The label ‘environmental education’ itself repels some communities where neutral terms succeed.

Evidence

A group of educators in Montana had a similar experience a few years ago. When they tried to implement a statewide environmental education program, they found that “environmental education” was a lead balloon. But when they talked about a Montana Cultural Heritage program, there was support across the board. The program explores the history of people’s relationship with the land just the way an environmental education program would, but “cultural heritage”’ has less baggage than “environmental education,” and places environmental issues within a broader context. Similarly, we have found it more effective to talk about “place-based education” rather than “ecological literacy.’ Sometimes, we elaborate and refer to “community~ and place-based education,” to give equal emphasis to cultural and natural contexts for learning. — David Sobel, Place-Based Education, 72

Categorization

• SEED: The ‘environmental education is a lead balloon’ naming lesson could drive an essay on strategic vocabulary choice when introducing contested environmental content.
• QUESTION: Worth checking whether this naming insight generalizes or is specific to resource-extraction regions.
• XREF: connects to: Environmental education can alienate resource-dependent rural communities when it condemns local livelihoods. — David Sobel, Place-Based Education: Connecting…, 68; A well-organized critique accuses environmental educators of fear-mongering over facts — David Sobel, Place-Based Education: Connecting…, 63; The label attached to environmental education determines whether communities accept it. (+3 more)

Related

• The label attached to environmental education determines whether communities accept it. (similarity 0.90)
• Environmental content must be balanced with other subjects to be palatable in place-based education. (similarity 0.81)
• Environmental education can alienate resource-dependent rural communities when it condemns local livelihoods. (similarity 0.81)
• A well-organized critique accuses environmental educators of fear-mongering over facts (similarity 0.79)
• Environmental education works only as a balanced ingredient, not the whole dish. (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Environmental content must be balanced with other subjects to be palatable in place-based education. #expands (0.75)
• Environmental education works only as a balanced ingredient, not the whole dish. #expands (0.75) — David Sobel, Place-Based Education, 73
• Environmental education should transmit an ethic by showing possibilities, not by preaching obligations #expands (0.72) — Freeman Tilden, Interpreting Our Heritage, 60