Energy Education for the Environment

Learning about the utilization, development and perhaps conservation of energy for our expanding world population has long been a part of science curricula. The world “about” is, however, paramount in describing the nature of these courses, and parallels a similar phenomenon observed in numerous so-called environmental education programmes in schools. Despite the close association between energy use expansion and environmental impact, little “energy education for the environment’ has occurred in this country. This paper examines some of the reasons for this situation and highlights the difficulties facing the environmental education teacher who wishes to lead a valid study of energy sources. External community influences, a lack of breath and problems with information availability are identified as factors which contribute to the present status of energy education. It is perhaps fortunate that the majority of students seem to possess positive attitudes towards energy conservation and the environment, and so, hopefully, remain receptive towards improvements in this aspect of environmental education