10. Camp and environmental education

Part of Camp leadership basics, an introductory course on general camp-leadership knowledge. It is not the official material of any certification course.

Camp puts people directly into the natural environment, which is the best foundation for environmental learning: you feel the weather, see the stream, and notice how much effort a day's water takes.

What environmental education aims for

The 1977 Tbilisi Declaration set goals including providing every person with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, values, attitudes, commitment and skills needed to protect and improve the environment, and creating new patterns of behavior toward the environment. NAAEE describes environmental education as a process that helps people learn about the environment and develop the skills to address global challenges. The U.S. EPA defines it as a process for exploring environmental issues, solving problems and taking action, and notes that environmental education does not advocate a particular viewpoint.

The common thread: knowledge and understanding are not enough; the aim is people who can act.

The bigger picture

• Stockholm, 1972. The UN Conference on the Human Environment was the first world conference to make the environment a major issue; its declaration of 26 principles put environmental issues at the forefront, and it led to the creation of UNEP.
• The SDGs, 2015. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all UN member states, set 17 goals as a shared blueprint for people and the planet.
• Overshoot. Global Footprint Network marks Earth Overshoot Day, when humanity's demand on nature in a year exceeds what Earth can regenerate that year, and dates overshoot to the early 1970s.

Think globally, act locally, at camp

• Run camp with minimal impact (lesson 3).
• Explore local culture: farming, food and festivals, and meet local people.
• Cook with local produce and talk about where food comes from.
• Measure the camp's water and fuel use and discuss it.

Think it through

1. Design a one-hour camp activity that moves campers from knowing to doing.
2. How would you measure your camp's water use without special equipment?

Related on this site

• Treating water in the backcountry
• Making water safe in an emergency