Just as cooking is best learned in the kitchen, sustainability is best learned in the real world. Whether restoring a habitat, tending a school garden, or designing a recycling program, students learn when they are actively engaged in activities that have personal meaning and are important to people in their communities.
In schooling for sustainability, students connect with the natural world and human communities. They observe firsthand the processes by which nature sustains life. They learn how communities work and observe in practice the skills required of effective change agents. They also learn that their actions can make a difference, which lays a foundation for responsible, active citizenship.
The design, building, and operation of schools' buildings provide opportunities to experiment, practice, and demonstrate sustainable action. So do the creation of campus features such as gardens and habitats and everyday practices including recycling and waste management and environmentally preferable purchasing.
Teaching strategies that promote learning in the real world include place-based learning and environmental project-based learning.
