Sustainability Education Example

To-date, a lack of recognition for the connectedness of things has been partially responsible for adverse environmental impacts, economic failures, social programs that do not work, and difficulties in achieving world-wide sustainable societies. In order to find solutions to complex, multifaceted problems related to living sustainably, today's students must be exposed to techniques of teaching that directly involve them in diverse interdisciplinary collaboration, the creative process, advanced technology, cross-cultural communication, economic development, and environmental ethics and values, to name a few. This integrative approach will also result in the production of a new generation of scientists that are both sensitive to the intrinsic value and inherent worth of the natural environment and responsive to the fact that science and technology should be used for nature's sake and not simply as a means to exploit nature for society's continued use.

The following represents the summary of a paper published in the INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABILITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION" (IJSHE Journal, Vol. 1(2): 191-202 - http://www.emerald-library.com) entitled "Interdisciplinary education in sustainability: Links in secondary and higher education -- The Northampton Legacy Program." This paper was authored by Dr. Warren Flint of Five E's Unlimited and William McCarter and Thomas Bonniwell of Northampton High School.

Ecology Across the Curriculum:

Environmental education techniques offer a good model upon which to mold curricula that are interdisciplinary and afford the student the ability to learn critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective decision-making skills toward achieving sustainability in a multi-issue atmosphere that replicates real world situations. This multi-dimensional approach is founded upon a combination of cultural, environmental, and traditional learning. Alternative ways must be found for both "kids at risk" and those on a fast-track to a technological future, that relates their education to the place they call home and the environments that ultimately support their future.

Our experience on the US Virginia Eastern Shore over the last several years has demonstrated that if we can present young adults with a meaningful education, through cross-disciplinary instruction, that relates their cultural heritage and their environment to traditional, as well as evolving, methods of teaching high school disciplines, then our success of achieving a literate, well-informed population knowledgeable of sustainability issues is significantly increased. By using sustainability as an integrating force, especially in science education, we can improve and facilitate academic and community relationships.

The Northampton Environmental Legacy Program links studies of the historic culture of Eastern Shore life with an awareness and understanding for the importance of environmental quality in this region. Over the 6-yr duration of this pilot program, instructors have found that when this unique environmental/cultural instruction process is superimposed on an interdisciplinary blend of traditional high school teaching (math, science, language, literature, history, etc.), the student's learning experiences are put into a context that is much more aligned to their life experiences.

Environmental Literacy:

A large portion of our global population has the notion that environmental protection is an albatross designed to cripple economic and social advancement. Anyone with little experience and limited or selective education is vulnerable to these ideas. In most education settings the students offered the advantages of environmental experiences are typically those from higher socio-economic backgrounds for several reasons:

1. they are generally not behavioral problems;
2. they are usually more willing to attempt something new, because they have had prior favorable experiences;
3. they have the disposable income to take part in different opportunities; and
4. they already have an identity that includes certain environmental aesthetics.

Northampton program results have been significant. Improved student performance was measured against the general school population by evaluating the results of several different testing standards. In reading comprehension, Legacy students were 5.8% better than their classmates, in science 4.7% better, and in social studies 6.4% better. In addition, 14 Legacy students took the Biology End of Course test. Despite obvious handicaps, 93% of Legacy students passed the test. This was much higher than either the school or the state average.

The method that Northampton High School has designed and tested, while certainly appropriate for the above individuals, is also intended for others. By empowering economically depressed and/or at risk individuals to control their education, we develop a self-confident, decision-maker of a new order. By further wrapping this around high priority environmental issues that historically have determined the livelihood of these same individuals, we are creating a new breed of environmentally and sustainably literate citizen.

Responsibility for Sustainability Education:

Because of the success of this program, a strong message is being sent to institutions of higher education (i.e., colleges and universities). In preparation of future teachers, college/university curricula will need to offer an opportunity for developing exceptional skills in interdisciplinary teaching so that new teachers can move seamlessly into high school programs already developed along the lines of the sustainable education model described here. Equally important for institutions of higher learning will be the training of future teachers that can develop these new programs of education in sustainability at the high school level, where they do not yet exist, so that the influence of this demonstration project can grow and significantly more students can benefit.

By providing students with the tools necessary to participate as active members of their communities, having the creative problem-solving skills, social literacy, and commitment to engage in responsible individual and cooperative actions that will lead to ecologically viable, socially just, and economically secure societies for present and future generations, results from the pilot program suggest that we can instill in them a caring for the environment as citizens and perhaps one day as science professionals, trained to protect and restore their birthright and their legacy.

Check out the links in the left panel above for further discussion on our approaches to sustainability education and public awareness.