“Ecoliterate” is our shorthand for the end goal of this kind of learning, and raising ecoliterate
students requires a process that we call “socially and emotionally engaged ecoliteracy”—a
process that, we believe, offers an antidote to the fear, anger, and hopelessness that can result
from inaction. As we saw in Wright-Albertini’s classroom, the very act of engaging in some of
today’s great ecological challenges—on whatever scale is possible or appropriate—develops
strength, hope, and resiliency in young people.
1. Develop empathy for all forms of life
At a basic level, all organisms—including humans—need food, water, space, and
conditions that support dynamic equilibrium to survive. By recognizing the common needs we
share with all organisms, we can begin to shift our perspective from a view of humans as
separate and superior to a more authentic view of humans as members of the natural world.
From that perspective, we can expand our circles of empathy to consider the quality of life of
other life forms, feel genuine concern about their well-being, and act on that concern.
Another way teachers can help develop empathy for other forms of life is by studying
indigenous cultures. By focusing on their relationship with their surroundings, students learn
how a society lives when it values other forms of life.
2. Embrace sustainability as a community practice
Organisms do not survive in isolation. Instead, the web of relationships within any living
community determines its collective ability to survive and thrive. By learning about the
wondrous ways that plants, animals, and other living things are interdependent, students are
inspired to consider the role of interconnectedness within their communities and see the value
in strengthening those relationships by thinking and acting cooperatively. The notion of
sustainability as a community practice, however, embodies some characteristics that fall outside
most schools’ definitions of themselves as a “com- munity,” yet these elements are essential to
building ecoliteracy. For example, by examining how their community provisions itself—from
school food to energy use—students can contemplate whether their everyday practices value
the common good.
3. Make the invisible visible
Historically—and for some cultures still in existence today—the path betweena decision and its
consequences was short and visible. If a homesteading family cleared their land of trees, for
example, they might soon experience flooding, soil erosion, a lack of shade, and a huge
decrease in biodiversity. But the global economy has created blinders that shield many of us
from experiencing the far-reaching implications of our actions. As we have increased our use of
fossil fuels, for instance, it has been difficult (and remains difficult for many people) to believe
that we are disrupting something on the magnitude of the Earth’s climate. Although some
places on the planet are beginning to see evidence of climate change, most of us experience no
changes. We may notice unusual weather, but daily weather is not the same as climate
disruption over time.
Educators can help through a number of strategies. They can use phenomenal web-based tools,
such as Google Earth, to enable students to “travel” virtually and view the landscape in other
regions and countries. They can also introduce students to technological applications such as
GoodGuide and Fooducate, which cull from a great deal of research and “package” it in easy-to-
understand formats that reveal the impact of certain household products on our health, the
environment, and social justice.
4. Anticipate unintended consequences
Many of the environmental crises that we face today are the unintended consequences of
human behavior. For example, we have experienced many unintended but grave consequences
of developing the technological ability to access, produce, and use fossil fuels. These new
technological capacities have been largely viewed as progress for our society. Only recently has
the public become aware of the downsides of our dependency on fossil fuels, such as pollution,
suburban sprawl, international conflicts, and climate change.
Teachers can teach students a couple of noteworthy strategies for anticipating unintended
consequences. One strategy—the precautionary principle—can be boiled down to this basic
message: When an activity threatens to have a damaging impact on the environment or human
health, precautionary actions should be taken regardlessof whether a cause-and-effect
relationship has been scientifically confirmed. Historically, to impose restrictions on new
products, technologies, or practices, the people concerned about possible negative impacts
were expected to prove scientifically that harm would result from them. By contrast, the
precautionary principle (which is now in effect in many countries and in some places in the
United States) places the burden of proof on the producers to demonstrate harmlessness and
accept responsibility should harm happen.
5. Understand how nature sustains life
Ecoliterate people recognize that nature has sustained life for eons; as a result, they have
turned to nature as their teacher and learned several crucial tenets. Three of those tenets are
particularly imperative to ecoliterate living.
First of all, ecoliterate people have learned from nature that all living organisms are members of
a complex, interconnected web of life and that those members inhabiting a particular place
depend upon their interconnectedness for survival. Teachers can foster an understanding of the
diverse web of relationships within a location by having students study that location as a
system.
