For all citizens is very important to start thinking about participating with government actions and private institutions initiatives. It can support environmental citizenship and idea of sustainability development. Some of government institutions: Environment Agency flood management approach (Stockbridge Pathfinder Report 2004), UN Partnership for Sustainable Development, West Devon Environmental Network and Community Forest Partnerships. There are exists citizen-led initiatives as well, such as Green consuming and ethical investing, LETS and Swap Shops, Walking school buses and car sharing and Community energy schemes; micro generation. Also, institutions-led initiatives Greenpeace UK’s anti SUV protests and Best practice for sustainable construction in planning departments (Dobson and Bell, 2005). Only because of acting and thinking together with trust, dialogue, social and institutional learning a sustainable development is possible. All institutions have to be a partnerships and care about natural environment.
Learning and leading is an important way of promoting citizenship. Education both social and institutional are necessary to give useful information and abilities. Schools are the best place for life- long learning and give some experience. All educational process is consist of few parts such as ‘experiencing something, caring about it, investigating it and discussing the issues’ Dobson and Bell (2005, p10). There are four ways to identify a process of learning. One of them is understanding that environmental issues and construction of develop process are more important than just the problems. Moreover, it is essential to put experience before knowledge. It means that we have to know what kinds of practical and interdisciplinary insight we need. Third way is to discover the links between producer and customer or action and result. ‘Learning for citizenship involves critical conceptual tools for making sense, evaluating how things might be done better. It involves learning rights and responsibilities of governments, institutions and citizens’ Dobson and Bell (2005, p10).
CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION IN ENGLAND
First information connected with including learning about citizenship in the secondary school curriculum appeared in 19997. The Secretary of State for Education and Employment, David Blunkett promised that education for citizenship and the teaching of democracy in schools became stronger and more effective. In this sector has been include information about nature and practices of participation in democracy and community. Education about role of citizenship in society turn out to be necessary. First of all, social, economical and moral changes showed people in England how important is take part in public life. Second, numbers of people who voting in national and local elections in all Europe increased incredible fast. Civic culture in English society compare to other countries develop and subjects connected with politics and moral problems started appearing more often in public life. In 1998 report ‘Education for Citizenship and the Teaching of Democracy in School’ was written by group of Blankett’s former university tutor, political scientist professor Bernard Crick and his special team, (Dobson 2003, p179). In this report was included that teaching about citizenship and democracy is very important both for schools and for life of the nation and has to became integral part of education for all students. September 2002 was quite important date. Education for citizenship started being one of an element of the national curriculum for 11-16 years old pupil and students across this age.
Department for Education and Skills has founded that ‘…a seven- year study to see if this September’s 2002, 11-year- olds will, by 18, know more about political, economic, social and voluntary institutions of this country and will more involved in community and voluntary work than at present. If the result are negative or inconclusive, then compulsion of citizenship teaching should be ended’ (Crick 2002, p19), Dobson (2003, p182).
First question which appeared after decision about new part of national curriculum was what kind of information has to included? Firstly, citizenship curriculum has to be describe in the environmental context and says about responsibilities and rights connected with this sphere. What is more, international, intergenerational and interspecies obligation are very important as well. Learning about ecological citizenship cannot include old- fashioned civic idea it has to be education about institutions, issues and problems, about sustainable development and opportunities for young people to be active in schools and in the society. Very important is to understand problems like national history, structures and process of government and political life. The main destination is to show pupils how works all political system, how participating in public life and what kind of duties has an active citizen in the future. Basic roles like tolerance, freedom, understanding diversity and rights and obligations are for citizenship very important. Another essential thing is that environmental and ecological subject appear in citizenship curriculum like a separate part. This sector of education is connected with sustainable development and health of environments and society. Moreover, Department for Education and Employment and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority pointed out about connection between economy, politic and ecology spheres in all democracy system. This institution has obligation to teach pupils about ‘develop a critical appreciation of issues of right and wrong, justice, fairness, rights and obligation’. In Teachers’ Guide to the National Curriculum is information that ‘Citizenship provides specific opportunities for pupils to explore the range of attitudes and values in society and to consider the kind of society they want to live in’. There are some useful information in this guide for teachers about sustainability, sustainable development and about ecological citizenship.
Learning about the environment is consist of water, climate, geology, animals and plants or natural resources. Human activities have been seeing everywhere in global ecosystem. People are part of all living system and teaching about environment could not exist without moral and political debate. Environmental problems and conflict connected with human impact appear all the time when we talk about future. Citizenship curriculum in England has to promoting teaching about ecological citizenship and the best way to protect natural environment.
Second question is how to teach about environmental citizenship? Citizenship Order have to be create like an separate programmes of study for English and consist information about ‘legal and human rights and responsibilities underpinning society’ says Dobson (2003, p190). What kind of method will be the best to use in this subject? There are two ways both important and give good results. One of them is active learning what means take part in some groups organize debate about role of citizens in society and influence on the environment. What is more try to be environmental friendly in the local and global levels. However, classroom learning brings a lot of profits such as basic theory about action in environmental citizenship area and about connection to this subject with politic and economic sphere. Environmental education theory is as important as practice and pupils need to know about it. Fore example, environmental citizenship subject may appear in Mathematic or Finance classes. ‘Allowing for the following costs one must question whether recycling glass bottles, by even the most modern methods, is cost effective:
- fuel used going to the bottlebank;
- manufacture of the skip;
- rent of space for the skip;
- lorry to collect the skip;
- energy to melt the glass;
- occasional quality rejects.
According to Dobson (2003, p191).
This example shows us that teaching about environment can exist in other curricular subjects. It is not only about Mathematic but also about Geography and Biology when ecology is integration part of these subjects. But it is not a solution for all situation because teachers from different subjects cannot teach about citizenship. Postgraduate Certificate of Education courses are help to create new teachers- specialists in environmental citizenship curriculum.
- Teach about the effect of daily life to the environment, and find out how we can make some positive changes. Then, expand our actions to involve family, classmates, and even community.
- Talk to others, check out the library, local organisations, municipal, provincial and federal governments. They can provide everybody with information to get started.
- Think about your actions as you begin to live your environmental citizenship. See how closely your life is connected to the land, air and water
ROLE OF EDUCATION IN PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL CITIZENSHIP
‘Promoting environmental citizenship as a path to achieving sustainability encouraging people to act according to the public environmental good offers an alternative to the mainly market-based incentives used by most governments today’ according to Dobson and Bell (2005, p). Environmental citizenship involves every one of us. It means doing what each of us can, as much as we can, to protect our environment and make planet Earth a better place to live. If our planet is to survive, each of us must understand as much as possible about how we can protect our environment. Becoming an environmental citizen means making a personal commitment to learning more about the environment and to taking responsible environmental action. Education is the best way of promoting environmental citizenship because it involves children and young people fully in their own learning through the use of a wide range of active and participatory learning methods. These engage the learner while developing confidence, self-esteem and skills of critical thinking, communication, co-operation and conflict resolution. These are all vital ingredients in improving motivation, behaviour and achievement across the school. What is more, education about environmental citizenship gives pupils the knowledge, understanding, skills and values that they need if they are to participate fully in ensuring their own, and others’, well-being and to make a positive contribution, both in local and public spheres.
There are two types of learning interventions according to (Scottt and Gough, 2003). Type 1 identified that environmental problems have only environmental causes. It means that solution connected with ecological problems we have to look for in scientific inquiry. Type 1 interventions promoting environmental citizen can be production advertisements and leaflets or other public actions. Thanks to these kind of actions we can informed people about how to be more environmental friendly, for example use of energy- saving lightbulbs, recycling domestic waste to create compost, use smarter car driving techniques. What is more, it is also very important to informed society about power full of individual actions and that real benefits appear later some time in the future. For instance, in some of Caribbean countries children are learning about degradation of coral and a basic science of such reefs (Hindson et. al. 2001). Interventions of type 1 look like personal actions and have place in a local sphere. For people like employee, parent or businessperson who have to make environmental choices the role of be good citizen is more significance. For citizen knowledge is turned into social initiatives. It means that we have not only relationship between learning and citizenship but we have also ‘…an apparently simplistic view of the relationship between citizens and society. In this, social outcomes are seen as the more or less straightforward expression of the wishes of a majority of independently minded , rational, and empowered individuals. An at least arguably inadequate view of environmental sustainability as scientifically determinable and value free’ as pointed by out Scottt and Gough (2005, p268). Type 1 make contact with both education and citizenship and this model looks like this: Learning-------- Citizenship ------------ Environmental Sustainability.
Second type learning intervention is connected with opinion that the problem of environmental sustainability is not only environmental but also social. Citizens need not natural scientific insights and technology but social- scientific insights and technology. The main point is to understand social barrier to sustainability development and find some solution in political and environmental actions. Examples of type 2 for instance, can be connected with using public transport instead of private cars, local sourcing of products or clothing made from renewable sources(materials). Some time in this every day initiatives cost can be higher than in the past but benefits appear in the future. Learning about this kind of intervention bring social and economical profit to sustainability for example, the social pressure to drive would have vanished and clothes made from renewable materials would be all the rage. In the education area, second type consist of social critical theory and idea of an particularly associated curriculum. This point of view can be discussed that ‘…it oversimplifies the nature and distribution of both environment and social disadvantages, picture practitioners and students as passive victims of wider economic forces, overspecifies in advance what people are supposed to decide to do when they are emancipated, lacks an appropriate theory of implementation trough which practitioners and researchers can make improvements to their practice, and offers little practical educational purchase in a world in which socialism and (particularly) false consciousness appear widely discredited’ Scottt and Gough (2005, p270).
Type 2 show us two rounds of learning, first people are more interested in social and ecological problems and second, they learn how to live sustainably and take part in collective actions. Second type are connection between :
Learning (revelation)---- Citizenship------Learning (actions)----Environmental Sustainability
Both type 1 and 2 approaches can achieves success. For example second type is a part of Teaching and Learning for Sustainable Future multimedia teacher education program according to ( United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization- UNESCO). This program is also very popular in Asia Pacific region and South Africa. The main idea is that education is more effective when pupils have chance take part in real actions. Finally, all program if both formal and nonformal learning of an interdisciplinary nature.
There are a lot of examples actions of young people and students who try to show that natural environment is in danger and need protection. Because of education pupils know that very important is promoting environmental citizenship and being good environmental citizen. One of the very popular organization is ‘People and planet’ which organized a lot of actions connected with ecology like ‘going green’. A lot of students are members of this group and participating in debates, meetings and initiatives. They informed people about the environment and issues that are important to a healthy environment. They teach how to be a responsible consumer for example, buying power and consumer spending habits have a powerful influence on the marketplace. Share their knowledge with others by promoting active environmental citizenship. How Universities ‘go green’ and promote active environmental citizenship? For example, Edinburgh University because of good Sustainability Policy, which is connected with Environment Policy cut 30% CO2 emission between 1990 and 2002. ‘This was achieved despite a 100% growth in students numbers and an increase in the number of buildings. The University save up to £100,000 every year on equipment running costs and associated fuel expenditure trough a programme of building audits. These audits assess the needs of users against current patterns of heating and ventilation. Use of recycled content paper in all copy centres and offices and for 2006 prospectus’ according to Building a Sustainable University- A Guide to the Energy and Environmental Office. Moreover, universities are reduced impacts in the environment and showed all students that role of education about ecology citizenship is in the first place. Some of important actions reduce water, energy use, emission of greenhouse gases, land filled waste, eliminate unnecessary consumption, promote green transport options and recycling, produce environmentally friendly products and service, improve local biodiversity and implement a certified environmental management system and energy- efficiency accreditation (People and Planet, 2005).
In Primary schools its creative approach to teaching and learning, decided to develop a curriculum which would inspire and empower pupils as part of its school improvement strategy. It wanted to make teaching and learning more cohesive and to create a curriculum that would be ‘relevant, responsive and engaging’. After some research and consultation with parents and pupils, the school decided that creating a curriculum framework based on the principles of education for environment citizenship and sustainable development would help it achieve its aims. For example, in one unit, pupils study conflict resolution through role play while learning about the Tudors. The informal curriculum was also carefully addressed. The school grounds offer a safe and secure space for pupils: the School Council manages the playground and oversees a rota of activities; playground friends and peer mediators support children; and gardening teams care for the garden. Circle time and assemblies are used to discuss issues of concern to pupils, and the results of these discussions are fed back to the School Council. The school is happy with the outcome of this change. The deputy head says, ‘Our curriculum has been a powerful tool in enabling us to achieve our strategic aim for pupils: to become happy, healthy, responsible and confident citizens in a rapidly changing environment.’ Pupils learn how critical thinking, ability to argue effectively, ability to challenge injustice and inequalities, respect for people, environment and things, co-operation and conflict resolution.
CONCLUSION
Summarized, citizenship is a set of practices like cultural, symbolic economic and also environmental. What is more, it is a bundle of rights and duties such as civil, political and social that define and individual’s membership in an organized society. Environmental education has to fulfill the need to have scientifically literate citizens such that can understand the environmental, social, ethical and moral implication of scientific activity. Also can be capable to understanding scientific issues and make independent and informed judgements on scientific developments. Learning how to exercises their rights and take action as active citizen can be very useful for pupils in adults life. Promoting citizenship through learning has to be a one of basic idea in all education system. Actions like recycling, segregate waste, cut carbon emission, use less energy, use public transport more often and composting food waste.
The power of education is very big especial in subject like environmental citizenship. According to Crick (1999, 339)’Any worthwhile education must include some explanation and, if necessary, justification of the naturalness of politics: that men both do and should want different things, indeed have different values, that are only obtainable or realizable by means of or by leave of the public power. So pupils must both study and learn to control, to some degree at least, the means by which they reconcile or manage conflicts of interests and ideals, even in the school’. The future of our society relies on the capability to deliver a curriculum for environmental citizenship.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Dobson, A. (2003), ‘Citizenship and the environment’
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Dobson, A. and Bell, D (2005), ‘Environmental Citizenship, the Goodenough primer, Summary report of an interdisciplinary seminary series
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Crick, B. (1999), ‘The Presuppositions of Citizenship Education. Journal of the Philosophy of Education 33, no. 337- 352
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Gough, S. and Scott W. (2005), ‘Promoting Environmental Citizenship through learning: Towards a Theory of Change’ chapter in Dobson, A. and Bell, D.(eds.), ‘Environmental Citizenship’ , pp 263- 285
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Hindson, J., J. Dillon, S. Gough, W. Scott, and K. Teamey (2001), ‘Mainstreaming Environmental Education. A report with recommendations for DFDI. Shrewsbury, UK: Field Studies Council
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People and Planet (2006), ‘Going green’, How UK universities can improve their environmental performance and help stop climate chaos- report, student action on world poverty and the environment,
