Environmental education should be taught in all schools

Environmental education should be taught in all schools, say over 9 in 10 New Zealanders

An overwhelming majority of New Zealanders support the teaching of environmental education in every school, a new Colmar Brunton poll released today reveals.

More than 9 out of 10 people (94 per cent)* agreed that all schools - from early childhood to tertiary level - should include the importance of caring for the natural environment and living in a way that preserves it for the future. WWF-New Zealand commissioned the poll ahead of the general election as part of their work to promote the importance of environmental education

WWF-New Zealand’s Education Programme Manager Wendy Barry said: “New Zealanders care about protecting our natural heritage and feel very strongly that these values are passed on to the next generation. People understand that a healthy New Zealand society depends on a healthy environment – this is a message we want the Government to hear and to act upon.”

A manifesto on Education for Sustainability has been produced for all political parties by WWF, Enviroschools and the New Zealand Association for Environmental Education (NZAEE) to encourage policies that recognise the importance of empowering and inspiring young New Zealanders to live in harmony with nature.

Ms Barry said: “The huge support for engaging our young people in environmental issues sends a clear message to our Government that they should not ignore. Our political leaders have a clear mandate from the New Zealand public to adopt policies that support learning about sustainability in our schools, early childhood centres and tertiary institutions.

“Education for Sustainability is a great model for excellence in delivering the whole curriculum because it is based on the values of quality teaching and learning. Its positive benefits reach beyond learning about the natural world, to include improved social engagement in a democratic society.”

WWF-New Zealand has expertise based on 20 years working with schools. Each year, WWF provides more than $50,000 funding to schools for action projects, helping thousands of students take part in activities designed to protect their local environment. These can range from gardening projects to water quality monitoring to exploring alternative forms of energy to power their classrooms.

ENDS

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