Ecological Literacy: Education and the Transition to a Postmodern World - Paperback

by David W. Orr (Author)

The most important discoveries of the 20th century exist not in the realm of science, medicine, or technology, but rather in the dawning awareness of the earth's limits and how those limits will affect human evolution. Humanity has reached a crossroad where various ecological catastrophes meet what some call sustainable development. While a great deal of attention has been given to what governments, corporations, utilities, international agencies, and private citizens can do to help in the transition to sustainability, little thought has been given to what schools, colleges, and universities can do. Ecological Literacy asks how the discovery of finiteness affects the content and substance of education. Given the limits of the earth, what should people know and how should they learn it?

Back Jacket

The essays in this volume were written between 1984 and 1989 for different audiences and for different purposes. They represent an extended reflection on the crisis of sustainability now looming before the modern world, and what this portends for the theory and practice of education.

Author Biography

David W. Orr is Professor of Environmental Studies at Oberlin College, and co-founder of the Meadowcreek Project, a non-profit environmental education organization. He is co-author of The Global Predicament, and co-editor of the SUNY Press series Environmental Public Policy.