Tbilisi Report

Two years after the Belgrade workshop, UNESCO held an environmental education in Tbilisi, Georgia (in the former USSR). The Tbilisi Report built upon the Belgrade Charter and produced the following goals for environmental education:

• To foster clear awareness of, and concern about economic, social, political and ecological interdependence in urban and rural areas;
• To provide every person with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, values, attitudes, commitment and skills needed to protect and improve the environment; and
• To create new patterns of behavior of individuals, groups and society as a whole towards the environment.

The report also identified five categories of objectives for individuals and groups that should be acquired through environmental education:

• Awareness and sensitivity to the environment and environmental problems;
• Knowledge and understanding of the environment and environmental problems;
• Attitudes of concern for the environment;
• Skills to identify and solve environmental problems; and
• Participation for active involvement in solving environmental problems.

North American Association for Environmental Education

In 1983, the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) built upon the Belgrade Charter and the Tbilisi Report to develop the following definition for environmental education:

Environmental education is a process which promotes the analysis and understanding of environmental issues as the basis for effective education, problem solving, policy making, and management. The purpose of environmental education is to foster the education of skilled individuals able to understand environmental problems and possessing the expertise to devise effective solutions to them. In the broader context, environmental education's purpose is to assist in the development of a citizenry conscious of the scope and complexity of current and emerging environmental problems and supportive of solutions and policies which are ecologically sound.

United States-Mexico-Canada Trilateral Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Education

In September, 1992, the United States, Mexico, and Canada signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Environmental Education which serves as a framework for developing, coordinating, and implementing joint environmental education and training activities. In the MOU, environmental education is defined as:

A permanent process in which individuals and the community gain awareness of their environment and acquire the knowledge, values, skills, experiences, and also the determination which will enable them to act -- individually and collectively -- to solve present and future environmental problems.

End Notes

1. Sustainable development is defined by the United Nations world Commission on Environment and Development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." This concept refers to the long-term outlook and interdependence of the world's economy and its environment. It requires a long-term perspective for planning and policy development; dictates actions that build on and reinforce the interdependence of the economy and the environment; and calls for new, integrative approaches to achieve economic, social, and environmental objectives. Report to Congress on Sustainable Development. June 1993. EPA 230-R-93-005.

2. The Act creates a Federal Task Force on Environmental Education to assure coordination of environmental education activities among Federal agencies. It also creates a National Environmental Education Advisory Council to foster communication between the Federal government and other important players such as states, education institutions, non-profit organizations, and the private sector.

3. "A State-by-State Overview of Environmental Education Standards." Environmental Education Associates, Inc. August 1993.

4. This reference was taken from an unpublished August 7, 1993 draft report to Congress by the National Environmental Education Advisory Council. Under the National Environmental Education Act of 1990, the Council is required to produce a biennial report to Congress to assess the state of environmental education in the United States.

5. Attachment 11 provides a brief description of some of the major statements and efforts that have contributed to a generally accepted understanding of what constitutes environmental education.

6. One example of an interagency project is the FCCSET Summer Science Teacher Enhancement Program which provides teacher enhancement in the sciences, including in the environmental sciences, at Federal laboratories across the country. This program was initiated in the summer of 1993 under the FCCSET Committee on Education and Training. Participating agencies include DOE, USDA, DOC, DOI, as well as NASA, EPA, and the Smithsonian Institution. Examples of other Federal interagency projects are listed in this report under specific agency programs spearheaded by DOD and DOE.

7. However, a number of efforts that have taken place or are currently underway to document or assess Federal environmental education activities do shed some light on Federal programs. For example, in 1978, the ERIC Center f or Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education worked in cooperation with the Federal Interagency Committee on Education's Subcommittee on Environmental Education to prepare a document. titled "Environmental Education Activities of Federal Agencies" to identify the objectives, activities, accomplishments, and plans of numerous Federal agencies as a first step toward identifying gaps and duplication of effort. In 1990, the Council on Environmental Quality prepared a document titled "An Assessment of Federal Activities in Environmental Education" to update our base of knowledge on current programs. In the spring of 1994, the National Environmental Education Advisory Council is expected to present its first biennial report to Congress as mandated under the National Environmental Education Act of 1990 which will contain updated examples of Federal programs as well as recommendations for improving Federal efforts.

8. Nevertheless, some recent ef forts have been conducted to identify areas where additional research is needed to fully identify specific gaps and needs. For example, in 1992, the North American Commission f or Environmental Education Research of the North American Association f or Environmental Education (NAAEE) developed a list of the top ten national environmental education research needs with support from the National Science Foundation. Their research priorities include the development of an inventory of pre-service and in-service environmental education preparation models, a national level longitudinal study of changes in K - 12 student behavior from formal environmental education instruction, and a national cross-sectional study of the status of environmental literacy among K - 12 students.
   In response to this effort and the need to help guide the new national teacher training effort mandated under the National Environmental Education Act of 1990, EPA has provided the University of Michigan with funds to spearhead a research effort that will include an assessment of student, teacher, and public environmental literacy as well as needs in the K - 12 classroom, in informal settings such as zoos and nature centers, and for teacher training. As part of this effort, a bibliography of existing literature on "Selected Needs Assessments and Status Studies in Environmental Education" has been developed.

9. "Infusing environmental education into all subject areas" does not necessarily mean that teachers would be required to teach about the environment in every subject. Rather it refers to the need to expand opportunities for teachers to choose those subjects in which they wish to incorporate environmental principles.

10. For example, many of the environmental education needs discussed here have been identified to EPA and the Department of Education by the National Environmental Education Advisory Council which was created under the National Environmental Education Act of 1990.