The paper reports on a study designed to produce a portrait of teachers' self-reported views of environmental education in Ontario. The mixed method study consisted of an on-line survey (N = 377), supplemented by a series of in depth interviews with a volunteer sample (N = 24) of the survey respondents. In addition to providing a reasonable and helpful portrayal of what is happening in environmental education at a classroom level in Ontario, further data analysis revealed the existence of certain tensions within participants' views and reported practices. These tensions we believe, partly explain the limited practice and challenges of environmental education in Ontario classrooms. We have interpreted these tensions as important entry points or opportunities for positive intervention, and discussed how they can be used to stimulate pedagogical development in the field. At an international level, we believe the paper provides deeper insights about the nature of environmental education and its relationship to schooling from the perspectives of teachers.