Synopses & Reviews
The hope for the future depends on teaching current and future students the analytical and critical thinking skills for dealing with the most critical problems. My own hope is for this book to be read by everyone, even those outside the field of environmental education. Read this book, read it again, share it widely, and do something - anything - to help our needy and wounded planet."-Marc Bekoff, author of
The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons For Expanding Our Compassion Footprint"Saylan and Blumstein provide a compelling vision of what can be, and what should be, if we have the courage to open our eyes and the boldness to act.”-Peter Saundry, Ph.D., Executive Director of the National Council for Science and the Environment
A clarion call to incorporate environmental education in all grades K-12, across all academic disciplines, in order to produce future generations of environmental stewards."-Mark Gold, President, Heal The Bay
"We need a sea change in the educational system. After all, if we can teach schoolchildren that vandalism is wrong, why can we not teach them that environmental destruction is wrong? This book is a haunting call to action. A beautifully written manifesto that gets it right."-Ron Swaisgood, Director of Applied Animal Ecology, Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global
The greatest threat to the future of all species on the planet is the huge gap between what is understood about global climate change by the scientific community and what is known about climate change by the people who need to know -- the public. The sound prescriptions in this book need to be read now. We are running out of time.”-Dr. James Hansen, world-renowned climatologist and author of Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity
Environmental education is a disaster and educating the public on environmental issues is the greatest challenge facing humanity today. This book will help us understand why we are headed toward the collapse of civilization, and more important, how to fix it. Packed with sound science, useful information, and brilliant ideas, it is a book we must read, and give, to our local school boards and principals nationwide. Our children will thank us."-Paul R. Ehrlich, author of The Population Bomb and Humanity on a Tightrope
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“They're asking the right questions”
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“Their vision is inspiring: environmental education freed from partisan squabbling, and made creative, flexible, and powerful enough to reach citizens of all abilities and interests.”
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“Arguing for a paradigm shift in the way we view education, The Failure of Environmental Education demonstrates how our education system can create new levels of awareness and action and work toward a sustainable future.”
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“A manifesto of sorts — part science, part politics, part moral persuasion.”
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“A great diversity of exciting insights.”
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“Powerfully displays the authors academic grounding in environmental studies.” Anthony J. Dellureficio, Digital Library Programs, New School, New York
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"A strong argument for change. . . . Provokes the reader to envision a different reality for our schools that might lead to a better reality for the environment and future generations who depend on its health."
Qtly Review Of Biology
Synopsis
At a time when wild places everywhere are vanishing before our eyes, Charles Saylan and Daniel T. Blumstein offer this passionate indictment of environmental educationalong with a new vision for the future. Writing for general readers and educators alike, Saylan and Blumstein boldly argue that education today has failed to reach its potential in fighting climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. In this forward-looking book, they assess the current political climate, including the No Child Left Behind Act, a disaster for environmental education, and discuss how education can stimulate actionincluding decreasing consumption and demand, developing sustainable food and energy sources, and addressing poverty. Their multidisciplinary perspective encompasses such approaches as school gardens, using school buildings as teaching tools, and the greening of schoolyards. Arguing for a paradigm shift in the way we view education as a whole, The Failure of Environmental Education demonstrates how our education system can create new levels of awareness and work toward a sustainable future.
About the Author
Charles Saylan is Executive Director of the Ocean Conservation Society.
Daniel T. Blumstein is Professor and Chair in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Professor at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at the University of California, Los Angeles. His previous books include
A Primer of Conservation Behavior. Table of Contents
Preface
1. The Problem(s)
2. Foundations
3. What Went Wrong
4. Accountability and Institutional Mind-Set
5. The Needs of Environmentally Active Citizens
6. Between Awareness and Action
7. A Political Primer
8. Consumption, Conservation, and Change
9. An Evolving Metric
10. And How We Can Fix It
Appendix: Greening Schools for Alternative Education
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index