EDUCAO AMBIENTAL

LEITURAS
1. A HISTRIA E A FILOSOFIA DA EDUCAO AMBIENTAL
AUTORES: ROBERT CARTER E BORA SIMMONS
ANO: 2010
Thecoincidenceofthesetwoeventsraisedquestionsinmymind:Isasocietya
successifitcreatesconditionsthatimpairitsfinestmindsandmakeawastelandofits
finestlandscapes?Whatdoesmaterialabundanceavailifwecreateanenvironmentin
whichmanshighestandmostspecificallyhumanattributescannotbefulfilled?
(Udall1963,p.vii)

Thosequestions,andmanyothers,arestillbeingaskedtodayanditisthrough
thedisciplineofenvironmentaleducationthatwecanprovideanswersandmap
thewaytosolutions.Whatfollowsisanexplorationofthebeginnings,the
present,andthefutureofenvironmentaleducation,itsphilosophical
underpinnings,anditsrelationshiptoscienceteachereducation.
ThischapterfocusesonthehistoryanddevelopmentofEEintheUSA.

Authors,Awakenings,andAchievements
FromEmersonsNature(1836),toThoreausWalden(1854),toGeorge
PerkinsMarshsManandNature(1864)onecantracethedevelopingconcerns
regardinghumaninteractionwithnatureexpressedbythepoliticalandsocial
commentatorsofayoungand,intheviewofmanypeople,astillseemingly
limitlessUSA.Thedialogcontinuedinthewritingandpublicspeakingof
renownednaturalistsandwritersofthelatenineteenthandearlytwentieth
centuriessuchasJohnMuir(18381914),EnosMills(18701922),Robert
Marshall(19011939),andAldoLeopold(18871948).Butmuchofwhatwas
beingwritten,discussed,andactuallyaccomplishedprimarilytooktheformsof
resourceconservationandhabitatpreservationratherthantheenvironmental
quality,environmentalawareness,andenvironmentalliteracythatarethe
centralconcernsoftoday(Gottlieb1995;Stegner1990).
MARCOS NO PS- II GUERRA

Anewfocusonthestateoftheenvironmentcanbetracedtotheyearsimmedi
atelyafterthecloseofWorldWarIIalthoughthisattentiondidnotcoalesce
intothemodernenvironmentalmovementuntilthe1960s(Kline2007).The
postwaryearssawaproliferationofeffortstoreachinternationalaccordsfor
theprotectionoftheenvironment.TheConferencefortheEstablishmentofthe
InternationalUnionfortheProtectionofNature(IUCN)convenedatthe
Fontainebleau,Paris,FranceinOctoberof1948andmadeitstopprioritythe

protectionofnatureandhabitats.Subsequentconferenceswerescheduledas
wellinordertoinsurecontinuedprogress(UNESCO1948).Aflurryofrelated
activitiesduringthisperiodsetthestageforaburstofeffortthatwouldbegin
developinginearnestinthe1960sandspillintothe1970swithunprecedented
energy.
A CONFERENCIA DE 1972

AlthoughtheconceptofEEaspracticedtodaymayarguablybetracedbackto
atleast1948andtheIUCNConference(Disinger1985),itiscertainthat1972
wasamajorturningpointinEEinternationally.Theparticipantsinthefirst
UnitedNationsConferenceontheHumanEnvironmentinStockholm,Sweden
producedadeclarationcontaining26principles.Principle19oftheStockholm
Declarationspecificallycallsforeducationinenvironmentalmatters,forthe
youngergenerationaswellasadults(UNEP1972).Environmentalquality
wasfinallygainingsomeattentionfromtheworldatlarge,butintheUSAa
groundswellofawareness,concern,andeffortwasalreadywellunderway.
A OBRA DE ALDO LEOPOLD

Hisseminalworkontherelationshipbetweenpeopleandtheenvironment
wouldbepublishedposthumouslyin1949.ASandCountyAlmanac(Leopold
1949)became,andremains,thecornerstoneoftheAmericanenvironmental
movementandofmodernenvironmentalthinkingandwriting.Ithelpedsetthe
stageforlaterworksthatwouldmovethecountryfurthertowardthe
environmentalawakeningsofthe1960sand1970s.
ThesuccessofJohnKennethGalbraithsTheAffluentSociety,publishedin
1958,waspunctuatedbythechokingsmoginCaliforniacities,andinhis1960
book,TheWasteMakers,VancePackardraisedthealarmagainstpollutionand
sprawl(Rome2003).
SILENTSPRINGRACHELCARSON,1962
THEQUIETCRISISSTEWARTUDALL,1963
SilentSpringandTheQuietCrisisusheredinadecadeofunprecedented
environmentallegislationandactionfromgrassrootsorganizationstothe
CongressandtheWhiteHouse.
AEVOLUODALEGISLAOAMBIENTAL(4)

TheWildernessActof1964,theSpeciesConservationActof1966,andthe
WildandScenicRiverActof1968signaledaconcernforourrelationshipto
theenvironmentandwhathumansmightbedoingtoit.TheSolidWaste
DisposalAct(1965)andtheCleanAirActof1965reflectednationalconcerns
overwhatpostwaraffluencewaspumpingintotheenvironmentintheformof
wasteandemissions.Themomentumthatwasbuiltthroughtheliteratureand

legislationofthe1960sculminatedinthreeseparateeventsthatestablish1970
asalandmarkyearinthingsenvironmental.

ANO1970LEIDEPOLITICAAMBIENTALNACIONAL
OnJanuary1,1970anothernewlawcameintoeffect.TheNational
EnvironmentalPolicyActof1969(NEPA)remainstheenvironmentallawof
theUSAtoday.
EARTHDAY22DEABRILDE1970(MOVIMENTODECONSCIENTIZAO
SOCIALTEACHIN)(5)

InOctober1970,theEnvironmentalEducationActbecamelaw.
Thedecadeofthe1970sisepitomizedbyprolificgrowthforEE.Thiswasan
eraofexuberantcapacitybuildingforthefield.Themomentumofthe
legislationandactivismofthe1960scontinuedtobuildonboththenational
andinternationallevels.In1971,agroupofeducatorsconcernedaboutthe
developmentofEEmaterialsformedtheNationalAssociationfor
EnvironmentalEducation,whichlaterwasrenamedtheNorthAmerican
AssociationforEnvironmentalEducation(Disinger2001).
ACARTADEBELGRADOEADEFINIODEEDUCAOAMBIENTAL(6)
1975TheInternationalWorkshoponEnvironmentalEducation,heldin

Belgrade,YugoslaviainOctoberof1975resultedinwhatbecameknownas
TheBelgradeCharter.
TheBelgradeCharterbuiltontheframeworkofStockholmanddescribedthe
goals,objectives,audiences,andguidingprinciplesofEEandproposedwhat
hasbecomethemostwidelyaccepteddefinitionofEE:
Environmentaleducationisaprocessaimedatdevelopingaworldpopulationthatis
awareofandconcernedaboutthetotalenvironmentanditsassociatedproblems,and
whichhastheknowledge,attitudes,motivations,commitments,andskillstowork
individuallyandcollectivelytowardsolutionsofcurrentproblemsandtheprevention
ofnewones.
(UNESCOUNEP1976,p.2)
1977CONFERENCIAINTERGOVERNAMENTALDEEDUCAO
AMBIENTAL

ButthedefinitivecodificationofEEasaninternationalenterpriseultimately
cameoutoftheworldsfirstIntergovernmentalConferenceonEnvironmental
EducationheldinTbilisi,Georgia,USSRinOctoberof1977.

ThedocumentnowknownasTheTbilisiDeclarationwasformulatedduring
thisconferenceandinmanyquartersremainsthedefinitivestatementonwhat
EEisandoughttobe.Thesegoalsprovidethefoundationformuchofwhathas
beendoneinthefieldsince1978(6)
OBSERVAO:AQUESTODAMUDANADECOMPORTAMENTO
IMPLICADANADEFINIODEEDUCAOAMBIENTAL

PredecessorDisciplines
Disinger(1985)identifiesthreeantecedentstoEE:naturestudy,conservation
education,andoutdooreducation.(9)