Info Centre Environment
How Outdoor Education Contributes to Sustainability
by Geoff Cooper
'We can develop a first hand intelligence
of nature from which real intelligence grows. This means breaking
down the walls made by clocks, bells, rules, academic requirements
and a tired indoor pedagogy. I am proposing a jailbreak that
would put learners of all ages outdoor more often'.
David Orr, 1994
Youth, Society and the Millennium
What are we offering young people at the turn of the century? What are the visions our society is upholding for the next millennium? What is the health of the planet we are passing on to future generations?
In Britain we are celebrating the end of the century with a monument to the Age, spending millions on a Millennium exhibition, a fitting endorsement to a society that lives for the present and is hung-up on growth, glitz and greed. What else will be inherited by future generations?
Young people are growing up in a society faced by increasing environmental concerns. On a global scale resources are being used up at an increasing rate. Habitats are changing, rainforests diminishing, deserts spreading, tens of species are lost each day whilst the human population increases by over a million each week.
We live in a society removed from the land and the rhythms of nature. An insular, cossetted world, protected from the vagaries of the outdoors. A society that criticises a youth culture influenced by drugs and rave music but condones the insidious dependency on the car with its associated pollution, congestion and severe health risks. Meanwhile there is another nation, the "Third World within", a disaffected underclass, unemployed and under-privileged. As inequality grows, the need for protecting material wealth increases, we become more security conscious, inward-looking, less community oriented. New technology re-inforces our fortress mentality, fear encourages us to give up some of our human rights and we become more open to manipulation from centralised power structures.
Poverty, homelessness, malnutrition and environmental degradation are all symptoms of an economic and political system rooted in competition and growth. Is this our children's inheritance, our vision for their future or is there another way?
Towards Sustainability
This situation is clearly unsustainable. The lifestyles of people in the richest nations threaten the basic biological requirements for food, clean water and clean air of the majority of people on the planet. There have been many attempts to define sustainability. An early definition and one often quoted is:
'development that meets the needs
of the present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their needs'
Brundtland Report, 1987
A less people-centred definition suggests that sustainable development is:
"improving
the quality of human life while living within the carrying
capacity of supporting
ecosystems"
UNEP, WWF, IUCN, 1991
The problem with both of these definitions is that they are open to wide
interpretation. Both, however, imply the need for a new ethic based on co-operation
rather than competition, quality of life rather than standard of living and
community rather than individual interest. Education must play a key role
in changing attitudes and behaviour. I believe that outdoor teachers and
leaders can play a significant part in this process.
What does a sustainable community look like?
Here are a few suggestions:
1. Everyone is provided with the basics for a healthy life - food, clean
air, water, shelter, education, medical care.
2. Biodiversity is encouraged through habitat protection and careful use
of land and water.
3. There is an emphasis on reducing consumption and waste and re-using and
recycling energy and materials.
4. Activities are organised through participation at a local level. Human
rights are protected by communities.
5. There is regional self-sufficiency and less need for transport.
6. Public transport is given higher priority.
7. There is a 'sense' and 'spirit' of place. Natural and cultural environments
are cared for and celebrated.
Towards Sustainability
How do we educate for such a change?
We need to encourage personal and social action. The process
of educating for sustainability. This framework is based on the
three simple considerations:
1. I recognise the need to act - Awareness.
2. I know how to act - Empowerment.
3. I will act - Commitment.
Let's consider these a little further:
1. Awareness
There are two aspects of awareness. It is important to have a knowledge and
understanding of issues influencing the environment and our quality of
life. For example it is necessary to have some ecological understanding
to appreciate the intricate relationships between plants, animals and ourselves.
But it is also vital to have knowledge of political structures to appreciate
how and why decisions are made which influence these relationships. So
we can understand that the removal of hedgerows means a loss of habitats
for a range of insects, birds and small mammals but we also need to understand
that this environmental issue has been produced by underlying economic
considerations such as the need to obtain higher crop yields from greater
mechanisation allowed by large fields. Ironically, I went through school
with no knowledge of ecology or political and economic understanding -
the very basis of understanding my relationship with life on the planet.
The second aspect of awareness is concerned with feelings and having a personal
connection with the environment. We have become separated from nature, we
think of ourselves as apart from rather than a part of nature yet our minds
and bodies still respond to rhythms of day and night, lunar cycles and the
changes of the seasons. There is an urgency to develop this biological awareness
through encouraging a personal response to the environment. Understanding
comes through feelings as much as knowledge. This aspect of awareness could
be the key to attitude and behavioural change.
2. Empowerment
How many times do we hear young people say that 'they' make the decisions
for us? They could be the Government, the council, the planners, business,
in other words faceless bureaucrats as opposed to us, the people. There is
a need to involve young people, to give them responsibility and make them
feel responsible for their own lives, to empower them.
A basis for such empowerment is to develop self esteem, confidence and motivation.
Many young people have poor self worth, they have failed in a school system
designed to measure a particular type of intelligence and academic learning.
They are given little responsibility in this system, there is a lack of identity
and motivation is low. The first step is to reverse this process, to develop
self esteem and to improve confidence.
Empowerment also involves encouraging a range of skills and competences.
Effective communication is essential but for many oral literacy may be more
important than the written word. Interpersonal skills are increasingly important
in an age when knowledge can be acquired at the press of a button. Problem
solving, lateral and critical thinking and negotiation will be valuable to
young people involved in decision making. Creativity and vision for the future
are also required to inspire positive change. These skills are often underdeveloped
at school. Knowledge of ecological and political systems also forms a prerequisite
for empowerment.
3. Commitment
Sometimes we are aware of an issue that needs addressing, we have the ability
and confidence to take action but we still do not do anything about it. What
triggers our commitment to act? This is a difficult question, we may change
our behaviour because there are rewards or penalties. Rewards may be economic
but can also come from the satisfaction that we are improving the quality
of life for ourselves or others. Good self esteem, tolerance, empathy and
co-operation are attitudes conducive to action. Young people who do not value
themselves or respect and co-operate with others are unlikely to show concern
for the environment. Penalties such as fines or prosecution can alter behaviour,
for example the dramatic shift in attitudes towards drinking and driving
in Britain over the last 20 years. There is evidence to suggest that the
development of personal feelings and strong connections with an environment
will influence our commitment to act for its protection.
Awareness, empowerment and commitment are the building blocks leading to
Action. We can summarise the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes that
are essential in educating for a more sustainable society.
Ten Essential Competences:
1. Self esteem, confidence and motivation.
2. Co-operation, trust and empathy.
3. Communication skills including negotiation and decision making.
4. An ability for critical thinking, lateral thinking and problem solving.
5. Self reliance, the ability to take responsibility.
6. Futures thinking.
7. Feelings of belonging to the natural world.
8. Creativity, imagination and a personal response to the environment.
9. Knowledge of ecology and social and political systems.
10. An ability for reflection and evaluation.
This list is not comprehensive but gives an indication of some of the important
skills and qualities needed to change the present situation. A quick glance
at this list and many outdoor leaders will realise they are very much on
home territory! We have long recognised the value of social and personal
skills and know that these have not met with much success in formal education.
The National Curriculum in schools is not designed to encourage creativity,
problem solving and leadership, common outcomes of many outdoor education
programmes. Let's consider the particular advantages outdoor education can
offer in educating for sustainability.
Benefits of Outdoor Education in educating for sustainability
1. Motivation
A key word in outdoor education is success. Many young people fail in formal
education and they may also fail at home and amongst their friends. Motivation
and success are common ingredients of outdoor learning. Young people, in
general, enjoy the outdoors, their level of interest is high and they are
more receptive to knowledge. Motivation also affects self esteem, confidence
and attitudes to others and to the environment.
2. Multiple Intelligence
Most classroom learning is related to left brain, logical or analytical thinking.
Some young people who are predominantly right brain thinkers underachieve
in schools. They are often regarded as less intelligent as their skills such
as creativity, problem solving and leadership are not assessed in most school
examinations. Their talent is frequently unlocked in outdoor education. It
is common for leaders who know the ability of young people in formal situations
to be surprised by their change in attitude and performance in the outdoors.
Good outdoor education involves both left brain and right brain thinking
and allows young people to develop their full potential. This range of skills
and competences is essential in educating for sustainability.
3. Personal Responsibility
Outdoor education often places young people in situations where they have
to take responsibility for their own actions. They may take responsibility
for clothing, personal equipment and money and develop personal skills in
the outdoors, such as those associated with observation, map reading, kayaking
and recording information. Solo journeys can challenge our ability for self
reliance.
4. Co-operation
Learning in schools is usually based on competition. This may be appropriate
to train a top class athlete or a Mastermind contestant but it is totally
inadequate for educating for community living in a rapidly changing society.
Teamwork and co-operation can be developed in many ways in the outdoors,
for example through problem solving activities, group fieldwork and mountain
expeditions. Outdoor activities can be designed to encourage trust, effective
communication, negotiation and decision making. Such social skills are transferable
and of fundamental importance to sustainable living.
5. Reconnecting
Outdoor education offers the opportunity to experience the natural world
through mind, body and spirit. We often feel a 'sense of wonder', which can
be inspired as much from a single dewdrop as an expanse of ocean. We begin
to appreciate the interdependency of life on the planet. There is a chance
to respond to the elements and natural rhythms, to rekindle a spiritual link
which is within all of us. For some this reconnection may act as a therapy
and it may, through releasing feelings, play a signicant role in gaining
commitment for the environment.
6. Awareness of Human Impact
Experience of the outdoors helps us to understand the fragility of some environments
and how our behaviour can have dramatic effects on the appearance of the
landscape and its biodiversity. Sometimes we can take simple measures to
lessen our impact, for example by avoiding particular crags during nesting
time or trampling hay meadows. This awareness of how we relate to the natural
systems can enhance our own enjoyment and appreciation of the outdoors and
may help us to 'tread more lightly' in other aspects of our lives.
7. Alternative Lifestyles
Chris Loynes (1996) has argued that outdoor adventure is being packaged and
commercialised and this process dissociates people from their experience
of community and place. There is, however, the opportunity in the outdoors
to experience a simpler, healthier and uncommercialised existence. Wild or
quiet places can provide an antidote to mass culture with its 5 minute soundbites.
There is time to reflect, to put our lives into perspective, to consider
our values. Outdoor leaders should be aware of pressures from commercialisation
and through their own example encourage alternative lifestyles.
8. Real Issues
Moving through the outdoors we confront real issues, for example there may
be land use conflicts such as the need to protect an ancient woodland threatened
by a new road or the impact of a wind farm on a small rural community weighed
against the benefits of renewable energy. Through fieldwork and drama we
can begin to explore the complexities of such issues, appreciate the underlying
economic and political pressures and make our own judgements. Enquiry and
critical thinking skills are invaluable in educating for a changing society.
9. Plan, Do, Review
For many years there has been an interest in using the outdoors for personal
development and team building. Problem solving activities are used as part
of a development training process, which can be expressed in simple terms
as planning, doing and reviewing. This process is relevant to all aspects
of our lives and constant evaluation and planning helps us to cope with change.
It would be misleading to think that outdoor education is a wonderful panacea which achieves all these benefits all of the time. This simply is not true. There are examples when use of the outdoors with young people has led to self-centred, aggressive behaviour, disturbance to communities, overuse of sensitive sites and environmental damage. The list of benefits shows outdoor leaders the potential they have for encouraging changes in attitudes, skills and behaviour. Their success will depend on many factors, for example, the design of the programme and choice of activities to achieve chosen outcomes, their leadership, the teaching and learning styles and their own personal commitment and actions.
One starting point for the leader is to consider the checklist of ten essential competences for sustainability and to select outdoor experiences that will achieve these outcomes.
Clearly some activities have a greater potential to meet the required competences
and, for example, it may call into question the validity of activities such
as abseiling and windsurfing for this sort of educational programme. Some
experiences, such as mountain walks, camps and solos can encourage a range
of competences. But care should be taken in such interpretation as the educational
potential lies not in the activity per se but in the way it is introduced
and facilitated. It is possible, for example, to organise a kayaking session
to encourage personal skills and self-reliance or a very different session
which emphasises trust and group co-operation. The importance of the grid
is that it demonstrates a planning process that can be used to encourage
competences for sustainability.
I hope this paper is a useful contribution in supporting the idea that outdoor
leaders can play a significant role in educating for a more sustainable future.
Earlier articles in this journal (for example Cooper 1994 and Higgins 1996,1997)
have begun to explore the links between sustainability and outdoor education
and there appears to be a challenge here for future research and debate and
an urgency to develop good practice.
References
COOPER G. (1994). The Role of Outdoor Education in Education for the 21st
Century. JAEOL, Vol. 11, No. 2.
HIGGINS P. (1996). Connection and Consequence in Outdoor Education. JAEOL,
Vol. 13, No. 2.
HIGGINS P. (1997). Outdoor Education for Sustainability: Making Connections.
Far Out, Vol. 1, No. 4.
LOYNES C. (1996). Adventure in a Bun. JAEOL, Vol. 13, No. 2.
ORR, D. (1994). Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment and the Human Prospect.
Island Press, Washington DC.
Author's Notes
Geoff Cooper is head of Metropolitan Wigan's two outdoor education centres in the Lake District. He has written a guidebook for outdoor leaders on environmental education through the outdoors called Outdoors with Young People. It is available from us at £14.95 plus postage.