An A for Environmental Effort

Image Gallery Gwenda Kaczor / www.gwenda.com

Our elementary-school teachers instilled certain fundamental lessons—don’t run in the hall, don’t stick gum under your desk—in all of us. Now they’re making sure our kids don’t disrespect the planet.  

Advocates of a new crusade to bring environmental literacy to public schools want students to better understand green issues and their personal relationship to the natural world, reports Governing (March 2011). Part of the movement’s philosophy is to take kids out of the classroom and into nature, where they can observe bird migrations, collect soil samples, and enjoy hands-on learning. Environmental literacy planning is already under way in 47 states. And a federal bill dubbed No Child Left Inside, introduced in the last two legislative sessions by Maryland Representative John Sarbanes and Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, would contribute $100 million annually to the cause.  

While critics claim that an eco-friendly curriculum is nothing but left-wing folly, supporters say the program has unmistakable benefits: increasing math and science skills, lowering obesity rates, exposing urban students to the natural world, and fostering a steadfast regard for Mother Earth.  

In addition to greening curriculums, some schools are also greening their facilities, says Jonathan Hiskes in Sustainable Industries (March-April 2011). The movement is driven by rising energy costs, perhaps more than by environmental responsibility, and proponents assure taxpayers that spending now will save money later.