Educational Environment

ENVIRONMENT

Does it really matter when the two words “environment” and “education” were first used in conjunction with each other? Indeed, does it matter at all whether the term environmental education has been in common or casual use in educational circles for one, two, tree or several more decades? Surely the critical matter that should concern us as a new century unfolds in what is going on now to educate the worlds citizens about our relationship with planet earth.

Definition of Environment

‘Environment’, this word has a great importance in our life. The simple definition of environment is the ‘surrounding'. It is what surrounds a thing. We can also define it as "environment is the combination of all of physical and organic factors that act on a living being, residents, or ecological society and power its endurance and growth".
OR
An environment is what surrounds a thing or an item. The environment is the surrounding. It could be a physical element - physical environment, that includes the built environment, naturual environment - air conditions, water, land, atmosphere etc or it could be human environment - people surrounding the item or thing

DESCRIPTION

It could be a physical component, which is known as physical environment or a-biotic environment that includes the built environment. The natural surroundings like air conditions, water, land, atmosphere etc are also the part of physical environment but they are commonly known as natural environment. People surrounding the item or thing, this type of environment is known as human environment. This is also known as the social environment and includes elements like the religious environment, emotional environment, residence, relations etc.

Types of Environment

There are mainly three types of environment-

1. The Physical environment

It is also known as a-biotic environment and natural environment.
The meaning of ‘a-biotic’ or ‘physical’ is non living like land water air conditions atmosphere which constitutes of soil. So we can say that physical or a-biotic environment is the environment which includes non living or physical things which are constitutes of soil and affect the living things.
The physical or a-biotic environment also includes the climatic factors such as sunbeams, rainwater, precipitation, moisture, pressure and wind speed.

The Importance of Physical Environment

Just think, the most important thing to make house is residential space, and for residential space, we need land area. The land area is included in physical environment. So it is responsible for the residential for living beings.
The a-biotic environment like soil, water and air are the necessary nutrients element provider for the living beings.
All of living beings are surrounded by atmosphere; it is the combination of different types of gases. The living beings take oxygen and other gases from the atmosphere.
The a-biotic environment also controls the climatic factors like weather.
The physical environment also includes the soil which is responsible for the works and food crops for the living beings. It also provides different types of minerals which are very necessary for growth of life
Water is one of the most necessary things for living beings. Physical environment also deals with the water factor of the earth.

2. Biotic environment

It is also known as biological environment and organic environment.
In the opposite side of the physical environment, the biotic or biological environment is responsible for the living beings.
You have already understood that the meaning of ‘biological’ is living things. So, the biological environment is the environment which involves the living part of the earth.

The importance of biotic environment

In this type of environment includes the plants, trees, animals, mammals, underwater living beings including human beings and microorganisms like bacteria and fungi.
There is a concept which is necessary to understand. The living beings are highly dependent to each other. For example humans are highly depend upon plants and trees for food and oxygen, and plants and trees are also depend upon humans and animals because of co2.

3. Social or cultural environment

This type of environment involves the culture and life style of the human beings.
The social or cultural environment means the environment which is created by the man through his different social and cultural activities and thinking.
The historical, cultural, political, moral, economic aspects of human life constitute to the social or cultural environment.

The Importance of Social or Cultural Environment

Culture involves the religion of the human, relations with each other etc. In a society there involve different types of people, they have different religion, different thinking, which has culture of its own and posses people having their own life style.
The social or culture environment affects the social culture of human beings and hence it has the great importance.
The development of a child is highly depends upon culture and society.

Environmental
Elements

The following is a comprehensive list of elements of the environment.

Earth

„ Geology
„ Soils
„ Topography
„ Unique physical features
„ Erosion/enlargement of land area (accretion)

Air

„ Air quality
„ Odor
„ Climate

Water

„ Surface water movement/quantity/quality
„ Runoff/absorption
„ Floods
„ Groundwater movement—quantity/quality
„ Public water supplies

Plants and Animals

„ Habitat for/numbers of/diversity of species (i.e., plants, fish, other wildlife) „ Unique species
„ Fish or wildlife migration routes

Energy and Natural
Resources

„ Amount required/rate of use/efficiency [Greenhouse Gas Emissions]
„ Source/availability
„ Non-renewable resources
„ Conservation and renewable resources

Environmental Issues in Developing Countries

In developing countries seeking to expand their economic activities, consideration for environmental conservation often receives a low priority. In addition, approaches used in industrialized countries often cannot be applied directly in developing countries. In this context, NIES is conducting research on ways to conserve the environment that are appropriate for developing country conditions.

Water quality and air pollution are serious problems in developing countries in the Asian region. Air pollution in major cities marked by many factories and heavy vehicle traffic also have high concentrations of sulfur dioxide and suspended particulate matter (SPM), at levels Japan experienced in the past. In addition, problems such as damage from acid rain and transboundary pollution are growing more serious. Pollution of rivers and lakes from chemical substances (including agricultural chemicals) and eutrophication (including abnormal growth of toxic algae) are also occurring more frequently, while water shortages and tropical forest destruction are worsening.

Rapid growth population is usually accomplished by serious environmental degradation, including soil erosion, desertification and deforestation.
Deforestation cause soil erosion, increase flooding, drought and the displacement of whole society and cultures.
The main cause of current and projected lack of availability of adequate among of fresh water include poor management linked to lack of adequate conservation, in adequately treated sewage and industrial waste, loss of natural water catchment areas etc and pollute linked to poor agricultural practices which release pesticides and other harmful chemicals into ground water.
Air pollution from the increased use of fossil fuels is harming human health, causing acid rain, which is turn damages whole ecosystem and increase the build-up of atmospheric co2 and the likelihood of global warming and climate instability.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Environmental education is a learning process that increases people's knowledge and awareness about the environment and associated challenges, develops the necessary skills and expertise to address the challenges.

IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Our planet is now at a crossroads. So environmental education is very necessary to give awareness and control the different environmental issues.

Environmental education uses environmental issues and topics as a theme to weave into all subjects and grades. This ensures all students will have many opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, perspectives and practices they need to become environmentally literate citizens. There will also be opportunities for students to address environmental issues in their homes, in their local communities, or at the global level.

Environmental education emphasizes cooperative learning (i.e., working in teams or with partners), critical thinking and discussion, hands-on activities, and a focus on action strategies with real-world applications. As a result, students who study EE develop and practice the following leadership skills:

• Working in teams
• Listening to and accepting diverse opinions
• Solving real-world problems
• Taking the long-term view
• Promoting actions that serve the larger good
• Connecting with the community
• Making a difference in the world

Environmental education aims at-

Creating a general awareness among people as far as the environmental problems are concerned.
Motivating people towards conservation of resources, protection of environment and advance of extravagance and wastage.
Promoting understanding and cooperation among public to help in facing varied ecological issues.
Conserving indigenous knowledge, traditions and culture that favor environment protection.

As humans are living in environment ,

The Ecosystem have influence on human lives. the objective of environmental studies is to create awareness acquire knowledge so that we manage our home properly inculcate skills for identifying problems associated with environment and develop ability to evaluate participate in environmental protection activities that is helpful to all living things

Environmental science is important for every one to play his role to protect wild life, educating and helping others for avoiding pollution of oceans and rivers, protection of natural growth of trees and protection of wild life.

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), environmental education (EE) is:

"... the process of recognizing values and clarifying concepts in order to develop skills and attitudes necessary to understand and appreciate the interrelatedness among men, his culture and his biophysical surroundings. EE also entails practice in decision-making and self-formulation of a code of behaviour about issues concerning environmental quality. International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN; 1971)

EE is a lifelong educational process that occurs at all levels of education.

EE is about the interactions which occur in the natural, the built and social environment. It should lead to the understanding of how human interactions and political processes, together with the nature of socio-economic issues and the effect of these on environmental degradation or enhancement.
EE is for developing attitudes and value systems which lead to socio-economic improvement through positive social interactions and the maintenance and improvement of the natural and built environment.

EE aims to develop an individual's understanding, skills and the feelings of empowerment that are necessary for both positive behaviour towards the biophysical and social environment in everyday living, and for active participation in group efforts to find the optimal solutions for environmental problems.

EE requires a holistic and preferably interdisciplinary approach to teaching with opportunities for diverse learning experiences, but with particular emphasis on direct experiential learning in natural, built and social environments.

Environmental education is therefore not only the concern of natural scientists, but draws from the tools and resources of a wide range of disciplines in order to demonstrate the root of current problems and suggest ways in which learners could either prevent or remedy these.

POLLUTION

DEFINITION

The term pollution refers to the act of contaminating ones environment by introducing certain hazardous contaminants that disturb the ecosystem and directly or indirectly affect the living organisms of that ecosystem. Pollution in general is the activity of disturbing the natural system and balance of an environment.

The increase in the pollution over the years by man has caused severe damage to the earth’s ecosystem. It is responsible for global warming which is leading to the end if all the lives on earth. Over the years there is an extreme increase in the rate of human diseases, and death rate of various animals and plants on earth, and that is all because of the pollution caused by man himself.

TYPES OF POLLUTION

There are many types of pollution, but four of them have the most perilous affect on our lives. Following are the four most dangerous types of pollutions and their causes:

Air Pollution

Air pollution is perhaps the most common and the most dangerous type of pollution. It involves the direct release of chemicals into the environment. The chemicals then become the part of the air around us that all the living things take in.

The increase in the rate of diseases such as asthma and lung cancer today is due to the increase in the air pollution around us. Air pollution is also a cause of global warming and acid rain.

Causes Of Air Pollution

Basically the air pollution is caused by the burning of fuel that directly releases hazardous chemicals into the air.

For example the burning of coal releases sulphur dioxide, a poisonous gas which is responsible for acid rain.

The sources of such chemicals are the large factories, smoke from the vehicles, chimneys and burning of wood.

Threat To Polar Animals Due To Global Warming

The effects of global warming are playing havoc everywhere - higher temperatures, hurricanes, heavy rains, flooding and droughts have now become more frequent and severe in intensity.

Soil Pollution

Soil pollution involves the contamination of soil by the release of harmful substances into the soil. Unlike air pollution, which has a direct affect on human lives, soil pollution causes an indirect damage to humans and other animals.

The lives of all the living things depend on three sources: water, light and soil. The plants which are the producers of the food chain take up their nutrients, which are essential for their living, from the soil.
Drying Lakes Due To Global Warming
Lakes Dried Or Drying Up
Lakes are fresh water bodies that are enclosed by land from all sides. They are considered to be a short-term water body, and may dry up with changing environmental conditions.
The nutrients taken by the plants are then transferred to the consumers that depend on these plants. Hence a soil consisting of contaminants will not only affect the plants growing on the soil but it will also indirectly harm the entire food chain.

Causes Of Soil Pollution

Soil pollution is mainly caused by the release of industrial waste. This waste is directly incorporated into the soil by large industries and factories. Soil pollution is also caused by human acts as mining and deforestation etc.

Water Pollution

The 75% of the earth’s surface is covered with water and more that half of the total population of earth’s species resides in water.

Moreover, our life greatly depends on water and life without water is impossible. Water pollution not only affects the fish and animals living in the water but also affects the whole food chain by also transferring the contaminants to the consumers depending on these animals.

Water used from a polluted lake directly contaminates its user. Many of the water creatures are on the verge of extinction due to the dramatic increase in the water pollution.

Cause Of Water Pollution

Just like air and soil pollution, water pollution is caused by the direct incorporation of hazardous pollutants.

The sources of these pollutants are yet again the large industries and factories that dispose off their waste in lakes and ponds.

Noise Pollution

Unlike other the above mentioned types of pollutions does not involve hazardous chemicals or their incorporation into the environment, rather noise pollution is the increase in the rate of noise in the environment.

Noise is defined as an unpleasant sound that has an adverse affect on the human ear.

Noise can be extremely dangerous. And it is all around us. It penetrates into human mind and controls it.

Too much noise leads to severe psychological illness and badly affects the behavior.

It leads to hypertension, stress, aggression and annoyance. Moreover, it causes depression and forgetfulness.

Cause Of Noise Pollution

Noise pollution is caused by the moving vehicles, man made machines and loud music. Other than that noise can be caused by anything, but these three sources are the main reasons for the noise pollution around us.

HOW CAN WE PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT

Although the term “Environment” is vast and varied, the basic modeling is combined by the physical environment and the biological life forms. Thanks to us humans and our never ending demands, the environment is now facing a number of problems that include Global warming, Ozone Depletion, Pollution in every form possible and population. The Earth’s biosphere can’t take no more and it’s high time we did our bit to save the environment.

Our planet is changing. We need to help it change for the better and we're asking for your help to do that! There are a lot of things that affect our planet in a bad way but the good news is that everyone can help to reduce them and do their bit for the environment.

Here’s a list of important topics and with them a list of big ways that you can help. So read on and start protecting the environment today.

A few ways you could contribute to save Environment

Quit smoking:

Smoking is one of the major indoor air pollutant and many people still have this life threatening habit. Although you want to continue with this habit and harm your health, it is definitely unfair to put the health of people around at stake. Prevent passive smoking by not smoking in indoors and while travelling in public transports etc.

Say no-no to plastic:

Despite of every one quite aware about Plastic bags being one of the biggest contributors to global warming, we still use them quiet carelessly and throw them away with organic waste or dump them in the land fill sites. It takes almost 500 years for a plastic bag to decompose and in the process it creates many harmful gasses; so reducing the use, recycling and reusing the plastic is very important to combat global warming.

Add house plants to your home:

A House plant not only adds to the esthetics of a room but also helps in maintaining temperature by adding moisture to the air and reduces airborne bacteria, fungi and other unhealthy pollutants. Plants renew the stale indoor air by replacing carbon dioxide we exhale with life sustaining oxygen. Two house plants per 100 sq feet will detoxify the air better than any disinfectant spray or air freshener. The pollutants are absorbed through the leaves of the plants, so it is advised to keep the leaves clean and have good air circulation around them. Since the filtration of the air is done by leaves, the fast growing plants are seen to give better results.

Bugs’ coming to the plants is a real time problem and can be solved very effectively by using a green spray which is prepared by soaking citrus rind (lemon, orange) in water for 3-4days. Remove citrus rind and pore the water into a spray pump to spray on plants. Rose leaves can also be added to the solution to add fragrance.

Start your day early:

In ester times people used to wake up early so that they can finish all the work to be done before sunset. But now with the presence of electricity and artificial lighting one does not see any need in waking up early. From the reports 35% of the energy consumed in a house in India is consumed in lighting a house after sun set. So, waking up early is not only going to keep you healthy but also will make you save energy and cut down your electricity bills.

Conserve water:

Water is one basic need to live life and it is becoming an ever scarcer resource. One should opt for an apartment which has water harvesting or if you have your own personal house then, get the water harvesting system installed. Switch to the latest low flush toilets, use shower wisely and run your washing machine and dish washer to the full load only, to decrease wastage of water.

Conserve electricity:

It is better to switch to Fluorescent light bulbs as they consumes 75% less energy and have more life time in comparison to incandescent light bulbs. Make it a point to defrost your food before you microwave it and let the food cool down to room temperature before putting it into the refrigerator. Be sure to unplug your machines like TV , computer etc before leaving for a trip because stand-by functions in them consumes electricity even if they are turned off. Switch your garden light to solar lights when possible for you. If you are buying a new refrigerator, air –conditioner or any other electrical appliances you should check the star rating as energy efficient systems with higher star rating consume 10-50% less water and electricity.

Kitchen waste management:

It seems little disgusting to do the kitchen waste management but the advanced products in the market have made it quite easy. A stainless steel kitchen composter with carbon filters is readily available in the market which makes the whole process odor less. The compost generated acts as fertilizer so can be used in house plants.

Use Public transportation:

According to studies 30% of carbon-dioxide is added to the environment by private transportation. We understand that using public transportation is not convenient all times but, one can always car pool. Try the option of taking a walk if you have to pick bread from the grocery store or travel a small distance. Your little effort will help in reducing the demand of petrol and traffic on roads and will also better your physical health.

Save trees by reducing the use of paper:

If you are still used to buying the old fashioned newspaper, it’s high time you switch to the internet for news. Try to reuse one side printed paper by cutting into two halves, to use them for writing your grocery list or making other notes. Replace the use of paper tissues by using hand towels.