Historical Background of Environmental Education

Historical Background of Environmental Education

Stockholm DeclarationJune 5-16 1972-The Declaration of the United Nations Conference on Human Environment. The document was made up of 7 proclamations and 26 principles "to inspire and guide the peoples of the world in the preservation and enhancement of the human environment.

The Tbilisi DeclarationOctober 14-26 1977-The Tbilisi Declaration "noted the unanimous accord in the important role of environmental education in the preservation and improvement of the world's environment, as well as in the sound and balanced development of the world's communities." The Tbilisi Declaration updated and clarified The Stockholm Declaration and The Belgrade Charter by including new goals, objectives, characteristics, and guiding principles of environmental education.

Several decades later

In 18 the centaury Rousseau stressed the importance of an education that focuses on the

Environment

Louis Agassiz (Swiss Naturalist) echoes Rousseau’s philosophy as he encouraged

students to “study Nature, Not Books”

This held in late 19the centaury and early 20th

centaury

Anna Batsford Cornstock, the head of Dept. of Nature Study at Cornell

University was a prominent figure in the Natural Study Movement and

wrote the Hand Book for Nature study

in 1911

Natural Study Movement Started

Nature Study Movement garner Tremendous support from community leaders, Teachers and scientists.. and

changes the science curriculum for children across the US

Modern Environmental Education Movement Started,

which gain significant momentum in the late 1960s

ans early 1970s

Civil Rights, Vietnam

War, Cold war

Environmentalism Began

Ultimately, the first Earth Day on April 22nd 1970 – A National Teach in about Environmental problems- paved the

way for modern Environmental Education Movement

In 1970 President Nixon passed National Environmental Education Act, which has intended to incorporate Environmental

Education into K-12 schoolsIn 1971, the National Association for Environmental

Education (Now Known as North American Association for Environmental Education) was created to Improve the

environmental literary by providing resources to teachers and promoting Environmental education programmes

Internationally Environmental Education gained recognition when

UN conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm,

Sweden in 1972 declared Environmental Education must be

used as a tool to address global Environmental problems.

UNESCO and UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program) created three major declarations that have guided the course of

Environmental education

The Belgrade CharterOctober 13-22 1975-The Belgrade Charter was the outcome of the International Workshop on Environmental Education held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. The Belgrade Charter was built upon the Stockholm Declaration and adds goals, objectives, and guiding principles of environmental education programs. It defines an audience for environmental education, which includes the general public.