SustainabilityEducation

SustainabilityandgardenbasededucationwasaforeignconcepttomebeforeImovedto
Portland.MyhometownofTucson,Arizonaisnotexactlyagreencityinbothaliteraland
figurativesense.Therefore,theideaofsustainability,letaloneintegratingsustainabilityinto
schoolcurriculumsisobsoletethere.Myowneducationalexperiencesasachildalwayscame
fromatextbook,andIwasnevergiventheopportunitytolearnoutdoorsandtoactivelyapply
theconceptsIwasbeingtaughtinsidetheclassroomtotheoutsideworld.Thistypeoflearning
environmentfosteredanapatheticattitudewithinmetowardsallareasofscience,startingin7th
gradeearthscienceandcontinuingallthewayintomyjunioryearofchemistry.Ourrecentvisits
totheLearningGardensLaboratoryandinteractionswiththePSUstudentsworkingtherehave
mademeastrongbelieverinsustainabilityandgardenbasededucationbecauseitencourages
studentstocarenotonlyabouttheirscienceclasses,butabouttheworldtheyliveinatanearly
age,teachingthemtomakeinformed,mindfuldecisions,askilltheycanapplynotjusttoschool,
buttoeverythingelseintheirlives.
DespiteitspopularityhereinPortland,sustainabilityeducationappearstohavebeen
somewhatofaforeignconcepttomoststatesbesidesArizonauntiljustrecently.However,
sustainabilityeducationisrootedinenvironmentaleducation,aconceptthathasalwaysbeen
presentinschoolcurriculums,mostcommonlyinenvironmentalsciencecourses.Accordingto
TheEarthEncyclopediasarticleonenvironmentaleducation,theNationalEnvironmental
EducationAdvisoryCouncildefinesenvironmentaleducationasalearningprocessthat
increasespeoplesknowledgeandawarenessabouttheenvironmentandenvironmentalissuesor
problems,developsthenecessaryskillsandexpertisetoaddressthem,andfostersattitudes,

motivations,andcommitmentstomakeinformeddecisionsandtakeresponsibleaction.This
goalcarriesintotheconceptofsustainabilityeducationbeingimplementedattheLearning
GardensLaboratoryandotherschoolsacrossthecountrywhoarechoosingtoadopt
sustainabilityintotheircurriculums.
Whileenvironmentaleducationfocusesoneducatingstudentsabouttheenvironmentand
environmentalissues,sustainabilityeducationencompassesawiderrangeofissuesby
connectingtheenvironmenttopeople,andthewaysinwhichdifferentsocietalissuescanstem
fromenvironmentalones.Fromthesamearticleonenvironmentaleducation,sustainability
educationfocusesnotjustonsustainabilityintermsoftheenvironmentbutalsoincludes
poverty,population,health,food,securityandotherfactors.Ithasthepotentialtobroadenthe
basicunderstandingofenvironmentalsciencethatchildrengainintheirsciencecoursesby
connectingenvironmentalissuestootherissuesthatarerelevanttothesocietytheywillbe
growingupin.
OneofthereasonswhyIbelievesustainabilityeducationtobebeneficialtoyouthis
becauseitfostersconnectednesswhichallowsstudentstoapplyconceptslearnedintheir
classroomtotheoutsideworld.PSUsLearningGardensLaboratorystructurestheirown
educationalprogramsbythisidea,whichcanbedescribedastheirsustainabilitypedagogy:
systemic,connective,andecologicalwaysoflearning.Thispedagogyconsistsofthe
pedagogicalprinciplesofinterdisciplinary,placebased,activeandengaged,relationship
building,multipleperspectives,andsystemsthinkingandinterconnectednesslearning,whichare
describedinTheLearningGardensLaboratory:Teachingsustainabilityanddeveloping
sustainablefoodsystemsthroughuniquepartnerships(Burns,Miller7172).Thispedagogycan

beimplementedtoapplyascientificcurriculumtocruciallifeskills,teachingkidstothinkabout
theirownrelationshipstotheirnaturalenvironmentsandhowthatwillaffecttheirrelationshipto
theiracademicandsocialenvironments.
Theconceptofsustainabilityeducationgoesbeyondthesurfacevalue,regurgitative
learningthattoooftentakesplaceinnormalclassroomenvironments.AccordingtoKevin
Warburtoninhisarticle,DeepLearningandEducationforSustainability,sustainability
educationfallsunderthecategoryofdeeplearning,atermheusestodescribetheideaof
holistic,interdisciplinarylearning.ThistiesintotheLearningGardenssustainabilitypedagogy,
asitalsoemphasizestheinterconnectednessofenvironmental,social,andeconomicissuesand
payingattentiontounderlyingmeaning.Warburtoncomparesthisstyleoflearningtothe
surfaceandstrategiclearningthatisoftenemployedinschoolssurfacelearningstrategies
typicallyplacemoreemphasisonrotelearningandsimpledescription.Athirdlearningstyle,
strategiclearning,ischaracterizedbycompetitivenessandattemptstomaximizeacademic
achievementwithminimumeffort.Teachingyoungstudentsinawaythatallowsthemtograsp
therealmeaningbehindwhattheyarelearningwillalsoallowthemtobemoreengaged,
interestedlearnersandthinkers.Ibelievethatmostkidsbegintostrugglewhentheyarenot
interestedincoursematerialenoughtoputeffortorthoughtintoit.Thiscomesfromnot
knowingthereasonswhytheyarebeingtaughtcertainthings,andwhytheirunderstandingof
thesethingswillbenefittheirlivesandtheircommunityinthelongrun.Followingdeeplearning
andsustainabilitypedagogyprincipleswillhelpkidsrealizethevalueintheireducations.
Sustainabilityeducationencouragesstudentstocareaboutthedecisionstheymakeand
theirrelationshipstotheircommunitiesbyfosteringmindfulnessandconnectednessbetween

theiracademic,social,andnaturalenvironments.Thiswillbenefittheiracademicperformance
andpreparethemtobemoreactive,informedcitizensasawhole.Frompersonalexperiences
andmyobservationsfromreadingsandfieldtripstotheLearningGardensthisterm,Istrongly
believethatintegratingsustainabilityeducationintoschoolcurriculumswillenrichthe
educationalexperiencesofyoungstudentswhoarejustbeginningtounderstandtheworldthey
arelivingin.