What_Is_Environmental_Education

In 1976, The Belgrade Charter: A Global Framework for Environmental Education (UNESCOUNEP, 1976) summarized the goal of environmental education as to develop a world population that is aware of, and concerned about, environmental and associated problems and that has the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations, and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones. These goals were better defined 20 years later by five objectives outlined in UNESCO-UNEP (1996). These objectives are to improve: • Awareness. To help social groups and individuals acquire awareness and sensitivity towards the environment as a whole, and issues, questions, and problems related to the environment and development. • Knowledge. To help individuals, groups, and societies gain a variety of experience in, and acquire a basic understanding of, what is required to create and maintain a sustainable environment. • Attitudes. To help individuals, groups, and societies acquire a set of values and feelings of concern for the environment, and the motivation to actively participate in protection of the environment. • Skills. To help individuals, groups, and societies acquire the skills for identifying, anticipating, preventing, and solving environmental problems. Participation. To provide individuals, groups, and societies with an opportunity, and the motivation, to be actively involved at all levels in creating a sustainable environment. These goals are pursued today by national and international organizations such as IUCN, UNEP, UNESCO, and the US Environmental Protection Agency, which have played a critical role in defining and promoting environmental education. In 1974, Project Environment presented a model of environmental education that included three different dimensions that should be considered in any environmental education program: • Education about the environment. This dimension is concerned with discovering the nature of the area under study. • Education from the environment. This second dimension uses the environment as a resource in two main ways: (a) As a medium for discovering and (b) as a resource of material for authentic activities. • Education for the environment. This dimension emphasizes the development of an informed concern for the environment and aims to develop positive attitudes. (Dobson, 2003) Why is Environmental Education important' For many reasons, but the simplest way I have considered this question is: we cannot sustainably live in an environment that we don't understand. To understand something means we have a knowledge of the subject. To gain such knowledge requires having experiences, training or education on and in the subject. In this case, it is called Environmental Education. Why is it important' Without it we do not know how to live on our planet, within its prescribed boundaries. Without it, the world will continue to perish in our hands. It is a fundamental and essential part (and obligation) of every persons life.