This article offers a typology of philosophical traditions in environmental education for adults, based on five philosophical perspectives of adult education described by Elias and Merriam. These five traditions are liberal, progressive, behaviorist, humanist, and radical adult environmental education, respectively. A summary of each philosophy's…

The infamous "Sydney Tar Ponds" are well known as one of the largest toxic waste sites of Canada, due to almost 100 years of steelmaking in Sydney, a once beautiful and peaceful city located on the east side of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. This article begins with a contextual overview of the Tar Ponds issue including a brief…

Research in environmental attitudes' assessment has significantly increased in recent years. The development of specific attitude scales for specific environmental problems has often been proposed. This paper describes the Groundwater Pollution Test (GPT), a 19-item survey instrument using a Likert-type scale. The survey has been used with…

This activity ties together the recycling of aluminum and the protection of rain forests. Students use critical thinking to study the effects of open pit mining of bauxite in rain forests and then draw their own conclusions about how to minimize the impact of bauxite mining and boost recycling efforts within their communities. Drawing conclusions…

To those entrenched in the green building world, the benefits seem obvious. Why would anyone choose to build in a way that isn't comfortable, healthy, energy efficient, and environmentally responsible? Even within a single college or university project, different team members often have different reasons for promoting a green agenda. Architects…

Human activity has profoundly altered the deciduous forest of the eastern United States. Modern forest is a patchwork of stands of varying ages, sizes, and shapes reflecting a complex history of land use. Much modern forest is nestled in and around human communities, and faces the threat of imminent clearance for residential and commercial…

According to Freeman Dyson, an emeritus professor of physics at the Institute for Advanced Study, the debate about global warming has become too narrow and opinions have become too entrenched. Relying on a computer model designed by the Yale University economist William D. Nordhaus, Dyson compared the effectiveness and economic feasibility of…

In order to help middle school students understand the many aspects that go into making decisions about environmental issues and concerns, as well as identifying the players involved in these decisions, an environmental town meeting activity was developed by the author. It includes opportunities to learn how the viewpoints of environmental…

Everyone wants kids to grow up smart. A child's educational success depends on good teachers, challenging curricula and involved parents. Student achievement also can be affected by the healthfulness of a school's environment. That environment includes the restrooms that consume millions of gallons of water on campuses throughout the nation.…

This article describes how community colleges, as educational institutions, play a central role in the sustainability movement and in the battle against climate change. Across the country, two-year institutions are creating sustainability programs, such as recycling garbage or composting food waste. They are building new green buildings, upgrading…

This report, commissioned by the federal Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), investigates whether vocational education and training (VET) has adapted to meet the changing needs of work. It provides examples of how work has changed for different occupations and functions, and how systemic mechanisms such as training…

Over the course of a decade, Cape Cod Community College gained regional and national recognition as a leader within the "green campus" movement. Today, it is regularly asked to participate in both dialogue and decision making at all levels. Along this journey it has found a unique identity that resonates across all publics; donors and grantors who…

Adelaide Zoo, already home to 3,400 animals representing nearly 300 species of exotic and native mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish, just acquired a new specimen: Homo exhibitionist. For 28 days, four sets of six volunteers get to spend a week living the life of an animal, foraging and playing and partying like it's 1999 million years ago. The…

This article describes the rebirth of urban rivers through government efforts to control the problems of rapid urbanization--pollution, sedimentation, and uneven water flow. (PD)