So big you could walk 10 miles and never leave the cement behemoth. A handful of conservation groups were on hand offering teachers inspiration and information on how to teach about environmental issues, but they were clearly in the minority. The American Farm Bureau, avowed enemies of environmental education, propositioned teachers to reconsider the dangers of chemical herbicides and insecticides. Most Americans consider our public schools to be hallowed ground, where young people learn about the world through carefully chosen curriculum. Yet corporations now view schools as convenient locations for the dissemination of propaganda debunking environmental concerns.
Environmental education is under assault on two fronts.
First, multinational corporations are designing and distributing environmental curricula that are professionally produced, easy to use, often free, and incredibly biased in favor of industry. Second, some of the most prominent conservative think tanks in America are mounting a well-funded attack on genuine environmental education. The spectrum of curricula is breathtaking and its shamelessness is overt. But the most brazen miseducation campaign is carried out by the timber industry. They offer hikes, presentations, and paid workshops for teachers.