Environmental Health Literacy


Book Description

This book explores various and distinct aspects of environmental health literacy (EHL) from the perspective of investigators working in this emerging field and their community partners in research. Chapters aim to distinguish EHL from health literacy and environmental health education in order to classify it as a unique field with its own purposes and outcomes. Contributions in this book represent the key aspects of communication, dissemination and implementation, and social scientific research related to environmental health sciences and the range of expertise and interest in EHL. Readers will learn about the conceptual framework and underlying philosophical tenets of EHL, and its relation to health literacy and communications research. Special attention is given to topics like dissemination and implementation of culturally relevant environmental risk messaging, and promotion of EHL through visual technologies. Authoritative entries by experts also focus on important approaches to advancing EHL through community-engaged research and by engaging teachers and students at an early age through developing innovative STEM curriculum. The significance of theater is highlighted by describing the use of an interactive theater experience as an approach that enables community residents to express themselves in non-verbal ways.




Resources for Environmental Literacy


Book Description

Resources for Environmental Literacy offers a fresh way to enhance your classroom productivity. The environmental context it provides can improve students' science learning. The modules offer appropriate teaching strategies plus high-quality resources to deepen your students' understanding of key environmental topics.




Environmental Literacy in Science and Society


Book Description

A comprehensive review and analysis of environmental literacy within the context of environmental science and sustainable development. Approaching the topic from multiple perspectives, the book explores the development of human understanding of the environment and human-environment interactions in the fields of biology, psychology, sociology, economics and industrial ecology.




Teaching Environmental Literacy


Book Description

Integrating environmental education throughout the curriculum.




A Primer for Environmental Literacy


Book Description

This text presents the key concepts of environmental science for those who are not natural scientists. It offers a way to improve environmental literacy - the capacity to understand the connections between humans and their environment. There are reading lists for each topic covered.







The Failure of Environmental Education (And How We Can Fix It)


Book Description

“The hope for the future depends on teaching current and future students the analytical and critical thinking skills for dealing with the most critical problems. My own hope is for this book to be read by everyone, even those outside the field of environmental education. Read this book, read it again, share it widely, and do something - anything - to help our needy and wounded planet."-Marc Bekoff, author of The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons For Expanding Our Compassion Footprint "Saylan and Blumstein provide a compelling vision of what can be, and what should be, if we have the courage to open our eyes and the boldness to act.”-Peter Saundry, Ph.D., Executive Director of the National Council for Science and the Environment “A clarion call to incorporate environmental education in all grades K-12, across all academic disciplines, in order to produce future generations of environmental stewards."-Mark Gold, President, Heal The Bay "We need a sea change in the educational system. After all, if we can teach schoolchildren that vandalism is wrong, why can we not teach them that environmental destruction is wrong? This book is a haunting call to action. A beautifully written manifesto that gets it right."-Ron Swaisgood, Director of Applied Animal Ecology, Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global “The greatest threat to the future of all species on the planet is the huge gap between what is understood about global climate change by the scientific community and what is known about climate change by the people who need to know -- the public. The sound prescriptions in this book need to be read now. We are running out of time.”-Dr. James Hansen, world-renowned climatologist and author of Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity “Environmental education is a disaster and educating the public on environmental issues is the greatest challenge facing humanity today. This book will help us understand why we are headed toward the collapse of civilization, and more important, how to fix it. Packed with sound science, useful information, and brilliant ideas, it is a book we must read, and give, to our local school boards and principals nationwide. Our children will thank us."-Paul R. Ehrlich, author of The Population Bomb and Humanity on a Tightrope




Ecological Literacy


Book Description

A network of educational reformers reports on projects that are equipping today's children with the tools of ecological consciousness and systems thinking that will help humankind live more sustainably on the Earth tomorrow.




A Criteria-based Evaluation of Environmental Literacy Plans in the United States


Book Description

In response to the lack of formalized environmental education in the United States, 48 states are in the process of developing Environmental Literacy Plans (ELP) through their state environmental education organization (SEEO). The North American Association of Environmental Educators (NAAEE) produced guidelines intended to inform the states writing and development of their ELP. These guidelines provide a framework for the integration of environmental education into current state curricula, propose graduation requirements for environmental literacy, suggest steps for teacher professional development, detail assessment strategies and propose funding sources and policy action steps. Due to large variations in educational systems, policies, and politics on a state-by-state basis, the 48 ELPs are in dramatically different phases of progress. The purpose of this study was to develop a robust and unique system of analyzing environmental literacy plans in the United States. A criteria-based matrix system was created for to examine the progress of state ELPs through a qualitative system which analyzes the quality of each recommended criterion. The matrix system also accounts for several external factors such as political status in terms of legislative progress and the process transparency in terms of public input. The matrix system is accompanied by rubrics which provide detailed citations of evidence for each of the eight criterion scores a state receives. The unique methodology requires a contextualization of the factors affecting ELP progress; therefore several states are highlighted in the findings to provide contextual evidence behind ELP success or lack thereof. . The conclusions identify the development of a robust curriculum crosswalk as well as plan advancement on the political stage as strong components of ELP success. This study also shows that political affiliation of the state, as a conservative or liberal state, is not a strong determinant off overall success of the plan. The conclusions of this dissertation are highly relevant due to the passage of new federal legislation which, for the first time, provides funding for opportunities for environmental education in K-12 classrooms in the United States.