Poll: environmental education a favourite

The majority of NZers support environmental education in schools, a new Colmar Brunton poll shows.
More than nine out of 10 Kiwis agreed all schools, from early childhood to tertiary level, should include teachings about the natural environment and living in a way that preserves it for the future.
WWF-NZ commissioned the poll to promote the importance of environmental education.
Its education programme manager Wendy Barry says, “NZers care about protecting our natural heritage and feel very strongly that these values are passed on to the next generation.”
WWF, Enviroschools and the New Zealand Association for Environmental Education (NZAEE) now produced a manifesto on ‘Education for Sustainability’ for all political parties to encourage policies that recognise the importance of inspiring young NZers to live in harmony with nature.
“The huge support for engaging our young people in environmental issues sends a clear message to our Government,” Barry says.
“Education for Sustainability is a great model for excellence in delivering the whole curriculum because it is based on the values of quality teaching and learning.”
Each year, WWF provides funding to school projects helping students take part in activities to protect their local environment. These range from gardening projects and water quality monitoring, to exploring alternative forms of energy to power their classrooms.