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org/ Open Access

EURASIAN EXPERIMENT JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND

©EEJHSS Publications Volume 5 Issue 2 2024

The Importance of Environmental Education:

Kakungulu Samuel J.
Faculty of Education, Kampala International University, Uganda
ABSTRACT
This paper explores the critical role of environmental education in fostering sustainability within
educational settings. It emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of environmental education, which
integrates ecological, social, political, and ethical perspectives to address complex environmental issues.
The paper highlights the foundations of sustainability, key concepts, and principles that should guide the
development of curricula. By integrating environmental education across disciplines and employing
effective teaching strategies, such as experiential learning, educators can instill a deep understanding and
commitment to sustainability in students. The study concludes with an examination of assessment and
evaluation techniques to measure the impact of environmental education on student learning and
behavior, emphasizing the importance of lifelong learning and action-oriented approaches.
Keywords: Environmental Education, Sustainability, Interdisciplinary Learning, Experiential Learning,
Curriculum Integration.
INTRODUCTION
Environmental education is a interdisciplinary field that explores complex environmental issues, their
causes and effects, and actions to address them. It bridges social, political, economic, and ethical aspects of
the environment across scientific fields, while also teaching how to think critically, creatively, and
reflectively. Environmental education encompasses environmental awareness, actions to protect the
environment, and various disciplines and fields of study, as well as community involvement and social
justice movements. Sustainable development is a policy goal that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Education for sustainability has a
different understanding of issues such as development, poverty, community, and ethics than conventional
education. Environmental education is important in today’s world due to rising awareness of
environmental issues like climate change, increased concern for future generations, and the need to create
a new consumer culture [1]. Education for sustainability deals with these issues at their root. It is
education that considers the whole system and the relations between its parts, such as political, economic,
and ethical relations. It is important for educators to see the big picture, understand the interactions
between social and environmental issues, and present this holistic perspective in the classroom.
Environmental education must have real importance and relevance beyond the educational process itself
and the societal values represented in it. Political and ethical decisions about how to behave towards the
environment, such as economic growth vs. perpetual equilibrium and development vs. sustainability,
should belong to the society, community, and individuals up to the level of governments and international
organizations. Environmental education is a part of education for democracy [2].
DEFINITION AND IMPORTANCE
Environmental education (EE) defines the principles in which education provides a fundamental approach
to sustainability. To promote sound environmental practices, a new culture must emerge in which people
see themselves as part of the environment and communities are empowered to take action. Environmental
education is a process that fosters the attitude and behavior changes needed to create such a culture. It
 https://www.eejournals.org/ Open Access
encourages critical thinking, promotes understanding of the environment and also promotes awareness of
global environmental issues [3, 4].
Environmental education can address fundamental capacities and competencies that may empower
individuals to understand the environment and change their behavior in a constructive way. In this view,
environmental education is seen as a lifelong learning process that starts from an early age.
Understanding, awareness, concern and behavior towards the environment develop and might change
Page | 23 progressively throughout life. Environmental education requires a long-term commitment at all levels of
education. A flexible and comprehensive framework is needed for environmental education
internationally, nationally, regionally and locally [5].
FOUNDATIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability is founded on six interrelated, essential ideas. The interaction between naturally occurring
earth systems and human activity has wide-ranging social implications. These social implications can
affect human wellbeing, longevity, and rights, and will often be distributed unequally. The modelling and
analysis of socio-economic sustainability is an inherently interdisciplinary activity. Sustainability
encompasses the necessity of maintaining intergenerational equity with regard to resource depletion and
environmental degradation. A holistic, multi-scaled understanding of sustainability cannot be obtained
within the confines of any one or even several disciplines. The sustainability paradigm encompasses a
constellation of ideas that models and analyses the outcome of the inevitable interaction between
naturally occurring earth systems and human activity upon those systems. This modelling and analysis
has wide-ranging social implications, which can affect human wellbeing, longevity, and rights, and
therefore can be highly commodified and political. Moreover, these implications will almost inevitably be
distributed unequally, often with the most severe impacts occurring to groups least able to respond to or
mitigate those impacts. Therefore, seriously putting sustainability principles into practice is likely to
embrace, and need to be justified in terms of, ethics / philosophy, politics, economics, geography and
earth systems science [6].
KEY CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES
Key concepts and principles essential to sustainability are elucidated. A principal aim has been to broaden
the concept of sustainability from the traditional strong or hard sustainability definitions of the
Brundtland Report and its emphasis upon environmental concern, economic betterment, and principles of
inter- and intra-generational equity. Ideally, this consideration of the interplay of the ecological, social,
and economic dimensions of sustainability is a foundation on which to build learning on systems thinking,
collective action, and a sense of place. Recently, these educative goals have been branded environmental
education for sustainability. Having a clear grasp of such concepts and principles is strongly
recommended for those contemplating the role of teaching and learning about sustainability reasoning.
Clear definitions of sustainability offer a richer learning framework in which to build personal, social, and
global environmental responsibility. Sustainability is often described as minimizing or preventing
negative effects on the environment (i.e., pollution, desertification, climate change), but such a narrow
view is restrictive. An ecological view widens the focus to include a “balance” amongst socio-political,
economic, community, and biophysical systems/climate (if only in response to global warming). Broadly,
life on earth can be characterized by interdependent networks of ecological processes (e.g., energy flow,
nutrient cycling); resources (water, soil, biological, non-biological); and social constructs (laws, customs,
mores). Too often, the social/cultural aspects of sustainability are rendered as afterthoughts. At a more
naïve personal level, principles of sustainability may be pedagogically framed as “the 4 Rs”: Reduce waste;
Recycle and reprocess resources. Reuse materials. Recover resources, and replace materials with
sustainable (scavenged, organic, renewable) resources [7].
INTEGRATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION INTO CURRICULUM
This facet of environmental education, the manner/s by which it can be seamlessly integrated into the
curriculum, is examined, allowing such an approach to strengthen and broaden curricular concerns in
addition to fostering a holistic approach to learning. Environmental education or issues can be
incorporated into classes such as English, mathematics, science, social studies, and the arts, yet very few
teachers are doing so. Some broad environmental issues incorporate many concerns, such as global
warming/change, biodiversity preservation, overpopulation, hunger, and endangered species [8].
Additionally, while some concerns, such as pollution, incorporate many topics such as groundwater
contamination, littering, and smog, each concern can be broken down into smaller components. (1) the
incorporation of environmental education into the curriculum through an infusion approach; and (2) the
incorporation of environmental education into the curriculum through a multidisciplinary approach.
Strategies for adopting environmental education in the curriculum are based upon findings and
recommendations from research studies and journals. Moreover, studies on the incorporation of
 https://www.eejournals.org/ Open Access
environmental education into the curriculum and the perspective of teachers are comprehensively
reviewed [9].
CROSS-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH
An example of a cross-disciplinary approach of environmental education may involve subjects of
mathematics, social studies, language arts, and science. For instance, problem-solving tasks involving
math could include subjects of the knowledge of ecosystems, population growth, carbon, nutrient cycles,
Page | 24 and natural resources. Development of skills in researching information on the aforementioned subjects to
create a resource project could be the focus of a unit in social studies. Another example might be “simple
energy transfer devices” in science and the framework of a speculative letter to President Clinton
concerning a proposed law on stricter air pollution controls [10]. The cross-disciplinary approach not
only accounts for the interconnectedness of concepts, it also demonstrates the relevance of environmental
sustainability in virtually every academic subject area. Vocabulary used in writing about air pollution
concerns could be developed in conjunction with a language arts unit (for instance, persuasive writing) or
in a unit on social responsibility showing how caring for one’s surroundings can be viewed in other
cultures. In the context of mandated basic skill testing, environmental concepts could be taught while
students build their reading and writing skills. With a systems perspective, environmental education
could fully embrace the idea of a cross-disciplinary approach, that provides more holistic learning
opportunities for students. Moreover, effectively implemented cross-disciplinary units could transcend
the simple seamless consideration of environmental issues at the same content area level [11].
EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES
When teachers instill knowledge and awareness of environmental issues, it must be taught in a manner
that is conducive to effective learning. This paper scrutinizes pedagogical approaches that facilitate
effective learning experiences. However, with the understanding of environmental education still being
misunderstood or difficult to define by many, the research focused solely on experiential learning.
Experiential learning was found to provide a deeper understanding and appreciation for student learning
on topics concerning the environment, land, or sustainability. Hands-on experiences enable an
understanding of a more complex subject matter, allowing the participants to formulate their own
opinions based on first-hand experience rather than generalizations. Educational and teaching approaches
that are used for non-formal learning should take place in informal settings that promote experiential
education. The results indicate that environmental education in schools has been neglected in curriculum
planning and implementation since other mandated subjects take priority [12].
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
A powerful teaching strategy that environmental educators can leverage to instill lasting environmental
values in students is experiential learning. Experiential learning provides opportunities for students to
engage directly with the environment through hands-on and place-based experiences. Experiential
education allows teachable moments to arise, promoting connections to ecological concepts and
sustainable practices. Place-based education acknowledges the influence of geographic location on social,
ecological, and cultural systems. Outdoor and experiential education are similar to place-based education
in that they use local natural and cultural resources as learning tools. Outdoor education focuses on
environmental sciences, adventure and risk awareness, personal development, and challenges posed by
outdoor environments, while experiential education emphasizes the ways that people learn. Through
environmental education programming, students are immersed in participatory and process-based
learning. Participatory experiences nurture a connection to the local ecology and can lead to lifelong
stewardship and advocacy. Many unique and diverse environmental education programs in Georgia
directly incorporate experiential learning and expand traditional K-12 curricula [13].
ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Even though opportunities for environmental education (EE) have increased in recent years, space for
environmental action is rarely evaluated in informal EE venues. However, the non-formal/local education
setting offers unique possibilities for greater focus on environmental action. Therefore, this study
analyzes discussions on EE principles and the action-component of the environmental education model to
contribute to interpreting education in local museums with regards to environmental action. The EE
quality of a local museum’s learning space regarding environmental action is examined. The study draws
from a wider EE project and focuses on the material of one Finnish local museum. Overall, the study adds
to the understanding of the action-part of a broader EE model in non-formal educational settings.
Environmental education is often defined, according to the Tbilisi Framework, as a lifelong process and
active learning. However, in Finland, there has been an increase in environmental education
initiatives/educational programs/activities in non-formal settings (museums, workshops, public events),
but the qualities of these initiatives with regards to (environmental) action and participation are under-
 https://www.eejournals.org/ Open Access
researched. Non-formal education settings provide space for greater focus on education and action fittings
larger interests, views on participation, and knowledge about education outside of the control of official
educational regulation [14, 15].
CONCLUSION
Environmental education is essential in preparing students to understand and address the environmental
challenges of the 21st century. By incorporating sustainability into the curriculum through
Page | 25 interdisciplinary and experiential approaches, educators can foster critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and
a sense of responsibility toward the environment. The integration of environmental education across all
levels of education is crucial for developing a culture of sustainability that empowers individuals to take
informed actions that contribute to the well-being of both current and future generations. Effective
assessment and evaluation of environmental education programs are necessary to ensure that these
initiatives are successful in promoting lasting behavioral changes and a deep-seated commitment to
environmental stewardship.
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CITE AS: Kakungulu Samuel J. (2024). The Importance of