New book calls for early education about sustainability

The second edition of the book Young Children and the Environment: Early Learning for Sustainability has been released. Designed to promote sustainability education for children up to eight years of age, the updated edition broadens the book’s scope beyond environmental sustainability to also emphasise the social aspects of sustainability.

The book’s editor, Associate Professor Julie Davis from Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) School of Early Childhood, says educating children about sustainability can influence wider societal change. “A core element of this book is the notion of children as active citizens who are capable of creating positive change in their world,” she said.

“Critical and creative thinking are key aspects of education for sustainability - this text is about providing opportunities through early education that empower our youngest citizens to make informed decisions and to find solutions to everyday sustainability topics that impact on their lives.”

Associate Professor Julie Davis, pictured with Orion Haggman and Betsy Robb. Photo credit: Erika Fish.

Professor Davis said the book is a practical resource for primary school teachers and those in childcare, kindergartens and preschools. She said the book looks at why sustainability issues are important for young people and why early childhood educators should become involved.

“We don’t wait until our kids to reach 10 or 12 years before we start talking to them about issues like racism and gender equality, just like we don’t wait until they’re 10 to talk to them about why we shouldn’t litter or waste water,” she said.

“It is vitally important that we help young children to properly understand matters such as these. This textbook is a great resource to help teachers work with young children about better managing our resources and being engaged in making a difference.”

The first edition of the book was published in 2010 and sold out its first print run globally within a year. The new edition includes a larger international component, with chapters by Korean, Japanese, Swedish and UK experts in early childhood education for sustainability.

“In this edition, there is a chapter about a group of young Korean children who saw a scruffy-looking local park and took charge to fix it up,” Professor Davis said. “Not only did they get in and clean it up themselves, but they initiated a community action campaign that convinced the city council to repair broken park fixtures and encouraged the children at the local school to stop leaving their rubbish there.

“It’s amazing what a community of young children can achieve when they realise they can contribute to improving their local environment.”

Professor Davis stressed that the text is not a doom-and-gloom book designed to scare children into action - as “making a child feel depressed or helpless is not good sustainability education” - but is rather about “helping children understand the world in which they live, and support them to make changes that are positive and empowering”.

“They can’t fix climate change, but they can make a difference in their world by planting trees or encouraging their parents to walk them to school if this is feasible, and learning resource conservation habits from an early age, such as turning off light switches and taps,” she said.

“Many of children’s early thoughts and actions around sustainability also have the potential to become social and environmental habits that can be embedded into their lives outside of kindergarten or preschool and that they can take with them into the future as adults.

“Early research is starting to show that children’s learning in this space influences parents, too - children become change agents for the wider community.”

Young Children and the Environment: Early Learning for Sustainability: 2nd edition is published by Cambridge University Press and can be ordered online.