introduction essay about environmental awareness

Environmental Awareness Essay

Environmental awareness is discussed and studied by many. However, to make an impact, we must be aware of the problems and solutions. We will start with what we are doing wrong and move toward what needs to be done to improve our environment . Some ways to take care of our environment are to practise recycling, follow proper garbage disposal protocol, avoid using our cars too much and rely more on public transportation instead.

Every day we hear about how our planet is changing. The need for environmental protection arises from the changes in rising carbon dioxide levels, which causes drastic changes in our environment. The rising levels of carbon dioxide result in changes in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide traps heat, which leads to a rise in atmospheric temperature. When a plant dies, more carbon dioxide is released into the air. This can cause more temperature changes and less oxygen in the air. To help slow down this process, we have to take care of the environment before it is too late. Now, let us read BYJU’S essay on environmental awareness and understand the importance of protecting the environment.

Importance of Environmental Awareness

We wish to have a good life for our children. We can ensure our children and future generations enjoy the best quality of life by taking small steps every day towards protecting the planet. Let us read about environmental awareness by referring to BYJU’S environmental awareness essay .

One of the first steps to becoming more environmentally conscious or environmentally aware is by reducing our energy usage. This may also mean driving less polluting vehicles.

Environmental awareness is critical because it can help us to become aware of the impacts on the Earth created by human activities, leading to global warming. It can also help us to create a more sustainable world by promoting renewable resources, such as solar, wind and water .

Causes of Environmental Pollution

The environmental pollution that we face today is caused by many factors. A major cause of environmental pollution is mismanagement of oil production and transportation. Due to this, there are oil spills worldwide that destroy aquatic life. Another issue related to environmental pollution is global warming . The increase in greenhouse gases causes a rise in the planet’s atmospheric temperature. Hence, it is important to be environmentally aware and protect the environment. To understand more about this cause, read BYJU’S environmental problems essay.

To conclude, being environmentally aware is essential. We must ensure not to pollute our precious nature and exploit natural resources. For more kids learning activities, such as GK questions and stories , visit BYJU’S website.

Frequently Asked Questions on Environmental Awareness Essay

Why should we protect the environment.

Environmental protection is so vital that each person can make a difference. Whether it’s recycling, lowering your carbon footprint, or driving electric cars, there are many ways to reduce pollution. By reducing pollution and keeping the Earth healthy, we can continue to live on the planet for years to come.

What are the causes of environmental pollution?

The causes of environmental pollution are many, but the most common is improper disposal of waste and overconsumption. We must take care of our planet and use resources wisely not to leave future generations with a polluted Earth.

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Student Essays

Essay on Environmental Awareness | Importance & Ways to Promote it

Environmental awareness refers to an act of spreading information regarding the role and importance of environment for human life so as to take strong measures to protect the environment from a lot of environmental life hazards. This essay talks on Environmental life hazard, concept of environmental awareness, need and its importance in our Life. This essay is very helpful for children and students in school exams and written tests.

Essay on Environmental Awareness | Concept, Importance & Measures to be taken to Promote Environmental awareness

The place we live in forms the environment. Environment is sum total of all the things that surround us. It is a set of relationships between and among all these things. The environmental awareness is to understand the fragility of our environment and the importance of its protection. Promoting environmental awareness is an easy way to become an environmental steward and participate in creating a brighter future for our children.

Concept of Environmental Awareness:

Environmental awareness is the ability to perceive and understand the environment around us. It is the understanding of how our actions impact the environment and how the environment impacts us. It includes an understanding of environmental concepts, principles, and laws. It also includes taking action to protect the environment.

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Importance of Environmental Awareness

Our environment is under constant threat. Our actions have a direct impact on the environment and the health of our planet. We need to be aware of the consequences of our actions if we want to protect our environment.

Environmental awareness is important for multiple reasons. Firstly, it is necessary for the survival of humans and other species. We depend on the environment for our food, water, and air. If we do not take care of the environment, we will not be able to survive. Secondly, environmental awareness is important for the health of our planet. The Earth is facing many environmental problems, such as climate change, pollution, and loss of biodiversity.

These problems are caused by human activity, and they are having a negative impact on the Earth’s ecosystems. If we do not take action to protect the environment, these problems will get worse and the Earth will become less habitable for humans and other species. Thirdly, environmental awareness is important for the future of our planet. Our actions today will have an impact on the future of the Earth. If we do not take care of the environment, we will leave a legacy of environmental problems for future generations.

How Can We Promote Environmental Awareness?

There are many ways to promote environmental awareness. Here are some suggestions:

1. Educate yourself and others about environmental issues. 2. Advocate for policies that protect the environment. 3. Support businesses that are environmentally responsible. 4. Reduce your own environmental impact. 5. Recycle and compost as much as possible. 6. Save energy by conserving resources. 7. Avoid products with excessive packaging. 8. Buy eco-friendly products. 9. Plant trees and support forest conservation. 10. Participate in citizen science projects.

Responsibilities of Students to promote environmental awareness

There are a number of things students can do to promote environmental awareness, firstly, we need to educate ourselves about the issues and then educate others. We can support businesses that are environmentally responsible, reduce our own environmental impact and recycle as much as possible. Planting trees is also a great way to promote awareness as well as helping to conserve forests. Finally, we can participate in citizen science projects which help to collect data on the environment.

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Environmental awareness is important for the survival of humans and other species, the health of our planet, and the future of our planet. We can promote environmental awareness by educating ourselves and others about environmental issues, advocating for policies that protect the environment, supporting environmentally responsible businesses, reducing our own environmental impact, recycling and composting as much as possible, saving energy, avoiding products with excessive packaging, buying eco-friendly products, planting trees and supporting forest conservation, and participating in citizen science projects. Let’s take action to protect our environment!

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Essay on Environmental Awareness

Environmental awareness is a powerful force that encourages us to understand and care for the world around us. It’s about recognizing the importance of our environment, the challenges it faces, and the actions we can take to protect it. In this essay, we will explore the significance of environmental awareness, its impact on our planet, and why it is crucial for our future.

Understanding Environmental Awareness

Environmental awareness is the recognition that our actions have consequences on the natural world. It involves being conscious of the environment’s value, the threats it faces, and the responsibility we bear to safeguard it for ourselves and future generations.

The State of Our Environment

Our planet faces numerous environmental challenges, including climate change, deforestation, pollution, and habitat destruction. These issues affect not only our ecosystems but also human health, food security, and quality of life. Understanding the gravity of these challenges is the first step toward addressing them.

Promoting Responsibility

Environmental awareness promotes a sense of responsibility toward our planet. It encourages us to make choices that minimize harm to the environment and reduce our ecological footprint. By being mindful of our actions, we can contribute to a healthier world.

Environmental Education

Environmental awareness goes hand in hand with education. Schools, museums, and organizations play a crucial role in teaching us about the environment and its complexities. Environmental education equips us with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed decisions.

Advocacy and Action

Being aware of environmental issues empowers individuals to become advocates for change. When we understand the problems our environment faces, we can take action by supporting conservation efforts, participating in community cleanups, or advocating for eco-friendly policies.

Connection to Nature

Environmental awareness fosters a deeper connection to nature. When we appreciate the beauty and importance of our natural surroundings, we are more likely to value and protect them. This connection enriches our lives and enhances our well-being.

A Global Perspective

Environmental awareness extends beyond our local communities; it has a global perspective. It reminds us that environmental issues are interconnected, and solutions often require international cooperation. Climate change, for example, is a global challenge that demands a collective response.

Positive Impact

Environmental awareness leads to positive changes in behavior. People who are environmentally conscious are more likely to conserve energy, reduce waste, recycle, and support sustainable practices. These actions collectively reduce the strain on our planet’s resources.

Health Benefits

Caring for the environment is not just about protecting the planet; it’s also about safeguarding human health. Clean air and water, as well as access to green spaces, contribute to our physical and mental well-being. Environmental awareness reinforces the need for a healthy environment.

Conclusion of Essay on Environmental Awareness

In conclusion, environmental awareness is a vital force for positive change in our world. It encourages us to recognize the challenges our environment faces and the role we play in either exacerbating or alleviating them. By understanding the significance of our natural surroundings and the impact of our actions, we become stewards of the Earth, working together to protect and preserve it.

Environmental awareness is not a passive concept; it’s a call to action. It empowers us to make choices that benefit both the environment and ourselves. As we move forward, let us embrace environmental awareness as a guiding principle in our lives, fostering a deeper connection to nature and a commitment to a sustainable and harmonious future for all living beings on our precious planet.

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Essay on Environment: Examples & Tips

Updated on
May 30, 2022

In the 21st century, the Environmental crisis is one of the biggest issues. The world has been potentially impacted by the resulting hindrance in the environmental balance, due to the rising in industrialization and urbanization. This led to several natural calamities which creates an everlasting severe impact on the environment for years. To familiarize students with the importance environment, the subject ‘Environmental Studies’ is part of the curriculum in primary, secondary as well as higher school education. To test the knowledge of the students related to Environment, a question related to the topic in the form of essay or article writing is included in the exam. This blog aims to focus on providing details to students on the way, they can draft a well-written essay on Environment.

This Blog Includes:

Overview on environment, tips on writing an effective essay, format (150 words), sample essay on environment, environment essay (100 words), essay on environment (200-250 words), environment essay (300 words), world environment day.

To begin the essay on Environment, students must know what it is all about. Biotic (plants, animals, and microorganisms) and abiotic (non-living physical factors) components in our surroundings fall under the terminology of the environment. Everything that surrounds us is a part of the environment and facilitates our existence on the planet.

Before writing an effective essay on Environment, another thing students need to ensure is to get familiarised with the structure of essay writing. The major tips which students need to keep in mind, while drafting the essay are:

Research on the given topic thoroughly : The students must research the topic given in the essay, for example: while drafting an essay on the environment, students must mention the recent events, so to provide the reader with a view into their understanding of this concept.
Jot down the important points: When the students research the topic, students must note down the points which need to be included in the essay.
Quote down the important examples: Students must quote the important examples in the introductory paragraphs and the subsequent paragraphs as well.
Revise the Essay: The student after finishing writing students must revise the content to locate any grammatical errors as well as other mistakes.

Essay on Environment: Format & Samples

Now that you are aware of the key elements of drafting an essay on Environment, take a look at the format of essay writing first:

Introduction

The student must begin the essay by, detailing an overview of the topic in a very simple way in around 30-40 words. In the introduction of the essay on Environment, the student can make it interesting by recent instances or adding questions.

Body of Content

The content after the introduction can be explained in around 80 words, on a given topic in detail. This part must contain maximum detail in this part of the Essay. For the Environment essay, students can describe ways the environment is hampered and different ways to prevent and protect it.

In the essay on Environment, students can focus on summing the essay in 30-40 words, by writing its aim, types, and purposes briefly. This section must swaddle up all the details which are explained in the body of the content.

Below is a sample of an Essay on Environment to give you an idea of the way to write one:

The natural surroundings that enable life to thrive, nurture, and destroy on our planet called earth are referred to as an environment. The natural environment is vital to the survival of life on Earth, allowing humans, animals, and other living things to thrive and evolve naturally. However, our ecosystem is being harmed as a result of certain wicked and selfish human actions. It is the most essential issue, and everyone should understand how to safeguard our environment and maintain the natural balance on this planet for life to continue to exist.

Nature provides an environment that nourishes life on the planet. The environment encompasses everything humans need to live, including water, air, sunshine, land, plants, animals, forests, and other natural resources. Our surroundings play a critical role in enabling the existence of healthy life on the planet. However, due to man-made technical advancements in the current period, our environment is deteriorating day by day. As a result, environmental contamination has risen to the top of our priority list.

Environmental pollution has a detrimental impact on our everyday lives in a variety of ways, including socially, physically, economically, emotionally, and cognitively. Contamination of the environment causes a variety of ailments that can last a person’s entire life. It is not a problem of a neighborhood or a city; it is a global issue that cannot be handled by a single person’s efforts. It has the potential to end life in a day if it is not appropriately handled. Every ordinary citizen should participate in the government’s environmental protection effort.

Between June 5 and June 16, World Environment Day is commemorated to raise awareness about the environment and to educate people about its importance. On this day, awareness initiatives are held in a variety of locations.

The environment is made up of plants, animals, birds, reptiles, insects, water bodies, fish, humans, trees, microbes, and many other things. Furthermore, they all contribute to the ecosystem.

The physical, social, and cultural environments are the three categories of environments. Besides, various scientists have defined different types and numbers of environments.

1. Do not leave rubbish in public areas. 2. Minimize the use of plastic 3. Items should be reduced, reused, and recycled. 4. Prevent water and soil contamination

Hope the blog has given you an idea of how to write an essay on the Environment. If you are planning to study abroad and want help in writing your essays, then let Leverage Edu be your helping hand. Our experts will assist you in writing an excellent SOP for your study abroad consultant application.

Sonal is a creative, enthusiastic writer and editor who has worked extensively for the Study Abroad domain. She splits her time between shooting fun insta reels and learning new tools for content marketing. If she is missing from her desk, you can find her with a group of people cracking silly jokes or petting neighbourhood dogs.

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Home — Essay Samples — Environment — Environmental Education — The Importance of Earth Day in Promoting Environmental Awareness

The Importance of Earth Day in Promoting Environmental Awareness

Categories: Environmental Education Environmental Issues

About this sample

Words: 576 |

Published: Sep 5, 2023

Words: 576 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

1. raising environmental awareness, 2. inspiring sustainable practices, 3. fostering a sense of responsibility, 4. global collaboration and advocacy, conclusion: a collective effort for a better planet.

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Student Engagement and Environmental Awareness : Gen Z and Ecocomposition

NANCY G. BARRÓN teaches courses on the rhetoric of sustainability, diversity, and climate change as well as professional writing. Her research interests include the rhetoric of sustainability, identity, culture, and transdisciplinary writing. She also designs student symposia and conferences for a public exchange of research findings.

SIBYLLE GRUBER is a teacher with the Rhetoric, Writing, and Digital Media Studies Program at Northern Arizona University. She has published on the positionalities of international faculty, feminist rhetoric, environmental literacy, and composition theories and practices. She teaches courses that focus on the social and cultural aspects of environmental literacy practices.

GAVIN HUFFMAN graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in English and a certificate in rhetoric. His research interests include the rhetoric of fear, sustainability, and the language of legislation.

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Nancy G. Barrón , Sibylle Gruber , Gavin Huffman; Student Engagement and Environmental Awareness : Gen Z and Ecocomposition . Environmental Humanities 1 March 2022; 14 (1): 219–232. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/22011919-9481528

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This article collaboration addresses the importance of contextualizing current climate change discussions in twenty-first-century ecocomposition classrooms. It specifically focuses on the practical significance of what students’ writing and research can accomplish in and outside the classroom, and on how student involvement in the research process can create spaces for new awareness and renewed interest in active engagement with climate change discussions. The article references student projects exhibited at ClimateCon 2020, including one project that focused on Rachel Carson’s ability to persevere despite the many challenges she faced. With ecocomposition as an entry point, the article shows the importance of continued education about the environment and climate change, getting involved with sustainable practices, engaging with environmental awareness campaigns, and, when needed, lobbying for readjusting corporate business practices to include sustainability efforts.

Starting the Conversation: Learning about the Environment in the Writing Classroom

Rachel Carson concludes “A Fable for Tomorrow,” published in her influential 1962 book, Silent Spring , by pointing out that “a grim specter has crept upon us almost unnoticed, and this imagined tragedy may easily become a stark reality we all shall know.” 1 No longer a fable, tragedies include vast forest fires across the globe, hurricanes, floods, and global pandemics. These tragedies are also played out at a local level in northern Arizona where we as the study’s authors live, teach, and learn. Here, increased cancer rates on the Navajo reservation are associated with uranium mining, and a nearby forest fire cost the lives of nineteen firefighters. 2 These tragedies, and many like them, have caused ecoanxiety, ecophobia, and climate depression. 3 Students tell us that they feel powerless and paralyzed in the face of a rapidly advancing climate crisis. 4 Many young people have confirmed that their fears about climate change, quite similar to the fears about COVID-19, are connected to an uncertainty over what is yet to come, which, according to Caroline Hickman, a member of the Climate Psychology Alliance, creates an “out-of-control feeling.” To address such debilitating experiences, Hickman argues, we need to take action, either individually or collectively, to create a sense of agency and reduce anxiety levels. 5

In this article we, as a collaboration between two professors and one undergraduate student, discuss the results of taking action and incorporating opportunities for contextualizing current climate change discussions. We show teachers how the principles of ecocomposition can be used to combine current narratives focused on fear and overwhelming anxiety about the climate crisis with a growing awareness, curiosity, and willingness to explore creative solutions to transform a currently unstable and uncertain future. Specifically, we focus on the practical significance of what students’ writing and research can accomplish, and on how student involvement in ClimateCon 2020, a collaborative student conference, can create spaces for new awareness and renewed interest in active engagement with climate change discussions. We conclude by pointing out the need to combine teacher, students, and citizen roles to create a call to action that expands current narratives about the environment and that realigns public opinion in favor of sustainability and climate change action. With ecocomposition as an entry point, we show that we can participate in education about the environment and climate change, get involved with sustainable practices, engage with environmental awareness campaigns, and, when needed, lobby for readjusting corporate business practices to include sustainability efforts.

The Reason for Ecocomposition and Environmental Awareness in the College Classroom

“Why isn’t there more of an outrage?” asked Maria Welch, a Navajo field researcher with the Southwest Research Information Center in an interview with Laurel Morales, a senior field correspondent for Fronteras Desk and NPR. 6 Welch, whose parents grew up next to uranium mines on the Navajo reservation and played in contaminated water, studies the impact of uranium mining on Navajo families today. Welch’s questions about the silence surrounding the environmental destruction caused by uranium mining are indicative of a history of discrimination faced by Native Americans, communities of color, and low-income communities. George McGraw, a human rights advocate and founder and CEO of DigDeep 7 —an organization that focuses on bringing running water to communities such as the Navajo Nation—puts it bluntly: “This is a community that has found themselves voiceless.” 8

Such voicelessness, and political, racial, and economic marginalization, are not new in the United States, nor are we surprised that the environmental struggles of communities of color, working-class communities, and communities considered to have little economic and political power are often left out from discussions on climate change. Nancy G. Barrón and Sibylle Gruber, both identifying as Gen X professors, embraced the challenge of breaking the silence and using ecocomposition to incorporate climate change into class discussions and to create ClimateCon, a public space to address environmental action opportunities. Gavin Huffman, a Gen Z English major who was enrolled in a capstone rhetoric and writing course and participated in an undergraduate research projects course, embraced the challenge to explore possible approaches to the environmental crisis and to provide insights from and for Gen Z students on how to move beyond feeling scared, angry, and overwhelmed. Barrón and Gruber have lived and worked for more than twenty years near the Navajo reservation in northern Arizona where they teach rhetoric, writing, and digital media studies through theory-based application projects grounded in ecocomposition practices. Huffman applied his rhetorical knowledge to discussions on climate change and sustainability that could lead to social change and action.

The increasing urgency of climate action, and growing student concerns about the environment, 9 encouraged Barrón and Gruber to focus three junior/senior-level rhetoric and writing courses on historical, local, national, and global discussions surrounding the environment and climate change, especially how they influenced Gen Z. We focused our teaching practices on principles of ecocomposition, 10 which emphasize the interdisciplinary nature and the “ecological pursuit” of writing, 11 in which any writing activity has to be seen in its historical, political, or ideological context. 12 We also incorporated process pedagogy, Paulo Freire’s concept of democratizing education and knowledge, and feminist principles as a way to “teach students an appreciation for diversity that can prepare educated citizens to shape and participate in a multicultural, democratic, and ecological society.” 13 Even though many of the studies on the impact of an ecocomposition curriculum on student learning focus on short-term results of specific situational practices, 14 we were encouraged to apply these practices in our own localized environments and contribute to the growing work of ecocomposition scholarship.

After students in previous rhetoric and writing courses told us about feeling paralyzed and powerless because of media portrayals of the current and impending climate crisis, we created course curricula and learning environments for three junior- and senior-level courses that focused on environmental literacy, climate change, and sustainability, and that also provided opportunities to map the connections between the environment and human actions. With this, “the ecological dimensions of selfhood,” in which “the whole spectrum of the nonhuman physical environment is embedded in each of our identities,” 15 became part of the curricula we introduced to students. The end results were student-directed projects that were focused on environmental developments and climate change actions, and that provided spaces for the “discovery and articulation” 16 needed to gain well-rounded knowledge about necessary educational approaches to climate change discussions.

In addition to providing students with a rhetorical foundation, 17 we introduced work by such authors as Rachel Carson, Ward Churchill, Barbara Kingsolver, and Winona LaDuke. 18 Our closeness to the Navajo Nation was especially important in our course design and in our decision to create spaces for transformative actions. Because of the social injustices and the unwillingness or inability by a normative system to communicate these injustices, many activists who live and work outside this normative system have experienced pushback and threats when trying to write about or discuss the cultural, political, social, and economic complexities of environmental developments. We incorporated texts that addressed environmental justice, the contributions of Indigenous peoples to climate discussions, and the need for a renaissance of thought that acknowledges Indigenous contributions to educational thought. 19

To our students, and to us as well, the opposition often seems insurmountable, and belittling comments, refusing to listen to arguments, undermining justified actions, and detracting from scientific facts have become politically accepted tactics. 20 To show that individuals and groups can participate in climate change action, we included talks on guerilla gardening in South Central Los Angeles, urban agriculture, and stories and podcasts on the impact of climate change on Native American communities. 21 We developed the course curricula with room for student input, and we encouraged them to bring in additional materials that they could introduce to their classmates. In each course, students worked on conceptualizing projects related to climate change. They also crafted a research paper with an action plan for countering climate change, and they developed a presentation that highlighted the rhetorical situation for creating the application project.

Gen Z Sensibilities and Transformative Action: The Need for Climate Change Discussions

When we first discussed creating a common space for students that would allow them to “build their own environmental ethics through a process of exploration,” 22 we saw it as an opportunity to expand classroom spaces and promote open discussions about normative systems, environmental racism, environmental policies, the climate crisis, and environmental activism. The contextual nature, and the importance of purpose and audience in ecocomposition, combined with a critical pedagogy that focuses on democratizing education and questioning ideologies, norms, and social conventions, provided the starting point for student explorations of how environmental concerns were and are being brought to the forefront of US consciousness. This way, education and knowledge, as Freire points out, are “processes of inquiry” 23 that create opportunities for developing critical consciousness and encourage us to reflect on and revise our pedagogical strategies. 24

The need for “a process of exploration” 25 and a place for “true reflection and action upon reality” 26 resulted in a collaborative research conference to provide students from the three redesigned junior- and senior-level rhetoric and writing courses a forum for public discussions on climate change action. Organized around panel discussions, poster presentations, and breakout sessions, ClimateCon provided many opportunities for focusing on the escalating climate crisis. Before the conference, students had read, discussed, and presented on sustainability, environmental justice, and climate change action as part of the weekly assignments. In addition, students in each class used their experiences as members of Gen Z to research a topic related to climate change, create a project that showed opportunities for transformative action, and present their findings at ClimateCon. The conference was designed for formal and informal interactions in a meaningful setting,” 27 with scheduled and “unscheduled” learning opportunities. These unscheduled learning opportunities, as Boyan Slat pointed out in his discussion of relaunching an unsuccessful ocean clean-up system, are part of revisiting failed attempts and creating spaces for future success. 28

We knew that ClimateCon had potential for encouraging students to see their work as an opportunity to influence a public audience and to engage in hopeful climate action in small and large ways. We were not prepared, however, for the overwhelming enthusiasm and the positive atmosphere that surrounded the event. The participation in brief panel discussions was animated and included sustainability in baseball, China’s garbage classification system, addressing climate denier arguments, and environmental narratives in game design. The conversations were even more dynamic when students mingled in the hallways of the Liberal Arts Building where participants elaborated on their posters, showed their videos on iPads, and provided details on three-dimensional projects, and where audience members surrounded presenters, asked questions, talked about their own experiences, and provided feedback on what they found especially eye-opening. A student’s project on “Growing Sustainability on Campus and Reducing Single-Waste Use” showed what specific campus efforts were already in place at Northern Arizona University, including the elimination of serving trays, the push for bringing your own drinking flasks, and the use of multi-use carry-out containers. This led to spirited debates on how these efforts could be advertised more fully and publicized across campus.

Audience members also practiced with a student-developed app called “Gamifying Sustainability,” and they provided suggestions on how to market the app to Gen Z. They wanted to know more about recycling and reducing carbon emissions on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, where climate change is no longer a far-off threat and rising sea levels are predicted to cause severe coastal flooding. The immediacy of the current climate crisis led to a brainstorming session that included possible individual actions of reducing single-car use, moving to sustainable eating practices, and encouraging social media use to create or join action networks. And because the presenter and the audience had learned about ecoanxiety and social media from another presenter, they were encouraged to discuss the futility of social media “dooms-scrolling,” an activity that many of them had engaged with. Instead, this presenter pointed out that information on Greta Thunberg’s commitment to climate strike actions and Fridays for Future were accessible because of social media, and that young people could easily find out about climate change actions because social media provided an easily available forum for distributing information.

In addition, posters on sustainable eating, fast fashion and sustainability, renewable energy on the Navajo Nation, sustainable gaming, the effects of climate change on wildlife, and generational differences in climate change discussions provided students with multiple opportunities to engage with one another and to show their knowledge of current discussions on climate change. As one student pointed out, her research on climate change and the discussions with the audience led her to further explore the connections between racial inequality, sustainability, and conservation efforts.

Gen Z and History: Contextualizing Climate Change Action

Many of the presentations encouraged spirited exchanges. We highlight one of them because it was especially influential in showing the need for remembering and addressing critical moments in history. Huffman, an undergraduate English major, decided to explore the life and work of Rachel Carson, a historical figure that he knew little about, and that most of Gen Z had never heard about. Huffman’s research, in other words, rediscovered Carson for Generation Z and showed why she was successful not only as a scientist but also as a writer whose personal and professional lives were far from ordinary. In this presentation, Huffman could show that Carson was able to apply her professional skills as a marine biologist and conservationist to change how we now understand the intricate connections between humans and natural environments, and how detrimental the use of pesticides is to the ecosystem. Specifically focusing on Rachel Carson and Silent Spring , with its attention to narrative style and scientific soundness, Huffman discovered that Carson, despite many adverse forces in her personal and professional life, gave voice to the concerns of many who suffered the effects of the chemical industry. His research, and his poster presentation at ClimateCon, were especially powerful as a way to reestablish Carson’s influence on current discussions on the environment and climate change.

Huffman’s enthusiasm, and the attention he received during ClimateCon, showed us that Carson’s life story and her writing on environmental pollution resonates with young adults. Carson’s ability to persevere because she believed that silence would be detrimental to the planet was especially powerful for Gen Z. Students related to Carson’s initial training as an English major, her literary publications that focused on the environment, and her studies in biology. Carson applied what Lloyd Bitzer called the rhetorical situation—“the nature of those contexts in which speakers or writers create rhetorical discourse.” 29 As Bitzer put it, and as Carson so skillfully shows us in Silent Spring , “rhetoric is a mode of altering reality, not by the direct application of energy to objects, but by the creation of discourse which changes reality through the mediation of thought and action.” 30 Carson knew that her readers needed to be convinced that the current environmental damage affected the human and nonhuman world. She also knew that she needed to include more than scientists to create a widespread appreciation for the devastating impact of DDT on the environment. 31

One of the important points for Huffman to show was Carson’s seamless fusion of science and the art of storytelling to create a narrative that does not discriminate against the nonscientist and can be understood by a general audience. Her readers, he pointed out to his audience of Gen Z students, were able to imagine the urgency of Carson’s plea for preserving the earth. Instead of focusing on the separation of the arts and sciences, splitting audiences as specialists and nonspecialists, and creating divisions based on subject-knowledge, 32 he showed his peers that Carson focused her writing on multiple stakeholders with and without disciplinary knowledge.

Huffman wanted his audience to understand that Carson challenged readers of Silent Spring to take action. In Carson’s case, this meant that rather than simply informing the public that DDT was harmful to the environment and its inhabitants, she offered ways to combat it. Students who participated in the exchange pointed out that, without solutions to mitigate the dire predictions, Carson would not have been able to convince her audience that they can participate as change agents. They specifically pointed out Carson’s use of questions throughout the book, which encouraged readers to think more critically about the ways they are affecting the planet and how they can change the environmental narrative. In other words, students were particularly impressed that Carson was able to change her audience’s behaviors and become more environmentally conscious. Huffman and his Gen Z peers attributed this to Carson’s emphasis on showing her audience the possibility of a brighter future despite an uphill battle instead of presenting a doomsday narrative. Through the impassioned discussions in the hallway, students concluded that a solid argument, a well-written narrative, and a convincing presentation need to be followed by perseverance in the face of adversity, ridicule, and dismissal.

ClimateCon created an enthusiasm for participating in climate change action that the preceding class activities—readings, discussions, analytical writing exercises, and a proposal centered around climate change action—could not garner. Once students started to work on creating solutions for localized problems, an important point emphasized by Thomas Hothem in “Suburban Studies and College Writing,” 33 and after they received feedback from audience members at ClimateCon, their commitment to participating in climate change action increased. The final weeks in class were spent on refining their projects and writing a final paper that incorporated theory and application and that outlined the exigence for creating the project and the climate change action that students would embrace. The work they submitted showed engagement, a willingness to leave their comfort zones, and an ability to “shape a rhetorical position for themselves,” 34 and it helped them “acquire a sense of context with which to gauge their relationship to their surroundings, their backgrounds, their education, and hence their future.” 35

Changing Public Opinion: Hope for the Future of Gen Z

Young climate change activists are part of a global movement. Deborah Adegbile from Lagos, Nigeria; Ayakha Melithafa from Cape Town, South Africa; Greta Thunberg from Stockholm, Sweden; Alexandria Villaseñor from New York City; and Ridhima Pandey from Haridwar, India; are just a few of the engaged activists who organize protests, take legal action, and work with farmers affected by climate change. 36 When students learn about the commitment of their Gen Z contemporaries, and when they are encouraged to question “the shape of choices, the structure and distribution of power and authority, the participatory process of decision making,” 37 climate change discussions can become part of a participatory and transformative curriculum for Gen Z students. Instead of remaining a temporary academic exercise, using the principles of ecocomposition provided opportunities for students to see the connections between historical events and current discussions on climate change. Changing “doomsday scrolling” and doomsday narratives to narratives of opportunity prompted Barrón, Gruber, and Huffman to embrace the following motto for ClimateCon2020: “If we agree that today’s climate change crisis is human-made, then we can make the changes necessary to reverse it.” ClimateCon2020 showed that we could become agents of change, and that we could encourage those around us to move toward transformative action, whether it’s on a small or large scale. 38

This article is a reminder for teachers that we need to bring the principles of ecocomposition—“the study of the relationship between discourse, nature, environment, location, place” 39 —to the forefront of our teaching and learning environments. This is especially important when science is often discredited, politics is focused on a consumer mentality, and social media platforms are used to attack climate change activists. This Machiavellian approach to the environment—what can be described as a disinterest in ethical concerns by politicians and big corporations deploying power for their own gain—encourages complacency of the powerful. ClimateCon2020 provided the setting for expanding narratives about the environment, sustainability, and climate change. It encouraged a shift away from self- and media-induced lethargy to a belief that each one of us can and needs to participate in our fight for slowing climate change. As one student said, ClimateCon2020 “was about our futures and not about our homework.” To continue the momentum, it is important to promote ecological literacy by continuously creating spaces for public exchanges and by combining our roles as teachers and students with our roles as citizens to create a call to action that encourages an expansion of current narratives about the environment, changes our anthropocentric worldview, and begins to realign public opinion in favor of sustainability and climate change action. 40 With this article, we show that we can participate in continued education about the environment and climate change, get involved with sustainable practices, engage with environmental awareness campaigns, and, when needed, lobby for readjusting corporate business practices to include sustainability efforts.

We end this article by reminding our readers of Wangari Maathai, a 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Green Belt Movement who emphasizes the connections between environmental and social justice actions. As she put it in her Nobel Lecture: “I would like to call on young people to commit themselves to activities that contribute toward achieving their long-term dreams. They have the energy and creativity to shape a sustainable future. To the young people I say, you are a gift to your communities and indeed the world. You are our hope and our future.” 41 Our experiences confirm Maathai’s description of young people. Recent climate change actions such as Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion, and Earthjustice 42 led by committed members across the globe show us that they have the strength and creativity needed to prompt global action on climate change. Our responsibilities as teachers and students include continuous critical and analytical learning about current climate change discussions to end an immoral silence and acknowledge environmental degradation as a social justice issue. With knowledge and understanding of the climate crisis, we are hopeful that we can participate in and design successful climate change action for a safer and healthier natural environment.

Carson, Silent Spring , 3 .

Steinbach, “Six Years Later.”

See Estok, “Theorizing” ; Estok, “Introduction” ; Christman, “I Have a Dream” ; Alex and Deborah, “Ecophobia” ; Deyo, “Eophobia” ; and Pikhala, “Environmental Education.”

See Plautz, “Environmental Burden” ; Richardson, “Climate Trauma” ; Wallace-Wells, Uninhabitable Earth .

See Nugent, “Terrified of Climate Change?”

Morales, “For the Navajo Nation.”

Dig Deep, “Our Work.”

See, for example, Plautz, “Environmental Burden” ; Winston, “Young People Are Leading the Way.”

See, for example, Dobrin, “Writing Takes Place” ; Weisser, “Ecocomposition and the Greening of Identity” ; Gaard, “Ecofeminism and Ecocomposition.”

Dobrin, “Writing Takes Place,” 18 .

See Plevin, “Liberatory Positioning of Place” ; Hothem, “Suburban Studies and College Writing.”

Gaard, “Ecofeminism and Ecocomposition,” 176 .

See Goggin and Waggoner, “Sustainable Development” ; Hembrough, “Engaging” ; Hembrough, “Case Study” ; Geary, “Writing about Wolves” ; Heiman, “Odd Topics.”

Weisser, “Ecocomposition and the Greening of Identity,” 81 .

Gaard, “Ecofeminism and Ecocomposition,” 166 .

Bitzer, “Rhetorical Situation” ; Burke, Grammar of Motives ; Burke, “Ideology and Myth” ; hooks, Teaching ; Foucault, Discipline and Punish ; Anzaldúa, Borderlands .

Carson, Silent Spring ; Churchill, Struggle ; Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer ; LaDuke, All Our Relations .

See Kincheloe and Steinberg, “Indigenous Knowledges in Education” ; Battiste, “Struggle and Renaissance” ; Price, “Indigenous Leaders.”

See, for example, Williams and Treadaway, “Exxon and the Valdez Accident” ; Whyte, “Dakota Access Pipeline” ; Nakamura and Wagner, “Trump Mocks Sixteen-Year-Old Greta Thunberg.”

See Finley, “Guerrilla Gardener” ; Davison, “How Urban Agriculture” ; Carter, “Greening” ; Flatow, “How Native American Communities” ; Jones, “How Native Tribes” ; US Department of the Interior, “Climate Change” ; Laduzinsky, “Disproportionate Impact” ; Bryce, “Indigenous Leaders” ; Morales, “For the Navajo Nation” ; Whyte, “Dakota Access Pipeline” ; Ibrahim, “Indigenous Knowledge Meets Science.”

Gaard, “Ecofeminism and Ecocomposition,” 174 .

Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed , 72 .

Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed , 84 .

Illich, Deschooling Society, 29 .

Slat, “System 001B.”

Bitzer, “Rhetorical Situation,” 1 .

Bitzer, “Rhetorical Situation,” 4 .

See Griswold, “How Silent Spring Ignited” ; DeMarco, “Rachel Carson’s Environmental Ethic” ; Wills-Toker, “Environmental Rhetoric of Rachel Carson,” 293 .

See Gartner, “When Science Writing Becomes Literary Art.”

Hothem, “Suburban Studies.”

Hothem, “Suburban Studies,” 35 .

Hothem, “Suburban Studies,” 38 .

See Dillen, “Time to Listen” ; Reynolds, “Star Student on a Mission” ; Varagur, “Meet India’s Teen Climate Advocate” ; and Galvez-Robles, “Nineteen Youth Climate Activists” ; Leung, “Swedish Teen Climate Activist.”

We acknowledge that organizing a conference and incorporating collaborative learning is not easy. We are full professors who do not teach a 5/5, and our research agenda includes the rhetoric of climate change, science writing, ecofeminism, and ecocomposition.

Dobrin, “Writing Takes Place,” 14 .

See Plumwood, “Androcentrism and Anthrocentrism” ; Plumwood, Environmental Culture ; Boddice, Anthropocentrism ; Quinn, Castéra, and Clément, “Teachers’ Conceptions of the Environment” ; Leonard, “Why Lakes and Rivers” ; Marchesini, Beyond Anthropocentrism ; Dobbins, Piga, and Manca, Environment, Social Justice .

Maathai, “Nobel Lecture.”

Fridays for Future, “What We Do” ; Extinction Rebellion, “What Is XR?” ; Earthjustice, “Our Work.”

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Sustainability Education and Environmental Awareness

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First Online: 26 May 2023
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Isa Elegbede 7 , 8 , 9 ,
Rukayat Matti-Sanni 10 , 11 nAff8 ,
Obalola Moriam 12 , 13 &
Iduseri Emily Osa 14

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Environmental awareness ; Environmental education ; Sustainable environment

Introduction and Definition

Sustainability education is education approach that aims to develop students, schools, and communities with the values and the motivation to take action for sustainability, in their personal lives, within their community and at a global scale, now and in the future. Sustainability Education for Sustainable Development is a common term used to describe education (ESD). Future-focused, sustainability education puts an emphasis on preserving the environment and fostering a more ecologically and socially equitable society via responsible conduct. Taking measures to promote more sustainable lifestyles necessitates taking into account the interconnection of the environmental, social, cultural, and economic systems (ACARA 2015 ). It enables all individuals to acquire the knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and values required to build a sustainable future. Assessment of historical...

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Rukayat Matti-Sanni

Present address: SAEIO Global, Lagos, Nigeria

Authors and Affiliations

Department of Environmental Planning, Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), Cottbus, Germany

Isa Elegbede

SAEIO Global, Lagos, Nigeria

Department of Fisheries, Lagos State University, Lagos, Nigeria

Department of Botany, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

Department of Educational Foundations, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

Obalola Moriam

Department of Guidance and Counselling, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria

Department of Environmental Science, National Open University, Abuja, Nigeria

Iduseri Emily Osa

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London Metropolitan University, Guildhall Faculty of Business and Law London Metropolitan University, London, UK

Samuel Idowu

Cologne Business School, Ingolstadt, Germany

René Schmidpeter

College of Business, Loyola University New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, USA

Nicholas Capaldi

International Training Centre of the IL, International Labor Organization, Turin, Italy

Liangrong Zu

Department of Economics, Society and Politics, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy

Mara Del Baldo

Instituto Politécnico da Guarda, Guarda, Portugal

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Ivana Mijatovic

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Elegbede, I., Matti-Sanni, R., Moriam, O., Emily Osa, I. (2023). Sustainability Education and Environmental Awareness. In: Idowu, S., Schmidpeter, R., Capaldi, N., Zu, L., Del Baldo, M., Abreu, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainable Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02006-4_128-1

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Essay on Environmental Sustainability

Students are often asked to write an essay on Environmental Sustainability in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on Environmental Sustainability

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Environmental Sustainability

250 Words Essay on Environmental Sustainability

Introduction to environmental sustainability.

Environmental sustainability is an integral aspect of our existence, intertwined with the notion of preserving the natural world for future generations. It encapsulates the concept of stewardship, wherein we are responsible for managing the Earth’s resources responsibly and efficiently.

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500 Words Essay on Environmental Sustainability

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Essay on Environment for Students and Children

500+ words essay on environment.

Essay on Environment – All living things that live on this earth comes under the environment. Whether they live on land or water they are part of the environment. The environment also includes air, water, sunlight, plants, animals, etc.

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Moreover, the entire life support of humans depends wholly on the environmental factors. In addition, it also helps in maintaining various life cycles on earth.

Most importantly, our environment is the source of natural beauty and is necessary for maintaining physical and mental health.

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Benefits of the Environment

The environment gives us countless benefits that we can’t repay our entire life. As they are connected with the forest, trees, animals, water, and air. The forest and trees filter the air and absorb harmful gases. Plants purify water, reduce the chances of flood maintain natural balance and many others.

Moreover, the environment keeps a close check on the environment and its functioning, It regulates the vital systems that are essential for the ecosystem. Besides, it maintains the culture and quality of life on earth.

The environment regulates various natural cycles that happen daily. These cycles help in maintaining the natural balance between living things and the environment. Disturbance of these things can ultimately affect the life cycle of humans and other living beings.

The environment has helped us and other living beings to flourish and grow from thousands of years. The environment provides us fertile land, water, air, livestock and many essential things for survival.

Cause of Environmental Degradation

Human activities are the major cause of environmental degradation because most of the activities humans do harm the environment in some way. The activities of humans that causes environmental degradation is pollution, defective environmental policies, chemicals, greenhouse gases, global warming, ozone depletion, etc.

All these affect the environment badly. Besides, these the overuse of natural resources will create a situation in the future there will be no resources for consumption. And the most basic necessity of living air will get so polluted that humans have to use bottled oxygen for breathing.

Above all, increasing human activity is exerting more pressure on the surface of the earth which is causing many disasters in an unnatural form. Also, we are using the natural resources at a pace that within a few years they will vanish from the earth. To conclude, we can say that it is the environment that is keeping us alive. Without the blanket of environment, we won’t be able to survive.

Moreover, the environment’s contribution to life cannot be repaid. Besides, still what the environment has done for us, in return we only have damaged and degraded it.

FAQs about Essay on Environment

Q.1 What is the true meaning of the environment?

A.1 The ecosystem that includes all the plants, animals, birds, reptiles, insects, water bodies, fishes, human beings, trees, microorganisms and many more are part of the environment. Besides, all these constitute the environment.

Q.2 What is the three types of the environment?

A.2 The three types of environment includes the physical, social, and cultural environment. Besides, various scientists have defined different types and numbers of environment.

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Home / Essay Samples / Environment / Ecology / Ecological Consciousness: Building a Sustainable Future

Ecological Consciousness: Building a Sustainable Future

Category: Environment , Education
Topic: Environmental Education , Environmental Ethics

Pages: 4 (1610 words)

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Abdullah, K. (2013) The Role of Faculties of Education in Increasing Sustainable Environmental Awareness of Society. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 4, 233-242
Almeida, S. C., Moore, D., & Barnes, M. (2018). Teacher identities as key to environmental education for sustainability implementation: A study from Australia. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 34(3), 228-243. doi:10.1017/aee.2018.40
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (2017). Sustainability.
Beckrich, A. (2010). The green room: Greening your science curriculum. The Science Teacher, 77(9), 12-13.
Benavides-Lahnstein, A.(2019). Revisiting the future: Educating school teachers in science education for sustainability. Teacher Development, 23(4), 506-510. doi:10.1080/13664530.2019.1623299
Corraliza, J. A., & Collado, S. (2019). Ecological awareness and children’s environmental experience. Papeles Del Psicólogo, 40(3), 190-196. doi:10.23923/pap.psicol2019.2896
Dulin, E. (2017). Unit of work on sustainability. Science Education News, 66(3), 36-48.
Evans, N., Whitehouse, H., & Hickey, R. (2012). Pre-service teachers' conceptions of education for sustainability. Australian Journal of Teacher Education (Online), 37(7), 1-12. doi:10.14221/ajte.2012v37n7.3
Egger, A. E., Kastens, K. A., & Turrin, M. K. (2017). Sustainability, the next generation science standards, and the education of future teachers. Journal of Geoscience Education, 65(2), 168-184. doi:10.5408/16-174.1
Handayani, R. Wilujeng, I., & Prasetyo, Z. (2018). Elaborating indigenous knowledge in the science curriculum for the cultural sustainability. Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability, 20(2), 74-88. doi:10.2478/jtes-2018-0016
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. London;New York; Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780203181522
Korda, S. (2019). Reinventing teaching. Childhood Education, 95(1), 38-43. doi:10.1080/00094056.2019.1565808
Paricio, L. (2019). Sustainable science education: Paving the way for science of sustainability in secondary education. The Science Teacher, 87(3), 16.
Taylor, D. E. (2019). College students and nature: Differing thoughts of fear, danger, disconnection, and loathing. Environmental Management, 64(1), 79-96. doi:10.1007/s00267-019-01172-9

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