The present book shares critical perspectives on the conceptualization, implementation, discourses, policies, and alternative practices of environmental education (EE) for diverse and unique groups of learners in a variety of international educational settings. Each contribution offers insights on the authors’ own processes of re-imagining an education in/about/for the environment that are realized through their teaching, research and other ways of “doing” EE. Overall, environmental education has been aimed at giving people a wider appreciation of the diversity of cultural and environmental systems around them as well as the urge to overcome existing problems. In this context, universities, schools, and community-based organizations struggle to promote sustainable environmental education practices geared toward the development of ecologically literate citizens in light of surmountable challenges of hyperconsumerism, environmental depletion and socioeconomic inequality. The extent that individuals within educational systems are expected to effectively respond to—as well as benefit from—a “greener” and more just world becomes paramount with the vision and analysis of different successes and challenges embodied by EE efforts worldwide. This book fosters conversations amongst researchers, teacher educators, schoolteachers, and community leaders in order to promote new international collaborations around current and potential forms of environmental education. This book reflects many successful international projects and perspectives on the theory and praxis of environmental education. An eclectic mix of international scholars challenge environmental educators to engage issues of reconciliation of correspondences and difference across regions. In their own ways, authors stimulate critical conversations that seem pivotal for necessary re-imaginings of research and pedagogy across the grain of cultural and ecological realities, systematic barriers and reconceptualizations of environmental education. The book is most encouraging in that it works to expand the creative commons for progress in teaching, researching and doing environmental education in desperate times. — Paul Hart, Professor of Science and Environmental Education at the University of Regina (Canada), Melanson Award for outstanding contributions to environmental and outdoor education (Saskatchewan Outdoor and Environmental Education Association) and North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)’s Jeske Award for Leadership and Service to the Field of EE and Outstanding Contributions to Research in EE. In an attempt to overcome simplistic and fragmented views of doing Environmental Education in both formal and informal settings, the collected authors from several countries/continents present a wealth of cultural, social, political, artistic, pedagogical, and ethical perspectives that enrich our vision on the theoretical and practical foundations of the field. A remarkable book that I suggest all environmental educators, teacher educators, policy and curricular writers read and present to their students in order to foster dialogue around innovative ways of experiencing an education about/in/for the environment. — Rute Monteiro, Professor of Science Education, Universidade do Algarve/ University of Algarve (Portugal).

This book brings together an international group of authors to discuss the outdoor environmental education (OEE) theory and practice that educators can use to support teaching and learning in higher education. The book contents are organised around a recently established list of threshold concepts that can be used to describe the knowledge and skills that university students would develop if they complete a major in outdoor education. There are six key sections: the theoretical foundations and philosophies of OEE; the pedagogical approaches and issues involved in teaching OEE; the ways in which OEE is a social, cultural and environmental endeavour; how outdoor educators can advocate for social justice; key approaches to safety management; and the need for on-going professional practice. The threshold concepts that form the premise of the book describe outdoor educators as creating opportunities for experiential learning using pedagogies that align their programme’s purpose and practice. Outdoor educators are place-responsive, and see their work as a social, cultural and environmental endeavour. They advocate for social and environmental justice, and they understand and apply safety principles and routinely engage in reflective practice. This book will provide clarity and direction for emerging and established outdoor educators around the world and will also be relevant to students and professionals working in related fields such as environmental education, adventure therapy, and outdoor recreation.

This text is relevant for members of faculties of education such as administers, directors of teacher education programs, teacher educators (for pre-service and/or inservice teachers), and teacher candidates. There is also a potential appeal to professors in higher education institutions as integration practices can be adapted to meet the requirements across disciplines. K-12 classroom-based teachers may find this text useful as a source for content-based learning either from disciplinary or cross-disciplinary practice as well as individuals serving in an educational capacity in community-based settings, for instance. Parts of this work have already been presented in both US and Canadian based conferences such as the American Educational Research Association and the Canadian Society for the Study of Education and serve as optimal venues to reach the academic market. Advertising in publications geared towards providing practical articles could also serve a way to reach classroom based and community-based educators. ENDORSEMENTS: "Everybody needs to eat! Unfortunately, too many communities live food insecure and to not address this in our education system is a massive problem. Valeri, in the book Educating about/for Food Security through Environmental Education, offers brilliant insight through the study of integrating food security into teacher education. In doing so, Valeri shares the importance of language, and specifically root metaphors, in addressing food security as a deep cultural problem rather than one of natural occurrence and this book highlights generative ways to not only address food security in teacher education, but also to prepare teachers that feel empowered to make very real material changes in their classrooms and communities." — John Lupinacci, Washington State University "In light of climate change and the impacts it will inevitably have on food production/distribution, "Educating about/for food security through EE" is an important study examining the intersections of teacher education, food security, and sustainability. Examining ways in which educators and researchers ought to integrate food security into classrooms, while also examining the cultural causes of systemic inequity, this book is important for teacher educators who are interested in further incorporating food security and suitability into their classrooms." — Brandon Edwards-Schuth, Oulu, Finland

This book offers readers a diversity of perspectives, experiences and practical examples from various facets of Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) that can propel practice, further research and inform decision-making in the region, thus making for more cogent and effective ESE. The Caribbean region is comprised of what is said to be the largest number of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), together with the non-island nations of Belize, Guyana, and Suriname. Although diverse with respect to governance, size, topography, and income, the Caribbean region has a common set of geographic and socio-economic characteristics that make it vulnerable to environmental hazards, economic challenges and social instability. Further to these particular vulnerabilities are various phenomena that pose critical sustainability challenges, two of which are climate change and crime and violence. Consequently, responsive and relevant ESE is needed to address these issues through knowledge enhancement, attitudinal change, skills development and behaviour change. As we seek solutions, this text brings together various empirical and theoretical contributions focused primarily on the English-speaking Caribbean region, that explore a number of areas such as ESE pedagogy, teacher education, values education and progress evaluation. This volume will be a key resource for educators, policymakers, scholars and advanced students of ESE, as well as those interested in protecting our planet. It was originally published as a special issue of Environmental Education Research.

In a modern society, it is easy to forget that our society depends largely on the environmental processes that govern our world. Environment refers to an aggregate of surroundings in which living beings such as humans, animals, and plants live and non-living things exist. It includes air, water, land, living organisms, and materials surrounding us. The environment is an important part of our daily lives. Environmental issues are now part of every career path and employment area. Environmental science is an interdisciplinary field that applies principles from all the known technologies and sciences to study the environment and provide solutions to environmental problems. It is the study of how the earth works and how we can deal with the environmental issues we face. There is an ever demanding need for experts in this field because the environment is responsible for making our world beautiful and habitable. For this reason, environmental science is now being taught at high schools and higher institutions of learning. Education on environmental science will empower the youths to take an active role in the world in which they live.

This book has a single motif and a dual purpose. Its motif is the portrayal of influential authors within an environmental framework and worldview. The design is presented in different ways in which environmental understandings might be understood. The purposes are to engender in the reader a broad knowledge of some of the ideas and problems inherent in a discussion of nature and the environment and to stimulate the reader to go further into the sources of their tradition and worldview in search of meaning and insights that are uniquely relevant to their philosophy.

This open access book is designed and written to bridge the gap on the critical issues identified in environmental education programs in Asian countries. The world and its environments are changing rapidly, and the public may have difficulty keeping up and understanding how these changes will affect our way of life. The authors discuss various topics and case studies from an Asian perspective, but the content, messaging, and lessons learned need not be limited to Asian cultures. Each chapter provides a summary of the intensive research that has been performed on pro-environmental behaviors, the experience of people working in industry and at home, and their philosophies that guide them in their daily lives. We highlight humanity’s potential to contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by understanding better the environmental psychology, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability and stewardship protection elements that contribute to responsible environmental citizenship. The content of the chapters in this book includes a discussion of the crucial issues, plans, and evaluations for sustainability theories, practices, and actions with a proposed management structure for maximizing the cultural, social, and ecological diversity of Asian experiences compared to other theories and cultures internationally. We intend that the data in this book will provide a comprehensive guide for students, professors, practitioners, and entrepreneurs of environmental education and its related disciplines using case studies that demonstrate the relationship between the social and behavioral sciences and environmental leadership and sustainability.

This book captures the now burgeoning research field of early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS) and comprises insights from an ever-widening and diverse pool of researchers, who are promoting, engaging, and explaining the latest ECEfS research in the light of local, national, and United Nations global policy directives. With the increasing urgency of global climate disruptions, resource depletions, and biodiversity losses alongside greater human dislocation, the international scope of research and theory in this book provides a comprehensive guide to the role of sustainability in early childhood education, at a time when it is needed more than ever. Elliott, Ärlemalm-Hagsér, and Davis have brought together a collection of studies that offer new insights and approaches to ECEfS which challenge dominant narratives surrounding early childhood education and sustainability, including topics such as: how diverse worldviews and cultures challenge perceptions of sustainability; how bold national early education policies and urgent shifts in teacher education are imperative for driving transformative practices; and, how ECEfS curriculum and pedagogy can be incorporated successfully into early years settings. This book will both inspire researchers and more deeply enable early years’ educators to practise sustainability with children, and so will be of great interest to scholars, lecturers, and researchers, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students, across the increasingly intersecting fields of sustainability and early childhood education.

This Open Access book is about the development of a common understanding of environmental citizenship. It conceptualizes and frames environmental citizenship taking an educational perspective. Organized in four complementary parts, the book first explains the political, economic and societal dimensions of the concept. Next, it examines environmental citizenship as a psychological concept with a specific focus on knowledge, values, beliefs and attitudes. It then explores environmental citizenship within the context of environmental education and education for sustainability. It elaborates responsible environmental behaviour, youth activism and education for sustainability through the lens of environmental citizenship. Finally, it discusses the concept within the context of different educational levels, such as primary and secondary education in formal and non-formal settings. Environmental citizenship is a key factor in sustainability, green and cycle economy, and low-carbon society, and an important aspect in addressing global environmental problems. It has been an influential concept in many different arenas such as economy, policy, philosophy, and organizational marketing. In the field of education, the concept could be better exploited and established, however. Education and, especially, environmental discourses in science education have a great deal to contribute to the adoption and promotion of environmental citizenship.

Empowering Teachers through Environmental and Sustainability Education draws inspiration from an empirical study exploring early career teachers’ attempts at enacting Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) in their everyday teaching practices. It showcases how a confluence of personal, professional and environmental identities supports implementation of ESE. Additionally, this book discusses key concepts and issues surrounding ESE and the ways in which teachers may claim agency and power to create change in their classroom practices. Drawing from theoretical perspectives, such as Bourdieu’s ‘thinking tools’ habitus and capital, theories of identity, and Foucault’s concept of power and knowledge relations, this book explores how teachers negotiate policies, curriculum and institutional norms to further theoretical and practical understanding of ESE. The use of personal narratives offers new insights into teachers’ agency in creating localised yet powerful change through small and meaningful actions. The purpose of this book, therefore, is to explore ways in which meaningful change can be made in educational settings through these small agentive and yet empowering steps. This book reveals that teachers can enact agency and navigate the power structures that exist within educational settings in order to make ESE meaningful within their classrooms.