IntroductionIntroduction
Both
at a national level and at an international level concern for and interest in
environmental issues has increased. There has always been an almost unlimited
faith in the intelligence of human actions and in their positive outcome.
Whatever
the discoveries of science, whatever the advances in commerce and industry,
whatever the rate in which we have
multiplied as a species or the rate at which we have destroyed other species,
whatever the changes we have made to our seas and our landscapes, we have always
believed the world would stay much
the same in all is fundamentals.
We
now know this is not true.
It
is clear these matters need to be reflected upon, wherever appropriate, in the
qualifications towards the students. Methods, materials and learning programmes
should be "greened" and should contain reflections concerning
environmental issues and aspects of sustainability.
EE
(Environmental Education) should be part of all training programmes in
vocational education. The question is now in what way the various countries deal
with this item, what vision they have and how they try to implement their vision
in their educational programmes.
We
have to learn from each other so we can develop the best way of approaching
Environmental Education. Moreover, attention should be paid to the most suitable
didactics in vocational education while teaching environmental issues. Finally,
these insights should be harmonized so that in Europe uniformity as regards
Environmental Education can be reached.
There
is also a need to find tools to implement Environmental Education in vocational
training institutions and in this light the use of information technology (IT)
should be explored.
From
1996 till 2000, a tremendous effort to introduce Environmental Education
throughout vocational institutions , funded by NME and supported by financial
means, took place.
As
a result, much expertise has been gained in greening the curricula. We want to
share this expertise with other countries in Europe.