Environmental education and sustainability education are key rafts of ways to educate…
Here are some examples.
The National Association for Environmental Education UK : The purpose of NAEE is “to promote all forms of environmental education, and to support all those involved in its delivery, so that together we can understand and act on the need to live more sustainably in order to protect the future of our planet.
We believe that young people have a right to first-hand educational experiences in their local environment, because these are critical in helping people understand the importance of the biosphere to all life on the planet, as well as being a source of wellbeing and fulfilment, and a motivation towards sustainable living.
The Association is committed to campaigning for a strong focus on environmental and sustainability issues across the school curriculum and happy to support the work of Teach the Future and its very apt goals:
- A government commissioned review into how the whole of the English formal education system is preparing students for the climate emergency and ecological crisis
- Inclusion of the climate emergency and ecological crisis in English teacher standards
- An English Climate Emergency Education Act
- A national climate emergency youth voice grant fund
- A national Youth Climate Endowment Fund
- All new state-funded educational buildings should be net-zero from 2020; all existing state-funded educational buildings net-zero by 2030 “
Our friends at NAAEE – North American Association for Environmental Education- explain their work thus : “For more than four decades, NAAEE has promoted excellence in environmental education throughout North America and the world. We are dedicated to strengthening the field of environmental education and increasing the visibility and efficacy of the profession.
NAAEE’s influence stretches across North America and around the world, with members in more than 30 countries. NAAEE and its 56 state, provincial, and regional Affiliate organizations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico have more than 20,000 members. These members are professionals with environmental education responsibilities and interests across business, government, higher education, formal (K–12) education, nonformal education, early childhood education, science education and STEM, and other sectors of society.”
‘There’s no app for this’ … connecting children and young people with nature is one of the most precious things there is and has multiple benefits from multiple opportunities.
Children & Nature coalition : what’s it all about?
“We believe that the well-being of children and the wild places we love are inextricably linked. And while research tells us that regular time outdoors is essential for children’s healthy development, today’s kids are less connected to nature than ever before.
We also know that longstanding systems of injustice have impacted the design and distribution of green spaces, and call for new policies informed by people who have been impacted by racism and systems of inequity. We are committed to strengthening efforts to advance equity in access to nature.
We support and mobilize leaders, educators, activists, practitioners and parents working to turn the trend of an indoor childhood back out to the benefits of nature–and to increase safe and equitable access to the natural world for all.“
