Environmental Education and Human Potential
- Karl Selle
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 19 hours ago
Evidence Shows Links to Stronger Academics, Health, and Problem-Solving Skills
Children don’t protect what they don’t love. Environmental education at its best cultivates a felt connection to living systems—wonder at a bee’s flight, delight in a sprouting seed, awe under a night sky. And those feelings can be further solidified by developing a spiritual connection in which to root them. Ideally, affection matures into an environmental morality: a durable sense that the other-than-human world is worthy of care, that one’s choices carry consequences, and that stewardship is part of being a good neighbor and a good citizen.
As the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) frames it, environmental education—which might also be called green learning, ecoliteracy, ecological education, or environmental literacy—develops not only knowledge but dispositions for responsible action. As students keep encountering nature directly, those dispositions become habits.
This is more than sentiment. Early, repeated contact with nature builds pro-environment attitudes that persist. Programs that take learning outdoors—gardens, habitat projects, creek monitoring—give kids chances to practice care, not just talk about it. Over time, that practice becomes identity: Children begin to think, “I’m someone who notices, tends, and restores.” Research compilations from Texas Children in Nature show gains in cognition and goal-making abilities from outdoor learning, and the National Wildlife Federation’s Schoolyard Habitats offers step-by-step ways to turn affection into action through real habitat work (see their Planning Guide).
Crucially, a love-first approach aligns head and heart. Students learn to test water quality, plant flowers to attract pollinating insects, and read energy dashboards—and they are taught to care about the outcomes. That blend of competence and care is what endures: a lifelong lifestyle of conservation, kindness toward the natural world, and civic-minded environmental action. It’s why the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) highlights benefits that span academics, health, and stewardship.
Indigenous Approach to Learning
One underexplored area of environmental teaching is that favored by Native American educators—and it’s one that’s in sync with the mainstream US notion of cultivating in students an emotional and loving connectedness with nature. Indigenous pedagogy can be summarized as follows:
Emphasis on relationship, not just knowledge: Instead of treating the environment as a resource “out there,” Native American teachings emphasize reciprocal relationships between humans and the natural world. Students learn that the Earth is a relative, not a commodity. Lessons stress stewardship and responsibility rather than mere conservation.
Place-based learning and local knowledge: Native education is often rooted in specific places and ecosystems—learning from the land itself. Students learn about local plants, animals, watersheds, and seasonal cycles, not just global environmental issues. For example, a class might study how a local river ecosystem functions biologically while also hearing a tribal story that explains its spiritual and historical significance.
Intergenerational and community involvement: Environmental education isn’t confined to textbooks. Tribal elders, farmers, fishers, and community members are coteachers. Storytelling, song, and ceremony are used to pass on ecological knowledge. Projects might involve community gardens, forest restoration, or traditional food harvesting.
Indigenous approaches show how ethics and reverence can be embedded in education without endorsing a particular religion.
Integration of spiritual and moral dimensions: Indigenous approaches show how ethics and reverence can be embedded in education without endorsing a particular religion. Lessons might explore respect for all living beings, the sacredness of water, or the idea of caretaking for future generations. Discussions about the “Seventh Generation” principle—making decisions with the well-being of seven generations ahead in mind—could shape environmental ethics curricula.
Blending traditional ecological knowledge and Western science: Native environmental education doesn’t reject modern science; it complements it. Students might learn both botanical classification and Indigenous uses of plants. Problem-solving projects balance empirical research with traditional practices.
Education through doing: Hands-on stewardship is central. Students might participate in water monitoring, replanting native species, or seed gathering.
Ideally, environmental education is more than just teaching science facts. As defined by NAAEE, it is a multidisciplinary approach that equips students with the knowledge and skills to solve environmental challenges. This education can be as simple as students tending a school garden or as complex as high schoolers monitoring air quality with sensors. According to NEEF, these real-world projects improve academic outcomes, nurture resilience, and strengthen community bonds.
Why Now?
This is an age of cascading climate impacts and biodiversity loss. Environmental education is not just enrichment; it is survival-level learning. The National Environmental Education Act, passed in 1990, established the US Office of Environmental Education and continues to provide grants and training. At the classroom level, this translates into programs like students in Maryland mapping tree canopy coverage or Texas middle schoolers restoring prairies through Texas Children in Nature. These efforts make environmental challenges tangible—and solvable—for young people.
Globally, NAAEE emphasizes that education systems must keep pace with ecological realities. NEEF reminds people that healthier environments and healthier children are inseparable. Both organizations stress that environmental education prepares students not only for STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) but also for civic responsibility in the face of climate change.
Defining Environmental Education
Green education is often misunderstood as simply “nature study.” In fact, the Wikipedia entry on environmental education shows its scope: spanning ethics, civic responsibility, and sustainable development. In practice, it means students doing things:
Testing water quality in nearby streams.
Using solar panels at a school like Discovery Elementary in Virginia to learn how energy systems work (see also the school’s building page or the architect’s case study) (this shows how a net-zero school can use solar panels, dashboards, and sustainable design as teaching tools—turning infrastructure into curriculum).
Building pollinator gardens and tracking species visits.
As NAAEE explains, these projects foster critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and lifelong stewardship habits.
Evidence for What Works
Evidence for ecoliteracy’s impact is strong. A comprehensive Stanford/NAAEE review of 119 studies found that 98% of green education programs improved student knowledge, while more than 80% inspired pro-environmental behavior. (See the eeWORKS K–12 overview for a quick synopsis.)
A 2022 Journal of Environmental Psychology meta-analysis synthesized 169 studies across six continents and 176,000 participants. It found that programs linking learning to hands-on projects—like students planting trees, maintaining recycling systems, or designing energy-saving campaigns—had the strongest results.
Students benefit both academically and emotionally. According to NEEF, those in environmental education programs perform better in reading, math, and science. They also develop resilience and creativity and gain “soft skills” like collaboration and problem-solving.
Parents benefit [from eco-education] when kids bring home habits like conserving water or reducing waste.
Teachers benefit from more engaged learners. Parents benefit when kids bring home habits like conserving water or reducing waste. Communities benefit when schools act as models of sustainability—whether that’s composting cafeteria waste, shifting to renewable energy, or installing a rain garden (a shallow depression in the ground planted with native grasses, flowers, and shrubs to mitigate stormwater runoff). Texas Children in Nature points to improved self-discipline and health among students regularly outdoors.
The Eco-Schools global program spans more than 50,000 schools across 100-plus countries and engages millions of students. Projects range from building wildlife habitats in the UK to creating recycling systems in Kenya.
A case study on the Czech Republic by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development shows how students lead local energy audits and biodiversity projects, fostering both literacy and civic engagement. Eco-Schools Malaysia reports measurable impacts like reduced water use and energy savings. These case studies demonstrate that environmental learning doesn’t stay in the classroom—it can transform whole communities.
Green Schools and Cognitive Performance
Where students learn also matters. A study in Barcelona, Spain, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that students in greener schools had better working memory and less inattentiveness, partly due to reduced air pollution. In terms of less-developed countries, a 2023 open-access study found that schools surrounded by more greenery saw higher math and reading scores, especially in public schools. Students exposed to nature scored 20% higher in math and 7% higher in reading.
Direct experience in nature deepens care for the environment. Texas Children in Nature shows how outdoor learning boosts goal-making abilities and academic performance.
If eco-education is so effective, why isn’t it everywhere? Barriers include political resistance, financial inequities, and cultural undervaluing of outdoor learning. The US Environmental Protection Agency notes that federal support is vital, but local leadership determines implementation. The agency adds that teachers need more training and resources to deliver green education consistently.
Ultimately, environmental education is character education and even spiritual education in an ecological context. By championing eco-education through real-world projects—and beginning with love for the living world—teachers can empower students, strengthen communities, and sustain the shared human future.
*Karl Selle is a freelance writer who lives in Bowie, Maryland, USA.
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