This paper provides the rationale for a new education for sustainable development (ESD) project being developed in Australia. Titled "Project otherWISE," it seeks to build the capacity of young Australians to be agents of change towards sustainable lifestyles in their communities. The rationale for the project is grounded in three themes…

Green is definitely "in." Green refers not to fashion but the philosophy of environmental protection, stewardship, and social justice. There is nothing new about the green philosophy for tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) and the Native communities they serve. Responsible stewardship of Mother Earth is a natural outgrowth of TCU's missions…

The Morrill Act of 1862, signed by Abraham Lincoln, established the land grant university with a Solomon-like simplicity: the federal government would deed large tracts of land to establish public colleges in each state. These institutions would then train young citizens in agriculture, forestry, mining and the mechanical arts--fields tied…

The authors explored the influences of 3- and 5-day residential environmental education programs at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (TN) on participants' connections with nature, environmental stewardship, interest in learning and discovery, and awareness of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and biodiversity. The authors found…

Bronx Community College (CUNY) launched "Global Warming Campus Awareness and Action Days" in celebration of Earth Day, 2007. The purpose of this program was to raise awareness of environmental issues in the college population, especially students. To let more students have a grasp of what Environmental Education (EE) is all about, the author…

In an effort to quantify what constitutes an "environmentally correct" building, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) created the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. LEED has become the North American standard for what constitutes sustainable design. The LEED guidelines are the best way to differentiate genuinely…

This article presents 10 areas that education administrators can target as they work to create and maintain facilities that offer a high-quality learning climate. These areas are: budget, forward-thinking, community, health and safety, security, environmental stewardship, maintenance, learning climate, appealing and technology.

Raising consciousness about the environment and learning ways to care for our planet are important for all citizens of the world. Young children are particularly receptive to learning new concepts; thus the preschool years are an ideal time to teach lessons about the environment. It is often the case that the information learned when children are…

This study examined how photographs in six introductory environmental science texts portrayed the urban environments in which most U.S. students lived. All photographs from all texts were coded to determine whether they depicted urban areas. The urban photographs were then coded to determine what they communicated about the urban environment. The…

It is widely acknowledged that sustainable development is a long-term goal, which both individuals and institutions (and countries!) need to pursue. This important theme is characterized by an intrinsic complexity, since it encompasses ecological or environmental considerations on the one hand, and economic matters, social influences and political…

This book presents essential learning approaches. It introduces educational and training activities, as well as various innovative methods aiming at the development of practical skills, in order to strengthen the continuous process of environmental education, and in particular the education for sustainable development (ESD). In doing so, it…

Perhaps, we are at the fork in the road when it is imperative that we consider whether the pursuit of pluralism in science education is a worthwhile endeavor in light of recent educational reforms that seem to decorate the true aim of education. The "decorated landscapes" of educational reform concentrate on economic growth and do little to…

Education administrators do not have to be deeply committed to the ecology movement to see the value of conserving energy and providing more environmentally friendly facilities. Reducing energy costs frees up funds for learning programs. Providing more healthful facilities can help students and teachers ward off illness and disease and perform…

Addressing ongoing and costly deferred-maintenance needs is a challenge for any two- or four-year school. During an economically challenging time, many HBCUs have put energy efficiency and other green projects on the back burner. However, some are finding that deferred maintenance does not have to be a barrier to becoming green. Despite budget…

This article presents a field technique that exposes students to the indirect effects of habitat fragmentation on plant distributions through studying edge effects. This assignment, suited for students in an introductory biogeography or resource geography class, increases students' knowledge of basic biogeographic concepts such as environmental…