The Importance of Environmental Education
Posted on August 7, 2024
Environmental education can be defined as “a process that allows individuals to explore environmental issues, engage in problem-solving, and take action to improve the environment” (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2024).
The more accessible environmental education becomes, the more people will “develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions” (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2024). This helps people reach a deeper understanding, not only of our environment but also of our individual and collective impacts. As a result, it creates a stronger connection to some of the issues our environment faces and empowers us to tackle them.
Our youth are leading advocacy initiatives for Mother Nature and guiding conversations about climate change, sustainability, and environmentalism. They are coming up with solutions to help address issues that our province faces.
At the University of Calgary, students in the “Politics of Water” class (POLI 502.SO3 and POLI 723-01) are tracking their water usage using a water-audit form developed by the City of Calgary in 2001 (Lafleur, 2023). This experience inspired two students to take further action on the issue of water consumption. They prepared a policy brief detailing how the city can better promote water consumption awareness to residents and presented this to the Mayor of Calgary, Jyoti Gondek (Lafleur, 2023). This is just one example in Calgary of young people using environmental education to help solve environmental issues.
Green Calgary's mission and vision centre on empowering Calgarians with the resources and knowledge to tackle present problems. The Green Kids and Generation Green programs deliver educational programming to Grades K-9 to encourage young people to enact their agency early. It invests in resilient communities by offering adult education workshops and resources through its Green Homes and Communities Program.
GET INVOLVED
Are you interested in supporting and participating in environmental education in Calgary? Join Green Calgary at the Greening Life Social, where they will facilitate a panel discussion with environmental professionals to discuss how environmental education can build resilient communities. Details are below!
Date: August 28th, 2024
Time: 6 - 9 PM
Location: The Royal Canadian Legion | 1918 Kensington Rd NW
Click here to get your tickets HERE
We hope to see you there expanding your knowledge about the environment with us!
References:
Lafleur, S. (2023, May 15). Water-audit class project shocks students into pushing for change. University of Calgary. Retrieved August 5, 2024, from https://ucalgary.ca/news/water-audit-class-project-shocks-students-pushing-change
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2024, July 2). What is Environmental Education? | US EPA. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Retrieved August 5, 2024, from https://www.epa.gov/education/what-environmental-education
Author:
Nicole B
Communications Team Volunteer
Green Calgary Association
