To make students aware of their environment, this student study manual has been produced to accompany the National Environmental Education Development (NEED) program. It is a book about the world, the way it works and the way we get to know and understand it. Man is portrayed as a central figure, surrounded by his world, the environment, with awareness of the impact of his decisions and actions on the overall environment being stressed. Five concepts or "strands" are utilized throughout the lessons to show how all the different subjects are really part of one big environment. These strands are explained to the student and include: variety and similarity, patterns, interaction and interdependence, continuity and change, and adaptation and evolution. Each lesson presents a basic concept pertaining to the environment, a discussion of environmental situations accompanied by numerous illustrations and pictures, probing questions related to these situations, activities to explore environmental problems, and questions, which when answered, help to illustrate one's environmental beliefs. SE 012 485 and SE 012 486 are related documents. (BL)