Planning education to care for the earth - IUCN Knowledge Network

Pllanning education to care for the earthCanada: National Environmental CitizenshipInitiativeT. Christine HoganAbstractCanada aims to create a culture of environmental citizenship, inwhich informed and educated citizens take voluntary action onenvironmental issues. The educational and community outreachactivities of Environment Canada have been organized around thistheme. The five mutually-supporting objectives of environmentaleducation are the establishment of an agenda; the development ofeducational products; partnerships for environmental literacy;specialist training; and intergovernmental cooperation.IntroductionCanada’s Green Plan aims to secure for the present and future generations asafe and healthy environment and a sound and prosperous economy. Onespecific goal stands out as the key to long-term change: environmentallyresponsible decision-making at all levels of society.The underlying reality is that setting right environmental ills in the longterm requires cooperation by all sectors. The traditional reliance onregulatory and economic instruments to achieve policy is no longersufficient. Problems will not be solved by government action alone.Responsible voluntary action by all Canadians - stimulated by informationand education - is essential.The Canadian Government has been encouraging voluntary action fordecades, but there has never been such a concerted effort to engage othersectors as now. The time is right. In 1992, 84 percent of Canadians saidthey believed the environment can only be protected if individuals are readyto make changes in their lifestyles - up from 73 percent six years earlier.Environment Canada staff across the country are helping Canadians to makenecessary lifestyle changes; to understand and address environmentalconcerns themselves.One aim of Canada’s Green Plan is to create a culture of environmentalcitizenship which demands voluntary action on environmental issues by aninformed and educated citizenry. The more Canadians engage inenvironmental citizenship, the less need there will be for complicatedregulatory and economic regimes and the more ownership individuals willhave in the decision-making process that affects their daily lives (fig 1).In a national survey conducted for Environment Canada in 1991, Canadians95