Good research paper about effective environmental education

Environmental education involves a lifelong experience that is geared towards understanding how the natural environments function. It includes those efforts involved in teaching human beings on how they can manage their ecosystems and behavior if they are to live sustainably. Even though, environmental education is assumed something that is taught in classrooms only, it is more than this. It is broader and includes all those other efforts outside classroom involved in educating the public and other categories of audiences about the natural resources. It can be through websites, print materials, media campaigns, etc. A learning process improves an individual’ s awareness and knowledge about the environment. Its challenges, nurtures expertise and experience necessary to address the challenges and motivates them to make responsible decisions regarding the environment (Orr, 2005). Since it is factual that the environmental education occurs throughout the life of an individual, we can conclude that all education is environmental education.

Characteristics of Effective Environmental Education

Effective environmental education involves having an in-depth understanding of the environment and how it should be managed. The following components makeup effective environmental education.
The first characteristic entails one having total awareness and sensitivity to the environment and its challenges. Environmental awareness refers to a situation where an individual knows the environment’s fragility and the benefits attached to protecting it. The good thing about awareness is that it creates a sense of responsibility. Once a human being understands the effects of their inactions to the environment and what this means to their sustainability, they are likely to behave in a responsible way (Orr, 2005). Environmental challenges arise from human being activities. If this is brought to their attention, they are likely to limit those activities affecting the environments
The second characteristic involves having a proper understanding of the environment; that is, Environmental Knowledge. It starts by first knowing what constitutes the environment. What is an environment? This is the first question asked if one is to understand the environment. After answering this, know exactly the specific things that constitute the environment. One thing to be noted here is that management of the environmental exploitation process is necessary to sustain our environment
The third characteristic is attitudes of concern for our environment and the motivation to ensure a quality environment. Environmental education must develop good attitudes and motivation towards improving and building a quality environment. Motivation for such comes from highlighting the benefits associated with maintenance of a quality environment. By comparing situations in both favorable and unfavorable environments, positive attitudes will be developed towards ensuring sustainable environments (Zhou, Ang, & Poh, 2008).
The fourth characteristics involve developing the necessary skills to help in identification and solving environmental challenges. Environmental education is incomplete minus this characteristic. Desired skills will ensure maintenance of an optimal environment capable of sustaining lives of living things.

The other characteristics of effective environmental education include:

– Participation in those activities targeted towards resolving environmental challenges
– It is a lifelong learning process from birth stage to death
– It is not centered on one discipline that is it is an inter-disciplinary study that draws from a number of fields. It features in almost all disciplines because environment affects every aspect of life.

Where Environmental Education, Ecological Literacy and Education Are Taught

We have learnt that environmental education and ecological literacy are lifelong experiences. This means that it cannot be assumed that environmental education is only provided in classrooms. It is also available through other sources accessible to the public (Orr, 2005). Therefore, it is taught in schools, at home, religious organizations, workplace, associations, etc. It is not limited to schools only, but it is learned throughout the life of an individual because it is a sensitive thing that a human being is in contact with throughout their lives. It is offered to an individual in a number of ways. That is, through academic manuals, mass media, daily press, television and radio programs, observation and own experience, work organizations and through films. For example, in schools, there are specific subjects that teach on environment. Other subjects contain environmental topics and subtopics intended to bring the importance of sustaining the environment to the attention of students.

Stewardship, Conservation and Sustainability

Stewardship refers to the responsible management and planning of resources to ensure efficient use (Palmer, 2006). In environmental education, stewardship refers to that initiative an individual takes in managing environmental resources in an attempt of ensuring sustainable environments in the future. Sustainable environments ensure productivity among human beings hence, they should be maintained. Conservation in environment refers to guarding or protecting against the extensive use of environmental resources. In other words, it refers to cushioning our environments against resource depletion. Its primary goal is to limit exploitation of natural resources. On the other hand, environmental sustainability refers to that capability of the environment to create and maintain good conditions that allow coexistence of human beings and the nature in a productive way.
My environmental education has been of great importance since it has helped me to understand the above three terms and how each affects our environment. Stewardship has brought to my attention that it is my responsibility to ensure adequate planning and usage of resources. Conservation education has warned me about the dangers associated with exploitation of natural resources. If live is to be sustained, our environment must be protected against exploitation since adverse effects are associated with such exploitation. Sustainability of the environment is its ability to ensure living things like human beings remain productive throughout their lives. This is possible courtesy of a good environment. Therefore, environmental education is relevant since it has helped me in understanding the broad concepts of our environment. That is the benefits of teaching young generation about environment, importance of maintenance of good environments together with the effects associated with environmental pollution.

The Role Of Environmental Education In Higher Education

The higher education level comprises of younger generations where students are the effective media believed to be capable of bringing enormous changes in the society (Wright, 2002). The implication is that by teaching such individuals environmental education, we may tap their innovative and creative ideas regarding sustainability of our environment. It is the right stage where youths can be taught on the importance of reducing resource consumption in an attempt of achieving sustainability. For future planners, environmental education informs them on the need of conserving the environment for their future benefits. It is also a stage where minds are fresh to perform extensive researches as possible. By introducing environmental education here, we prepare the topic for extensive research that may turn beneficial to our environment as a whole. Furthermore, many of the past researches, which have benefited our environment, have their origin from this education level. It is advisable to ensure all university courses have environmental programs designed to prepare the youth for environmental stewardship, sustainability and conservation.

Is the biophilia revolution present at FGCU?

David uses this term in referring to the need of respecting nature since it is essential in living sustainability. Living things co-exist with human beings, and if they are not respected, the lives of human beings are bound to be in danger. The modern society has conditioned many minds against assuming the nature, which is very dangerous for future lives. The Florida Gulf Coast University plays a vital role in ensuring an environment is respected. All student courses include a program on environmental education that educates students on the importance of maintaining an excellent environment (Corcoran, & Wals, 2004). The students also participate in community awareness programs that involve communities on the need to respect it and the challenges bound to arise if exploitation of resources takes place. What David implies here is that the younger generations should consider reverting to the ancient ways where ecological system was respected. They should ensure limitation of all those activities threatening the environment. Thanks to the Florida Gulf Coast University since it is doing the same.

Does Florida Gulf Coast University practice sustainability, conservation and or stewardship? How?

Florida Gulf Coast University practices all of the above three. It offers colloquium interdisciplinary education designed to explore the environmental concept. The university’s goal regarding this course is to develop an ecological perspective geared towards educating the university student about environmental stewardship, conservation and sustainability. Its students are required to conduct an extensive environmental research that is part of their course. It is part of their program and hence ensures proper understanding of the three concepts in environmental education. Due to the university’s innovative environmental teaching strategies, it has attracted funding for both environmental education and research (Corcoran, & Wals, 2004). The campus also conducts community environmental awareness programs that help in informing the public on the importance of stewardship, sustainability and conservation of the natural resources. We can, therefore, conclude that the university plays a considerable role based on extensive education and research its system requires the students to perform.

References

Orr, D. W. (2005). Place and Pedagogy. Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World, 85-95.
Palmer, C. (2006). Stewardship: A Case Study in Environmental Ethics. Environmental Stewardship, 63-75.
Wright, T. S. (2002). Definitions and Frameworks for Environmental Sustainability in Higher Education. Higher Education Policy, 15(2), 105-120.
Corcoran, P. B., & Wals, A. E. (2004). Higher Education and the Challenge of Sustainability. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Zhou, P., Ang, B. W., & Poh, K. L. (2008). A Survey of Data Envelopment Analysis in Energy and Environmental Studies. European Journal of Operational Research, 189(1), 1-18.