Youth Environmental Education in action

"Some of our students explore the relationship between the moon and the weather, some think about the global impact of carbon emissions, and others work together to write a PM2.5 haze prevention manual." Tan Xiaoqing, vice principal of Beijing No. 4 Middle School, presented a long series of reports on encouraging students to carry out research on environmental protection in school. "At first glance, these topics are fresh and rare, but they fully reflect the concern of teenagers on environmental issues." A few days ago, the first International Forum of Principals of Environmental Education opened in Beijing No. 4 Middle School. Environmental activists from all walks of life and experts together, conducted a thematic discussion on environmental basic education for young people. As the main force of future economic development, as well as the holders and users of the future environment, the cultivation of young people's environmental awareness will be the top priority of environmental protection work.

In the face of environmental problems, teenagers are not bystanders. However, the basic environmental education for young people in China is still very weak. "Due to the inadequacy of systematic environmental protection education courses, when students face the environmental problems around them, the lack of professional accumulation of environmental protection information resources, which will directly affect students'learning and health." UNEP Project Officer Jiang Nanqing said.

Jiang Nanqing believes that in recent years, the ecological environment is becoming more and more serious, environmental protection is no longer a topic far away from the school, but it obviously goes beyond the content of the school natural classroom, environmental education should become an important part of the cultivation of young people's core quality, to make it more suitable for the characteristics of young people to promote the way.

Twenty percent of China's population is young, and young people are important participants in the process from absorbing environmental knowledge to practicing green development.

"At present, UNEP has led the organization of the"Environmental Classroom on Campus"campaign, aiming to provide students with a complete opportunity to participate in environmental education, encourage students to love nature from an early age, gradually establish a global environmental perspective and concern for the future development of mankind. Jiang Nanqing said.

Wang Jun, Director of Sports Health and Art Education Department of Beijing Education Commission, said that Beijing Education Commission had adopted multi-disciplinary infiltration of environmental education and carried out comprehensive practical activities. Schools could also offer special courses on environmental education separately so as to integrate daily life and behavior of schools into various forms of environmental education. Foster students' awareness of environmental protection, resource saving awareness and social responsibility.

Schools are the main channel to teach environmental protection knowledge. Efficient classroom should emphasize the guidance of students'values, be close to people's living environment inside and outside the classroom, and constantly infiltrate scientific environmental protection education.

"Beijing 101 Middle School regularly organizes students to visit the Yuanmingyuan Garden, and students begin to study the impact of impervious membrane on water ecology from what they see and hear." Wang Tao, Deputy principal of Beijing 101 Middle School, pointed out that the school should actively provide a platform for environmental protection practice, give play to the principal role of students, lead, plan, organize and implement environmental protection activities by students, and promote the participation of the whole school through the formation of environmental protection associations.

How to make the meaningful thing of environmental protection interesting? The children of Beijing No. 2 Experimental Primary School have been the "little guardians of environmental protection" since childhood. "From the practice of daily garbage sorting and recycling to the organization of extra-curricular environmental activities, environmental education for primary school students should cultivate them to observe the small things around them. For example, our school has persisted in the"little question mark"activities for more than 10 years, the purpose is to let children pay attention to the surrounding environment, find problems, make suggestions." The head of the school said.

"In the future, the school will continue to explore the development strategy of environmental protection textbook curriculum construction, further standardize and optimize the curriculum, at the same time, actively carry out research-based learning, and guide students to benefit from environmental protection research topics." Tan Xiaoqing suggested.

Zhang Yonghong, secretary-general of the China Environmental Protection Federation, said environmental education needs all parties to work together to carry out environmental education activities for young people, so that the content of environmental education pays more attention to ecological civilization and sustainable consumption concept, and further into the campus curriculum.