module-10Ecoliteracy.pptx ..............

Ecoliteracy and Sustainable Development
Ecoliteracy
creates a new emphasis on the need for education to integrate understanding of the
interdependence between natural processes and human ways of life (Orr and Capra 1990).
the ability to understand the organization of natural systems and the processes that
maintain the healthy functioning of living systems and sustain life on Earth.
is an understanding of the principles of organization that ecosystems have evolved to
sustain the web of life.
provides the basis for integrated thinking about sustainability
Sustainability
is a qualitative and quantitative condition that demonstrates the human capacity to
survive over time.
qualitative in a way that we want well-being although, it is difficult to measure
quantitative in that natural capital and ecological carrying capacity can be measured
with foot printing tools.

Ecologically Literate Person and Society
Ecologically Literate Person
can apply such understanding to the design and organization of communities and the
creation of a regenerative culture (Wahl, 2017). To be ecoliterate means to understand
the principles of organization of ecological communities (ie. ecosystems) and to use
those principles for creating sustainable human communities (www.wikipedia.org).
Can understand the essence of independence and interconnectedness and that we are
all part of a living system.
translates this understanding into actions that demonstrate conscious efforts to
minimize negative acts on our life-sustaining systems and maximize value contribution
to our collective well-being, now and for future generations (
http://educationforsustainability.info/general/ecological-literacy/).
Ecologically Literate Society
 a sustainable society, which does not destroy the natural environment on which they
depend. Thus, ecological literacy is a powerful concept as it creates a foundation for an
integrated approach to environmental problems.

Ways to Develop Ecoliteracy in Schools
To help educators foster socially and emotionally engaged ecoliteracy, the following are
identified practices in age-appropriate ways for students, ranging from pre-kindergarten
through adulthood and help promote the cognitive and affective the abilities with the
integration of emotional, social and ecological intelligences.
1. Develop empathy for all forms of life. By recognizing the common needs we share
with all organisms, we can extend our empathy to consider the quality of life of
other life forms, feel genuine concern about their well-being and act on that
concern.
2. Embrace sustainability as a community practice. By learning the wondrous ways
that plants, animals and other living things are interdependent, students are
inspired to consider the role of interconnectedness within their communities and
see the value in strengthening those relationships by thinking and acting
cooperatively.
3. Make the invisible visible. If we strive to develop ways of living that are more life-
affirming, we must find ways to make visible the things that seem invisible by using

4. Anticipate unintended consequences. Teachers can teach students strategies for anticipating
unintended consequences. These include precautionary principle, that when an activity
threatens to have a damaging impact on the environment of human health, precautionary
actions should be taken. Another strategy is to shift from analyzing a problem by reducing it to
its isolated components, to adopting a systems thinking perspective that examines connections
and relationships among various components of the problem.
5. Understand how nature sustains life. Ecoliterate people recognize that nature has sustained
life for long that resulted to turning to nature when their teachers imbibe three crucial tenets
to ecoliterate living:
1. ecoliterate people learn from nature that all living organisms are complex and
interconnected that inhabit a particular place for survival;
2. ecoliterate people tend to be more aware that systems exist on various levels of scale;
and
3. ecoliterate people collectively practice a way of life that fulfills the needs of the present
generation while simultaneously supporting nature's inherent ability to sustain life in
the future.

Seven Environmental Principles of Nature
The following are basic environmental principles of ecosystem (adapted from Barry Commoner, cited in Butler,
2012)
1. Nature knows best. People need to understand nature and have to abide by the rules it imposes. In essence,
one must not go against the natural processes if he/she would like to ensure a continuous and steady supply
of resources.
2. All forms of life are important. Each organism plays a fundamental role in nature therefore, all living things
must be considered as invaluable instruments in maintaining balance in the ecosystem.
3. Everything is connected to everything else. In an ecosystem, all components interact with each other to
ensure that the system is sustainable, of which any outside interference may result in an imbalance and
deterioration of the system.
4. Everything changes. People must rethink their relationship with the environment through relevant
technologies for positive changes.
5. Everything must go somewhere. Since wastes may go back to one's own backyard in some other forms, it is
important to become aware of the different types of waste, classify and segregate those that are toxic and
potentially hazardous.
6. Ours is a finite earth. Awareness of the earth's limited resources leads to a conscious effort to change one's
attitude and initiative to recycle them.
7. Nature is beautiful and we are stewards of God's creation. Being the most intelligent and being gifted with
reason, humans are capable of controlling and taking care of the creation to their own advantage.

Green School: The concept and background
Green School was introduced in Europe in the 1990s while Rio Earth Summit of 1992
took cognizance of the need to take action in every area in which human impacts on the
environment.
The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg in 2002
catalyzed the efforts to bring about a shift in 'educating about the environment' to
'educating for sustainability’.
Recognizing education as a critical means to achieve sustainability, the United Nations
launched the 'Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD)' in 2005, to
integrate principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of
education and learning in order to encourage behavior that will create a more
sustainable future in terms of environmental integrity, economic viability and a just
society for present and future generations (UNESCO, 2005).
A key objective of UNESCO is to foster better quality teaching and learning for ESD. This
calls for reorientation of thinking and practice a formal education, including teaching-
learning approaches and assessment.

Green School and ESD
Green School
visualized as a school guide by the principles of environmental
sustainability and seeks to create a conducive environment to fully utilize all
resources and opportunities inside and outside the school and only on
teachers and students on environmental sustainability through active
involvement of the community.
demands on-going continuous and synergistic efforts of all stakeholders
toward improving the environment of the school and its surroundings.
identified with those elements and practices that inculcate environmental
sensitivity to promote environmental sustainability through various
environment-friendly means and encourage judicious use of resources. It
also caters to the physical, mental and emotional needs of a child by
ensuring a school environment that is physically safe, emotionally secure
and psychologically enabling.

Essential aspect of Green School Environment
Green School
has clean, healthy, protective and green surroundings and it also promotes
both the physical and psycho-social health of learners and others in school;
ensures a healthy (provision of health services, such as nutritional
supplementation and counseling), hygienic (safe drinking water, neat and
clean classrooms, playground and parks, etc.), safe learning environment
with healthy practices (e.g. a school free of drugs, corporal punishment and
harassment); and brings children closer to nature and involves them in
taking care of it.
is a school that engages the school community, especially children, in
critical thinking and learning by adapting participatory, practical and
collaborative approaches to work together and me the school environment
healthier for students and staff by involving the whole community to work,
towards a sustainable future.

A Green School adheres to the following precepts:
1. Learning about the environment. It focuses mainly on acquisition of
knowledge and understanding of the surroundings and related issues.
2. Learning through the environment. It refers to the processes of learning while
being engaged with environment inside and outside the classroom.
3. Learning for the environment. It aims at developing an informed response and
responsibility towards the environment beyond acquisition of skills and
knowledge.
Understanding Green Curriculum. For a curriculum to be 'Green', it must include the
following aspects:
4. Environment is encompassing, multidisciplinary and dynamic, has scientific,
social, economic, political and technological dimensions.
5. Being holistic, a Green Curriculum views environment as all that is around and
aims to give a better understanding of the way the world functions its
operations, it's alteration because of the actions of human race and its

3. It holistically addresses sustainability concerns, such as protection and
conservation of natural resources, traditions, culture and heritage, safety and
security, physical and emotional assurance, health and sanitation issues, concern
for equity and justice and interconnection between and among natural, social,
physical and cultural environment.
4. This requires a teaching-learning approach where students are provided time
and space to explore different facets of environment and interconnect them.
5. A Green Curriculum is a mutual concern of teachers and students.
Creating a Green School. A Green School is a school that creates a healthy
environment conducive to learning, while saving energy, environmental resources
and money. Therefore, a Green School
(1) reduces environmental impacts and costs;
(2) improves occupants' health and performance; and
(3) increases environmental and sustainability literacy.

Characteristics of a Green School. Green, healthy, and high-performing are the characteristic
of a green school that provides many benefits to students, teachers, parents and the
community, at large.
1. It protects health. Schools, bill quit more daylighting, better ventilation, and the
healthy green building materials and paints are healthier for students and staff.
2. It increases student performance. Student test scores can improve up to 20% when
students learn in green classrooms.
3. It saves energy and money. Operating costs for energy and water in green school
can be reduced by 20% to 40%.
4. It reduces carbon emissions. Green schools significantly reduce carbon dioxide
emissions.
5. It reduces water usage. On average, a green school reduces water usage by 32% that
has direct savings for the building.
6. It improves teacher retention. A green school can reduce teacher turnover by as much
as 5%, which improve student learning and school community, and can result in
financial savings for the school.

7. It improves daily attendance. It reduces absenteeism by 15%.
8. It provides a unique educational opportunity. Schools can become teaching tools and important
features of science, math, and environmental curriculum when green features, advanced technology
and design in school are used to motivate students about learning a real- world applications off green
technologies and using schools and schoolyards as living laboratories.
9. It creates green jobs. Investing in creating green schools is an investment in green jobs, including
green construction, building product manufacturing, and green architecture.
10. It improves equity. Greening public schools creates on opportunity to improve the health and
educational settings for all students amidst diverse identities and needs.
Dark Green School Program: Philippine Environmental Perspective
A Dark Green School (DGS) is a school that delivers Environmental Education through
assimilation of the environmental philosophy by the students in formal lessons, as well as in activities
outside the classroom. Accordingly, schools must:
a. Be clean and neat as evidence of good management and housekeeping.
b. Call for green spaces, appropriate land use, planning, conservation of materials and
energy, proper waste management, segregation, use of appropriate materials and avoidance
of harmful ones and respect to others' right to a smoke-free air.

c. Have management policies and guidelines that would create a helpful and ecological campus.
d. Have a well-planned environmental curriculum for all levels, adequately oriented and trained faculty, and
administrative, library and financial support.
e. Have faculty and students who are aware of and appreciate the environmental program of the school.
f. Reach out to an outside community to spread concern for Mother Earth and facilitate projects and
programs that improve the environment.
g. Engage in research that adds knowledge in the ways of nature and the impact of human
activities.
(http://119.92.161.2/embgovph/portals/20/ee/neeap/dark-greenschoolsprogram.ppt)
Ecological Living Practices
 Sustainable ecological living is based on different sets of principles. To assess the impact of our choices
and actions, we need criteria from studying the basic facts of life as follows (Capra, 2003):
(1) Matter cycles continually through the web of life;
(2) Most of the energy that drives the ecological cycles flow from the sun;
(3) Diversity assures resilience;
(4) One species' waste is another species' food; and
(5) Life does not take over the planet by combat but by networking.
 Sustainable development entails three dimensions: environmental, economic, and social.

Ecological living means to live in a way that is:
(1) respect and replenishes the carrying capacity of our planet;
(2) honors our interrelatedness with all expressions of life;
(3) enhances the qualitative aspects of our relationships; and
(4) brings forth the best of our human capacities for the co-creation of an ecological sustainable and caring
world.
The following are inner and outer ecological perspectives. To wit:
Inner Ecology (Smitsman, 2014)
1.Become a catalyst of change to help co-create a better world and future.
2.Care for and relate with non-human beings while spending time with nature.
3.Make the most sustainability crisis that forces us to learn, dream, think, design, act and relate in new ways.
4.Join the rest around the world in becoming agents of sustainability.
5.Nurture nature by taking care of our body and become aware of our natural body rhythms.
6.Become more energy efficient and learn to recycle our own energy.
7.Learn to compost our own waste and no need to dump this unto others.
8.Become aware of rights, needs and well-being of future generations and explore how we can support this in
our actions.

Outer Ecology (Smitsman, 2014)
1. Educate ourselves about the resources that we, our family and/or organizations utilize to fulfill and sustain
our needs.
2. Reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle.
3. Be aware of the real price of goods and services that we use. Cheap products often have hidden costs (e.g.
the cost of child-labor, animal cruelty, or degradation of ecosystems).
4. Find out any child labor practices or natural resources that were sacrificed in the process of producing
product and services.
5. Recycle grey-water
6. Collect and use rain water.
7. Create an organic vegetable garden.
8. Compost organic waste and use the compost in the garden.
9. Create a garden (with a balance of endemic/indigenous plants) to support local wildlife (animals, insects,
trees and plants).
10. Create a roof garden (green roof) as a natural air-conditioning alternative to increase garden space.
11. Buy organic and local products as much as possible.
12. Support local businesses and organizations that care for our planet.

Integrating Ecological Literacy into the Curriculum
The Center for Ecoliteracy (2015) promotes a variety of teaching strategies based on practices that are
developmentally appropriate to students' level and are brain-based to foster knowledge, skills and
values essential to sustainable living (Sly, 2015)
1. Place-based Learning. It is an experiential learning that engages students in their own environments
and a strategy that captures their imagination and advances environmental stewardship and civic
engagement.
1. Place-based projects are integrated back into classroom lessons.
2. Students want to learn in order to apply their knowledge to solving real problems.
3. Students play an active role in redefining and recreating projects.
4. Students collaborate with local citizens, organizations, agencies, businesses and government.
5. Students help make plans that shape the future of their social, physical and economic
environments.
6. Students are encouraged to view their community as an ecosystem and to understand
their relationships and processes necessary to support healthy living.
• Research reveals the benefits to place-based learning, such as: (1) higher test scores; (2)
better grade- point averages; (3) improved classroom behavior; (4) increased self-esteem
and problem- solving abilities; (5) higher-level thinking skills (Sly, 2015).

2. Project-based Learning. It is a strategy that involves students in projects that use a variety of resources, including
the community, technology, outside experts, written resources, and the web, while the teacher usually serves as
facilitator of learning.
•Using this strategy, research shows its impact on learners such as:
(1) increased critical thinking skills of students;
(2) fostered positive attitudes toward subjects (such as mathematics) and exemplary performance with
conceptual questions and applied problems; and
(3) improved positive study and work habits, Problem solving capabilities and self-esteem.
3. Socratic Inquiry. Rather than teaching facts and information, teachers encourage students to ask questions about
their assumptions, values, and preconceptions. Therefore, the role of the teacher shifts from direct instruction to
facilitating discussion.
•Through skilled questioning, the teacher asks students to clarify their statements, identify weaknesses in
their arguments and provide evidence for their reasoning.
•This strategy impacts student learning as evidenced by the following outcomes:
(1) Students reveal their beliefs, misconceptions and values and eventually, clarify their thoughts related to
the topic being discussed.
(2) Students become more adept in critical thinking.
(3) Students improve their listening skills and learn to better articulate their thoughts and ideas and
become more tolerant of diverse opinions.

4. Experiential learning. It promotes students’ involvement in the real world and defines the
teacher’s role as a facilitator of learning. The process of learning leads to behavioral outcomes. It
is based on the premise that learning is an active and a continuous process, with experience at
its foundation. It goes along with principles and learning associated with learning literacy.
1. Experiential learning is vital to schooling for sustainability.
2. Only through direct contact with the natural world will students develop an in-depth
understanding of fundamental ecological principles.
3. By working with others to solve real-world problems, they also develop skills at the heart
of sustainable living.
4. When students participate in experiential learning, they frequently follow the learning
cycle.
5. This is a process that starts with unstructured exploration, followed by the concept
formation and application.
5. Interdisciplinary learning. It emphasizes connections between traditionally discrete
disciplines, such as math, science, history, and language arts, rather than limiting learning to one
content area at a time.

Advantages of interdisciplinary learning:
1. When teaching and learning are organized around teams, problems, or issues, students
seek knowledge and skills form a variety of disciplines to provide unexpanded and more
complex understanding of the topics.
2. When done well, interdisciplinary approach eliminates fragmentation and learning of
isolated skills.
3. It allows students to access a particular theme from different entry points as they work
with a range of sources of information and perspectives.
4. It allows teachers to better differentiate instruction and create more interesting and rich
methods of assessment.
5. It increases students’ motivation for learning as well as their level of active engagement
6. Students recognize the value of their learning and become more involved in it.
7. Students learn more when they apply a variety of skills to what they are studying and
when they interact with their classmates, teachers, and members of the community.
8. Interdisciplinary teaching and learning adheres to the principles that help define
sustainable living.
(https://www.ecoliteracy.org/article/teaching-strategies).

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