Importance of Environmental Education
Why environmental education is important and its positive impact on the Earth.
Education is the most powerful and dominant influence which one can use to change the world, perhaps proven by many other scholars around the world which is why we need to educate ourselves about the importance of environmental education in order to make the world a better place to live in. Before going deep into environmental education, we will understand the concept behind it all together.
When we talk about education, it is very important to understand why environmental education is important? Let us remind ourselves that we are responsible for how we shape our environment because only by creating awareness about the harmful effects of environmental damage can help us build a safe and secure future for our children.
When we are educated about the environment, we must identify our responsibility as global citizens and make a positive change for our planet earth which will help us utilize our resources more efficiently and without harming our environment as well.
Below are major points of imparting Environmental Education to our children-
IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
- Educational Achievements – By providing environmental education to students they will engage problem-solving techniques of the outer world to their subjects to understand a particular problem by implying outdoor environmental solutions.
- Health Benefits – Environmental Education gives students a new meaning to exploring mother nature to see and resolve the issues which are harmful to the environment and this will also help them in maintaining their own health by doing physical work so that their bodies will be immune from some serious health issues such as short-sightedness, obesity and in some cases even lack concentration.
- Future proof planning – This is one of the issues which we need to deal with because if we don’t educate our kids about the hazardous effects of environmental damage there will be no future of the world.
- Education in this field will give students a new meaning to problem-solving techniques as they will solve real-world problems. They will also think beyond today for becoming future proof and investigate the situation carefully and take preventive measures in the future for environmental safeguarding.
- Managing teams – Working in teams is another example of Environmental education as it gives kids a new meaning to solve a certain problem by doing teamwork.
- This will also bring out the leadership qualities in them as they will lead the path for their team to stop people from throwing garbage anywhere and also spread awareness to other people that use only non-plastic goods for the betterment of the environment.
- The use of plastic is one of the big environmental issues in the past few decades. We can reduce the plastic accumulation to some extent if we stop using at least single-use plastic. This small step can make a big difference to deal with this environmental issue.
- Producing Environment Activist – When we educate students about the environment and motivate them to take initiative to protect it as a major part of their life they will become activist for the environment and stop others from harming the environment by creating platforms for the awareness of the need and importance of environmental education in every part of the society.
- Improving concentration – Nowadays there are a lot of distractions in a society which diverts the attention of students from their education to some other side. By educating them about the environment they will be able to focus more on real-world problems as they are the ones who will be analyzing and solving the problems of the environment to promote more greenery everywhere.
- Benefit for Schools – It is a very beneficial plan for schools because it will help them in promoting real-life learning and also help in understanding their surroundings. Schools can make environmental education as a mandatory subject for every student so that it will help everyone to focus more on different situations of real life.
- The teacher and students can also run various projects that spread awareness in children about environmental issues. These projects should also include measures that can be followed to save the environment. These projects will also help to encourage children about how they can cooperate in environment conservation.
- Participating in Outdoor activities – This is perhaps very useful for the health of children because it has been proven that kids who have a green playground in their school premises are more likely to get less sick and be more active and energetic in daily life.
- Now a day’s children love to spend more time on indoor activities like playing video games. Unfortunately, indoor activities act as an obstacle in children’s mental and physical growth. Parents should take initiative and encourage their kids for outdoor activities by joining them. Children always follow the footprints of their parents, hence try to be their role models.
- Promoting New Educational methods – Environmental Education is more of the responsibility which is to be done every day by students as well as teachers which will encourage them to go out and take practical activities as to how to conserve energy and environment. It will also help them to explore and learn new innovative techniques that will help them understand conservation more easily.
- Cutting back on expenses – By learning how to protect the environment students need to participate in maintaining the school premises as well because it is better to start first where you actually belong i.e. school and home.
- It will be very beneficial for schools as it will reduce the maintenance cost of the surrounding which will automatically cut back on the annual cost of overall expenses.
- For example – Motivate your kids to switch off the electric switches and other appliances when not using it, make your kids aware of the 3 R’s i.e. Reduce Reuse & Recycle, encourage them to close the taps after use to save water, etc.
- Encouraging more institutions – If more organizations will adopt environmental education as their priority then there will be more kids as well as adults who will help in conserving the environment and also help in creating more awareness amongst others.
- The global youth is playing an important role in spreading awareness about environmental issues worldwide. For example– In 2017, a student activist from the University of Sussex named Paris Palmano had set up “Climate Action Movement”. The main objective of this movement was to spread awareness of climate crisis and possible preventive measures to deal with climate change.
- There is another example from India where the students of Great-men International School, Madhya Pradesh has taken initiative in 2010 to plant almost 1100 sapling to save the environment. There are many other examples where the students from different schools have taken the initiative to protect mother Earth.
- It is very important for educational institutes to start teaching students how to safeguard our environment and save natural resources.
- Adapting technology – There are various measures that are used by organizations by using the latest technology and advancement in conserving the environment and also help them in promoting the huge online campaign to create awareness on this matter, which will bring people together on the environment education promotion.
- As per the present scenario, there are various major environmental issues that require advanced technologies to save nature. For example- technologies to develop renewable energy, to save endangered animals, energy-saving technologies, to deal with climate change & global warming, etc.
- Promoting Sustainability -Environmental Education helps in building the natural world, gives knowledge and method to solve complex environmental issues which also gives advancement to productive economies and harmony among communities. Being constant in promoting awareness is the key.
- Well, you cannot choose sustainability as an option but it is a necessity to protect the environment. Now people have started using sustainable products across the world for the benefit of nature. For example– a CFL light bulb may cost a little more than an ordinary light bulb but people understand the difference. Now people know it very well that which bulb is worth to choose in the long term that will help the environment by saving energy.There are many other sustainable ways to protect the environment like using recycle bins, growing more trees & plants, reducing the amount of waste, adapting energy-efficient lifestyle, etc.
These all are the benefits if we educate students about the importance of environmental education and we should also educate the whole world about it. Let us understand about NEPA and what famous environmentalists around the globe are doing to help the Earth:
NEPA and Famous Environmentalists
Students and schools must also know about NEPA to get inspiration from the world-
Let’s understand some of the important measures taken to promote environmental education – The National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) is one such law that is enacted by the United States of America which promotes environment enhancement, it was formed on 1st January 1970. Since then 100 nations have joined to form the national environmental policies as done by the (NEPA).
These measures have led the Federal Agencies to set an example of making national highways routes as the shortest possible between two points.
NEPA had the most useful environmental outcome when all the executive federal agencies were asked to prepare environmental assessments and environmental impact statements report. These gave the accurate effects of proposed Federal Agencies’ actions.
Around the world there have been a lot of very famous environmentalists such as Marjory Stoneman Douglas (Journalist, Environmental Activist) Leonardo DiCaprio (Film Actor, Environmental Activist), Thom Yorke (Songwriter, Environmental Activist), Theodore Roosevelt (U.S President, Military Leader, Environmental Activist), etc. to give positive impact on Importance of environmental education in our world.
Many organizations work on various environmental issues to save our planet. These organizations also run various campaigns to educate people about the major environmental issues such as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), WWF (World Wildlife Fund), National Wildlife Federation, Forest Stewardship Council Friends of Earth (FOE), etc.
In the end, its all up to us how much are we willing to save the environment around the world because if we don’t start to educate ourselves and our children according to the need of safeguarding our society then we will be too late to give our future generations “a future” of their own and world as we know it will change forever.
Do you want to suggest more about the topic – the importance of environmental education? Message us in the comment box. Follow us on Twitter Follow @earthreminder or like us on Facebook too.