Why Environmental Education?

Kids dissecting a pitcher plant

Environmental Education...more than just learning to be stewards of our natural resources.

As Oregon's population grows and becomes more urbanized, its leaders and residents face the challenge of how to balance the economies within which we thrive, the communities where we reside, and the natural resources we depend on.

Solving this challenge requires the ability to understand different points of view, analyze problems, balance competing needs and take informed action. Educating Oregonians is the key to finding solutions to complex environmental issues.

Environmental education fosters learning for change essential to the transformation in our thinking, decision making, and daily living. The future depends on our collective ability to apply an integral approach to our teaching such that students understand the interrelated elements of systems; from ecological, economical, and community and social perspectives.

Our future depends on the knowledge of every citizen to understand how our communities, economy and the environment are connected.