The Roots of

Environmental
Education
How the Past Supports the future
 Environmental Education Time line
-Important events, publications, legislation and
conferences in EE field.
Environmental
Education Timeline

Early Influences The Present Programs and

Building for the Future

The Conservation The Foundation of Modern

Education Era Environmental Education
 EARLY INFLUENCES
 1792- Jean Jacques Rousseau publishes ‘Emile’, an
educational philosophy written in the form of a novel.
 1807- Louis Agassiz- urged his students to learn directly from
nature.
 1891- Wilbur Jackman writes ‘Nature Study for the Common
School’, which defined the nature study movement. Anna
Botsford Comstock was an important author in the nature
study movement.
 1920- Ecology begins to develop as a scientific field. It
presents a comprehensive view of the natural world and
integrated approach to its study
 THE CONSERVATION EDUCATION ERA
 1930s- The ‘Dust Bowl’ in the American heartland gives rise to the
conservation education movement.
Progressive education movement was led by John Dewey
(Students centered, Learning by doing, Lifelong learning, Integrated
and interdisciplinary efforts)
 1935- Wiscosin becmes the first state in US to enact pre-service
teacher training in conservation of natural resources.
The University of Wiscosin offers degree in conservation
education (1946)
 1948- Thomas Pritchard used the term ‘Environmental
Education’ at the meeting in Paris of the International Union for
the Conservation of nature.
 THE FOUNDATION FOR THE MODERN
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
 1962- Environmental science book ‘Silent Spring’ by Rachel Carson. The book documented
the detrimental effects on the environmental particularly on birds of the indiscriminate use of
pesticides.
 1968- Best seller ‘The Population Bomb’ by Prof. Paul R. Ehrilch.
 1969- Dr. William Stapp at the University of Michigan developed and published a definition
of ‘environmental education’.
 1970- US congress passed the National Environmental Education Act of 1970.
 1971- 1st report of the British Royal Commission on environmental pollution says: ‘The best
insurance for the environment is a commitment on the behalf of the public to prevent the
deterioration of air, water and land.’
 1972- The United Nations conference on The Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden.
Indira Gandhi attended this conference and she spoke of poverty and population as two
boulders.
 1974- The Finnish national Commission in a seminar said that ‘EE is a way of
implementing the goals of environmental protection. EE is not a separate branch of
science or subject of study, it should be carried out according to the principle of
lifelong integral education’.
 1975- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and cultural organization sponsors
a conference in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. The charter outlines the basic structure of
environmental education.
 1977- UNESO in cooperation with the United Nations Environmental Program
holds the Intergovernmental Conference on environmental Education in Tbilisi,
republic of Georgia. The conference lays out the goals, objectives, and guiding
principles of environmental education.
 1987- The World Commission on Environment and Development publishes the
Bruntland Report, also known as ‘Our Common Future’, this report introduces the
idea of sustainable development.
 PRESENT PROGRAMS AND BUILDING FOR THE
FUTURE
 1992- The United Nation conducts the Conference on Environmental
Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Chapter 36 of Agenda 21
focuses on ‘reorienting education towards sustainable development,
increasing public awareness, and promoting training’.
 1992- UNESCO, The International Chamber of Commerce, in
cooperation with the United nations Environmental Programme
sponsored ‘A World congress for Education and communication on
Environment and Development (ECO-ED)’- “ECO-ED’s purpose is
to stimulate informed action by improving the accuracy, quality and
delivery of education and communication relating to the environment
and sustainable development.
Contd…
 2002- The UN General Commission on Sustainable Development holds the
Johannesburg Summit , South Africa. It focused the world’s attention and direct
action towards conserving our natural resources in a world that is growing in
population, with ever increasing demands for food, water, shelter, energy,
health services and economic security.
The UN General Assembly passes a resolution declaring 2005-2014 as the
Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

 2005- The National Environmental Education and Training Foundation holds

the first National Environmental Education Week (April 10-16,2005)
The Center for the Environmental Education holds the Education for a
Sustainable Future Conference in Ahmedabad, India. More than 800 learners,
thinkers, and practitioners from over 40 countries attended the conference.
 HISTORY OF ENVIRONEMNTAL EDUCATION IN
INDIA
 To preserve the environment and to protect if from degradation and to have compassion
for all living creature are part of the ethos laid down in Muslim and Hindu scripture like
Quran and Vedas.
“Divinities as all pervasive, in all humans, all life forms” is a distinctive feature of
India’s spiritual life.
Eg: “Dasputra” or “Ten Sons”- Food, Fodder, Fertilizers, Fibre, Fuel, Air, Water, Soil,
Shade and Beauty.
 First attempt was initiated by Mahatma Gandhi in a movement called ‘Nai Taleem’ or
‘Basic Education’ in 1937
Aim was to foster reflective thinking, skilled with useful knowledge, who are
integrated into community life through engagement in productive work and who desired to
undertake service for humanity.
Gandhi’s word “Live simply so that others may simply live”.
CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS:
 Article48A: the provision of environmental protection and
improvement as of a state policy. It declares “The state shall
endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to
safeguard the forest and wildlife of the country”.

 Article 51A(g): which says that every citizen shall have the
duty “ to protect and improve the natural environment
including food, lakes, rivers and the wildlife and to have the
compassion for living creature”.
 CHRONOLOGY OF KEY DEVELOPMENT IN
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN INDIA
 1964-66: Report of the Education considered the root of Commission- the Kothari Environmental
Education Commission in India.
 1972: Government setting up a national Committee on Environmental Planning and Coordination
(NCEPC) which identifies problems and seeks their solutions, review policies and programmes.
 1980- Tiwari Committee- urgent need for EE. Besides introducing the subject ‘Environmental Science’
at all levels of education, we must give emphasis on new approaches, programmes in EE. EE together
with sound legislation, sustainable management, responsible actions by individual and communities.
 1984- Establishment of the Center of Environmental Education (CEE) worked with the different of EE
sectors.
 1985- Establishment of The Ministry of Environmental, Forest and Climate change. It is responsible for
planning, promoting, coordinating overseeing the implementation of environmental and forestry
programmes in the country. It is the Nodal agency for the United nation environmental Programme
(UNEP)
National Policy on Education (1986)-EE must permeates all ages and all sections of society, beginning
with the child environmental consciousness should inform teaching in schools and colleges.
 2000- National curriculum framework: Talks about education for Value development,
integrating diverse curriculum concern (EE, AIDS education, global education, safety
education, population education etc) and to relate education to world of work.
 2003- Supreme Court requires every school in judgment mandating environmental
education to be in every state of India and to be taught across all formal institutions. It also
reviewed a curriculum framework prepared by the NCERT and the State Government were
asked to develop textbooks using this framework.
1991 and 2003 supreme Court provides the necessary impetus for policy formation in
NCERT and NCTE.
 2005- National Council of Teacher Education provides national level impetus for the EE
curriculum framework in the inclusion of EE in teacher training institutions.
 NCERT recommendations for implementing environmental education in schools in India
based on CCE (2010):
I and II- Through Activities
III to V- Environmental Studies (EVS)
VI to X- Infusion Model
XI to XII- Project Based Study
 ‘The same stream of life that runs through my
veins, runs through the world.’

‘The world is a living thing, intimately close to my

life, permeated by the subtle of kinship, which enhances
the value of my own being.’

Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore