I want to get peoples' ideas on education and the environment or education and sustainability.
What I'm thinking:
Perhaps it should be required that all students take a course in environmental studies or sustainability.
At the lower levels, like elementary school, environmental education is easily done just through teaching a few things in whatever class. Same thing could go for high schools, thought I personally would like to see a course developed for creating active and informed people that would see students educated on the importance of such things as voting, how to do it and why it matters. The same course could then turn to the environment and/or sustainability and educate students with regards to this.
Think about it: The United States has a national history where the same story is taught the same way in schools accross that nation (correct me if I'm wrong). In Canada, every province chooses the history it wants to teach, or shall we say the perspective that it wants to give students about Canadian history. Why can't there be the motivation to educate people on environmental concerns?
At the higher levels, where i suppose i mean university mostly, there could be an integrating course somewhere along the lines where every student relates their major to the environment, or something like that. At trade schools, there could be a small project on the ways that the trade is related to the environment and how it could be done in a more environmentally-friendly way. The possibilities are really endless if there's the will to get things done.
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On a personal note, i feel that a lot of effort is sometimes wasted on preaching to the choir. Who's going to see Al Gore's movie anyway? Mostly, it will be peple who are ALREADY concerned about the environment. It won't be those that drive SUVs and don't give a second thought. This is why it is important to always reach out and not only educate others, but also get other peoples' views. This lets everyone's ideas mix and also mellow, rather than having similar-minded people further convincing each other that they're right and furthering themselves down whatever path they're already on.
I totally agree... without education everything is lost... people can and will change but it will take many years and a few generations and it has to start in early education. At least we have the discovery channel I watch it all the time and I find a lot of great information is there if you watch it long enough.
I leave it up to people to choose where and how they learn about sustainability. I was asked to take this course in support of local sustainability intiatives as a possible approach to teaching sustainable principles in the community and guiding discussions and workshops. The course is geared for individuals and organizations who wish to begin to adopt and practice sustainablity and engage organizations and communities in action that doesn't compromise the future generations capacity to sustain themselves. nuff said to the converted.
I have mentioned it before but since we must return to more of a sense of independance if we are ever to release our dependance on the current system of exchange on this planet and it behooves those who wish to be the enlightened bringers of truth to have some teaching tools in the toolbox besides a rational and critical thinking brain. You posess that now if you question humanity's purpose and path.
I don't speak much toAmerican programs and I leave it mostly to the locals to advise their own on programs and funding possibilities. In Canada there is the Gas Tax funding for MSP's(Municipal Sustainability Plans and ICSP's(Integrated Community Sustainability Plans) and local and regional intiatives. I am just really learning about funding
Integrated Community Sustainability Planning
A Background Paper
Planning for Sustainable Canadian Communities Roundtable Organised by Prime Minister's External Advisory on Cities and Communities
i agree, education is a must! but let me play devil's advocate here for a second..
do u think the government dosn't know the damage we are doing to the environment right now? they know.. do u think big business owners don't know? they know.. do u think that some little 100 pound woman driving a huge SUV dosn't know how much environmentally less damage she'd be doing in a hybrid? she knows...
knowledge is power...
only if the keeper of that knowledge chooses to use it
i agree, education is a must! but let me play devil's advocate here for a second..
do u think the government dosn't know the damage we are doing to the environment right now? they know.. do u think big business owners don't know? they know.. do u think that some little 100 pound woman driving a huge SUV dosn't know how much environmentally less damage she'd be doing in a hybrid? she knows...
knowledge is power...
only if the keeper of that knowledge chooses to use it
Knowing and understanding may be different things. Whose context is correct. Can you accept it. Can we be truly objective or is motivated self interest abiding to the point of blind willful ignorance knowing full well. Are we self destructive bowing to inevitable destiny. Do we blame the media or our willing deafness to truth we don't like. then there's that human birth right thing carp...anthropocentric myopia. If you say you don't know, you haven't been thinking. Lot's of it, like erosion, going on. I think a lot of the coput is the "can't trust anyone distribe, politicians, scientist, media... saves on having to take a stand in public and risk not belonging. Suffer the modern heretic. There is no cavalry and nowhere to run..
Knowing and understanding may be different things. Whose context is correct. Can you accept it. Can we be truly objective or is motivated self interest abiding to the point of blind willful ignorance knowing full well. Are we self destructive bowing to inevitable destiny. Do we blame the media or our willing deafness to truth we don't like. then there's that human birth right thing carp...anthropocentric myopia. If you say you don't know, you haven't been thinking. Lot's of it, like erosion, going on. I think a lot of the coput is the "can't trust anyone distribe, politicians, scientist, media... saves on having to take a stand in public and risk not belonging. Suffer the modern heretic. There is no cavalry and nowhere to run..
Sim
i think america needs a leader. someone that people trust, someone to fight the system, someone not tainted by money and lobbyist groups. someone to speak the truth even when we don't want to here it! someone to cut through the crap, and 'grab the bull by the horns'..
good luck in finding someone like that in politics!
i was talking to my 'mother in law' to be last night about many political issuses such as the environment and corruption.. i asked her why noone seems to care or take a stand against the decay of this country. she told me'i don't think anyone knows WHAT to do.'
she's right in a sense. who do we trust? who is in it for the good of the masses and not the good of their bank accounts? one day u here that this person is corrupt and this product is killing us.. then the next day its this person who was lying bout that person and this product is safe but this other product is killing us!!
its all so damn frustrating, and unless it directly seems to affect someone, they really don't seem to give a rats ass about it...
i think america needs a leader. someone that people trust, someone to fight the system, someone not tainted by money and lobbyist groups. someone to speak the truth even when we don't want to here it! someone to cut through the crap, and 'grab the bull by the horns'..
.... who is in it for the good of the masses and not the good of their bank accounts? one day u here that this person is corrupt and this product is killing us.. then the next day its this person who was lying bout that person and this product is safe but this other product is killing us!!
its all so damn frustrating, and unless it directly seems to affect someone, they really don't seem to give a rats ass about it...
We need a new paradigm. Leaders are acting now. there simply isn't a place for the right type in modern politics and our society. Too radical or not mainstream. No juice...
How many just want to be left the hell alone, patted on the head and told everything will be just fine so they can go and mind their own business?
I think there is a large group of people out there who care, but beyond recycling don't really know what to do. I think if some of us who care a whole lot make major changes in our lives, we will be an example for others. Plus, if we do the research and the trial and error of green living, so we can help others who are curious, but not crazy about it, easily integrate it into their current lifestyle.
I think there is a large group of people out there who care, but beyond recycling don't really know what to do. I think if some of us who care a whole lot make major changes in our lives, we will be an example for others. Plus, if we do the research and the trial and error of green living, so we can help others who are curious, but not crazy about it, easily integrate it into their current lifestyle.
words of wisdom miss jessica! walking the walk is more important than anything.
You've all made some really important points. My opinion is that although the people driving gas guzzlers and engaging in other conspicuous-consumption types of activities "know" that they are wasting resources and contributing to pollution, they don't truly understand (or can't face) the consequences of their actions.
There are a couple of theories in health communication circles that could apply to this situation:
First, there is the concept of need for cognition, basically what level of information gathering and ruminating one is comfortable with. When faced with a health threat, a lot of people sort of freeze up and become unable (or perhaps unconsciously unwilling) to process complex information. They are said to have a low need for cognition.
I saw this happen one time when I was talking with my brother about the ice age scenario. He said, "Yeah, but not in our lifetimes, right?" "I said, "Actually, the scientists are saying it could happen in just a few years if the main current that they're worried about shuts down." His face just went blank and then he changed the subject. (I know, I know, I'm part of the problem!)
Now if you apply this idea of need for cognition to global warming and factor in the incredible amounts of information in the form of threats (people having to flee rising coastal waters, droughts in other places, crop failures, and even the possibility of a new ice age), a lot of people just can't process it all. In this regard, recent events that seem to indicate a coalescence of opinion that global warming IS happening (gosh, now even Bush seems to think we need to do something!), may help people accept and start to deal with it.
The second part is a theory that focuses on getting the message out--and getting it heard. What researchers have found is that if you tell people that they're in danger--but fail to deliver the message that they can do something to protect themselves--then it's human nature to shut out the entire message.
So, if these theories hold water, the upshot seems to be that the focus of the message has been weighted too heavily to the threats--and not heavily enough toward the idea that we can take action to avert them.
What do you think about education?
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