Eye on Environmental Education

logoAwareness and education precede responsible decisions, policy making and actions, by individuals, organisations, and nations. There are numerous environmental education and awareness programs around the world addressing parts of this need at multiple levels, but there is no common knowledge management infrastructure of available materials, curricula, best practices, data networks, educators, and other resources. This Special Initiative aims to establish a networked commons of collaborating entities and resources, based on the alignment and strengthening of existing programs and networks.

The Special Initiative is focused upon key educational arenas of formal, non-formal, informal and capacity building in six target regions: Africa; Asia and Pacific; Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean; North America and West Asia. It aims to build on other existing Environmental Education initiatives so as to collectively and effectively contribute towards sustainable development through all forms of education.

Objectives for this Special Initiative over the next 3-5 years include:

(a) The consolidation and strengthening of partnership and networks to support coordination, collaboration and resource sharing in environmental education access the formal, non-formal and information education sectors and stakeholder community.
(b) To develop a common environmental education knowledge management infrastructure of available materials, curricula, best practices, data networks, educators, and other resources in the formal, non-formal and informal sectors of education globally;
(c) To enhance a systematic approach to sector wide mainstreaming of environment and sustainability concerns into the education systems, programs, project, and initiatives through the environmental education global academy network;
(d) To provide capacity building opportunities that facilitate and strengthen the environmental education of future Environment professionals, utilising current, emerging technologies and learning techniques to ensure the successful bottom up approach of capacity development through education with the view to increase public access to environmental information and knowledge resources for transformative action;
(e) To pilot test region-based applications of the global environmental education academy network project in all six regions.