Environmental Education and Awareness
Environmental Education and awareness has become vital in the present. Environmental education and sustainable development have become one of the top agendas on national and global level since the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. This education and awareness allows to acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future. It integrates critical challenges of environment into teaching and learning; for example, climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction, and sustainable consumption. This environmental awareness and
consciousness empowers the learners to change their behavior and lifestyle and take action for sustainable development.
In Present times, the environmental education(EE) has emerged as an imperative tool in almost all economic spheres. Environment Education is in a position to develop a sense of responsibility, solidarity and belongingness among countries and regions towards environment which will speed up the pace of conservation and upgrading of the environment. Environment education and awareness also encourages the factors which promote positive citizenship behavior and ultimately leads to sustainable development.
Environmental education is a process of developing a community, that is aware of, concerned about, the total environment and its associated paradigms which has knowledge, attitudes, skills to work individually and collectively towards the situation of current problems and prevention of new ones.
In schools, Environmental Education should be able to find tangible solutions to environmental problems and provide a platform for participation of students and teachers in field oriented tools for learning and teaching.
Environmental Managers in the Making (Green Skills Solutions in Schools)
According to an article on Environment Education for Children (Little Green Hands) appearing in Conservative Allianace, there is an evidence that suggest programmes that aim at changing the conduct of children towards the environment are more likely to be successful than when adults are the target.
Eco Schools concept is a growing international phenomenon that encourages young people to engage in their environment by offering them an opportunity to actively protect it. The process of change and concern towards the environment begins in the classroom, it expands to school and fosters change in community at large. Young students experience a sense of achievement at being able to participate in environment initiatives and environment management activities and policies of the school.
These programmes aid in making sustainable minded, environmentally conscious people. These kind of project promotes environmental stewardship in identified schools through classroom and outdoor activities to improve critical, interdisciplinary and holistic thinking. It promotes competencies such as critical thinking, imagining future scenarios, and making decisions in a collaborative way. This unique programme goes beyond promoting awareness by encouraging the schools to act.