Whereas the Mission Avenue Parent Teacher Association has a representative working at the school and district level to implement this. Whereas this assembly recognizes the need for assistance in developing new and improved curricula, pilot projects, teacher training and community education designed to enhance environmental quality and the maintenance of ecological balance. Therefore, we wish this resolution be included in the records of hearings as in support of authorization and funding for the Environmental Quality Education Act (H.R. 14753). Representative JOHN BRADEMAS, Chairman, Select Subcommittee on Education, Mrs. RALPH PALUMBO, President. MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. BRADEMAS: I am pleased at the opportunity to offer written testimony concerning the "Environmental Quality Education Act" H.R. 14753. I agree completely with the "statement of findings and purpose" of the Bill. I agree with the suggested "use of funds" as outlined in the Bill. May I make a few statements to support your efforts for better education of the public concerning environmental matters. Environmental problems will continue to plague modern man for a very long time in the future. Even if we take fairly massive measures soon environmental problems are likely to continue to accumulate, to become more complex, and to be more difficult of solution. The growth of human population, which will continue for many decades even if we reduce the rate of growth now, will continue to magnify the problem of waste, of pesticides, of herbicides, of air pollutants and possible climate change. The sociological problems of the environment will continue to become more acute. Furthermore, the ecological complexities which may arise are likely to be far more difficult to correct than anything we have seen to date. Let me take a moment to place into the record here an editorial on this matter which I have written for publication in the Bulletin of the Missouri Botanical Garden, May 1970 issue. ECOLOGY VERSUS ENVIRONMENT The people of America suddenly are coming to the realization that they have fouled their own nest. Man, the dirtiest of all animals, knows now that the spaceship Earth has limited resources, limited space, and a fragile green surface upon which he is completely dependent. Ecology has suddenly become the "in" word. However, the public is using the words ecology and environment interchangeably and often without distinction. Ecology is the study of the relationships between organisms (plants and animals) and their environment. The science of ecology began about 1900 but the word itself was used by Darwin, Haeckel, and others earlier in the nineteenth century. By the end of the first decade of this century there were many ecologists in America who were teaching and doing research in ecology, including my father. The Ecological Society of America was established in 1915 and today has a membership of 3500 professionals. We live in the environmental theatre and the play includes the ecological scene, the geological scene, the geophysical scene, the sociological scene, the economic scene, and others. Ecology is just one body of knowledge among many that concerns the world in which we live; e.g. the interaction of plants and animals with their environment, with one another, and including the influence of man. If your concern is with pollution then your concern if the the quality of the environment. If your concern is with the effects of pollutants on plants or animals, then your interest is ecological. If you are studying how pollutants affect man, than your concern is with human health. Meteorologists study the weather, an extremely important component of our environment. A meteorologist is not an ecologist unless his objective is to understand the effect of weather on plants and animals. The field of ecology is a very distinguished profession with a substantial history of demonstrated success including the application of ecological principles to wildlife management, land use, forestry, agriculture, and other fields. Many of the immediate problems faced by man are environmental. Pollution is a prime example. However, the ultimate confrontation between man and Earth's eco-systems is ecological; for man must learn to live in close cooperation with the plants and animals of this planet. It is extremely important to educate the general public concerning environmental problems. We should develop in the minds of all citizens an absolute sense of responsibility towards the conservation of wild life, resources, energy, and the products we use. The public must understand the wisdom of recycling everything in society. The public must appreciate that the careless use of electric power, whether by burning too many lights, by allowing the television to remain on when they have left the room, or by careless use of air conditioning, places an immediate demand on the electric power generating plant and hence by so doing creates more pollution of the atmosphere. The public must learn to throw away as little as possible and to reuse everything as often as possible including paper materials. We must reduce the amount of waste per person in our society. The ecological aspect of life on the planet Earth involves the delicate balance between living things, plants and animals, and the environment. Man is rapidly eliminating natural systems, eradicating species, and in various ways upsetting the delicate balance of the life support system of this planet. Many of us believe that man will always need nature; that man will always need in various ways all the living products of evolution. It is difficult for the vast majority of our citizens who have spent their entire lives within our urban areas to realize how precarious is the balance of nature and how dependent upon it modern man really is. The more industrialized we become and the more manicured our landscape becomes with agriculture the more isolated is modern man from natural history. Yet man needs nature to keep the life support system of the planet Earth in operation (including the production of oxygen), to keep wilderness areas as open space and to maintain the gene pool of rare species, to have space for recreation and hunting, and to have the diversity of life so necessary to man's sanity. It is my opinion that every school child in America should have several courses during his elementary, secondary, and high school education in matters of natural history, evolution, and ecology. Such courses could be extended to include reasons for the control of human populations and in matters pertaining to environmental management. It is of particular import that we educate all future citizens concerning these matters so that they assume the responsibilities of society with an acute awareness of the difficulties faced by mankind and of the necessity to use all the rationale possible for the wise management of the Earth ecosystem. The very survival of man as a healthy, sane, stable well being depends on modern man having an understanding of natural history and containing within himself a strong ecological conscience. Sincerely, DAVID M. GATES, Director. STATEMENT BY JOSEPH A. RUEFF, COORDINATOR, SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECTS, ELKHART COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, ELKHART, IND. THOUGHTS ON A POSSIBLE TRANSFORMATION What has happened to this place? What has transfigured this, my home? What has changed the mountain's face And stopped the bear's wide, rambling roam? What has changed this place of mine? What has made it bleak and dreary? How could this have happened in such short time? Now my eyes are fogged and bleary. *** The lake, the lake how great you were. You floated boats on your water's wings. But now your wonders are blanketed by black And now your beauty is one of those forgotten things. The bay, the bay! Are you too gone, Where I used to play? The sand almost gone, the steps washed away, The murky water-cold and gray. All gone, all gone, this place, this place. I must go now, and leave you! Gone forever, gone for good Because man did not as he should. -Linda Drennan, Senior Elkhart High School. The above poem by Miss Drennan expresses so eloquently what is on the mind of nearly every student in our country, from the primary grades to post-graduate level. For national publicity regarding environmental problems has superseded Viet Nam, civil rights and other problems as the number one social issue of the day. Yet this plethora of information, misinformation, and emotional outcries can lead students and adults alike to despair and confusion. We can see ourselves as victims of physical and social forces beyond our control. This feeling, if it would become the prevalent attitude, could be equally as dangerous to the future of this nation as are the problems facing the environment itself. On the other hand, there are many who belong to a kind of "problem of the month club." As the ominous environmental statistics lose their initial impact, these people will turn their attentions to other problems. Current attitudes and outlooks clearly will not lead toward the environmental improvements we so desperately need. If we are going to meet the challenge we must create new perspectives. We must be able to weigh the consequences of alternative actions by individuals, by the private sector and by the public sector of our society. We must reorder our sets of values. As Norman Čousins said so well recently in the Saturday Review: "Philosophy precedes ecology. What is needed today are new realizations about man's place in the universe, a new sense of life, a new pride in the importance of being human, a new anticipation of the enlarged potentialities of mind, a new joyousness in the possibilities for human unity, and a new determination to keep this planet from becoming uninhabitable." Clearly this cannot be accomplished by a few crash courses in environmental problems. It calls for the establishment of long term goals, and, without our educational system, it calls for major changes that will encourage the attainment of those objectives. It is imperative that Federal aid be available to encourage these changes. It is clear that when state and local tax structures have difficulty meeting the needs of current programs, one cannot expect much revenue to be available for innovation. What kinds of goals should our educational system establish? First of all, it should strive to make students aware. By awareness I do not mean that they must become more aware of individual environmental problems. Schools already are teaching much about pollution, conservation, and the plight of the inner cities. Rather I mean that they must become more aware of man's relationship to his total environment. They must see that specific environmental problems are interrelated and that a delicate balance exists between the forces of nature. Secondly, it should lead students to become concerned. Such concern, to be effective, must transcend the individual and become a concern for the environment as a totality. The development of "the universal man" must become a dominent objective in any program for environmental quality education. Third, schools must strive to develop student competence in the handling of environmental problems. In recent years many school systems have initiated curriculum reforms which incorporate analytical problem solving techniques. These are the capstones of the new mathematics, the new science and the new social studies. But these approaches are not enough. In fact, they can even compound our problems, because they are borne from a philosophy which has been responsible for many of our present conditions. For one hundred and fifty years this country grew and prospered because of s narrow pragmatism that allowed us to focus directly upon a specific problem and set about to solve it. When a nation was to be spanned we built the transcontinental railroad; when we wished to fly we invented the airplane. As a result we have developed a blurred periferal vision. That is why many see pollution, blighted cities or the plight of the redwoods as distinctly separate problems. That is why many fail to consider the broad consequences of actions undertaken to solve narrow problems. What then, can be the role of the federal government to encourage environmental quality education? While there is much that needs to be done at all levels of education I should like to limit my remarks to those areas with which I am most familiar, public school education from kindergarten through grade twelve. 1. Funds should be available for curriculum innovation.-Such a program could be developed that would be similar to Title III, ESEA. I would suggest the following criteria: (a) Such innovation should involve restructuring the entire curriculum from kindergarten through grade twelve so that the objectives mentioned above can be attained. This implies a marriage between the natural and social sciences. It implies sequential development from the primary grades through high school not only of these sciences but also the humanities. (b) Such development should involve teams composed of educators and specialists from public schools, colleges and universities. These specialists would represent all of the fields necessary to develop a viable program. The list could include natural scientists, social scientists, philosophers, artists, writers, and others whose contributions would be deemed imperative. Many curriculum projects now under way have a start in this direction. For example, ten years ago, Prof. Lawrence Senesh, then of Purdue University and now at Colorado University, began working with Elkhart teachers in the field of economic education. From this modest beginning Prof. Senesh has developed what has become a multi-disciplinary social science program. Social scientists literally from around the world have added their expertise. As the project widens further to include environmental education more and more specialists outside the social sciences are being called upon. Only in this manner can we insure intellectual honesty. Only in this way can we help students develop the breadth to understand all of the aspects of environmental problems. 2. Funds should be available to utilize the community as an environmental laboratory. To try to help students become aware, concerned and competent in the handling of environmental problems, to try to help them develop a philosophy that will promote environmental harmony is impossible within the confines of a traditional classroom. Students must become involved. They must get into their cities and out to their countrysides. Yet, our schools are equipped neither institutionally nor financially to provide such essential activity. The federal government can provide aid for transportation, for cataloging resources, and for whatever increased supervision is necessary. 3. Funds should be available for materials development. If an impact in environmental education is to be made on a national basis one cannot rely only upon local curriculum innovation to provide the answer. Materials of all kinds need to be published. Yet, one cannot expect commercial publishers to do the job. The market restricts most to be trend followers, not trend setters. Consequently the federal government should provide grants to encourage materials development, as it has in recent years for specific subject areas. The major criterion should be that the materials be broadly based and encourage the attainment of the objectives outlined above. 4. Funds should be available for in-service education.-Probably the greatest obstacle to the success of environmental quality education is the teachers themselves. For they are creatures of the systems that have created our present problems. They are victims of specialization. For many elementary level teachers skills development in the traditional readin', writin', and 'rithmatic still has top priority. It is difficult for them to look upon these skills as tools for communicating ideas, for developing a philosphy, for helping children develop a feeling of unity with the rest of the world. The secondary teacher has been confined to his subject area specialty. Often he knows little about other curricular areas. Without help it would be difficult indeed for him to adapt to a broadly based program. These, then, are my suggestions for developing programs that, hopefully, will lead to an improvement in our environment. The task for such broad curriculum changes is not easy; the rigidity of our present educational framework will be difficult to overcome. But I can foresee one thing: Without federal guidence and financial aid, the task is impossible. And if we cannot take positive steps to improve this one aspect of our environment, our educational system, what hope is there that we can achieve success in other aspects? CONSERVATION TEACHING IN THE CITY (By Gerald Schneider, Program Specialist, for the Girl Scouts, U.S.A.) Our Nation and our State was once a wilderness. People were few in number. Streams were clear and the air was fresh. Times have changed. There are hordes of people today-around 200 million in the United States alone. The Nation has become a tangle of huge cities, great industries, sprawling suburbs, linking highways, dwindling farmlands and wilderness remnants. Rivers are too dirty to drink from or swim in. Smog plagues many communities. Streets, roads and recreation areas are unsightly because of litter carelessly tossed away. THE "PERILOUS P's" In short, much of the country's natural beauty and richness is gone. What natural loveliness and wealth remains is threatened by the "perilous p's': Population, pollution, poor planning and poverty. Never before has the need for conservation action to improve, restore and protect the resources of the physical environment been so urgent. Never before has the need for a conservation conscious public been so necessary. Especially critical is the need for effective conservation education in the city. Most people live in cities (about 70 per cent of Americans do and that figure increases daily). With the one man, one-vote rule becoming the political order of the day, people in the cities will soon determine just about all land-use policies. This means that regardless of how successful our conservation efforts are with farmers and rural people, conservation efforts will be largely futile in the not-so-long run without understanding support from urbanites. For the most part, trying to teach conservation to adults has been a failure. Our hope our destiny-lies in the hands and hearts of our youths, notably, our urban youths. Since about half our population is under 25 years of age (and grows younger), we may still be optimistic about tomorrow if we convince young people of the significance of conservation messages today. Inability of many conservationists to effectively communicate with city children (and adults) has probably resulted more from lack of empathy than lack of reason. Most conservationists live and work in rural areas and like it. They are to a great extent consciously or subconsciously alienated by cities. This "rural bias" is often picked up quickly by city children and, never having been exposed to such an orientation, they are turned off by it and drop out before education begins. First things first. City youths need conservation "feet” before they are ready for conservation "shoes.' Children (and adults) like the city despite problems of smog, crowding and traffic, or so they say. Conditioned by their concrete environment, they live like modern cliff dwellers and feel little need for open spaces, or so they think. Blaring radios, television, pop art and "happenings" are preferred to woodland solitude, scenic beauty and nature study in many cases, as far as they know. Like it or not, that's the way urbanites are in general (don't be fooled by their week end treks via automobiles to outdoor amusements). While there are many execptions to any generality, the author believes that the urban point of view must be accepted by conservationists who want to succeed in their conservation education efforts in cities. GENERAL TEACHING PRINCIPLES How do you teach the urban child? You start where he is and lead him forward step by step when he is ready for advancement. Forget "preaching" and accept him as he is. He may believe his way is right, too, until shown. FOCUS ON PROBLEMS A practical approach to teaching older youths, ages 12 and up, is to focus their attention on problems of city planning, waste disposal, water supply, pollution, ghettos and parks-things that affect their immediate, everyday lives. Save the forest management, soil erosion, hydrological cycle and species identification business for later unless they ask about these things. Don't risk losing them before you begin; there are few chances available to reach them and no time should be wasted. For younger children, ages 3 to 11, contact with live plants and animals can be most meaningful. Consider starting with the handling of bunnies and chicks since city children are often afraid of unfamiliar wild animals (and dogs). A simple |