Responsible use of the world's natural resources has become one of our most pressing global concerns. We have become increasingly aware that actions taken at the local level have direct and important implications for global environmental quality. Long-term solutions to environmental problems require that people develop the capacity to understand, evaluate, and make sound judgments based on the information they receive. Responsible participation in questions of environmental quality requires that, as citizens, we make well-informed decisions about our own use of resources, and about policies and programs that affect local, national, and international patterns of resource use. To make progress toward these ends, we need educators who understand the systematic and global nature of environmental issues and who can teach about them in ways that help people become responsible members of a sustainable global ecosystem.
Environmental education is interdisciplinary.
Responsible management of natural resources requires the knowledge, skills, and insights of people from many fields. Environmental educators, in teaching people about the environment and what can be done, must incorporate knowledge that each of these fields offers. Environmental issues are inherently value-laden. Questions about environmental quality and responsible resource management require that we articulate and exchange well-reasoned justifications for the positions we hold on a wide range of topics regarding the interaction between human beings and the biophysical environment. Decisions about how we put our knowledge of the environment to use are deeply embedded in social, cultural, and economic systems, and we must recognize the values on which these systems are based.