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ECOLITERACY

Passion is lifted from the earth itself by the muddy hands of the young;  it travels along grass-stained sleeves to the heart.  If we are going to save environmentalism and the environment, we must also save an endangered indicator species:  the child in nature.

From Last Child in the Woods - Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

 

"The great challenge of our time is to build and nurture sustainable communities – communities that are designed in such a way that their ways of life, businesses, economies, physical structures, and technologies do not interfere with nature's inherent ability to sustain life. The first step in this endeavor is to understand the principles of organization that ecosystems have developed to sustain the web of life. This understanding is what we call ecological literacy.

Teaching this ecological knowledge – which may be called 'principles of ecology,' 'principles of sustainability,' 'principles of community,' or even the 'basic facts of life' – will be the most important role of education in the next century. "

Fritjof Capra, Director, Center for Ecoliteracy

 

 

School Programs

Willowell Foundation

The Walden Project

The Edible Schoolyard

The Edible Schoolyard - Seed to Table video

 

Web Sites:

Education for a Sustainable Future

River Network

Center for Ecoliteracy

 

Recommended Reading

No Child Left Inside

Last Child in the Woods - Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv

 

 

 

"Environment" as a Theme:

   Please join our Global Johnny Appleseed Project.

 

"Environment" as a theme can mean many different things:

  • Environment of the Planet Earth

  • Local physical environment of our community

  • Rain forests - Temperate, Tropical and Fossil

  • Political Environments

  • Social Environments

  • Within various career fields

  • Our multicultural world

  • Ecosystems

  • Biomes

 

Resources for Biomes

About Ecoliteracy

I.  Earth Mindful

At root, ecological thinking is for the environment, not just about it. For example, it takes for granted the conservation of biodiversity as an intrinsic and fundamental goal. It is at heart about values and proper behavior. Yet 'good Earth-keeping' requires some grasp of basic laws of energy and matter. As in the case of, say, hygiene, there is a need for a basic level of understanding, though it is not necessary to know the intricacies of relevant scientific theories.

First and foremost in the rudiments of what might be called ecoliteracy is the awareness of the Earth as our life-support system. In turn this requires a basic understanding of how the system works, e.g. energy flows & major cycles. Ecologically aware citizens would understand, for example, the ecological insight of that famous Biblical statement that 'all flesh is grass'. They would look at the environment with new eyes. Wetlands, for example, would not be viewed, as is dominantly the case, as wastelands but as nature's 'kidneys'.

They would have a general appreciation of the diversity of resources on which we depend, their current status, ownership and the uses to which they are put. They would understand the basic principles of sustainability: minimized inputs, maximized recycling, chemicals compatible with chemistry of life etc. so that society can work with the Earth's capacities, rhythms & tolerances.

An ecologically based concept of sustainability means that human exploitation of the environment must stay within certain limits. It is, of course, impossible to define precise boundaries. It is more a matter of danger zones in which the costs begin to outweigh the benefits of continued attempts to maintain further expansion or in which society can no longer expect salvation from methods that got round previously encountered limits (for example, mass emigrations and technological innovations).

Earth Mindful was excerpted from The Real World Resources Guide, 1.13 formerly located online at http://eco.gn.apc.org/resguide/1_13.html.  It is no longer available online.

 

II.  Environment & Society 

The environment has become one of the most important issues of our time and will continue to be well into the future. The challenge is to find approaches to environmental management that give people the quality of life they seek while protecting the environmental systems that are also the foundations of our well being. In order to face these challenges, students today will need more than superficial knowledge or awareness of disconnected environmental issues.

 

A multidisciplinary approach to learning can build upon the strengths of a wide range of fields of study, providing a deeper understanding of the technological, political, and social options and strategies for both studying and managing the relationship between our society and the environment.

The Environmental Literacy Council, http://www.enviroliteracy.org/, lists the following topics/links.  Each has a fantastic list of topics within that area, with links to information and resources.  The following list would be excellent for Expert Groups:

 

III.  Environmental Action begins with Environmental Literacy

From San Diego Earth Times article:

The term "environmental literacy" (EL) is used to describe an individual's capacity to perceive and interpret the relative health of environmental systems and to take appropriate action to maintain, restore or improve the health of those systems.   An individual who is environmentally literate possesses the following characteristics:

  1. Environmental knowledge;

  2. Environmental attitude and sensitivity

  3. Problem solving, planning and collaborative/facilitative skills, action strategies and

  4. The ability to take action to improve the environment

An ongoing involvement with nature combined with knowledge was the strongest contributing factor to the development of EL.  Common conditions that exist among those considered environmentally literate:

  1. Frequency of interaction with nature (outdoors);

  2. Significant role model, generally and most frequently an educator and then a parent;

  3. Knowledge and the practice of community service on behalf of the environment.

 

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