Interview by Chris Gertschen
Charles Saylan is co-founder and executive director of the California-based Ocean Conservation Society. He co-authored with Daniel Blumstein, a biology professor at the University of California-Los Angeles, “The Failure of Environmental Education (And How We Can Fix It)”. (more…)
Straight Talk, Sound Ideas
IslandWood is convening a conference for residential environmental educators in the Pacific Northwest!
Meet new colleagues, make new connections and friends, get fresh ideas – get inspired!
You can look forward to workshops, explorations and courageous conversations.
To date we are planning sessions on cattail weaving, bat/owl “hunting,” storytelling, linking learning in nature to urban ecosystems. We also have guest speakers who will address working outdoors with children who have attention deficit issues and teaching to diverse learning styles.
OFFER IDEAS! Session topics are still being accepted. Offer an idea from your center!
COST: $100/person, including shared (quad) accommodations, Monday breakfast through Tuesday lunch, and all programming.
For more information and to register, go to: http://straittalksoundideas.eventbrite.com/
by Charles Saylan and Daniel Blumstein
(excerpt from the book)
nvironmental education has failed to bring about the changes in attitude and behavior necessary to stave off the detrimental effects of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation that our planet is experiencing at an alarmingly accelerating rate.
For decades, scientists have warned of the potentially devastating consequences of climate change, and although it has become a highly politicized issue, serious problems still loom in earth’s near future. A conservative approach would dictate that our societies act expediently to mitigate these potential threats. But that is not happening. Instead, we are all paralyzed by indecision, argument, misplaced politicization of the issues, and a widespread lack of commitment to change. The pace of environmental degradation, however, is not slowing. (more…)
