The Ecological Society of America will host an Ecology and Education Summit in the fall of 2010. It will bring together leaders of diverse national ecology and environmental education organizations and scientific societies, as well as organizations of teachers, technology experts, and the business sector, to disseminate best practices that will advance Environmental Literacy for a Sustainable World, reduce duplication of efforts, and coordinate strategies to build capacity and pathways of support for green careers for the next generation. In this effort, strategies to increase the participation of underrepresented minorities and women into the ecological and environmental agenda are of critical priority. By bringing the best in science, educational practice, and technology development to one event, the Summit aims to accelerate the transformation of teaching and learning among K-20+ audiences in both formal and informal settings in response to the urgent and complex environmental challenges faced today.
on the theme, Environmental Literacy for a Sustainable World. The conference brought together a diverse set of speakers on the topic to fragmented but interrelated communities that are looking for common direction and coordination in purpose. Two keynote speakers and twenty-seven panelists on six panels included educators, scientists, media, technology experts, health professionals, architects and planners, community and religious representatives. Five themes launched the conversations during the Summit: 1) Learning about Complexity and Change: Foundations for Environmental Literacy 2) Turning the Tide: Building a Green Society through Learning and Doing 3) Seeing our World Inside and Out: Harnessing Technology for Environmental Literacy 4) Best Practices for Effective Teaching and Learning 5) Environmental Literacy for All The major outcome of the Summit was the arrival at a common purpose in engaging diverse disciplines, sectors and audiences towards achieving an environmentally literate society, captured in the Decadal Action Plan for Environmental Literacy. The Action Plan identified 12 action items on which all communities interested in the health of society and ecosystems can focus their efforts. In addressing complexity and change, there was clear recognition that a framework of environmental literacy integrating both the science content and social dimensions was paramount. As a result, scientists, as well as social and behavioral experts and practitioners have come together to map out a process for creating an integrated framework for environmental literacy building upon the existing earth system science literacy frameworks. The Summit affirmed the Green Schools Movement and supported the effort to work with the US Department of Education (DOE) on a comprehensive framework for Green Schools that included the greening of facilities as well as curriculum and extra-curricular activities. This effort has already seen results in the Green Ribbon Schools program launched by DOE which lays out clear comprehensive criteria. The Action Plan also called for positioning Green Schools as the hubs of their communities within an overall strategy to turn the tide toward the building of sustainable communities. Schools have a special role to play in engaging the community and in promoting both learning and doing. Nurturing community leaders was regarded as high priority for sustainability. Participatory technology and simulated games are uniquely set up to reach millions of the digital generation whether through Citizen Science, personalized health monitoring or video games. The race is on to develop smarter, more exciting ways to bring the world into the classroom and learning into hand-held devices. In an already overcrowded curriculum, introducing environmental literacy concepts must be compatible with the existing curriculum. Inventorying how environmental literacy concepts align with current academic content standards will pave the way for new educator professional development programs as will research on effective environmental and sustainability education programs. Environmental literacy must be seen to be relevant to our changing society and changing population. The Summit sounded the call to develop new processes for mutually beneficial partnerships that are focused on high priority societal needs such as jobs, crime, health, education, equal opportunity, and social justice. This is a critical step if environmental literacy is to go beyond a self-selected few to include many underrepresented audiences. In coming together at the Summit, participants provided input to an Action Plan that strives to, over the course of 10 years, radically alter the trajectory of 1) how environmental literacy will be perceived, valued and implemented and 2) how sustainability will become integral to decision-making at all levels. The Summit opened up new spaces for continued conversation and coordinated action across disciplines, sectors and audiences that promise to yield new and innovative partnerships, leverage resources and expand opportunities for a diverse next generation of sustainability leaders to emerge. For more information, please visit www.esa.org/eesummit. Or contact: Teresa Mourad PI, Director, Education and Diversity Programs Ecological Society of America teresa@esa.org
