They say we spend our adult lives searching to reconnect with our inner child; the one that is full of joy and wonder. As a kid, I was lucky enough to have an entire forest to myself – at least that’s how my backyard felt to me. I had everything I could ever want to play in: trees, a swamp, rocks to climb, and a beautiful seasonal pond to sail my makeshift boats across. As an adult, not much has changed. I chose my majors (Environmental Studies & Geosciences) with these memories in mind. The time as a child exploring nature and being at peace with myself was formative. It shaped my passions, values, and life path.
When I was younger, this “playtime” and my schooling had always been in separate mental categories for me. I remember my surprise when in sixth grade they suddenly collided in Earth Science. Learning information about my surroundings allowed me to decipher bits and pieces of the world around me. It is an exhilarating experience to be able to understand how your surroundings came to be. Even more exciting was that despite the addition of textbook learning, places such as my backyard remained a peaceful oasis. Earth Science gave me new ways to read the forest and landscape around me that made it even more meaningful. I could tune in and out of an analytical mindset and still enjoy the world around me.
My passion was renewed at the start of high school when my Environmental Studies class tasked me with identifying, describing, and pressing into a book 50 different kinds of leaves. While tedious at times, this assignment blended a hands-on approach with a clear deliverable that synthesized the knowledge I had gained.
I needed environmental education to nurture and shape my view of the world around me, and I was incredibly fortunate to receive a high quality of it. The Environmental Education Act of 1990 aimed to make this true for every child. It defines environmental literacy as “an individual’s understanding, skills and motivation to make responsible decisions that consider [their] relationships to natural systems, communities and future generations”. This method, however, has not aged well in this age of the climate crisis. It not only de-centers outdoor experience, but places the burden of the climate crisis squarely on the individual.
The idea of environmental education is broad, but I personally find the most long lasting impacts to come from hands-on experiential learning. Learning in the classroom can only take you so far. Outdoor immersion is invaluable. Living in an area with immediate access to nature at all times, combined with a strong environmental education program was a privilege that I, as an upper middle class white individual, benefited heavily from.
It is well documented that marginalized groups, specifically economically disadvantaged people of color are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. The gatekeeping of the environmental sector is unethical and must be rectified, and providing broader hands-on environmental education is one path that can help.
By providing education, we create a society of people who have a deeper level of care and understanding for the environment. We must work against the narrative that individual action is the driving force of the climate crisis and recognize that we, like an ecosystem, must work together and recognize the power of collective action. Environmental education opens a door to begin to examine not only the environmental impacts of our species, but the complicated politicized web society has spun around them.