Press release 2/2012
Environmental Education in Cities and Rural Areas: Seeking Greater Harmony
The scale and pace of migration is rising at an unprecedented rate. Most migrants move from rural areas to urban centres and with this in-migration cities grow.
Like an organism, cities exchange material, energy, and information, within themselves and with rural areas. Both cities and rural areas suffer from abandonment, changing social relationships, and growing discrepancies in lifestyles and opportunities. But rural-urban migrations can bring benefits, freeing rural lands from congestion and fragmentation.
This theme puts critical socio-ecological issues before an audience of environmental educators: What is education to do? What is an appropriate educational response to these problems?
In thinking about urban, rural, and hybrid realms, the 7weec Congress’ theme opens up educational questions about the value of seeing the world from different vantages.
This theme is also a metaphor for broad educational questions. What vantage points are absent from education where you learn and work? What experiences are missing? What do we need to change in our own educational context to create more complete educational experiences? (read more)