The First Step Towards Sustainability: The Practices and Implementation of Environmental Education by Educators in Ontario

Environmental Education is a powerful tool for bringing awareness and promoting future led sustainable goals throughout Ontario. Unpacking its complications and barriers can help us make improvements toward sustainable future objectives. The decisions we make about education facilitate our ability to restore planet Earth (Chiarotto, 2011). The field of environmental education in Ontario is evolving (Kransy, Lundhom & Plummer, 2010) along with pedagogical approaches, which encourage children to participate in global awareness, sustainable living, and active citizenship (Telero, 2004). This research study sought to answer: How do educators implement an environmental education program in an Ontario classroom? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four educators who currently teach in an elementary or secondary classroom and one administrator at the elementary level. Rich data were gathered, coded, and analyzed using a constructivist framework to explore how educators implement environmental education in classrooms. Various themes emerged. For example, Pedagogical Practices was a predominant theme, such as using experiential outdoor learning, making connections, and promoting change beyond the classroom. This study reveals the importance of implementing environmental education in classrooms that have significant implications for teaching practices