School: A Community and Environmental Resource

Schools play an important role in the lives of children, and can play a larger role in the broader community. Throughout history, schools have existed that have been connected to the environment, whether it was to simply provide children with the opportunity to spend time outside, or to teach students about the natural world. With the state of climate change that exists today, connecting students to the environment is of utmost importance. Students must understand the environment, in order to appropriately understand the threat of climate change, and ultimately take action to combat it. Schools are an ideal location to incorporate environmental education. Different styles of learning can be accommodated through environmental education, such as project-based and problem-based hands-on work, or individual research work. Education can take place on the campus and in the community, to help students have a sense of place and feel connected to where they are, while potentially improving local conditions for people and wildlife. Community members can also become involved in the environmental work done at schools, resulting in new relationships and intergenerational learning