Lesson 1: Roots of Environmental Education
RESPONSIBLE CENTERS IN PROMOTING EE IN THE PHILIPPINES:
According to Genc, 2015, life and environment are interdependent,
environment is a vital human element. The environment is the habitat in
which living things maintain their reciprocation and interact with each other
throughout their lifetimes.
1. DepEd, CHED, TESDA
Environmental education aims to increase citizen environmental literacy,
doing so by increasing awareness and knowledge, providing an opportunity
to explore values and practice skills relating to environmental issues
(UNESCO, 1978).
4.Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
EE’s foundational aim is action toward the solution of environmental
problems (UNESCO 1978) (as cited in Ernst, Blood & Beery 2015).
Environmental Education is a process that allows individuals to explore
environmental issues, engage in problem solving, and take action to improve
the environment.
5 COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
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General Awareness – Raising awareness of the need for
environmental conservation is the first step in any program.
Knowledge – Understanding of human and natural systems and
processes and developing a deeper understanding of the principles
and complex issues involved.
Attitude – Appreciation and concern for the environment and
building personal and societal commitment to conservation.
Skills – Problem solving and critical thinking skills; skills of
environmental citizenship.
Participation – Capacity for personal and collective action and civic
participation
Environmental Education in the Philippines
Republic Act 9512 – National Environmental Awareness and Education Act of
2008. This is an act to promote environmental awareness through
environmental education and for other purposes.
November – Environmental Awareness Month
2. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
3. Department of Social Welfare and Development(DSWD)
SOME OF THE PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENT:
1. Expanded National Greening Program (ENGP) DepEd Components in
relation to ENGP includes Gulayan sa Paaralan, Tree Planting, and
ALS Lingap Kalikasan.
2. Philippine Association of Tertiary Level Educational Institutions in
Environmental Protection and Management (PATLEPAM)
Lesson 2: Meaning and Nature of Ecoliteracy
The original term literacy referred only to the ability to read and write, its
usage has since been extended greatly in score, beginning during the
Industrial Revolution.
According to UNESCO Education Sector 2004:13, “literacy involves a
continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to
develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their
community and wider society.
Environmental Literacy – comprises an awareness of and concern about the
environment and its associated problems as well as the knowledge, skills,
and motivation to work toward solutions of current problems and the
prevention of new ones (NAAEE 2004)
Ecological Literacy – focusing on the key ecological knowledge necessary for
informed decision making, acquired through scientific inquiry and systems
thinking.
Ecoliteracy – the ability to understand the natural systems that makes life on
earth possible. It is the power that comes from the knowledge and
consciousness of how nature’s living systems operate.
Orr’s Theory – a broad understanding of how people and societies relate to
one another and to natural systems, and how they might do so sustainably.
He identified the 2 stages of ecoliteracy and emphasizes the concept of
knowing, caring and practical competence.
First stage in ecological literacy – the educated person has the knowledge
necessary to comprehend interrelatedness and attitude of care of
stewardship.
Second stage in ecological literacy – to know something of the speed of the
crisis that is upon us. It is to know magnitudes, rates and trend of population
growth, species extinction, soil loss, deforestation, desertification, climate
change, ozone depletion, resource exhaustion, air and water pollution, toxic
and radioactive contamination, resource, and energy used
Some of recently extinct animals
1. Ivory-billed Woodpecker - 2021
2. Smooth Handfish – 2020
3. Western Black Rhinoceros
Lesson 3: Global Demography and other Global Problems
Demography is the study of human populations – their size, composition
and distribution across space – and the process through which populations
change.
Births, deaths, and migration – the ‘big three’ of demography, jointly
producing population stability or change.
Two ways to determine the worlds population
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Mortality rate – frequency of deaths in a specific population.
Fertility rate – the number of offsprings born in a specific place
Before 1700s, world population grew little because there is a higher
mortality rate than the fertility rate. People during that time suffered form
epidemics and viruses.
At the start of 1700s, world population started to grow because we gained
knowledge and technological change in the form of advances in medicine,
public health, and nutrition.
Overpopulation refers to a population which exceeds its sustainable size
within a particular environment or habitat.
Causes of overpopulation
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Higher crime rate
Health problems
Environmental problems
migration
Migration – a way to move from one place to another in order to live and
work.
Economic migration - moving to find work or follow a particular career path.
Social migration - moving somewhere for a better quality of life or to be
closer to family or friends
Political migration - moving to escape political persecution or war
Environmental causes of migration – it includes natural disasters such as
flooding
Lesson 4: Theories and Practices of Sustainable Education
Sustainable Education – often referred to as Education for Sustainable
Development (ESD), which has been defined as “ESD allows every human
being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values necessary to
shape a sustainable future”. (UNESCO, 2014)
ESD promotes competencies like critical thinking, imagining future scenarios
and making decisions in a collaborative way.
SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS
The educational strategy on Sustainable Schools should encompass the
following focus areas:
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food and drink
energy and water
travel and traffic
purchasing and waste
buildings and grounds
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inclusion and participation
local well-being
global citizenship
Sustainable schools have a major part to play in the face of global issues
such as climate change, ethical consumerism, energy use and peak oil. All
such issues have an impact on the school and local community.
Ethical Consumerism – the idea that your consumption has an impact on
the world, so you want that impact to align with your values. This means
understanding the footprint of the products you consume, how they were
made, and how they will be disposed of.
Sustainability in the Curriculum
1. Environmental sustainability - the responsibility to conserve natural
resources and protect global ecosystems to support health and
wellbeing, now and in the future. Because so many decisions that
impact the environment are not felt immediately, a key element of
environmental sustainability is its forward-looking nature.
o natural resource management
o food and farming
o ecological systems
o waste/water/energy
o biodiversity
o climate change
2. Economic Sustainability
o leadership and change
o consumerism and trade
o sustainable and ethical tourism
o population
3. Social sustainability
o cultural diversity
o intercultural understanding
o travel, transport, and mobility
o health and wellbeing
Lesson 5: Dimensions of Sustainable Education
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs.” – Brundtland Commission
This calls for a long-term structural strategy for the world’s economic and
social systems, which aims to reduce the burden on the environment and on
natural resources to a permanently viable level, while still maintaining
economic growth and social cohesion.
Why sustainable development is important?
Sustainable development is often partnered with good corporate citizenship.
This means that organizations in the health system can use their corporate
powers and resources in ways that benefit rather than damage the
economic, social, and physical environment in which we live.
Dimensions of Sustainable Development
1. Social Dimension
o Equality of opportunities for people, involving welfare,
quality of life and sustainable human development.
o Development should liberate individual capacities and fulfill
human needs, thus ending poverty and improving quality of
life offering a secure life with full rights and liberties in the
long term – and social cohesion.
2. Environmental Dimension
The ability to use natural resources without undermining the
equilibrium and integrity of ecosystems, reduce burden on the
environment.
3. Economic Dimension
Efficiency of economic and technological activities, foster investment
and productivity, economic growth, economic output potential.
Sustainable Development Goals
January 16 – the world officially began implementation of the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development – the transformative plan of action based on
17 sustainable development goals to address urgent global challenge over
the next 15 years.
The Philippines Action Toward the SDGs
The Filipino people’s collective vision of matatag, maginhawa, at panatag na
buhay para sa lahat. The life of all Filipinos in 2040: Matatag, Maginhawa at
Panatag na Buhay
In 2040, we will all enjoy a stable and comfortable lifestyle, secure in the
knowledge that we have enough for our daily needs and unexpected
expenses, that we can plan and prepare for our own and our children’s
future, our family lives together in a place of our own, and we have the
freedom to go where we desire, protected, and enabled by a clean, efficient,
and fair government.
The Global Goals for Sustainable Development
1 – No Poverty
15 – Life on Land
2 – Zero Hunger
16 – Peace and Justice
3 – Good Health and Well-being
17 – Partnerships for the Goals
4 – Quality Education
5 – Gender Equality
6 – Clean Water and Sanitation
7 – Affordable and Clean Energy
8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth
9 – Industry Innovation and Infrastructure
10 – Reduced Inequalities
11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities
12 – Responsible Consumption and Production
13 – Climate Action
14 – Life Below Water