The ethical and civic dimensions of environmental education

• Author: Martian Iovan
• Position: Director of the Center for Social Research, Vasile Goldis Western University of Arad, Romania
• Pages: 25-34

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 8 (57) No. 1 - 2015

THE ETHICAL AND CIVIC DIMENSIONS

OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Marţian IOVAN1

Abstract: The author proves that the efficacy of the environmental

education could be much higher if it is included within the broader sphere of

moral and civic education and if it is driven by a more extensive ideal sprung

from the fundamental human right to a clean and well preserved

environment, by the contemporary moral and civil values. Based on

empirical research, the author pleads and motivates for an increased

capitalization of the humanities and social sciences, of art, of environmental

ethics and aesthetics in shaping “the ecological personality” of the tomorrow

people. Seen as a result of the environmental education, the ecological

personality materializes in volunteering in order to find the answers for the

environmental issues in the contemporary societies. When shaping these

personality traits through environmental education activities, one must

emphasize the importance of practice and applied actions aimed to protect

the environment, and in general, the practice of civic-moral education

methods.

Key words: environmental education, eco-ethics, sustainable development,

volunteering, moral values.

1 Director of the Center for Social Research, Vasile Goldiş Western University of Arad, Romania.

1. Introduction

The increasing interest of the educators,

the researchers in Education Sciences, the

decision-makers in the public policies for

the protection of the environment, the

managers concerned with environmental

preservation and protection, is closely

related to human health and welfare, both

locally/ nationally and on a global scale as

well. All over the world, more and more

people do realize the destructive effects of

the ecological crisis that endangers the

health, the quality of the human life, the

biodiversity conservation, the historical

evolution of human civilization and this

awareness has led to strengthening the

beliefs of the educators, the specialists in

environmental issues and the decision-

makers of educational policies regarding

the environment, meaning it is imperative

to focus our attention and efforts on

optimizing the curriculum, from the

national curriculum to any school unit at

all educational levels and forms and

particularly, to increase the formal and

non-formal environmental efficiency/

effectiveness [7], [23-25]. On the other

hand, the increased advertising in the

public sphere of the third generation of

fundamental human rights – i.e. the human

right to a clean and well preserved

environment – enhanced the public claims

for the international, national and local