ECOLITERACY

ECOLITERACY

Objectives:

1. Explain ecoliteracy in developing a sustainable

environment

2. Discuss the seven environment principles of nature
3. Describe a green school
4. Articulate how ecoliteracy can be integrated in the

curriculum,

practiced

in

the

school

and

demonstrated in the classroom

Ecoliteracy and Sustainable

Development

Ecoliteracy- Ecological literacy

➢ Is the ability to understand the organization of natural systems

and the processes that maintain the healthy functioning of
living systems and sustain life on Earth(Del leon, 2020).

➢ Awareness of of how society operates within natural aspects

as an educational imperative.

➢ Provides the basis for integrated thinking about sustainability.

It support the frame of mind, ethics, and type of practice that
will support the kind of thinking that prioritized ecological
imperatives.

Sustainability

- Is a qualitative and quantitative condition that
demonstrates the human capacity to survive overtime.

Quantitative in away that we want well being,although it is
difficult to measure.

Qualitative as a biological imperative for human society to
exist within carrying capacity of the ecosystem.

How to achieve sustainability?

Nurturing an ecological literacy in students of a
wide range of ages has become the goal of
sustainability education program worldwide
(whal,2017).

Ecologically Literate Person and
Society( whal,2017)

➢ An ecologically literate person can apply such

understanding to the design and organization of
communities and creation of regenerative culture.

➢ To be ecoliterate means to understand the

principles of the organization of ecological
communities.

➢ An ecologically literate person understands the essence

of independence and interconnectedness and that we
are all part of a living system.

➢ A ecologically literate society would be a sustainable

society which does not destroy the natural environment
on which they expend.

WAYS TO DEVELOP ECOLITERACY IN

SCHOOL

GOAL

➢ To raise students with an important perspective called

“Socially and Emotionally Engaged Ecoliteracy” which is a
process that offers an antidote for fear, anger and
hopelessness which result from inaction.

SOCIAL

AND

EMOTIONAL

LEARNING(

From

pre-kindergarten through adulthood)

➢ Develop empathy for all forms of life
➢ Embrace sustainability and community practice
➢ Make the invisible visible
➢ Anticipate unintended consequences
➢ Understand how nature sustain life

SEVEN

ENVIRONMENTAL

PRINCIPLES

OF

NATURE

1. Nature knows best

2. All forms of life are important

3. Everything is connected to everything else

4. Everything must go somewhere

5. Everything Changes

6. Our is a finite Earth

7. Nature is beautiful and we are the stewards of

God’s creation

THE GREEN SCHOOL

❖ Green

school

was

introduced

in

EUROPE in 1990’s

GREEN SCHOOL ADHERES TO THE FOLLOWING
PRECEPTS:

1. Learning about the environment
2. Learning through the environment
3. Learning for the environment

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GREEN SCHOOL

• Green

• Healthy
• High Performing

Ecological Living Practices

(Impact of our choice, our activity, our action)
Ecological living- means to live in a way that it respects and replenishes the
carrying capacity of our planet.

3 Dimensions of sustainable development

1.

environmental

2.

Economic

3.

Social

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS ON HOW WE CAN SUPPORT THE CHANGE FOR
SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH ECOLOGICAL LIVING

A.

INNER ECOLOGY( Smithmans, 2014)

1. Become a catalyst of change to help co -create a better world
and future

2. Care for and relate with non-human beings while spending time
with nature

3. Make the most of sustainability crisis that forces us to learn,
dream, think, design, act and relate in new ways.

4. Join the rets around the world in becoming agents of
sustainability

5.Nurture nature by taking care of our body and become
aware of our natural body rhythms.

6.Become more energy efficient and learn to recycle our
own energy.

7.Learn to compost our own waste and no need to dump
this unto others.

8.Become aware of rights , needs and well being of future
generations and explore how we can support this in our
actions/

B.OUTER ECOLOGY( Smithmans. 2014)

1. Educate ourselves about the resources that we , our family

and/or organization utilize to fulfill and sustain our needs.

2. Reduce, reuse , repurpose and recycle
3. Be aware of the real price of goods and services that we use.

Cheap products often have hidden cost(e.g. The cost of child
labor. Animal cruelty, or degradation of ecosystems).

4. Find out any child labor practices or natural resources that

were sacrificed in the process of producing products and
services.

5.Collect and use rainwater

6. Create an organic vegetable garden

7. Compost organic waste and use the compost in the
garden.

8. Create a garden ( with a balance of endemic
/indigenous plants) to support local wildlife(animals,
insects, trees and plants).

9. Alternative to increase-garden space.

10. By organic and local products as much as possible.

11. Support local businesses and organizations that care
for our planet.

12. Create a roof garden(green roof) as a natural air
conditioning

Brain-based to foster knowledge, skills and values essential to
sustainable living(Sly,2015)

Teaching Strategies

❖ Place-based learning
❖ Projects- based learning
❖ Socratic Inquiry
❖ Interdisciplinary learning

INTEGRATING ECOLOGICAL LITERACY INTO THE CURRICULUM

References:

De Leon, E. (2020). Building and enhancing new literacies across curriculum

Metro, Manila, Philippines. LORIMAR INCORPORATION