EDUCATION
Environmental education and information are important
supporting measures in any environmental program. Their major
objectives are to increase the environmental awareness of both the
general public and decision makers, to educate them toward
responsibility and concern for the environment, and to arouse their
willingness and ability to contribute to environmental improvement.
All too frequently, the public does not understand environmental
problems. Global issues, such as ozone depletion and climate
change, are even more difficult to comprehend. To ensure the
protection of the environment, these attitudes must be changed.
Changes in attitudes and behavior can take place. The
foremost example in Israel of a successful environmental re-
education effort is the protection of wildflowers campaign launched
in the mid-1960s, soon after enactment of the National Parks and
Nature Reserves Law in 1963. The campaign was so successful that
the law has rarely been evoked. In recent years, heightened
concern about environmental issues has resulted in increased
activism among the populace. New non-governmental environmental
organizations are being created on the national level, while grass-
roots groups are organizing in many areas to pressure authorities
to seek solutions to environmental problems at the municipal level.
The Role of the Environmental Administration
Since its inception in the early 1970s, the environmental
administration has been involved in educational activities. One of
the administration's major aims is to educate a new generation of
environmental decision makers to be knowledgable about
environmental issues. To implement this policy, the Education and
Information Division of the Ministry of the Environment has created
environmental curricula, information booklets, films and slides,
and has organized environmental projects, cleanup campaigns and
environmental events in conjunction with other organizations.
Environmental Education Centers
In 1982, in line with the Ministry of the Environment's policy
of broad dissemination of environmental information, Environmental
Education Centers were first established throughout Israel, within
the framework of the environmental units in local municipalities.
The major impetus for this move was the difficulty in introducing
environmental education as a multi-disciplinary subject into the
traditional formal education system. Today, eighteen local
environmental education and information centers operate throughout
the country, serving as focal points for community environmental
activities. They assist the formal education system in the planning
and preparation of environmental curricula (in conjunction with
local teachers), conduct in-service teacher training programs, and
support the introduction of innovative educational approaches.
The centers provide educational material for both teachers and
interested citizens, including audio-visual resources, simulation
games (a number of which have been specifically designed for
conditions in Israel), literature, slides, films, cassettes,
posters, demonstration models and exhibits for study by students at
all levels. They also promote informal environmental education by
stimulating public involvement. They initiate and co-ordinate
lectures, seminars, environmental tours and training courses, and
promote events such as Israel Environment Week, Nature Protection
Week, and recycling and cleanup campaigns. In addition,
environmental education centers publish information notices on
environmental matters in local newspapers, serve as centers for
public complaints on environmental problems, and in general, guide
and support local environmental efforts.
General Principles of Environmental Education
Formal environmental education is the responsibility of
several divisions within the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Over the years, the Education and Information Division of the
Ministry of the Environment, the staff of the Environmental
Education Centers, and teachers throughout Israel have worked with
these divisions to develop formal environmental education curricula
which encompass the following general principles:
* The environment must be perceived in a holistic and integrated
manner, in which humans are seen as a part of, not apart, from the
biosphere;
* For students to understand and solve complex environmental
problems, the teaching of environmental topics must be inter- and
multi-disciplinary, based on ecological, political, economic,
social, historical, cultural and other dimensions;
* In order to develop informed environmental decision-making skills
in the student, problem-solving teaching techniques are used, in
which the student develops skills in observation, identification,
evaluation and research;
* Community involvement and public participation are important means
for developing the student's sense of responsibility and affinity
towards the environment;
* The overall goal of environmental education is to change the
student's behavior patterns and attitudes towards the environment.
Over the years, environmental topics have been integrated into
both primary, secondary, and higher education programs. Israel's
dynamic models of environmental curricula offer background material
and activities on a modular basis, allowing for flexibility by the
individual teacher in incorporating the material in the school
program. The modules offer a variety of environmental topics and
are accompanied by suggestions for various teaching aids.
Individual schools can add their own materials to the modules, or
can adapt the material to the community's environmental needs.
In addition to the integration of environmental education into
the traditional school curricula, unique schools specializing in
environmental studies have emerged in recent years. The first,
established in 1976 in Sde Boker, uses the desert environment as a
model for natural and human ecological systems.
Other informal education programs also play a crucial role in
fostering environmental awareness among the general public.
Special events, lectures, field trips, seminars, periodicals,
posters and films have served the purposes of both governmental and
non-governmental organizations in alerting the public to the need
for environmental action. The Society for the Protection of Nature
in particular, with its extensive network of field study centers
and guided outings, has achieved success in instilling a
conservation ethic in the population.
Special Events to Promote Environmental Education
Special events are an important part of any publicity effort
directed at the general public. Environmental events serve to
acquaint the public with environmental issues and provide
information. Thus, Israel Environment Week is celebrated every
June in conjunction with World Environment Day. Government
officials, heads of local authorities, and representatives of
environmental organizations participate in a special ceremony to
mark the occasion. The presentation of environmental awards to
individuals and local authorities excelling in environmental
protection forms the high point of the annual celebration. In
addition, a wide range of events, including school competitions,
youth marches, photography and art contests, cleanup campaigns,
workshops and environmental exhibitions are organized to acquaint
Israelis from all walks of life with environmental issues.
Every Spring, Nature Protection Week is held in order to
encourage Israelis to become familiar with the natural environment.
Each year a different ecological issue is
selected as the central theme: the rehabilitation of fire-damaged
forests, coastal protection, desert nature reserves, rehabilitation
of streams and rivers, wildflower protection, etc. The Nature
Reserves Authority, Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel,
National Parks Authority, Jewish National Fund, Education Ministry
and the Ministry of the Environment all take part in the events,
which include workshops and seminars. The theme is promoted
through a special publicity poster or publication.
Although these events, the formal and informal educational
programs and other efforts have led to greater environmental
awareness, much work remains to be done. Israelis are well on
their way toward becoming knowledgable about their environment, and
committed to its preservation.