What is environmental education ? (pg2)

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Definition and Principles of Environmental Education:

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), environmental education (EE) is:

"... the process of recognizing values and clarifying concepts in order to develop skills and attitudes necessary to understand and appreciate the interrelatedness among men, his culture and his biophysical surroundings. EE also entails practice in decision-making and self-formulation of a code of behaviour about issues concerning environmental quality. International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN; 1971)

The 1977 Tbilisi Conference, which followed soon after the launch of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), is known to have spearheaded clarification on the nature of environmental education. This conference resulted in a declaration which listed seven directive principles for environmental education (EE) programmes. These are summarized as follows:

	EE is a lifelong educational process that occurs at all levels of education.
	EE is about the interactions which occur in the natural, the built and social environment. It should lead to the understanding of how human interactions and political processes, together with the nature of socio-economic issues and the effect of these on environmental degradation or enhancement.
	EE is for developing attitudes and value systems which lead to socio-economic improvement through positive social interactions and the maintenance and improvement of the natural and built environment.
	EE aims to develop an individual's understanding, skills and the feelings of empowerment that are necessary for both positive behaviour towards the biophysical and social environment in everyday living, and for active participation in group efforts to find the optimal solutions for environmental problems.
	EE requires a holistic and preferably interdisciplinary approach to teaching with opportunities for diverse learning experiences, but with particular emphasis on direct experiential learning in natural, built and social environments.

Environmental education is therefore not only the concern of natural scientists, but draws from the tools and resources of a wide range of disciplines in order to demonstrate the root of current problems and suggest ways in which learners could either prevent or remedy these.

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