From a very young age, we learn the skills to adapt and change what we don’t like into what we would like to see. Parents, schools, and others teach us our actions have consequences and that we have the potential to do great things. Teachers tell us about history’s biggest mistakes so we may avoid them when making our own decisions. At the end of the day, what we learn in school can be summed up into one phrase: “We must leave the world better than it was before.”
However, one of the biggest threats we face is the climate crisis. Environmental education with no doubt is a part of schools’ curriculums. The term refers to how students are taught about recycling, green energy, composting, zero waste and all the fundamental basics that green leaders advocate for.
Current Curriculum
The current environmental education curriculum starts at grade 1 and only goes up until grade 8. It focuses on the following 5 areas:
- Awareness and sensitivity to the environment and environmental challenges
- Knowledge and understanding of the environment and environmental challenges
- Attitudes of concern for the environment and motivation to improve or maintain environmental quality
- Skills to identify and help resolve environmental challenges
- Participation in activities that lead to the resolution of environmental challenges
Environmental education promotes sustainability to help our world, provides students with skills to solve complex environmental issues while helping them understand the gravity of the climate crisis.
Are we doing enough to create sustainable change that will continue to improve and grow in the years to come?
Benefits of Environmental Education
As kids learn more about the struggles it takes to preserve our planet, they will develop routine skills that will keep our planet healthy. These small habits will give them a head start to become the green leaders, activists, and company CEOs to work toward a prosperous future. Here are 6 reasons environmental education for students from kindergarten to grade 12 is beneficial:
1. Promotes a healthy lifestyle
Mental disorders such as depression are connected to lack of time spent outdoors. According to recent studies, nature has a healing power. Environmental education curricula ensure children do not lie on the couch all day in their free time but instead explore and play in nature.
2. Instills respect for nature
Environmental education enables children to understand why it is necessary to respect Mother Nature. Students learn how companies reap from the benefits and wonders that nature provides, thereby developing environmentally-responsible skills.
3. Teaches children about jobs addressing environmental challenges
Environmental education curricula also prepare children for careers by equipping them with prerequisite skills to become professionals in the future. They also provide a chance for children to contribute to the global effort of protecting the environment.
4. Teaches the significance of being kind to nature
This includes being kind to animals and to fellow human beings. “Sharing is caring” is the first phrase children learn. Environmental education initiatives apply this phrase to explain how humans and nature can live in harmony together.
5. Develops critical thinking skills
The lessons from environmental education curricula enable children to analyze the circumstances affecting the environment. This will prompt them to take necessary action. They will also learn the fundamental research and decision-making skills many young adults need later in life.
6. Teaches responsibility
Environmental education curricula demonstrate to children the importance of being responsible human beings and will shape them to become the next green leaders who will make democratic decisions.
Students who receive environmental education become better and more responsible adults in the future. Their civic involvement in environmental conservation activities results in a more cohesive society and will help them better connect with government initiatives to spark the necessary changes we wish to see. Every individual should play a role in ensuring that we secure a safer, cleaner and better environment for generations to come.
Related article: The Importance of Environmental Education
Green Schools Green Future: More Sustainable Education
The Green Schools Green Future curriculum allows children the ability to learn through study and practice. Not only will children be reading about issues and watching informational videos, but they will have hands-on experiences with sustainable practices. This engagement helps create positive environmental behaviors that will last for a lifetime.
Instead of children sitting in a classroom reading about what will come in the future, let’s give them the resources to make life better today and in the future. Give them a school structure that uses the natural resources around it to function and provide it with the same level of security as a regular school in the city. From solar panels powering their computers to the vertical farms and aquaponic systems that put food on their table at lunchtime, students will have many areas to explore.
Help us build our first green school to empower children with essential life skills through hands-on experiences. Together, we can nurture them into the responsible green leaders our planet needs!
