The International Joint Commission report builds on a previous report to the Governments of the United States and Canada that recommended the Great Lakes (GL) States and Provinces incorporate the GL ecosystem as a priority topic in existing school curricula. This report begins by building an argument showing the need for environmental education (EE) as a way to reduce the contradictions between societies' values and actions. It suggests that governments, industries, and the public work together to create an environmental ethic that prevents pollution, avoids ecosystem exposure to persistent toxic substances, and leads to specific funded programs to remediate existing environmental contamination. To this end, the commission recommends that EE include critical thinking skills and motivation development. Despite several constraints to the inclusion of environmental and GL education into the formal education system, the commission notes several education programs that have been created in the GL region. Described is the history of specific EE program development efforts including a pilot live-by-satellite television conference held in over 33 GL communities created to stimulate information sharing. This program focused on several educators and programs throughout the basin including the Visions 2020, NIMBI, Schoolship program, and the Roughe River Interactive Monitoring Project that spawned the creation of the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN). The Commission recommends the following: (1) continued cooperative effort to develop and implement interjurisdictional agreements pertaining to EE; (2) government encouragement and financial support for a clearinghouse for EE materials, curricula, and development of EE curriculum guidelines; (3) educator developed curricula; and (4) financial support for and coordination of teacher training programs to build both teacher confidence and EE skills. (MCO)