Sustainability, Equity And Biodiversity

“The most practical and the most feasible solution offered, and the one on which this paper will center, involves the schoolyard. The schoolyard habitat movement, which promotes the “greening” of school grounds, is quickly gaining international recognition and legitimacy.” This quote touches on the fact that currently our schools need to “greened” meaning nature needs to be implemented not on the sidelines of fields but rather right in the center for kids to explore. There are many studied showing how children’s connection with nature at a young age helps them have a strong connection with nature along with having better health and lesser chances of depression. There are many organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation, Council for Environmental Education, American Forest Foundation, Britain-based Learning through Landscapes, Canadian-based Evergreen, and Swedish-based Skolans Uterum, that have all expresses interest in helping out with this cause. A theory that is very interesting that relates to this issue is a theory by Edward Wilson from Harvard. He had a theory that he named biophilia. Basically what this theory was about was that all people are simply drawn to nature by their very instinct. This quote has a lot of truth to it. Almost all

The UK Parliament has made considerable movement towards helping schools in Britain to become kinder to the planet. The Scottish government has introduced an eco-schools programme into the British school system. These eco-schools and the government hold close links with Education for sustainable development (ESD).

In this article “Enough For All Forever: A Handbook for Learning About Sustainability,” David Suzuki (2010) explains how the human beings see and understand the changing world, nature and sustainability.

When I was five years old I began school. In Kindergarden we learned basic things like letters, numbers, and how not to be fully engulfed in flames. For some reason, 2004 was the height of anti-fire education in Missouri and before I knew how to tie my shoes I knew that if I ever was ablaze, to cover my face, fall to my knees, and roll back and fourth. This is what my institution placed serious value upon and because I was a student of that institution I also placed serious value upon it. The same idea must be applied to a university's teaching of environmental sustainability. This is discussed in David Orr's "What is Education For?" Through choosing a curriculum a university chooses what it places value onto, by making the environment a priority it showcases to the future generations that environmental wellness is an important responsibility for them to take ownership.

Lastly the sixth chapter, “Ecological Education and Spirituality”, focuses its attention on the individual by encouraging them to make a difference whether big or small. It also mentions the importance of environmental education at a young age to be practical steps for leading an individual to a deeper spiritual ecological Conversion which ultimately grants them the ability to see the true worth of all

The author considers environmental education as a cause for children to remain unknown with the nature. He describes environmental education as being “didactic and stead, restrictive and rule bound” (Sobel, 2012). The author mentions that children these days are not allowed to interact or play with the nature in a wild way because environmentalist and naturalist believe that those interaction might be harmful for the nature. Therefore, author has compared nature as being a museum for children because they can look at it but they cannot feel or touch it. The author believes if children were left to play with nature on their own terms, they establish an affection with it, which will encourage them to care about nature in future. Like John Burroughs stated “Knowledge without love will not stick. But if love comes first, knowledge is sure to follow”, children learn more through their experience with nature as children establish a deep connection with it which will inspire them to take care of nature (Sobel 2012). To further elaborate this, the author have shared the experiences of naturist such as Wilson, Muir, Rachel Carson, and Aldo

Gruenwald (2003) asserts that a relationship to place, fosters understanding of culture and identity and an appreciation to care, which is essential to the understanding of others, community and the world. Increased knowledge and care of the local, encourages humans to examine their impact on the environment (Gruenwald, 2003), marrying perfectly with an educator’s opportunity to nurture a sense of curiosity when exploring the diversity and interrelationships, that exist in school garden. This unit of work posits: “Who and what, lives on my school site? What can I do to improve the health of my schools’ ecosystem?” as the big idea to focus on. This focus squarely places the students into a systematic PBL experience, due to a close examination of a space they are already, readily familiar with, in addition to exploration of the nearby bushland under the expert guidance of a member from the local Aboriginal Consultative Group (Community, n.d.), broadening the students experience of ecosystems and their complexity while shaping their future perceptions (Blair, 2009). Guided investigations throughout the outdoor classroom connect the students to nature via relevant hands on learning whilst simultaneously developing the students’ environmental stewardship (Williams & Dixon, 2013). Klemmer, Waliczek, & Zajicek (2005) argue that as people become detached from

This should be firmly implanted in a child’s mind so that he may constantly be aware that man has a special responsibility to protect Nature. Students should be made aware of their responsibility and duty towards protecting nature and prevent its wanton destruction which unfortunately seems to be order of the day. Some simple practices like encouraging planting of trees periodically in their neighbourhood, watering the plants and nurturing them, digging pits for rain water harvesting should be taught. These and other would foster in a child caring and sharing attitude towards nature and life on earth and a deep appearance of the flora and fauna.

Sustainability development has three components: environment, society, and economy. If you consider the three to be overlapping circles of the same size, the area of overlap in the center is human well-being. As the environment, society, and economy become more aligned, the area of overlap increases, and so does human well-being. Therefore, education for sustainable development (ESD) is the use of education as a tool to achieve sustainability. Simply put, ESD is a way to make the world a safer, healthier, and more livable place for us and future generations (McKeown, 2002, pgs 7-9).

This essay will review two significant environmental experiences I have encountered exploring the influences of these my life and how these have altered my view on what is environmental sustainability. An examination into these two experiences will follow into reviewing my perspectives on environmental sustainability and how these two experiences influenced this. To conclude a discussion on my role as a teacher and how this will impact myself when in the classroom.

As a 17-year old teenager going to high school, contrary to the environmental activist, David Suzuki’s, remarks about the ignorance of humans about nature, I receive much information about these kinds of problems at my school, from dedicated assemblies, eco fairs and special days that address our responsibility to deal with nature in a more responsible fashion. Yet, when the school day is over, all of the information seeps out of the roof of the school; plastic water bottles are still found in the corners of hallways and leftover Tim Hortons cups are still present in the desks of my former Business class. Even when I step inside the door of my house, the disconnection from nature is apparent. Most of my time at home is spent looking at a screen and doing homework and the only sign of nature would be the fly

Sustainability is not just something Xavier Universtiy is focuing on. Many other universities across the country as well as individuals are contributing to the sustainability movement. In the International Journal for Sustainabiliyt in Higher Education, contributer B. Chalkley stated that, “education for sustainability must seek outcomes that involve not only knowledge and skills but also the values that underpin sustainable behaviour by businesses, government and socieety,” (Shephard). This minset is on par with the required coursework emcompassed in Xavier’s Enviornmental Studies minor program.

Environmental Education today must be understood as education for sustainability. The flow information and knowledge caused by Environmental Education have the potential to build a new vision of the world capable of guiding actions towards sustainability.

This report is designed to investigate the rationale behind teaching Education for Sustainability (EfS) in early childhood education, through investigating the relevant issues and concept of sustainability in relation to the pedagogies and principles of early years education. The initial part of this report will focus on three issues of sustainability, all falling under the greater sustainability concept of waste management. The report will then go on to articulate the role and importance of EfS in early years principles and pedagogies. Finally, some teaching strategies for teaching EfS will be outlined.

I believe that “wisdom, not cleverness, is the proper aim of all true learning” and that “human ignorance is not an entirely solvable problem; it is, rather, an inescapable part of the human condition” (Orr, 2002, p. 39). As teachers and future teachers it is our duty to not only instill in our students the factual knowledge and technical skills they need to succeed in the world, but also to teach them to consider carefully the consequences of their actions. What happens to the metal cans from the two energy drinks that student consumes daily? What happens to their bodies from drinking that filth? Students do not think about these things often because they are not taught in any setting to think ecologically. How we can get students or any other members of our society to think ecologically is not something Orr dives particularly deeply into, however.