Environmental Education – Values Education in a Specific Context
By Dr Bill Robb

Environmental education, I assume, has as its main objective to help people behave more responsibly towards the environment. Before going on to discuss responsible behaviour we have to get clear what we mean by environment. Does it cover looking after our water, air, soil, forests and wildlife? Yes, probably all of those. So environmental education is about stopping people polluting our rivers and seas and air and preventing soil erosion, destruction of forests and destroying of wildlife (plants and animals).

Does environmental education extend to the living environment such as town and cities and rural communities where we live and work? I guess so. Therefore environmental education is about convincing people to recycle, not litter and to keep gardens tidy and free of rubbish and even to take positive steps such as planting new trees and sprucing up a piece of derelict land. 

A major question that isn’t asked and answered enough is, why should we go to all this effort and expense? Aren’t we in a way showing respect for all life and creation and by so doing showing respect for ourselves? Aren’t we showing that we care for others – not damaging their water and food and by dirtying their living space with litter? 

Isn’t environmental education a way of teaching us to care more for future generations – we want them to also have a good life – not blighted by hunger, disease and squallar? Aren’t we striving to protect all biological material because we know from experience that there are probably thousands of chemicals we haven’t discovered that could be helpful in treating and curing diseases? 

Isn’t environmental education about care and respect – maybe even love? Isn’t environmental education, values education in a specific context? 

Environmental education as values education is a field crying out for more research. Dr Bill would be delighted to advise postgraduate students (with the agreement of their university or college) interested in this fascinating field.  Contact him on bill@valueseducation.co.uk

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