Pro-environmental values and education

Abstract

In the chapter Pro-environmental values and education authors Milica Marušić Jablanović and Andreas Oikonomou indicate that the state of the environment 45 years after the acceptance of the Global Framework for Environmental Education makes us wonder not only if societies, taken globally, have tried hard enough to achieve the proposed educational objectives, but also what the reach and influence of the education actually is. The theories of values and empirical research of the correlation between values and behavior make a valuable source of information because they offer insight into the kind of values that should be developed through education. On the other hand, we learn as well what values constitute barriers for such behaviour. The paper presents the good practices that prove that the adoption of environmental values is possible through interesting activities that introduce many alternative teaching and learning techniques, quite far from the frontal teaching of the classical school. It is a necessary for all the students to be properly introduced to environmental values and not just those who participate in the usually limited number of volunteer groups operating in schools. Even then, however, the school work will not have the expected results if other factors do not support it. For example, if the family or wider community are not imbued with similar values, constant conflict and obstacles for developing pro-environmental values will occur. The authors propose a strategic choice of an alternative, sustainable school, with a well-designed curriculum and a school culture inspired by constant concern for the preservation of the environment, with respect for all living beings, prudent use of natural resources, open to the community, to the outdoor activities and experience-based learning.