The greening of universities has been on the international agenda for at least a decade. While there has been considerable activity at some universities overseas, progress in Australian universities has been less easily identifiable. Also, the term "greening" has often been taken to apply to the operations of a university, whereas the…

Promoting efficient energy use in schools that consequently reduces greenhouse gas emissions is the purpose of a residential Energy Efficiency in Schools (EEIS) program reported on in this paper. Research on this program aligns with one of the "key "overarching" sustainability issues", set out in the "Learning for Sustainability: NSW Environmental…

Constructivism, as a set of theories about how learners learn, has been an important discourse in the educational research literature for a number of years. Interestingly, it has been far more visible in science education research than in environmental education research. This article considers conceptual change theory within constructivism as a…

With the UN Decade in Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) approaching, the question is "how well positioned is Australia to respond to the challenge of educating for sustainability?". The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief summary of ESD status, needs and innovations at the national level within Australia. ESD is relevant to…

Urges that leisure-oriented programs which focus on the outdoors be based on an environmental ethic that guarantees the protection of the natural environment. Proposes that the good of the total community takes precedence over the needs of individual members (including humans). Ethical dilemmas and educational implications are reviewed. (ML)

Identifies land degradation as Australia's most urgent environmental problem and recommends the development of a land ethic for soil conservation. Presents a 15-point conservation education plan that encourages a sustainable ecological basis for rural production and also cultivates ecologically sound habits toward nature. (ML)

Presents an optimistic overview of the current status of environmental education in Australia. Identifies the positive influences of the National Conservation Strategy for Australia (NCSA) document, federal and state level environmental committees, and the Australian Association for Environmental Education on the growth of environmental education.…

Analyzes the conditions that have influenced research in social and environmental education in Australia. Identifies six major research categories and explains and presents study findings for each of the areas. Implications and recommendations are also included. (ML)

Offers schools, state, and regional authorities a list of suggested priorities for environmental education programs. Recommends that adoption and/or adaptation of the itemized priorities can assist schools in the design, development, and implementation of each school's own particular program and policy. (ML)

Illustrates the ways of achieving a measure of political literacy using the case of the bridge link to North Stradbroke Island. Discusses two topics wherein misconceptions occur, what environments are, and the nature of environmental conflict. Provides five figures and two references. (YP)

Reviews and integrates several concepts and perspectives challenging society's attitudes towards the environment, for example, ecophilosophy, holism, having vs. being mode, yang vs. yin, the Gaia hypothesis, deep ecology, transformationalism, synergy, future scenarios, conservation strategies, and political literacy. Concludes that living in…

Examines the effect of school visits to Nature Reserves. Most students had previous experience with National Parks and environmental media, however, there was a need for basic conservation and management values and ideas to be continually emphasized. (Author/YP)

Presents a picture of the curriculum at the Pullenvale Field Study Centre. The curriculum is based on a drama theme called "The Settlers," and relates to Year Five Social Studies. Describes the curriculum in its current form and its development. Also considers the cyclic process, involving planning, action, observation, and reflection. (YP)

Examines the tensions between the development of a holistic understanding of the diverse relations linking people and environments and the more dominant, technocratic orientation of environmental studies programs in higher education. Describes how the graduate environmental science program at Monash University (Australia) has dealt with these…

Reexamines the environmental problem-solving focus of environmental education. Critiques the view of environment and the concept of environmental problems. Provides a feminist perspective on analyzing environmental issues. Argues that this approach develops a better understanding of the problems and their potential solutions. (TW)