Monday, August 07, 2006

EnviorBlog

Just been thinking about the state of environmental literacy in the U.S these days. According to the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation (NEETF), about 7% or so of Americans are literate - able to pass a test on environmental issues. However, about 95% of the U.S. public say the support environmentalists at least that's what a recently released report says: http://virtual.yosemite.cc.ca.us/jtolhurst/ESGIS/Baker_Station/Miscellaneous/Environmental_Literacy_Report_2005.pdf. In 1944, noted conservationist Aldo Leopold wrote: “Acts of conservation without the
requisite desires and skill are futile. To create these desires and skills, and the community
motive, is the task of education.” So that's part of my job. I think that's why I'm so interested in running Baker Station, the field station up near Sonora Pass I'm involved with. It also couples up nicely with combating the notion of "nature deficit disorder" - the fact that so many kids these days are left inside, disconnected from nature. More on this later, time to get my girls and myself outside!