Integration must deal equally with all environmental concern areas, and not focus on a narrow topic at hand. It is possible to examine the means by which these precepts are incorporated into teaching by considering three philosophical positions. As the label implies, imposition is placing onto the required study a subject called environment or a specific focus within the environment. Libraries and teachers' shelves are full of materials created for specific topics such as water quality, solid waste, energy, rainforests, acid rain, ad infinitum. Such resources are often funded by or developed by industry, specific issue-focused groups, government agencies, or environmental groups, all of which have a desire to get information into the classroom.
Infusion involves incorporating environmental concerns into existing curricula and content.
Myriad resources provide educators with quick references for activities that incorporate environmental themes or topics into traditional disciplinary approaches. Philosophically, the infusion approach attempts to integrate or infuse into the mainstream of public schooling the knowledge, skills, attitudes, experience, and commitment that will result in informed decisions, responsible behavior, and constructive actions. Environmental education, therefore, includes science, math, social studies, language arts, health, and physical education. The third philosophic approach suggests that the arbitrary boundaries of traditional disciplines be eliminated in lieu of creating a framework of study in which subject areas become related and integrated rather than isolated and disparate. This approach frames learning in a manner that challenges old assumptions about teaching and learning.