Earth in the Balance, Vice President Al Gore said “the rescue of theenvironment the central organizing principle for civilization.” In the past150 years, earth’s resources have been abused and people do not know how todeal with the effects of not treating the earth right.
In Educating for theEnvironment: Higher Education’s Challenge of the Next Century, David W. Orrstates that people now being educated must learn how to take care of the planet:keep the population stabilized, deal with the diminishing ozone layer, protectnatural forests, and natural resources, etc. They have to do this all at thesame time while they decrease social, ethnic and racial conflicts. The youngmust, understand the differences between what is good for the earth and not.They must make wiser choices then the generations before.
Educators shouldreform the schools to better teach the kids how to deal with the problems withenvironment. But educators still educate the young, like there is nothing wrongwith the planet. People think that technology would help the environmentalproblems, it may, but the beginning of the problem starts in the mind of theperson. It is how the person thinks and feels about the earth. So people must betaught in the mind so they would understand how to take care of the environment.
It is ironic that all the colleges and universities know about all theseenvironmental problems, and do anything about it. Why don’t people with highereducation teach the young as soon as possible? There are three primary reasons:1) People think that the smallest random fact about something means nothing, butreally, it is part of a really big picture. So people must be educated on thesesmall facts about the environment. 2) Professors are scared to speak out theseproblems. Professors talk amongst themselves about planetary problems anddon’t tell students about it.
3) Colleges and Universities are not respondingwith “intensity ad ingenuity” because their leaders are not afraid to teachthe young. What does it mean by Colleges and Universities to respond with“intensity and ingenuity?” There are three parts: 1) All education isenvironmental, it is taught to people and people don’t even know it. We areall part of a natural system. The goal of education is not always knowledge, buthow you get the knowledge. 2) We want to educate the young because we want themto make things that would fit in earth harmonious with other things. In order todo this, we have to teach them about large patterns.
You have to build with theearth, and understand each and every aspect of earth for it to not have anyconflicts with earth. This requires a liberal education. 3) You also have torethink the traditional way of operating, buying, investing and building. a.Operating – Students will make better choices in their everyday operations.And understand the operations such as, how much water is consumed? How muchpaper is used? b.
Buying – Colleges and Universities buy thing withoutthinking about their environmental impacts. People must be taught on how to buythings and make better choices to eliminate environmental conflicts as much aspossible. c. Investment – College and Universities invested $73.
9 billiondollars in 1993, without thinking about the impacts it may cause. You have tothink if it will effect the economy or not. d. Building – Must use stuff thatwill not harm the environment.
Students must be taught the small details onconstruction. To save money and the earth’s resources. We are approaching theyear 2000 and earth is getting worse. But we can change that if people areeducated on how to stop the deterioration of resources.
But Colleges andUniversities are have done a very small amount to help educate the young. Theyear 2000 is a chance to change everybody, a chance to redesign buildings toreduce cost, help the environment, and help stabilize the economy.
