variety of fields and settings, including formal and nonformal education, curriculum development, instructional design, early childhood education, and adult education.

To ensure that these  Guidelines for Excellence  reflect a widely shared understanding of environmental education, they were developed by a team of environmental education professionals from a variety of backgrounds and organizational affiliations. This team took on the challenge of turning ideas about environmental literacy into tangible recommendations and examples. In addition, drafts of these guidelines were circulated widely to practitioners and scholars in the field (e.g., teachers, educational administrators, environmental scientists, and curriculum developers), and their comments were incorporated into successive revisions of the document. As such, hundreds of practitioners have participated in the writing of these guidelines. To learn more and to access additional resources, visit the  Guidelines for Excellence   website.

• EE Professional
• Higher Education
• K-12 Educator

What are the benefits of Environmental Education? Improved academic performance, greater student engagement, and a deeper sense of community, among others.

Environmental education (EE)  is often lauded by educators as an ideal way to integrate academic disciplines, stimulate the academic and social growth of young people, and promote conservation of the natural environment.  What are the benefits of Environmental Education? We examine a few of EE’s many benefits below.

Environmental Education Improves Academic Achievement

Using outdoor settings like the schoolyard, nearby parks, or public lands like wildlife preserves, wetlands, or even national parks can infuse a sense of richness and relevance into a traditional school curriculum. In addition to gaining valuable skills and environmental knowledge, students often experience advances in other academic areas.

Greater student engagement and academic achievement

In a world where it is increasingly challenging to get students interested in classroom lessons, environmental education offers an enriching way for both students and teachers to connect their appreciation of the natural world to academics.

In a study examining how outdoor learning influences the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, researchers collected data relating to a week of learning in two educational settings: a regular classroom and a residential outdoor learning course. These two settings incorporated social learning, personal development, and ecological knowledge in a regional context, as students worked in groups to learn about various science topics. Students completed questionnaires in each educational setting to evaluate the effect that each had. Additionally, researchers held group-interviews that provide insight into students’ attitudes and beliefs.

Data analyses show that basic needs satisfaction in the outdoor context is higher than indoors and more significantly, the outdoor program had the biggest increase in the students’ intrinsic motivation. When students have higher intrinsic motivation, their behavior is driven by internal rewards, rather than extrinsic rewards, such as bad grades. Thus, learning is more naturally satisfying, and students are more engaged. 1

Supporting research also asserts that environmental education and outdoor programs utilizing explorative learning can drastically improve the student’s learning attitudes. Additionally, when these outdoor learning experiences are implemented by trained teachers in familiar settings, students are more engaged and experience greater science achievement. 2

A 2003 study illustrated the effect of structuring curriculum to meet state standards while organizing activities and multidisciplinary teaching units around environmental themes since children have a natural interest in the environment around them. Interested students are motivated students, and motivation is a key ingredient for academic achievement. In the study, students at these schools were more enthusiastic about learning and performed better academically.  Teachers were also more enthusiastic about teaching—they brought more innovative instructional strategies into the classroom and took more leadership in school change. 3

Environmental education and outdoor programs utilizing explorative learning can drastically improve the student’s learning attitudes.

Develops confidence to investigate and solve local problems

Environment-based education emphasizes specific critical thinking skills central to “good science”—questioning, investigating, forming hypotheses, interpreting data, analyzing, developing conclusions, and solving problems. High school students in an intensive, urban ecology focused summer program conducted scientific investigations of their urban ecosystems using geographic information systems (GIS) and computer modelling. Through these tools, students are learning about the ecological services provided by the urban forest canopy and about the impact of urban noise on birdsong.

By tackling real-world projects as opposed to merely doing workbook exercises, students improve their science self-efficacy. Through conducting pre and post surveys of students on their beliefs and experiences during this study, researchers found that by engaging students in local and focused targeted environmental science investigations, students developed the confidence to investigate and solve local problems that increased their ability to study science. 4

In the 21 st  century, the use of technology is increasingly essential for everyday life.  By using technology to teach environmental education concepts, educators impart to set students a valuable life skill.  One study observed the effects of using digital technology during outdoor education experience. Project EARPOD (Engaging At-Risk Populations Outdoors, Digitally) used an integrated technology program to engage underserved students in environmental education while also examining the effectiveness of incorporating technology into their educational experience. Results showed that students reported an increase in using technology outdoors, gained knowledge of available technologies, and expanded their knowledge of different technologies. This increase in technology-specific knowledge leads to an increase in confidence while using technology. 5

I take students to places where they can see evidence of [environmental] problems…I am inspired by their creativity and persistence in finding solutions.

Fosters interest in STEM careers

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected and complex, the youth need to be equipped with the skills and knowledge to investigate and solve problems. Since those in STEM careers are often tasked with figuring out solutions to the world’s problems, students must be introduced to these skills and begin learning about careers in STEM from a young age. In 2014, an experimental study examined the impact of a citizen science program on middle school students’ science performance and STEM career motivation. Students conducted fieldwork with naturalists and collected data related to horseshow crabs that would be used for professional biologists. The results supported hypotheses that students would report higher motivational beliefs regarding science and show higher levels of achievement. Further, analyses showed that these motivational beliefs influence content knowledge and outcome expectations, which then influence career goals. 6

Enhances creativity

Environmental education courses typically -expect- results such as positive impacts on students’ environmental attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge. Due to the nature of program design, courses can also develop other skills in students. In a project-based learning EE course where students developed projects to solve environmental problems, students were found to not only have increased positive environmental attitudes but also enhanced creativity. When working together to collaborate and seek unique solutions to problems, they were able to hone into their creativity and take on more active tasks in the solution process. 7

Incorporating aspects of environmental education into STEM topics can help illustrate the power of EE. It can also be combined with art instruction to deepen understanding of both areas. A paper examining the crossroads of public art, nature, and environmental education states that the benefits are:

• Promotes intellectual development
• Encourages inspiration
• Supports consciousness about social and environmental issues
• Develops a sense of connection with nature
• Teaches how to ask questions and examine contextual information 8

Environmental Education Encourages Environmental Stewardship

In the environmental education field, educators hope to deliver lessons and experiences that will cause students to learn about and understand the environment. Often, EE is considered successful when students grasp environmental concepts, identify cause and effect relationships and understand the implications of their actions.

Develops skills for effectively addressing ecological issues/Increases capacity for future conservation efforts

Recent environmental education research is being conducted to illustrate the power of environmental education beyond learners to understand the impact that it has on environmental stewardship and conservation. To examine the ways that programs may meet the goals of conservation science and environmental science education, researchers examined case studies of youth community and citizen science programs. Through observations of programming and interviews with educators and youth program participants, researchers collected data on the programs’ impact on conservation and the youth participants’ environmental science agency (ESA). ESA combines an understanding of environmental science and inquiry practices with the youths’ identification with these practices and their developing understanding that their actions impact the ecosystem.

One key finding was that the factors influencing students’ environmental science agency were whether or not they perceived the project as “real” science or not. Students were found to contribute value to their contribution and legitimate participation in the local and science communities. By participating in real, complex scientific efforts, students felt that their work meant something and was making a difference. While engaging in their local communities, they changed the landscapes that surrounded them in ways that would be visible in daily life. When students saw that they hold the power to contribute to conservation as a collective, they become motivated to continue to pursue conservation efforts so that they not only retained science and conservation knowledge, skills, roles, and actions, which create the foundation and capacity for future conservation efforts. 9

Motivates people to “think globally by acting locally”/ motivates people to improve the environmental value of surroundings

Through environmental education, people become aware of the natural environment 10 . When learning about the ways that ecosystems work together, the problems that face them, and the ways that humans cause harm, it becomes evident what the human role is in the surrounding environment. By learning how to remediate the environment, people may become inspired to take action and improve the environmental value of their surroundings.

In a habitat enhancement project for students in Miami-Dade County public schools, students learned about the anthropogenic activities that have modified their local environment and altered the local habitat, leading to a decline in the number of native butterflies. This environmental education project included informational activities about butterflies and their natural habitat, habitat rehabilitation, and butterfly monitoring. The result was native butterfly gardens on or surrounding school grounds, which increased the ecological value of the surrounding area and provided a healthier habitat for butterflies. By implementing this project in such a prominent space, where students, faculty, and families would get to experience and enjoy this habitat restoration, large numbers of people will be motivated to help care for the environment and will “think globally by acting locally”. 11

Environmental Education Deepens Personal Development and Wellbeing

Spending time in nature is thought to have restorative effects. Luckily, environmental education draws people outdoors and allows learners to focus their minds on natural landscapes and concepts. Through learning EE topics, we can deepen our personal development and support our all-over wellbeing.

Learning about nature and connecting with nature supports happiness and more purposeful, fulfilling, and meaningful lives

A study cites modern society as a whole’s disconnect with nature as a leading contributor to growing environmental problems across the world. Stimuli, such as electronic media and advertising, contribute to nature blindness, which causes us to further turn to artificial stimuli and away from nature. This launches into a vicious cycle where the less connected we become to nature, the less we feel responsible for its conservation so the further we degrade our environment. Not only does this disconnect harm the environment, but it also has adverse psychological and physiological impacts on human beings.

Connectedness with nature is comprised of three components: information about nature, experience in nature, and committed nature connectedness. Environmental education is essential in introducing, strengthening, and fortifying these components in peoples’ lives. Through EE, individuals that have high nature connectedness experience many physiological, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual benefits, including:

• Improved cognitive, cardiovascular, and immune functioning
• Reduced crime, aggression, and antisocial behavior
• Reduced symptoms of ADHD in children
• Improved psychological well-being (e.g. mindfulness, meaningfulness, self-actualization, happiness, and vitality) 12

In 2016, the National Environmental Education Foundation developed this Fact Sheet on Children's Health and Nature, discussing the role of nature in combating childhood obesity, asthma, and other health concerns. Much of the data is still relevant today.

Mental Health Benefits

In a study investigating the association between greenness around schools and symptoms of ADHD, data showed that greater greenness levels were significantly associated with lower incidences of ADHD symptoms. 13 Further research shows that nature is valuable in coping with psycho-physiological stress. Exposure to natural environments “mediates the negative effects of stress-reducing the negative mood state and above all enhancing positive emotions”. Spending time in nature is found to elicit calming responses, aid in the recovery of physiological stress and mental fatigue, and recover the decrease of cognitive performance. 14

Environmental Education Strengthens Communities

During environmental education experiences, there are often components of environmental remediation as part of the learning. These remediation efforts can aim to restore natural habitat, clean up pollution, and more.  When the natural landscape is positively changed by groups, the entire surrounding community is impacted. Completing such community-based stewardship projects or civic ecology practices can be beneficial for the entire community and those living in it.

Benefits to the community

Place-based learning is an environmental educational approach that uses all aspects of the local environment, including local cultural, historical, and sociopolitical situations, and the natural and built environment as the integrating context for learning. In its most developed forms, it includes a clear focus on learning through civic engagement and participation in service projects of obvious relevance to the local school and community. Many schools require students, especially middle and high school students, to participate in service-learning. Environmental projects are a leading choice for service-learning nationwide. 

Environmental education programs that are “nested within and linked to community-based stewardship or civic ecology practices, such as community forestry, streamside restoration, and community gardening” can lead to ecosystem services and community well-being. 15  

When stewardship education is place-based and takes place in one’s local community, it can develop young people’s sense of the public realm more broadly and their stake in the natural environment and their communities. 16

When stewardship education is place-based and takes place in one’s local community, it can develop young people’s sense of the public realm more broadly and their stake in the natural environment and their communities.

Sources Cited

• Dettweiler, U., Lauterbach, G., Becker, C., Simon, P., (2017). A Bayesian Mixed-Methods Analysis of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction through Outdoor Learning and Its Influence on Motivational Behavior in Science Class. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(2235).  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02235
• Rios, J. M., Brewer, J., (2014). Outdoor Education and Science Achievement. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 13(4), 234-240.  https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2015.975084
• Archie, M. (2003). Advancing Education through Environmental Literacy. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
• Barnett, M., Vaughn, M., Strauss, E., Cotter, L., (2011). Urban environmental education: Leveraging technology and ecology to engage students in studying the environment. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 20(3), 199 - 214.  https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2011.588501
• Hougham, R.J., Nutter, M., Graham, C., (2018). Bridging natural and digital domains: Attitudes, confidence, and interest in using technology to learn outdoors. Journal of Experiential Education, 41(2), 154-169.  https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1053825917751203   
• Hiller, S. E., Kitsantas, A., (2014). The effect of a horseshoe crab citizen science program on middle school student science performance and STEM career motivation. School Science and Mathematics, 114(6), 302 - 311.  https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12081   
• Genc, M., (2014). The project-based learning approach in environmental education. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education. 24(2), 105-117.  https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2014.993169
• Song, Y. I. K., (2010). Crossroads of public art, nature, and environmental education. Environmental Education Research. 18(6), 797-813.  https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2012.670208
• Ballard, H.L., Dixon, C.G.H., Harris, E.M., (2017). Youth-focused citizen science: Examining the role of environmental science learning and agency for conservation. Biological Conservation, 208, 65-75.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.05.024
• Flanagan, C., Gallay, E., Pykett, A., Smallwood, M., (2019). The Environmental Commons in Urban Communities: The potential of place-based education. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(226).  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00226
• Clayburn, J., Koptur, S., O'Brien, G., Whelan, K.R.T., (2017). The Schaus Swallowtail Habitat Enhancement Project: An applied service-learning project continuum from Biscayne National Park to Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Southeastern Naturalist, 16(10), 26-46.  https://doi.org/10.1656/058.016.0sp1007
• Zylstra, M.J., Knight , A.T., Esler, K.J., Le Grange, L.L.L., (2014). Connectedness as a core conservation concern: An interdisciplinary review of theory and a call for practice. Springer Science Reviews, 2(1), 119-143.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s40362-014-0021-3
• Yang, B-Y., Zeng, Z-W., Markevych, I., Bloom, M.S., Heinrich, J., Knibbs, L.D., Dharmage, S.C., Lin, S., Jalava, P., Guo, Y., Jalaludin, B., Morawska, L., Zhou, Y., Hu, L-W., Yu, H-Y., (2019). Association between greenness surrounding schools and kindergartens and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children in China. JAMA Network Open, 2(12).  http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.17862
• Berto, R., (2014). The role of nature in coping with psycho-physiological stress: a literature review on restorativeness. Behavioral Sciences, 4(4), 394-409.  https://doi.org/10.3390/bs4040394
• Tidball, Keith G. and Krasny, Marianne E. (2011) "Urban Environmental Education From a Social-Ecological Perspective: Conceptual Framework for Civic Ecology Education,"  Cities and the Environment (CATE) : Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 11.  https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cate/vol3/iss1/11

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The Importance of Environmental Education for a Sustainable Future

Environmental education is vital to winning the fight against climate change. Without it, the leaders of tomorrow will be ill-equipped to overcome the environmental challenges the world will face. Parents and teachers can help students understand their role as environmental stewards by encouraging student outdoor learning programs and supporting young folks who engage in student activism. To celebrate World Teachers’ Day 2023, which every year falls on October 5, we take a look at the importance of environmental education and how to address climate change in classrooms.

Education can make a difference in the fight against climate change. Recent surveys show that people with more education were more likely to view climate change as a threat and that, today, most people see climate change as a major threat to our planet.  

However, promoting environmental education in schools can be tricky. Climate change is seen as a bipartisan “political” issue in some countries, and many educational bodies push against climate education entirely. 

More must be done to ensure that young people have access to environmental education. Robust climate education will give the decision-makers of tomorrow the skills they need to advocate for nature, protect vulnerable environments, and mitigate the effects of global warming. 

The Importance of Environmental Education

Education is often overlooked in the fight against climate change. While policy changes and global commitments are necessary to prevent global warming from further worsening, improved education is the first step toward achieving our goals. 

Environmental education can help alleviate climate anxiety , too. This is broadly defined as a “chronic fear of environmental doom” and may be exacerbated by a lack of understanding. Educational resources that clearly explain the mechanisms behind global warming equip students with the knowledge they need to do something about climate change. This can help them feel empowered and foster a greater appreciation for the planet’s resources. 

Environmental education can also promote critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills. This is particularly important today, as students need to be able to evaluate the long-term impact of social, economic, and ecological policies. Combating climate change effectively requires a global effort and activism often relies heavily on a thorough understanding of the issue and the ability to persuade others that something must be done. 

Improvements in public education may also promote a sense of stewardship and aid conservation efforts. In particular, environmental education programming can make a real difference to researchers who are advocating for policy changes. 

For example, recent public programmes like the BBC’s Planet Earth II and Wild Isles appear to have significantly impacted researchers at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. Reflecting on the public program, Professor Callum Roberts states that the “UK must now deliver genuine protection for wildlife,” and should focus on building resilience against climate change. 

Connecting Students with High-Quality, Reliable Resources

Environmental education can empower the decision-makers of tomorrow and improve the public understanding of climate change. However, connecting students with the resources they need to understand global warming can be difficult – particularly if students live in a nation like the US, where climate change is seen as a partisan “political” issue. 

Climate-aware parents can introduce their children to climate change with outdoor play in natural environments. Natural playgrounds, like those built from sustainable materials and found objects, are the perfect place to discuss environmental protection and the importance of stewardship over the Earth’s resources. 

Living a sustainable lifestyle at home can be an important part of children’s environmental education. Parents can help their kids understand the importance of sustainability by reducing their home’s carbon footprint together, by implementing and practicing environmentally friendly habits in the home. Simple sustainable activities — such as upcycling furniture and composting leftover food scraps as well as teaching children how to recycle – help reduce our own emissions and promote a sense of responsibility for the environment. 

You might also like: How to Live a More Sustainable Life in 2023

Student Activism

A sense of stewardship is vital for the long-term preservation of the Earth’s natural resources. However, students who care about climate change should be empowered to engage in activism, too. Youth activism has a meaningful impact on policy and shows politicians that climate change is a hot-button issue for future voters. 

Successful activism begins by educating students about the issues. Teachers can strengthen their students’ understanding of climate change and ecological protection by hosting student projects that encourage outdoor learning . By building eco-systems on school grounds or signing up for community clean-ups, students will learn to take pride in the world around them and become well-equipped to share their knowledge with others.

Most high schools and universities have a climate advocacy group that young people can join to amplify their voices and make a difference. Students can further their climate advocacy by joining groups that have partnered with the Climate Action Network (CAN). The CAN helps 1900+ organisations get the support and funding they need to prevent environmental degradation and fight climate change. 

Climate-conscious students can also partner with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like: 

• African Conservation Foundation
• Born Free USA
• Break Free From Plastic

These NGOs tackle the biggest environmental issues today and can put students in a position to maximise their impact and gain important professional development skills. 

You might also like: How Youth Climate Action Is Shaping a More Sustainable Future

Professional Development

Preventing climate change requires more than goodwill and public understanding. The decision-makers of tomorrow need to be equipped with interdisciplinary skills to tackle the challenges that climate change presents. However, many teachers are ill-equipped to teach environmental education in their classrooms. 

More must be done to empower climate-conscious teachers. Professors should feel comfortable discussing the facts of climate change in their classrooms. They should be able to identify the transferable skills that their class can give to climate-conscious students. Fortunately, teachers today can find plenty of free resources from sites like: 

• Our own environmental news website dedicated to our younger audience, Kids.Earth.Org
• NASA’s Vital Signs of the Planet
• WWF’s Science that Affects Our World
• British Council’s Climate Resources for School Teachers

These resources are entirely free and can be weaved into any class. A climate-inspired project will help students connect with the importance of environmental education and give them the skills they need to take on skeptics in the future. 

Conclusion  

Environmental education is key to understanding and preventing climate change. A robust climate education can empower students and help them engage with advocacy and activism groups. Even minor education experiences, like participating in a community clean-up, can help students understand the importance of stewardship and build the interdisciplinary skills they need to advocate for environmental protection. 

In case you didn’t know, we have a Kids’ website aimed at explaining a wide range of environmental topics to younger generations. Visit Kids.Earth.Org to learn more about climate change

About the Author

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What is Environmental Education? 

Environmental education is a learning process that increases people's knowledge and awareness about the environment and associated challenges, develops the necessary skills and expertise to address the challenges, and fosters attitudes, motivations, and commitments to make informed decisions and take responsible action.

Why Does Environmental Education Matter?

Did you grow up catching fireflies, playing in the creek, or building forts in your backyard?   Most children in today’s world won’t , which means that when they grow up, they may not have a vested interest in protecting our natural resources and natural spaces.  Environmental educators across North Carolina are working to change that. 

Environmental education is critical for a sustainable future. It provides time in, and a connection to, the outdoors which research has shown to improve academic p erformance and physical, mental, and emotional health - making it just as important for our participants as it is for the planet.  More than ever, children and adults need to know how ecological systems work and why they matter. The health of the environment is inseparable from humans’ well-being and economic prosperity . People require knowledge, tools and sensitivity to successfully address and solve environmental problems in their daily lives. 

Environmental education...has the power to transform lives and society. It informs and inspires. It influences attitudes. It motivates action. Environmental education is a key tool in expanding the constituency for the environmental movement and creating healthier and more civically-engaged communities. -North American Association for Environmental Education

Environmental education works.

Over the last few decades, thousands of studies have been completed to analyze the effectiveness of EE.  “The studies clearly showed that students taking part in environmental education programming gained knowledge about the environment. But the studies also showed that learning about the environment is just the tip of the iceberg.” (NAAEE)    

This research has demonstrated that environmental education:

Has widespread public support

Improves standardized test sc ores and academic performance

Promotes 21st century skills such as critical thinking, oral communication, analytical skills, problem solving, and higher-order thinking

Supports STEM topics and is interdisciplinary

Bolsters civic engagement and empowerment

Sparks stewardship behavior and environmental actions

Encourages students’ personal growth including teamwork, confidence, autonomy, and leadership

Increases motivation and interest in learning

Is an “equalizer” allowing educators to cater to multiple student interests, skills, abilities, and special needs,Helps improve teacher skills and classroom engagement

Is a cost-effective investment, promoting multiple environmental and societal benefits, and

Strengthens communities by connecting schools to local organizations and agencies.

To learn more about the original research, you can check out eeWorks and the Children’s and Nature Network’s Research Library.

Environmental Education Promotes

Environmental literacy.

“Environmental education is a resource that transcends the classroom—both in character and scope. In the classroom and beyond, the desired outcome of environmental education is environmental literacy.  What is Environmental Literacy? In North Carolina, environmental literacy is defined as the ability to make informed decisions about issues affecting shared natural resources while balancing cultural perspectives, the economy, public health and the environment. 

An environmentally literate citizen: 

Understands how natural systems and human social systems work and relate to one another,

Combines this understanding with personal attitudes and experiences to analyze various facets of environmental issues,

Develops the skills necessary to make responsible decisions based on scientific, economic, aesthetic, political, cultural and ethical considerations; and 

Practices personal and civic responsibility for decisions affecting our shared natural resources.

Environmental literacy is dependent upon formal education opportunities as well as nonformal education about the environment that takes place in settings such as parks, zoos, nature centers, community centers, youth camps, etc. It is the combination of these formal and nonformal experiences that leads to an environmentally literate citizenry.  North Carolina requires an environmentally literate citizenry who make informed decisions about complex environmental issues affecting the economy, public health and safety, and shared natural resources, such as the water, air and land on which life depends.” - North Carolina’s Environmental Literacy Plan

Ways to Get Involved in Environmental Education

Learn more about the organizations and research supporting environmental education. Increase our efforts to support North Carolina’s classroom teachers, naturalists, park rangers, nonformal educators, government employees, students and volunteers by contributing to EENC . Spread the word. Encourage your kids’ teachers to get involved.  Volunteer at your local environmental education center. Become an environmental educator. Join our community .

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Articles on Environmental education

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Elizabeth Rushton , UCL and Lynda Dunlop , University of York

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Derek Gladwin , University of British Columbia

Federal budget 2021: 7 actions to ensure Canada’s ‘ child-care plan’ is about education

Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw , Western University ; Alex Berry , Western University ; Cory Jobb , Western University ; Cristina Delgado Vintimilla , York University, Canada ; Fikile Nxumalo , University of Toronto ; Kathleen Kummen , Capilano University ; Kelly-Ann MacAlpine , Western University ; Laurie Kocher , Capilano University ; Meagan Montpetit , Western University ; Narda Nelson , Western University ; Nicole Land , Toronto Metropolitan University ; Randa Khattar , Western University , and Sylvia Kind , Capilano University

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Akito Y. Kawahara , University of Florida and Megan Ennes , University of Florida

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Jennifer Davis , Queen's University, Ontario

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Glen Hvenegaard , University of Alberta and Elizabeth Halpenny , University of Alberta

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Blane Harvey , McGill University ; Emily Diane Sprowls , McGill University , and Ying-Syuan (Elaine) Huang , McGill University

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Professor of Early Childhood Education, Western University

PhD Candidate, Doctor of Social Sciences, Royal Roads University

Associate Professor, Department of Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia

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Assistant Curator of Museum Education, University of Florida

Faculty Lecturer, Science Education, McGill University

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Professor, Environmental Science, University of Alberta

Associate Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta

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Introduction to Environmental Education

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• First Online: 30 September 2022

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• Wei-Ta Fang   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4460-0652 4 ,
• Arba’at Hassan 5 &
• Ben A. LePage   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-3155-7373 4 , 6  

Part of the book series: Sustainable Development Goals Series ((SDGS))

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The concept of education is changing and that of the environment is also becoming different. Is environmental education: (1) a type of education to improve the environment; (2) education to improve the environment of education; or (3) a type of education to improve the education of people? In this chapter we focus on the ontology of the environment. In epistemology, we try to understand the nature and identity of the world around us and what environmental education is about. The purpose of environmental education is to cultivate citizens that: (1) have a working knowledge of environmental systems; (2) have concerns about environmental problems; and (3) have the capabilities to solve and actively participate in implementing solutions. Environmental problems must be solved through a root cause process, and environmental educators need to change the public’s mind on environmental issues using realistic and attainable education targets to establish environmentally friendly behaviors. Through outdoor, classroom, and nature-centered education programs, our goal is to establish important curriculum goals and novel learning methods for environmental education. Our goal is to have stakeholders consider environmental issues with open minds, understand the needs of other stakeholders, take a leadership role recognizing the existing and emerging environmental issues, and internalize them into specific environmental protective action plans.

All education is environmental education. By what is included or excluded, we teach students that they are part of or apart from the natural world. To teach economics, for example, without reference to the laws of thermodynamics or those of ecology is to teach a fundamentally important ecological lesson──that physics and ecology have nothing to do with the economy. That just happens to be dead wrong. The same is true throughout the curriculum. David W. Orr, What is Education for? 1991:52.

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Environmental Education

Learning Environments in Higher Education

1 introduction.

There are many definitions of education, but for education theory, Albert Einstein, who was a leader in pioneering educational reform point, had a unique point of view. He said: education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school (Fig.  1.1 ). Before the nineteenth century, education was the process of remembering or memorization. The  San Zi Jing  (Three-character Sutras) 《三字經》 that had been passed down to the people since the Southern Song Dynasty in China-proposed:

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school (Einstein 1879–1955) (Cheng-Jun Fang at the Busan National Science Museum, Busan, Republic of Korea, 2019) (Photo by Wei-Ta Fang)

Recite them with the mouth, and ponder over them in your hearts. Do this in the morning; do this in the evening.

Sun Zhu (孫洙) (1711–1778) of the Qing Dynasty once said:

After reading three hundred Tang poems, you can at least in tone poems even if you can’t write them.

It has always been the case that students learn as much as possible until they become familiar. However, there are other theories that have always been disgusted with learning. Einstein believed that real learning is the process of internalizing information. Wang Yangming (王陽明) (1472–1529) of the Ming Dynasty stated in the Book of Instructions for Practical Living and Other Neo-Confucian Writings 《傳習錄》 that the most important things reading requires is self-mindedness, understanding second, and finally memorization. A friend once asked him, “How can I read a book but I can’t remember,” Yangming’s response was:

As long as you know, how do you remember? To know that it is the second meaning, you need to know your own self-ontology. If you want to remember, you do not know; if you want to know, you don’t see your own identity in your mind.

In other words, the more a human learns, the more they have yet to learn. If the purpose of learning information is because of a test requirement, then the information stored in our short-term memory serves the purpose of taking the examination, but recalling the information is often not possible because the information is not true memory. As students we’ve all experienced memorizing an amazingly large amount of information for an exam and flushing these data from our minds as soon as the exam was over. However, there are instances where information can be recalled for no apparent reason. These remnants of information that we internalized is what was really learned. Therefore, education and learning were intended to convey human thought through books; however, history shows that we’ve endured at least seventeen global pandemics since the 1300’s (Piret and Boivin 2021 ) and two world wars in the twentieth century. Since then, all established education methods are constantly being recast. Recitation no longer has a place in the original meaning of education. Yuval N. Harari (1976–), the author of Sapiens : A Brief History of Humankind (2011), and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2016), argued in 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018) that the existing education system should use critical thinking, problem solving, effective communication, collaboration, and creativity to replace the current emphasis on intellectual indoctrination (Harari 2018 ).

If the concept of education is changing, then the definition of the environment is also changing. David W. Orr (1944–), a professor of environmental and political studies at Oberlin College, once said: All education is environmental education (Fig.  1.2 ; Orr 1991 :52).

All education is environmental education (Cheng-Shun Fang at Fulong, New Taipei City, Taiwan, 2020) (Photo by Wei-Ta Fang)

When we teach environmental education, we often ask our students and ourselves: Is environmental education , the process to improve the environment , to improve the educational environment , or to improve the education of people? We need to understand the own body of human beings and to enhance the thinking from the original human engraved thinking. In the process of interpretation, we understand epistemology to understand the nature of matter and understand what the environment is.

1.1 The Environment is a Concept

The environment refers to the space in which human beings can perceive their surroundings. In space, you can perceive all things that change in structure and function over time. In other words, the true nature of all things must be in a certain environment, even a vacuum is regarded as an environment (Baggini and Fosl 2003 ). Therefore, the environment is a concept that is bounded by space. However, in phenomenology, the environment incorporates the concept of time. The Austrian philosopher Edmund Husserl (1859–1938) believes that the human impression of the environment and the world will not gradually disappear due to the evolution of time, and because of the memory function of the brain, the human impression of the deceased. Therefore, the existence of the deceased can persist in perpetuity in the world as long as the living still remembers those that came before because they are stored in the brain as a living impression. These existing memory phenomena gradually change the human imagination of the dead over time. The concept of the environment means different things to different people because every person has their own interpretation or understanding of their environment, which is based on the spatial and temporal elements that they’ve experienced. In an ideal world, the definition of environment would mean the same to everybody, but inevitably, each person’s view of the environment is different.

For phenomenon scholars, existence is a base on self-awareness of all phenomena. Therefore, the person’s environment is the perceptual medium of a living being to an external stimulus, including the systemic sum of space and time of the instinctive response to the external stimulus (Crowther and Cumhaill 2018 ). What a living organism understands about its environment includes the perception of elapsed time and distance in its space. Therefore, to understand the nature of things, we must also recognize or be cognizant of the changes in our environment through space and time (Baggini and Fosl 2003 ).

The definition of environment varies with context and discipline. For biological/ecological systems, the natural environment refers to the sunlight, climate, soil, hydrology, and other ecosystems in which animals and plants coexist and within which we live. The social environment refers to the constitutive state formed by the social, psychological, and cultural conditions associated with human life and culture. From the perspective of environmental protection, the environment refers to the earth on which human beings depend. Therefore, the effectiveness of achieved protection is a critical indicator for revealing environmental quality in a region (Huang et al. 2014 ). In addition, we also need to understand the definition of environment in terms of regulations.

1.2 Lost in Translation

As it turns out the words environment and education were originally considered nouns and verbs and later translated and adopted into Asian cultures about one hundred years after appearing in English culture. We began to think about the concept of environmental education after World War II. In their 1947 book Communitas , the Goodman brothers talked about the planning of urban space where they discussed the idea of establishing green belts around cities and the design of industrial spaces, which at the time were utopian concepts (Goodman and Goodman 1947 ). They believed that a large part of the environmental education of the children would be based on technology; whereas a child brought up in a modern suburb or city might not even know what work papa does at the office . They also criticized the idea of environmental education because they felt environmental education was very close to the construction education of a built environment. In fact, it was far from the concept of environmental education.

From 1965 to 1970, US industrial production grew at a rate of 18% and at the same time, it boosted the economies of its World War II allies. However, the over-emphasis on development led to increased environmental pollution and since the 1960s, environmental problems arising from industrial development continue to emerge (e.g., love canal, Fowlkes and Miller 1987 ). The green agricultural revolution widely used chemical fertilizers and pesticides and among them, Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane (DDT) hindered the reproductive ability of birds and reduced biodiversity. The book, published by Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring ( 1962 ) pointed out the consequences associated with the use/abuse of pesticides, which become incorporated into food chains and webs, negatively impacting natural ecosystems and human health. Carson believed that human beings should treat the surrounding environment and animals with a life-loving vision. She said: The public must decide whether it wishes to continue on the present road, and it can do so only when in full possession of the facts (Carson 1962 :30). In the post 1960s, the slogan of environmental protection rang through the sky and the concept of the environmental protection movement gradually espoused the definition of environmental education in conservation.

2 Definition of Environmental Education

The term environmental education appeared in 1947. So, when did the earliest definition of environmental education come into being? The concept of environmental education in terms of modern pedagogy and its evolutionary history feels closely tied to our understanding and development of human psychology, sociology, and how humans learn. In this context, environmental education is a relatively recent field of study and predicated on the acceptance of our hypotheses by a small community of scholars.

If we look further back in time at the development of human cultures at a time when formal education systems did not exist, our ancestors then need to be recognized. In many/most indigenous cultures, the people learned about the environment within which they lived and passed their knowledge and skills to future generations, otherwise, they all died.

We, therefore, also need to identify several elements in indigenous cultures that are related to their knowledge base and resource management systems that could be of value to western science, but the semantic issues associated with Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Traditional Ecological Management (TEM) can be overwhelming (Song et al. 2021 ). We may regard that TEK and TEM should be considered to be an element of the environment associated with indigenous cultures that is defined by their relationship and interactions with the environment, including all of the other biotic, abiotic elements present in their habitats. So, let’s take the definition way back and show how we used TEK and TEM to develop our knowledge systems relative to western science.

2.1 Initial Definition of Environmental Education

In 1962, Carson explained the importance of environmental protection and hoped to learn the ecological balance of nature through human awakening would achieve the purpose of harmonious coexistence between human and nature. In 1965 at an education seminar at the University of Keele environmental education was proposed as a theme, becoming the first conference in the UK to use the term environmental education (Palmer 1998 ). The meeting participants agreed that environmental education should become an essential part of all citizens , not only because of the importance of understanding aspects of their environment , but because of its immense educational potential in assisting the emergence of a scientifically literate nation . The meeting emphasized that teachers’ participation in basic education research should be strengthened to accurately determine the teaching methods and content of environmental education that are most suitable for modern needs. Therefore, the United Kingdom held a Council for Environmental Education in 1968.

In 1969, William Stapp (1929–2001), a professor at the University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE), first defined environmental education as a process 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 (Stapp et al. 1969 :30–31). According to Stapp, the purpose of environmental education was to cultivate citizens who had environmental knowledge, were concerned about environmental problems, and had the ability to solve and actively participate in the resolving the issues. Environmental problems should be resolved using root cause analyses and environmental educators should change the minds of the existing education targets and establish environmentally friendly behaviors.

Stapp is considered the father of environmental education in the United States of America (USA). He helped plan the first Earth Day in 1970, drafted the National Environmental Education Act, served as the first director of United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the first director of the Environmental Education at UNESCO, and promoted the first inter-governmental meeting of 146 countries and territories in Tbilisi, the former Soviet Union, in 1978. In 1984, Stapp assisted students to investigate cases of hepatitis infections from the Huron River, identify the cause of the problem, and worked with the local government to find a solution. In view of the importance of river surveys, he founded the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN) in 1989. He cooperated with elementary schools in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA and conducted many field trips with local elementary students and they investigated and taught students about problems in the natural environment and how to interact with them. He cared about academic research and more about social services, and led college students to promote environmental monitoring programs and successfully rehabilitate the Rouge River. In western science, the roots of environmental education can be traced back 1960s as early as the eighteenth century when Jean-Jacques Rousseau stressed the importance of an education that focuses on the environment (Rousseau and Bloom 1979 ).

2.2 The Extended Definition of Environmental Education

Stapp and his colleagues promoted the definition of environmental education, which was based on American pragmatism. They believed that emphasizing environmental knowledge could change reality through the power of action. Therefore, practical experience in environmental education was considered important because it emphasized taking knowledge and using that knowledge and/or experience to solve problems on natural resource management (Disinger 1985 ; 1990 ). Thus, environmental action or doing was better than dogma, and environmental experience was better than rigid principles. Therefore, the concept of environmental education had evolved to become a critical and creative clarification for research questions and value clarification (Harari 2018 ), interpreting environmental knowledge as a process of assessing the real environment, and scientific exploration (Fig.  1.3 ). The spirit of humanity, the standard of conduct was then incorporated into the real environment of human beings.

Academic institutions need to provide environmental education-related courses such as basic environmental research and environmental science such as a study camp, Taipei, Taiwan, 2019 (Photo by Yi-Te Chiang)

To promote environmental protection, academic institutions needed to provide environmental education-related courses such as basic environmental research, science, planning, management, economics, society, culture, and engineering. At the grade school level, the students should be taught the history of environmental protection and environmental protection measures. The aforementioned courses are meant to be broad because the environment and the associated issues are complicated. The environment and its associated ecosystems are not one size fits all. Not only are ecosystems different from one another the variation within each is vast. As such, Wals et al. ( 2014 ) considered the learning content of environmental education to be multi-disciplinary, based on environmental problem assessment, critical thinking, morality, creativity, and make judgments on environmental issues. The process of environmental education helps observation and problem-solving, with the opportunity for individuals to promote environmental improvement actions to ensure positive environmental behaviors (Fig.  1.4 ). Therefore, environmental education includes the social, abiotic, and biological aspects, of the environment including natural resource conservation, environmental management, ecological principles, environmental interactions and ethics, and sustainability (Fig.  1.5 ).

Environmental education helps develop observation and problem-solving skills and provides opportunities for individuals to promote environmental improvement actions to ensure positive environmental behaviors (Audubon Nature Center, Rhode Island, USA, 2015) (Photo by Wei-Ta Fang)

The target of environmental education should include a continuum from primary school to the university and include theoretical, practical, indoor, and outdoor experiences. This is a group of people enjoying nature in a Swiss environmental education program in 2009 (Matterhorn, Great north faces of the Alps, Valais, Switzerland) (Photo by Wei-Ta Fang)

Environmental Education is defined in many ways, but each definition considers it to be a discipline or process that teaches us how to behave in a manner that promotes the responsible management of our environment and resources. This then helps the environment function in a more natural way, rather than healing anthropogenic wounds. We detected the Environmental Education Act in Taiwan (Republic of China), there is. …as a discipline that enhance the environmental awareness , environmental ethics , and responsibility of the nation taking as a whole, so as to safeguard the ecological balance of the environment , respect lives, promote social justice , and cultivate environmental citizens and environmental learning communities (The Environmental Education Act) (Ministry of Justice 2017 ). Therefore, in terms of education content, environmental education was intended to integrate aspects of biology, chemistry, physics, ecology, earth science, atmospheric science, mathematics, and geography as an integrated discipline toward an education for sustainability (EfS) (Evans 2020 ). Methods of educational research include the applied social sciences such as psychology, sociology, culture, history, anthropology, economics, political science, and information science.

The First International Working Meeting on Environmental Education in the School Curriculum was organized by the UNESCO, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Nevada, USA in 1970. A participant resolution developed the statement that the elements of environmental education are not completely combined by any single discipline. It is the product of partnerships built on sound science, public awareness, environmental issues, and outdoor educational methods (Fig.  1.6 ). UNESCO specifically stated that environmental education programs taught students a respect for the nature and natural environments and raised citizens' environmental awareness (UNESCO 1970 ). Therefore, the organization emphasized the importance of environmental education in protecting the society’s quality of life in the future by protecting the environment, eradicating poverty, minimizing inequality, and ensuring sustainable development. Cerovsky ( 1971 , p. 4) defined environmental education as.

…a process of recognizing values and clarifying concepts in order to develop skills and attitudes necessary to understand and to appreciate the interrelatedness among man, his culture, and his biophysical surroundings. Environmental education is also entailed practice in decision-making and self-formulation of code behavior about issues concerning environmental quality.

Environmental education also includes the dissemination of environmental education with outdoor media (Wei-Ta Fang, Ben A. LePage, and their students at Dagouxi Riverside Park, Neihu, Taipei, Taiwan, 2021) (Photo by Yi-Te Chiang)

The target of environmental education includes education in the school system, and education from primary, middle, vocational, and technical schools, universities, and research institutes. However, environmental education also includes the dissemination of environmental education, including print, books, websites, and other media. In addition, aquaria, zoos, parks, and nature centers in social environmental education should all provide ways to teach citizens about the environment (Fig.  1.6 ) (see Box 1.1 ).

Box 1.1: The Legal Definition of Environmental Education, Republic of China (ROC)

The Article 3 of Republic of China’s Environmental Education Act stated as Environmental education : Referring to the adaptation of educational means by which to culminate the citizens to understand their ethnical relationship to the environment , enhance the citizens ’ environmental protection awareness, skills, attitudes and values , and steer the citizens to emphasize the environment and adopt actions to achieve a civility education process that harbors sustainable development .

2.3 The Goals of Environmental Education

The attendees of the Tbilisi Conference in 1977 endorsed goals for environmental education into five categories (UNESCO 1977 ). They are:

Awareness: to help social groups and individuals acquire an awareness of and sensitivity to the total environment and its allied problems;

Knowledge : to help social groups and individuals gain a variety of experiences in and acquire a basic understanding of the environment and its associated problems;

Attitudes : to help social groups and individuals acquire a set of values and feelings of concern for the environment and the motivations for actively participating in environmental improvement and protection;

Skills: to help social groups and individuals acquire the skills for identifying and solving environmental problems; and

Participation: to provide social groups and individuals with the opportunities to be actively involved at all levels in working toward resolving environmental problems (UNESCO 1977 , p. 71).

Hungerford et al. ( 1980 ) organized and suggested that these goals should be operationalized within the school curriculum and categorized into four (4) levels (Table 1.1 and Figs. 1.7 , 1.8 and 1.9 ).

Goals of environmental education (adapted and modified after Hungerford et al. ( 1980 ) and revised by Wei-Ta Fang)

Harold Hungerford (left), Trudi Volk (middle), Arba’at Hassan (right) (Photo by Arba’at Hassan)

Harold Hungerford (left), mentor and advisor of Arba’at Hassan (right) (Photo by Arba’at Hassan)

3 Approaches to Environmental Education

In this section we discuss various methods/pedagogies used in the field of environmental education. Environmental education, like science education, is interdisciplinary and offers a variety of learning strategies, which are determined by learning resources, learning time, learning space, learning curriculum, and student attributes. These differences all affect education approaches in some way. We briefly describe outdoor education, classroom education, and nature-centered education. We include the following seven methods, including: school environmental education, school nature education, place-based education, and projects curricula; and nature center education in social and environmental education, science and environmental education in zoos and museums (Falk 2009 ; Falk and Dierking 2014 , 2018 ; Ardoin et al. 2016 ) or environmental education using surveys, assessments and actions on environmental issues (Hsu et al. 2018), and science-technology-society (STS) (Winther et al. 2010 ). Each approach addresses important curriculum goals and novel learning methods for environmental education. Therefore, environmental educators should choose and apply the most effective methods for their students and environment. We also explore sustainable development education from the perspective of environmental education. We also understand that a well-rounded curriculum aims to strengthen environmental awareness and environmental sensitivity, environmental knowledge, environmental ethics and values, environmental action skills, and environmental action experience. We explore values, topics, and learning in the context of Bamberg and Moeser ( 2007 ), Winther et al. ( 2010 ) and Dillion and Wals ( 2006 ).

3.1 Outdoor Education

Outdoor education is based on a place-based education and project curricula in the United States that include: the Project Learning Tree, Project WILD, and Project WET. In addition, surveys, assessments, and actions on environmental issues, as well as environmental education in STS that can be used for exploration, included the following methods (Braus and Wood 1993 ; Engleson and Yockers 1994 ).

3.1.1 Uses of the Senses

Let the learners use their senses to experience nature directly using their eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body to feel the environment over the four seasons (Fig.  1.10 ).

Use of the senses (Photos by Arba’at Hassan)

3.1.2 Physical Exercises and Explanations

By using real examples, objects that can be obtained, and through practical methods, the natural or scientific phenomena contained in the environment are directly explained by practical performance, allowing learners to observe directly or actual experience (Fig.  1.11 ).

Physical exercises and explanations (Photos by Arba’at Hassan)

3.1.3 Surveys and Experiments

Let learners think about environmental issues and environmental phenomena through the steps of generating a hypothesis, survey, data collection, experiments, data collection, analysis, writing of small papers, briefings, etc., and actually discuss what happens behind various environmental phenomena problem.

3.1.4 Attractions Travel

Let learners go to various attractions and actually visit forests, mountains, seashores, wetlands and other areas to observe and obtain first-hand tourism and observation experiences (Fig.  1.12 ). Each observation and survey is a purposeful activity, and learners can learn about certain topics in advance through books, the Internet, and scenic spot information.

Outdoor education is based on a place-based education and project. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), North American for Environmental Education (NAAEE), and Environmental Protection Administration of the Executive Yuan, Republic of China (Taiwan EPA) are the key to promote environmental education as partnerships. They jointly launched the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) in 2014, with the vision of creating a sustainable future where people and the environment prosper together through the power of education. The GEEP established the Asia–Pacific Regional Center (APRC) in Taiwan as a network center for environmental education in Southeast Asia in 2019 (Toucheng Leisure Farm, Ilan, Taiwan, 2021; please see https://geepaprc.org/en ) (Photo by Wei-Ta Fang)

3.1.5 Research Questionnaires and Interviews

An issue questionnaire is performed through research methods for small papers. Through this approach, learners can obtain relevant environmental information. The perceptions and ideas of different interviewers, in addition to quantified research data, are to conduct interviews to understand qualitative information and to make more environmental issues for an in-depth discussion (Fig.  1.13 ).

Research questionnaire and interview (Photo by Arba’at Hassan)

3.1.6 Outdoor Observation of Nearby Places

Using the method of place-based education, selecting nearby places, conducting environmental surveys or observation activities, actually guiding learners to study in outdoor environments, and helping learners to understand the natural exploration, experience, and awareness (Fig.  1.14 ).

Outdoor observation at nearby mangrove places (Photos by Wei-Ta Fang)

3.1.7 Data Collection and Interviews

Let learners collect the data on specific environmental issues so that they can have a deeper understanding of related environmental issues or areas of study, through the library, Internet, photographs, and interview specific people to help clarify questions when facing environmental problems if more information is needed (Figs. 1.15 ).

Assembly photos. Left side: People need to help clarify questions when facing environmental problems (Yongchunpi Wetland Park, Taipei, Taiwan, 2021) (Photo by Yi-Te Chiang); Right side: Data collection and interview on the charcoal making from mangrove trees, 2008 (Photos by Arba’at Hassan)

3.2 Classroom Education

Classroom education in environmental education includes campus environmental education, which can develop place-based education, project curricula, and STS (Winther et al. 2010 ). During the learning process, teachers are encouraged to participate in professional learning sessions, and fully understand the learner’s learning role, that include:

3.2.1 Reading and Writing

In the classroom, students read environmental issues and events and write their thoughts and feelings in notebooks. Younger students can draw their thoughts and ideas (Fig.  1.16 ).

Reading and writing in the classroom (Photo by Arba’at Hassan)

3.2.2 Case Study

Let learners directly collect and integrate data on environmental issues or discuss and assess the environmental impact of related issues on our day-to-day lives and to think about how to deal with environmental damage (Fig.  1.17 ).

A case study of urban park (Photo by Wei-Ta Fang)

3.2.3 Value Clarification

Let learners use each other’s relationships between value and morality for discussion and communication. During the discussion, through mutual discussions, establish conclusions that everyone can accept to assist learners to establish correct environmental attitudes and values. That is, set up some ground rules so the environment remains safe.

3.2.4 Treemap and Brainstorming

Through brainstorming or treemap thinking, help learners connect different relationships, situations, ideas, and processes to understand the relationship of events (Figs. 1.18 and 1.19 ).

Value clarification (Photo by Arba’at Hassan)

Treemap and Brainstorming session (Photo by Arba’at Hassan)

3.2.5 Debate

Through debate activities, learners can learn from different topics facing the environment, and learn to use data collection, communication, and critical thinking skills (Fig.  1.20 ).

Debate on an environmental issue (Photo by Arba’at Hassan)

3.2.6 Group Learning

Through the process of group learning, in addition to being able to face environmental issues more effectively and conduct more in-depth discussions, learners can learn to establish team tacit understanding, self-social ethics norms, and know the thoughts deep inside themselves. This illustrates the importance of diversity and inclusion in the program (Fig.  1.21 ).

The group learning activity (Photo by Arba’at Hassan)

3.2.7 Environmental Arrangement

Through the environmental arrangement activities of the beginning of school, festivals, or parent-teacher talks, let learners participate in the creation and arrangement of teaching space. In addition, to help learners have a complete learning space, they can also learn to judge the overall environmental learning.

3.2.8 Comprehensive Discussions

Scout courses covering aspects of integrated geography, mathematics, nature, health and hygiene, or Chinese language learning areas, and in-depth research and discussion on environmental issues and issues (Fig.  1.22 ).

All students take part in comprehensive discussions (Photo by Arba’at Hassan)

3.2.9 Activity Workshop

Let learners guide the demonstration and teaching of personnel, learn to operate, or produce a kind of labor course that requires hands-on work, and use hands-on operations. The process of the drill included working experience in farming, forestry, fishing, insect hotel building, animal husbandry, and the creation of handicrafts (Figs.  1.23 and 1.24 ).

An activity workshop (Photo by Arba’at Hassan)

We are just another bug on this planet (Ben LePage at Taiwan Insect Hall, Taipei, Taiwan, 2022) (Photo by Swing Chan)

3.2.10 Game Learning

Game learning is different at different levels. This is important because it brings to mind what today’s youth think is important and fun. For example, we think memorization is boring and old school, what will the younger generation of student’s think about these new approaches in 50 years? 100 years? How do we keep our learning methods current in the face of rapidly changing technologies, norms, and values? In game learning, open-ended play is adopted. The rich teaching materials of games are the basis of learning. In modeled-play, learn using simulated creatures and playing with pets (Fig.  1.25 ). In purpose-framed play, games are used for experience and teacher-student interaction is used (Cutter-Mackenzie et al. 2014 ).

The outdoor game learning (Velsen Otte and the cat “Noodle”) (Photo by Wei-Ta Fang)

3.2.11 Environmental Action

Use STS learning methods to allow learners to participate in practical environmental actions such as ecological management, persuasion, consumerism, political action, and legal action, and work together to improve environmental issues (Fig.  1.26 ).

The Environmental action on wetland (Keita Furukawa, front person, and Jung-Chen Huang at Taijiang National Park, Tainan, Taiwan) (Photo by Wei-Ta Fang)

4 Development of Environmental Education

The implementation of environmental education is to adopt an infusion method and conduct integrated curriculum across learning areas to connect the relationship between the surrounding their environment. Environmental education professionals generally believe that the environmental education be integrated into the school curriculum of each school year, from kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12). However, discipline integration of environmental education has not occurred in countries around the world. How to integrate environmental education into the subject in the school curriculum requires the use of teaching materials and methods (Fig.  1.27 ). This may be related to the type of teaching in each subject (Simmons 1989 ). If the core of environmental education is to incorporate the behavioral decisions of governments, enterprises, families, and individuals into the education process, then the development of environmental education from kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12) needs to be considered and economic development, a parallel trend of environmental development that takes into account social development.

We have developed environmental education programs from kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12) from the supports of Ramsar Regional Center–East Asia and National Geographic Society during 2018 (Taipei, Taiwan, 2018) (Photo by Yi-Te Chiang)

The teaching model of traditional environmental education is centered on environmental issues. However, this kind of teaching method only focuses on knowledge transfer. It does not consider social emotional learning. At the same time, it does not consider the formation of environmental attitudes, and it is difficult to cultivate responsibility—environmental behavior students. Furthermore, environmental education places too much emphasis on analysis of issues, so that students learn learned helpless. It has a sense of despair and helplessness about the future development of the global environment. It is impossible to learn through a position of control—motivation and perseverance to change the world. In addition, emotional changes in environmental education are not easy to change through indoor courses, students are easily frustrated in the classroom, and it is difficult to learn the true meaning of pro-environmental behavior. If we say that the past education focused on one-way narrative transmission, we should then look at environmental issues with a healthy mindset. By caring about environmental protection issues, based on teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and domain knowledge (Shulman 1986a , b ; 1987a , b ; Fig.  1.28 ), supporting the idea of ​​a sustainable worldview, strengthening the content of various disciplines in a common learning approach, and internalizing it into specific environmental protection actions.

The content of teaching content is a kind of comprehensive knowledge. It is the knowledge that teachers can use in teaching after integrating various kinds of knowledge (Illustrated by Wei-Ta Fang)

The so-called pedagogical content knowledge model, the content includes the teacher’s understanding of specific subject content, the teacher’s grasp and use of specific subject content representation, and the teachers ‘learning and learners’ understanding. The content of teaching content knowledge includes the content of subject knowledge and general teaching knowledge, and goes beyond the teaching material knowledge itself. The teaching content knowledge was proposed by an American educational psychologist, named Lee Shulman (1938–). He believes that the subject teaching knowledge goes beyond the scope of subject expertise and is subject matter expertise at the teaching level. Shulman pointed out that teachers’ knowledge can be divided into three categories, namely, pedagogical knowledge, subject matter knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman 1986a , b ; 1987a , b ). Teaching knowledge emphasizes the principles, methods, and strategies of teaching. Disciplinary content knowledge emphasized teachers’ knowledge on the facts, concepts, principles of the subject areas, and how they are organized. In addition, teaching content knowledge emphasizes that when teaching, teachers know how to use a systematic statement of their subject content knowledge, make it easy for students to understand the subject content through the most effective teaching method, and teachers can understand students’ previous concepts of the subject content, Reasons for learning difficulties and strategies for remedial teaching.

Shulman said: Teaching content knowledge means that teachers must be able to express what they are teaching. In the category of teaching content knowledge, teachers include the most taught topics and the most effective forms of expression in the subject.

They are the most powerful analogies, examples, illustrations, demonstrations, and clarifications. That is, teachers regroup in special subjects of the subject and behave in an appropriate way to promote students to understand the content of the teaching. Knowledge of teaching content also includes teachers understanding what factors make it difficult or easy for students to learn about specific concepts when learning, and to understand the concepts and prerequisite concepts held by students of different ages and backgrounds when studying these topics. (Shulman 1986b :9).

Communication environmental and educational concepts, goals, methods, and strategies are based on the concept of immersive environmental education. Explore the in-depth fields of environmental education according to the different cultural and social backgrounds of teachers (Fig.  1.29 ). Therefore, based on the critical analysis of the problem, the process of learning is more important than the outcome. Moreover, the limitations of environmental, social, and economic issues, are understood, thus the teaching content can be linked to the real world.

Exploring the in-depth fields of environmental education is crucial according to the different cultural and social backgrounds of teachers (Photo by Wei-Ta Fang)

Environmental education is not only about providing tools and technology but also necessary to cultivate students’ environmental literacy. Therefore, the teaching of environmental education, in addition to teaching knowledge, also needs to inspire students’ social responsibility. Therefore, environmental education needs to put forward values and strengthen the thinking of sustainable development in the curriculum. The main core lies in the fundamental values of “sustainable development education.” UNESCO defined the core according to the following topics:

Respect the dignity and human rights of all human beings worldwide and commit to social and economic justice for all;

Respect the human rights of future generations and promise intergenerational responsibilities (Kaplan et al. 2005 ; Liu and Kaplan 2006 );

Respect and care about the diversity of life in large communities, including the protection and restoration of the earth's ecosystem; and

Respecting cultural diversity and promising to build tolerance, non-violence, and a culture of peace locally and globally.

4.2 Exploration Topics

4.2.1 environmental orientation.

Environmentally oriented education needs to include attention on natural resources (like water, energy, agriculture, forestry, mining, air, waste disposal, toxic chemical treatment, and biodiversity), climate change, rural development, and sustainability. The purpose of mitigation and adaptation in the cities, disaster prevention, and mitigation are to strengthen the understanding of the fragility of resources and the natural environment, strengthen the understanding of the negative impact of human activities and decision-making on the environment, and include environmental factors. These factors must be considered in formulating socio-economic policies.

4.2.2 Economic Orientation

The Economic Oriented Education needs to focus on the issues of poverty eradication, strengthening the social responsibility of enterprises and universities, and strengthening the efficiency of the market economy. The purposes are to understand limitation, potential on an economic growth, and how they could affect the society, environment, and culture. The impact of environmental protection, culture, and social justice on the correct assessment of individual and social consumption behavior is consistent with the goal of sustainable development.

4.2.3 Social Orientation

Socially Oriented Education needs to include concerns about human rights, peace and human security, freedom, gender equality, cultural diversity, and cross-cultural understanding, as well as emphasis on social and personal health, and strengthening government management and people’s governance. Its purpose is to understand the role of social systems and environmental change in development and to strengthen models and institutions of democratic participation. The democratic participation system provides opportunities to express opinions, adjust conflicts, decentralize government, build consensus, and resolve differences. In addition, cultural assessments in society need to be strengthened to protect the values , practices, languages, and knowledge systems (Arenas et al. 2009 ). At the same time, the cultural foundations of social, environmental, economic, and the sustainable development, are seen as inter-connected. In other words, sustainable development emphasizes interrelationship through culture. In the process of sustainable development education, it is particularly necessary to pay attention to the diversity of culture and ethnic groups, and each ethnic group tolerates, respects, and understands each other in order to shape the values of equality and dignity.

We can know that the exploration of sustainable development education to embedding sustainability from environmental education can be an overlapping circle model, which is an intersecting system (Purvis et al. 2019 ). This model recognizes the intersection of economic, environmental, and social factors. Based on our research, we resized the circles to show that one factor has advantages over the other two. In the eyes of economists, economy is better than society and society is better than environment. This model means that economy can exist independently of society and environment. Therefore, we use the next more accurate system model for illustration (Fig.  1.30 ).

The environment-oriented, economic-oriented, and social-oriented rendezvous system (Illustrated by Wei-Ta Fang)

Because human beings cannot survive outside of their environment, they do not have an environment. It is just like a fish without water, which makes it difficult for them to survive. If we ask all the fishermen in the sea if overfishing the fisheries is a social disaster or an economic disaster, they will then say that it is all the above. Therefore, the nested dependency model reflects the reality of this common dependency. In other words, human society is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment. An economic society, without food, clean water, fresh air, fertile soil, and other natural resources, we are “cooked.”

Environmental Education in the twenty-first century and Education for Sustainable Development have also regarded as the key to reconstructing ecologically responsible citizens to embrace a pedagogy grounded in ecosocialism (Arenas 2021 ). With the adoption of the 2030 Global Education Agenda, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is now using the United Nation’s recently developed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to strengthen the Global Action Follow-up Program on Education for Sustainable Development (i.e., GAP 2030). In general, the purpose of environmental education is to cultivate citizens who understand the biophysical environment and related issues, how to help solve problems, and actively understand the ways to solve problems (Stapp et al. 1969 ). Currently, we provided a wider range of services, strengthened appreciation of the multicultural and environmental systems around humanity, and ensure the sustainable development of human society. Shin Wang (1945–), the emeritus professor of the Department of Geographical Environmental Resources, National Taiwan University, once said: “Hometown is the beginning of learning. You need to be based on Taiwan to look at the world.” The transformation of social environment and silent environmental changes to the environmental protection of the aboriginal people has produced their own views of environmental redemption (Fang et al. 2016 ).

At the beginning of the writing of this book, we always told ourselves in the heart: “The environment and ecology are extremely vulnerable, and only those of us who are not fame and fortune environmentalists will help the speechless environment.”

In light of today’s social consumerism, inequality has occurred in three areas: environmental, social, and economic. We strengthen our creativity sharing our experiences within the education system with others to develop a shared social imagination. We communicate the concepts of the environment and education based on the concept of immersive environmental education. Therefore, the environmental education concepts, implementation processes, and education policies listed in this chapter have achieved the feasibility of environmental education in various fields through teaching, research, and practice. Environmental education is not just about providing tools and technologies, it is important to cultivate a learners’ environmental literacy. Therefore, the teaching of environmental education, in addition to teaching knowledge, also needs to inspire students’ social responsibility.

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Fang, WT., Hassan, A., LePage, B.A. (2023). Introduction to Environmental Education. In: The Living Environmental Education. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4234-1_1

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What is Environmental Education?

Environmental education is a process that allows individuals to explore environmental issues, engage in problem solving, and take action to improve the environment. As a result, individuals develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions.

• Awareness and sensitivity to the environment and environmental challenges
• Knowledge and understanding of the environment and environmental challenges
• Attitudes of concern for the environment and motivation to improve or maintain environmental quality
• Skills to identify and help resolve environmental challenges
• Participation in activities that lead to the resolution of environmental challenges

Environmental education does not advocate a particular viewpoint or course of action. Rather, environmental education teaches individuals how to weigh various sides of an issue through critical thinking and it enhances their own problem-solving and decision-making skills.

The National Environmental Education Act of 1990  requires EPA to provide national leadership to increase environmental literacy. EPA established the Office of Environmental Education to implement this program.

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We are the Early Care & Education Gardening team for the 2023-2024 school year. Our team is focused on developing a safe, accessible, and sustainable garden at the UCLA Krieger Center. We hope that the garden will not only provide a hands-on learning experience but also serve as a living laboratory for young minds. Through the development and maintenance of this garden, we aim to instill in children a deep appreciation for nature and sustainability.

To inform our project we will be reviewing current literature on sustainable gardening and environmental education as well as conducting informational interviews with experts and the Krieger Center community. This is the first SAR project of its kind. Through meticulous planning and collaboration, we are crafting more than just a garden; we are developing a framework for the future of sustainability education.

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UCL retains top global ranking for education and architecture & built environment

10 April 2024

UCL remains ranked in the top 10 globally in 10 subject areas in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, the world’s most consulted university ranking, including two first-place rankings.

UCL has retained the number one spot in two subjects for the second consecutive year: Education, with the IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, now holding the top spot for 11 years running, and Architecture & Built Environment, recognising the academic excellence of The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment.

The 10 subject areas where UCL ranks in the global top 10 are Education (1), Architecture & Built Environment (1), Archaeology (3), Anthropology (4), Pharmacy & Pharmacology (4), Psychology (5), Medicine (6), Biological Sciences (6), Geography (7), and Anatomy & Physiology (8).

UCL appears in the rankings in all 46 subject areas that are ranked, featuring in the top 50 for 43 of them.

Professor Geraint Rees, UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement), said: “ Our performance in these rankings shows how UCL is recognised as a centre for academic excellence in a wide range of disciplines. I am thrilled to congratulate my colleagues in the IOE and the Bartlett on once again being ranked first in the world. I continue to be impressed by the academic excellence of UCL colleagues across campus; in every faculty our students learn from world-leading researchers who continually strive to deliver the very highest standard of teaching. ”

Professor Li Wei, Dean and Director of IOE, said: “To be ranked first in the world in these subject rankings for the field of Education is very welcome recognition and affirmation of the outstanding performance in all areas of our work by my colleagues, in collaboration with our funders, partners, students and alumni. To achieve this for 11 years in a row is even more so. We are incredibly proud of IOE’s contribution to knowledge, policy and practice regarding the lives of children and families, not least in educating teachers, that most vital profession. From leading edge innovation in education research, to research and knowledge exchange that connects education to related societal domains, to teacher education rooted in subject specialism and engagement with research, all at scale, IOE embodies a distinctive contribution in that regard.”

Professor Jacqui Glass, Interim Dean of The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, said: “This wonderful achievement has been made possible by the continuing efforts of an outstanding community of people who come together at The Bartlett. It is a very welcome recognition of the incredibly diverse and impactful work that our students, educators, researchers and professional staff do – in partnership with peers and partners across many countries around the world.”  

To compile the subject rankings, comparing over 1,500 universities across the globe, QS used five key metrics (including academic reputation, research performance based on citations impact, and graduate employability), the precise weighting of which varies by subject to reflect differing research practices across disciplines.

The QS World University Rankings, which rank universities overall rather than at subject level, will be published later this year. The last edition of these rankings placed UCL at ninth in the world.

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• COMMUNITY & EVENTS

Lace up your shoes and help walk to spread sustainability awareness in Sunnyside

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Want to get outside and help bring our next generation of leaders more awareness about sustainability?

On April 27, New Hope Housing will host its first Earth Week Walk-and-Roll, a charitable event benefiting the Children's Environmental Literacy Foundation .

Click here to register for this year's walk

Manager Kayla Semien told ABC13 the event encourages the community to walk, bike and even rollerblade at the urban prairie at Reed Park.

While there, participants can enjoy food vendors, music and games, plus explore the butterfly garden, learn about composting, discover earthworm farming and go birdwatching.

"We're at a space where we have composting and recycling, and they can come out and build birdhouses and tents," Semien said. "We're really looking forward to seeing the kids and the families come out."

Since opening its Reed Road property, New Hope Housing has teamed up with CELF to impact about 600 Houston families living at the property.

CELF works to put sustainability education within the reach of K-12 students, training more than 16,000 teachers in 5,000 schools since its launch in 2003.

New Hope Housing provides life-stabilizing and affordable housing for people living on modest incomes.

Registration is now open for the April 27 walk.

Reed Park is located at 2605 Reed Rd., in the Sunnyside Community.

See more: ABC13 Community Calendar | Submit your events for free

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Hybrid intelligence can reconcile biodiversity and agriculture

Pioneering approach to conflicting goals.

Preserving biodiversity without reducing agricultural productivity: So far, these two goals could not be reconciled because the socio-ecological system of agriculture is highly complex, and the interactions between humans and the environment are difficult to capture using conventional methods. Thanks to new technology, a research team at the Technical University of Munich and the University of Hohenheim shows a promising way to achieve both goals at the same time. The members of the team focus on further developing artificial intelligence in combination with collective human judegment: the use of hybrid intelligence.

"Although we have more and more data sets at our disposal, we have not yet been able to use them to solve the problem. Available data from remote sensing, proximal sensing and statistical surveys are disconnected and highly fragmented," said Prof. Thomas Berger, agricultural economist at the University of Hohenheim and lead author of the publication. "Another challenge is the different planning horizon: Agricultural practices are based on short- and medium-term economic objectives at the field and farm level, that is, on a scale of 1 hectare to 100 hectares. The long-term ecological effects, on the other hand, are evident at the landscape level of 100,000 hectares."

From an ecological point of view, it is therefore necessary to look at the landscape level and better understand the interactions of many farms in terms of space and time. "There is little cross-farm coordination for agri-environmental measures," stated Prof. Senthold Asseng from the Chair of Digital Agriculture at the Technical University of Munich. Previous funding programs in agricultural and environmental policy were not designed to enable biodiversity-friendly synergies among farmers, between farmers and other stakeholders, and in science.

The problem is also very challenging from a social science perspective, according to Prof. Claudia Bieling from the Hohenheim Department of Societal Transition and Agriculture: "This is the classic situation of a social dilemma. Why should individual stakeholders forgo productivity on their own initiative when the common public good of biodiversity conservation benefits many other stakeholders free of charge?" There are also similar situations that block progress in other economic sectors, e.g., in recycling and waste management as well as in energy and transport. In order to capture the complexity of the problem and develop new intelligent solutions, joint expertise from the natural and social sciences, engineering, and computer science is required, as well as close cooperation between science and practice.

Technological progress enables new interaction between humans and machines

A 13-person team with precisely this expertise joined forces to develop a transdisciplinary approach -- exploiting the new possibilities offered by artificial intelligence in merging and processing large volumes of data. The authors of the publication refer to this combination as "hybrid intelligence." "By combining the intuitive abilities of humans with the computing power of modern computers and the analytical capabilities of artificial intelligence, for the first time we can develop human-machine systems that successfully address complexity in agriculture," said Prof. Berger.

One component of such systems are computer models with what the team refers to as "multi-agent technology" for the various ecological, social, and economic processes. By enriching these models with artificial intelligence, the research team aims to create a detailed, interactive image of reality in which various biodiversity measures and effects can be simulated and stakeholders can be supported in joint decision-making.

Group payments as a practical example of hybrid intelligence

The authors explain practical implementations in several applied examples, e.g., compensation payments to groups of farmers instead of individual farms. "The EU provides various subsidies for species protection measures, for example by giving farmers money to set up flower strips," stated Prof. Asseng. "Up to now, farmers have planted the flower strips on their own and without coordinating with their neighbors. Overall, the flower strips are fragmented and have limited effectiveness."

Group payment programs for farmers who coordinate their flower strips at the landscape level with the use of hybrid intelligence are more promising. In a first step, hybrid intelligence could analyze complex data on soil conditions, local biodiversity, and similar factors and thus identify the locations where cross-farm environmental measures would be particularly effective and crop losses as lowest as possible. In a second step, AI systems could provide communication platforms that facilitate exchanging information and planning joint projects without excessive bureaucracy. "Another goal would be a fair balance among all parties involved, for example, through new auction mechanisms for subsidies," said Prof. Berger.

The virtual image of their economic and ecological environment would give actors from agriculture, consulting, and politics the opportunity to try out the measures before deciding whether to implement them. "This would make it easier to assess the impact on biodiversity and crop yields and minimize the costs for everyone involved," added Prof. Bieling. Above all, AI could serve as an automated moderator that follows the discussions within the group and improves decision-making by contributing information or alternative perspectives. "We can currently see the capabilities of generative AI in language processing and generating new content with ChatGPT. This can be particularly useful to ensure that all relevant information is considered in group discussions and creative solutions are found," explained Prof. Henner Gimpel from the Department of Digital Management at the University of Hohenheim.

Trust and transparency remain crucial for success

If the approach is to be successful, it must be transparent and participatory. "The technology must be designed in such a way that people can trust it. The ethical use of the technology is also crucial," said Prof. Gimpel. Only if these conditions are met can hybrid intelligence systems develop their full potential and find broad acceptance. According to Prof. Berger, hybrid intelligence holds the key to solving some of the most pressing issues in agriculture. "The prospects are very promising, but there is still a need for fundamental research in order to successfully develop this technology further and then implement it. To achieve this, we need the cooperation of all stakeholders from science, practice, and society.

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Story Source:

Materials provided by Technical University of Munich (TUM) . Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference :

• T. Berger, H. Gimpel, A. Stein, C. Troost, S. Asseng, M. Bichler, C. Bieling, R. Birner, I. Grass, J. Kollmann, S. D. Leonhardt, F. M. Schurr, W. Weisser. Hybrid intelligence for reconciling biodiversity and productivity in agriculture . Nature Food , 2024; DOI: 10.1038/s43016-024-00963-6

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Lesson Plans, Teacher Guides and Online Environmental Resources for Educators: Ecosystems

Find an array of environmental and science based lesson plans, activities and ideas below from EPA, other federal agencies and external organizations.  ​ Encontrar recursos para estudiantes y maestros.

Topics: Air | Climate Change | Ecosystems | Energy | Health | Waste | Water

Nature's Benefits:  The Card Game This card game is a fun way to teach important lessons about ecosystems. Players explore how people benefit from nature, how our actions impact the benefits we receive, and how working together can sustain benefits for everyone. The Teacher Planning Guide is developed for 8th grade level (adaptable for 6th - 12th grade levels), anchored to the North Carolina Essential Science and the Advanced Placement Environmental Science standards. Grades : 6-12 Type of Resource : Card Game and Teacher Planning Guide 

America's Wetlands   This resource will give you a better understanding of the rich variety of wetlands, their importance, how they are threatened, and what can be done to conserve them for future generations. Grades : 9-12 Type of Resource : Website

Coral Reef Protection: What are coral reefs? Explore EPA's resources on coral reef protection to learn why coral reefs are important and what is being done to protect them. Grades : 6-12 Type of Resource : Website

EnviroAtlas Ecosystems such as forests and wetlands provide many essential benefits, including clean air and water, food, fiber, and recreational opportunities. The benefits people receive from nature, called "ecosystem goods and services,” are critically important to human health and well-being, but they are often overlooked due to lack of information. EnviroAtlas is a freely available web-based resource that combines an interactive mapping application, analysis tools, and interpretive information on ecosystem goods and services. EnviroAtlas allows users to visually interpret ecosystem services and understand how they can be conserved and enhanced.  Grades : K-12 Type of Resource : Website

EnviroAtlas: Intro to Ecosystem Services This suite of six mini-lessons introduces the concept of ecosystem services in a blended learning format. Each lesson can be completed in 30 minutes or less, and combined, use technology, get students outdoors, and engage students in hands-on activities. Grades : 4-6 Type of Resource : Lesson Plans

EnviroAtlas: Building a Greenway This interdisciplinary learning module promotes student discovery using available maps and data, engaging students to be collaborative decision-makers. This case study is intended for secondary education, undergraduate, and community education/engagement programs. Grades : 9-12+ Type of Resource : Lesson Plans

Estuaries: Fundamentals What is an estuary? Why are estuaries important? Find core information from EPA on estuaries and the National Estuary Program. Grades : 9-12 Type of Resource : Website

Hazardous Waste and Ecosystems A classroom activity to help students recognize that hazardous waste may have far-reaching impacts on ecosystems and that these impacts are not always easy to identify.   Grades : 9-12 Type of Resource : Lesson plan

Save Our Species: Endangered Species Coloring Book   Coloring book about endangered species. Grades : K-5 Type of Resource : Activity book

Wetlands Education Everything you need to help your student understand wetlands and how they fit into the water cycle and the environment. A portal site of links to activities, curriculum, education programs, resources and teaching tools to assist you in wetlands and habitat education. Grades : K-12 Type of Resource : Website, curriculum guides, teaching tools

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Dig In  Explore a world of possibilities in the garden and on your plate using ten inquiry-based lessons that engage 5th and 6th graders in growing, harvesting, tasting, and learning about fruits and vegetables. Grades : 5-6 Type of Resource : Lesson plans 

Everglades National Park for Teachers Are you interested in teaching your students about the Florida Everglades? Check out this site to find activities and background information that will help you tell the story of this fascinating natural ecosystem. Even if you don't live near the Everglades, you will find valuable information that can be applied to many ecosystems throughout the country. Grades : All

Resources To Learn More About Endangered Species From the Fish and Wildlife Service, a list of materials that may give you some ideas to help a species near you get on its road to recovery, because recovery is the ultimate goal for each threatened and endangered species. Grades : All

NASA Educational Resources   Search NASA for teaching materials on: earth science, general science, history, math, physical science, and space science. Grades : K-12 Type of Resource : Searchable database of teaching materials

National Estuarine Research Reserve System K-12 Educator Resources Estuaries, where rivers meet the sea, are fascinating ecosystems. Find out about what makes estuaries special, the threats to estuarine ecosystems and explore estuaries around the U.S. Grades : 9-12

National Wetlands Research Center This site from the U.S. Geologic Survey explores the many factors that affect wetland health, and provides resources for teachers on preserving our wetlands. Grades : 9-12

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Teachers on the Public Lands/ Hands on the Land Hands on the Land partnerships provide hands-on field experiences, such as citizen science and environmental monitoring projects, that connect the next generation to our forests, parks, waterways, and wildlife refuges. Grades : All Type of Resource : Website

The USDA Farm to School Planning Toolkit The kit is designed for use by schools, school districts, and community partners and filled with tips and examples, insights from others, and lists of resources for further research. It guides you through questions to consider and helpful resources to reference when starting or growing a farm to school program Grades : All Type of Resource : Planning Toolkit

U.S. Forest Service Education Toolbox The Educator Toolbox from the U.S. Forest Service is jam-packed with helpful resources to make your challenging job just a little easier. Here you will find background resources to help you understand forests and grasslands, professional development opportunities and resources, and a collection of great materials and programs organized by grade-level. Grades : K-12 Type of Resource : Toolkit

Where Rivers Meet the Sea This game depicts the ecosystem of an estuary on the west coast of the United States. To succeed, players must learn about the factors that produce healthy estuaries, food webs, and why estuaries are essential to both ocean life and to humans. Find related curriculum, tutorials, and classroom resources. Grades : 9-12 Type of Resource : Online Game

Wildlife Fact Sheets From the Fish and Wildlife Service, basic information about species of regular public interest. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the factsheets. Grades : 9-12

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What is Environmental Education?

Environmental education is a process that allows individuals to explore environmental issues, engage in problem solving, and take action to improve the environment. As a result, individuals develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions.

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