Schools, everywhere, are meant to educate and set up students for success in their futures. We learn a slew of different information from various subjects, from graphing logarithmic functions in Algebra to analyzing books in English. But how do schools exactly educate students on environment? We get that plain-old spiel on how we should reduce, reuse, and recycle and how carbon dioxide is bad for the ozone layer, but do we really go into depth about sustainability? Do schools actively encourage environmentalism in such a way that students are impacted to keep eco-friendly habits? If so, how can they do a better job of it?
How do Schools Practice Environmental Education in Present Day?
The issue of climate education is quite prevalent, and many students are feeling distressed regarding the globe’s increasing temperature. However, a UNESCO study cited by Renee Cho from Columbia Climate School stated that ‘almost 50 countries revealed that less than half made any mention of climate change in their educational policies”, clearly demonstrating that schools throughout the world are not implementing enough environmental education. It is incredibly important that students are educated on climate change, how to prevent it, and how it affects people, in order to minimize its damage.
In an article from Sustainable Earth Reviews, teacher Sally Parry from Howard of Effingham School states that certain glasses like geoscience are not compulsory for their curriculum to teach. Geoscience is fundamentally the core of how sustainability works – we source our energy from crude resources, not realizing that in just some decades’ time we will absolutely run out. Teaching how the Earth is formed, how energy is sourced and most importantly why we cannot continue using fossil fuels is the most important thing we can do for our future generations. This lack of this type of science class being taught in the majority of our Earth’s schools is causing a wide knowledge gap on how the world works sustainably.
Another core reason why schools are not teaching about climate change specifically is because many teachers (especially in the United States) feel they are not qualified for that kind of topic. According to the Smithsonian Science Education Center, more than 7 in 10 say that a lack of material and expertise on the subject discourages them from teaching it. However, if they feel unconfident, the main issue was implementing it into the curriculum in the first place. When given science certifications, especially for teaching, teachers should learn about this if they have not already. Many teachers ultimately feel that sustainable education should be widespread yet do not really teach it due to their education and lack of resources for the subject itself (Smithsonian Science Education Center). They also may not have the time to teach such content in the curriculum.
There is also the issue, with the lack of resources, for poorer communities. Not all schools can actually afford the teaching materials for sustainable education, leading to a knowledge gap on the subject. This is partly due to the issue of decentralized schooling – education systems are operated on a state-wide level or even a district-wide level (Science Survey). This can create a huge imbalance in what one school teaches and what another one doesn’t. Another reason climate education is just not as quickly present in most schools is due to voting. Many parties believe that climate change is either not happening or is not being caused by humans, despite the evident research that ultimately says otherwise. Having this lack of knowledge can be kind of dangerous to the advancement of environmental education.
Why Is It Important That Schools Implement Environmental Education?
A study from Plos One, conducted by researchers at San Jose State University, sourced by Columbia Climate School found out that 19 gigatons of CO2 would be cut down by 2050 if just 16 percent of middle or high school students studied climate change. A 2021 study conducted by The Lancet, sourced by TIME, interviewed 10,000 young adults in 10 countries, 65% being extremely worried about the environment. Students, by studying, would actively try to work out these issues in their lives because they’re being exposed to the problems at hand in school, a place where they often have no time to pay attention to the qualms.
It is incredibly important that schools implement environmental education. We use so many of the things we learn in school every day, and imagine–if we improve our sustainable education, the world could change for the better. Students could pay more attention to the world’s climate issues, whether it be on a humanitarian or science-driven level. Schools are not just there for people to learn from, but there for people to develop and change their lifestyles according to what they learn.
How Can Schools Improve Environmental Education?
Schools can improve environmental education by following a key plan established by UNESCO called ESD (Education for Sustainable Development). To implement this plan seeking to advance environmental education, countries should actively develop nation-wide initiatives for education, and join the ESD-NET global network, allowing them to learn from other countries and share their information (UNESCO). Making climate education more prevalent in schools is basically what the main issue is – establishing more geoscience in curriculi, like Sally Parry said earlier, is one way to do that. Southern Oregon University also adds that there are three basic standards to form the foundation of sustainable education: students being able to understand and apply sustainability, recognizing the various ecological, economical, and social factors that weigh into sustainability, and developing an open mindset, willing to learn for the sake of future generations. Another thing schools can do, if they do not have as much funding, is to invite a guest speaker. This can be low-cost and actually perhaps more effective than just education alone. It’s not only on the countries, but on the students to become aware of the world around them, however much of that awareness is derived from schooling.
Southern Oregon University also speaks on how we can implement environmental education – through project-based learning, where students create or supervise projects for a long amount of time, witnessing changes and real-life issues that will make them think about sustainability. Another way is through place-based learning, going to parks, museums, businesses, etc to get real-life opportunities to learn about how our environment is being impacted by climate issues. Even establishing a school garden can bring about awareness of the environment around us. These types of education ultimately create a bigger connection between the students’ learning and personal lives, making them work harder to push for solutions to environmental problems.
Lastly, one thing people can do is to speak out. Speaking out in your local district to your board of education or even sending a letter to your governor about how you feel on sustainable education is incredibly important, especially coming from a student or a teacher. Helping the environment helps our students, because if they see change being made in a place where they spend most of their day, they will reflect the ideals from there in their everyday life and beyond school. Being active in your community will lead to ripple effects, and though it may take a while, efforts will show progress. Additionally, GreenWaySquad is working on a sustainable green subjects curriculum which will be useful in spreading awareness on sustainability at your school! Stay tuned for updates!