Sadie Ross, Director of Environmental Sustainability, SUNY Empire State College writes:

“Environmental education refers to the informal learning that one obtains outside of the structured environment of a K-12 school or an institution of higher education. Nature centers, botanical gardens, museums and non-profit organizations often offer educational materials to the general public or just to their members. Educational materials for informal learning can take on many forms such as web pages, brochures, interpretive materials, television documentaries, radio sound bites, workshops, lectures, and demonstrations. Environmental educators who create educational materials must be well versed in all forms of communication and have the ability to educate an audience diverse in age and education level. Community educators require knowledge in the subject matter they are presenting, as well as expertise in communication.”

Below is a list of resources on this topic. Find a more complete list of resources with links for learning and teaching about this topic on our Pinterest site: Follow Sustainability’s board Environmental Education on Pinterest.

Books

Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children, Angela J. Hanscom, Richard Louv

Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life, Richard Louv

Teaching as if Life Matters: The Promise of a New Education Culture, Christopher Uhl, Dana L. Stuchul

Developing Ecological Consciousness: The End of Separation, Christopher Uhl

Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning eBook, David Sobel, Patti Bailie, Ken Finch, Erin Kenny, Ann Stires

The Ecology of Learning: Sustainability, Lifelong Learning and Everyday Life, John Blewitt

Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing, Doug McKenzie-Mohr

Sustainability Assessment: Criteria and Processes, Robert B. Gibson

Your Brain On Nature, Eva M. Selhub, Alan C. Logan