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Inculcation of Environmental Values in School for Sustainable Development

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 Asian Journal
Asian Research Consortium of Research in
Social Sciences
and
Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities
Vol. 4, No. 4, April 2014, pp. 347-357. Humanities
ISSN 2249-7315 www.aijsh.org

Inculcation of Environmental Values in School for

Sustainable Development

Pranab Barman*

*Assistant Professor;
Department of Education,
Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University.

Abstract
Today the concept of Sustainable Development has created a tremendous movement throughout the
world especially in the field of education. Where the role of education in promoting the sustainable
development lies is a vital question to us. How we can enhance the level of sustainable
development – it is very urgent to think to protect the world environment and preserve the
environmental resources for our future generation. The concept of sustainable development is
closely related to environmental awareness. The way of proper utilization and preservation of
environmental resources can lead to enhance sustainable development. In this matter, the
development of environmental values among the school children can play a vital role to protect the
world environment and its resources which ultimately leads to sustainable development. Therefore,
we should inculcate the various kinds of environmental values among our school children for
protecting our beautiful world environment and its valuable resources to enhance the sustainable
development. Hence, the researcher through his present study has tried to find out some important
environmental values which are very necessary to inculcate among our students in the school for
increasing their awareness and carefulness towards their world environment and as well as
sustainable development.

Keywords: Inculcation, Environmental Values, Sustainable Development.

________________________________________________________________________________

Introduction
“There are no other things beyond values and attitudes which protect our world environment and its
natural resources from a dangerous destruction”.

The improvement of sustainability of the world environment and its natural resources is dependent
upon the proper development and inculcation of environmental values. As the development of

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 Barman (2014). Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities,
Vol. 4, No.4, pp. 347-357.

sustainability is largely depend on the environmental awareness, therefore is it is very essential to

inculcate some important environmental values which help to protect the environment among the
school children. In this connection, the words of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan are very relevant to
us that is “Man has learnt to fly like bird, swim like a fish but he has not learnt to live as a human
being”. Today man has achieved tremendously in economic, political, scientific, cultural and
technical field, but has failed to enrich his values. That’s why NCERT has focused on value based
education in the following ways: “Value based education would help the nation fight against all
kinds of fanaticism, ill will, violence, fatalism, dishonesty, avarice, corruption, exploitation and
drug abuse”.

We hear so much of the depletion of natural resources and the threat to our own future; surely,
when we grow in sensitivity and maturity, concern for Mother Earth also assumes importance.
Conserving natural resources like water, electricity, fuel etc. is a means of honouring our fellow
citizens, and at same time keeping the environment clean and beautiful is exercising our
responsibility towards the nation. Hence, if we resolve to leave the toilets clean, in respect for the
next user, put waste in the basket reserved for it, never throw used plastic bags, or paper cups out of
the train or bus window, putting off that extra tubelight or fan, we respect our fellow citizens,
honour our Motherland and preserve her beauty. As we experience inner transformation, we don’t
need to be told these things; they strike us naturally. Therefore, we should change our attitude and
develop such kind of values which will help us to be more conscious about our world environment.
“Values are acquired through examples and not precept”.

Objectives of the Study

The researcher has conducted his present study on the basis of following objectives:

i. To find out the Environmental Values which are very necessary to inculcate among the
school children.

ii. To study the importance of Environmental Values in promoting Sustainable development.

iii. To study the role of school in inculcating environmental values among the school children.

Sustainable Development
The concept of sustainable development emerged as a response to a growing concern about human
society’s impact on the natural environment. The concept of sustainable development was defined
in 1987 by the Brundtland Commission (formally the World Commission on Environment and
Development) as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Brundtland, 1987). This definition
acknowledges that while development may be necessary to meet human needs and improve the
quality of life, it must happen without depleting the capacity of the natural environment to meet
present and future needs. The sustainable development movement has grown and campaigned on
the basis that sustainability protects both the interests of future generations and the earth’s capacity
to regenerate. At first it emphasised the environment in development policies but, since 2002, has

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Vol. 4, No.4, pp. 347-357.

evolved to encompass social justice and the fight against poverty as key principles of sustainable
development.

Sustainable development is one of the central challenges facing the world today. In the
light of persisting global patterns of poverty and inequality, as highlighted by the MDG agenda,
along with emerging issues like the impact of climate change and the current financial and
economic crises, it is no exaggeration to say that, at the start of the 21st century, the world is at a
major turning point. The definition of sustainable development given by the World Commission on
Environment and Development (‘Brundtland Commission’, 1987) remains valid and timely:
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." This implies a balance
between and an integration of the environmental, economic and social aspects of development, with
attention also paid to the cultural dimension. Sustainable development, in fact, has become the
guiding principle for achieving just and equitable development options that benefit all people
everywhere. Sustainable development can thus be understood both in time and space: it takes into
account the needs of future generations, and equally the needs of people today in every part of the
world.

Achieving sustainable development requires a global change of mindset and behaviours.

Indeed, it has long been recognized that education is crucial for achieving sustainable development.
The UN Conference on the Human Environment (‘Stockholm Conference’) in 1972 emphasized
education as a way of addressing human-environment problems. Agenda 21, the document adopted
at the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, ‘Rio Summit’, Rio de
Janeiro, 1992), emphasized the need to promote education, public awareness and training in order
to assist bringing about sustainable development. In particular, Chapter 36 (Promoting education,
public awareness and training) states: "Education is critical for promoting sustainable development
and improving the capacity of the people to address environment and development issues." The
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD, Johannesburg, 2002) reaffirmed this
commitment and recommended to the United Nations General Assembly the establishment of a
United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005-2014), which
clearly recognizes the increased need to integrate sustainable development issues and principles
into education and learning. Thus, while education clearly is not a sufficient condition in itself for
achieving sustainable development, it is certainly a necessary condition.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) seeks to integrate the tenets, values and
practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning. Education for
Sustainable Development allows every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and
values necessary to shape a sustainable future. Education for Sustainable Development means
including key sustainable development issues into teaching and learning; for example, climate
change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction, and sustainable consumption. It
also requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to
change their behaviour and take action for sustainable development. Education for Sustainable
Development consequently promotes competencies like critical thinking, imagining future
scenarios and making decisions in a collaborative way. Education for Sustainable Development
requires far-reaching changes in the way education is often practised today.

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The International Implementation Scheme for the DESD (IIS, 2005), states: “The basic
vision of the DESD is a world where everyone has the opportunity to benefit from education and
learn the values, behaviour and lifestyles required for a sustainable future and for positive societal
transformation.”

Environmental Values
The environmental values are those values which help to generate awareness among us towards the
environmental protection and the preservation of environmental resources for our better future
living. The development of environmental values helps us to be careful towards our environment
and helps to learn and realize the importance of environment and its resources in our daily life.
Environmental values are those values for the development of which values we become very
conscious and careful in using the natural and environmental resources in our daily life. If one can
develop the environmental values in his/her life, generally he/she never destroys the environment
and its natural resources in any purpose or benefit. For these environmental values we can develop
love among us towards our beautiful environment and try to save the world environment and its
resources in any cost. We can learn these environmental values in our family, in our society or in
our school. We, specially our innocent kids always try to follow and learn new thing from our
elders. Therefore, we are elders have a crucial responsibily in creating and nurturing the
environmental values among us and our kids. If we want to enhance the sustainability of our world
environment and its resources, we should have to develop the environmental values among the
school children first.

Initiatives taken by Indian Government in Environmental Concerns

In the Indian context, the National Council of Environmental Planning and Coordination set up in
1972 was the focal agency in this regard. Keeping in view, the sustainable principles, the Ministry
of Environment and Forests set up in 1985 formulated guidelines for various developmental
activities. To protect our environment and generate environmental values among us, some
important initiatives have been taken by the Indian Government and enshrined in our Constitution.
As for example:

Article 48A: “The State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and safeguard the
forests and wildlife in the country”.

Article 51 (g): The Constitution expects that each citizen of the country must “protect and improve
the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for all
living creatures”.

Different Aspects of Environmental Values

1. Love for Environment

2. Save the Environment

3. Protect the Environment

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4. Carefully uses of Environmental Resources

5. Don’t wastage the Environmental Resources

6. Avoid the uses of Plastic etc.

7. Plantation of Trees

8. Preserve the Environment and its Resources

9. Least uses of Environmental Resources

10. Don’t destroy Environment and its Resources

Now, discuss the above mentioned environmental values in detail below:

1. Love for Environment

This is one kind of environmental values which helps to develop love and affection among
us towards our world environment and making us to be more suitable to our daily fife.
This environmental value teaches us how to love the environment and its resources.

2. Save the Environment

If we want to enhance the sustainable development, save the environment and its valuable
resources first with any cost. This environmental value helps to develop this attitude
among us and our school children. This environmental value teaches us about the
importance of the world environment and its natural resources in our daily life and why it
is very necessary to save the environment for our better present and future living.

3. Protect the Environment

Today our environment is affected by various kinds of pollution, like water pollution, air
pollution, sound pollution and soil pollution etc. For this reason, the temperature of the
world environment is gradually increasing day by day. As a result, the balance of the total
earth is being hampered. Therefore, we should have to protect our environment from any
kind of hazards and pollutions. In this case, this environmental value helps to generate
awareness among us and protect the environment.

4. Carefully uses of Environmental Resources

There are two different kinds of natural resources- Exhaustible Resources and
Inexhaustible Resources. Inexhaustible resources are unlimited, such as precipitation and
solar energy. But Exhaustible resources can decrease because of activities of man. A few
examples are coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron, copper, gold, forests, animals, and soil etc.
These Exhaustible resources are very limited in amount. Therefore, it is very necessary to
use these environmental resources carefully so that these resources are not exhausted for

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Vol. 4, No.4, pp. 347-357.

our future generation. In this matter, this kind of environmental values help us by
generating awareness about it.

5. Don’t wastage the Environmental Resources

As the environmental resources are very limited in amount in this world, that’s why we
should have to use these very carefully so that nothing is wastage. We can learn this
attitude and habit by developing this kind of environmental values among us.

6. Avoid the uses of Plastic etc.

In present day situation one of the most important harmful causes of environmental
pollution is the using of Plastic oriented things or bags. In spite of knowing the bad effect
of using the plastic oriented things, we are all using it more or less for our personal benefit
and after using thrown it here and there unconsciously. As a result, our environment will
be more polluted in near future where the existence of our human civilization will fall
under a question. So, we should avoid the uses of plastic oriented things immediately to
save our environment and create a better future for us. This kind of environmental values
help us in this matter.

7. Plantation of Trees

What is the role a tree in maintaining the balance of our environment, this kind of
environmental values help us to realize this actual fact. Trees help to maintain the balance
of the total earth. We can say that in a single word-“One tree one life”. That’s why we
should organise and participate in a tree plantation programme.

8. Preserve the Environment and its Resources

To save the earth and its human civilization from a dangerous destruction, it is very
necessary to preserve the world environment and its natural resources. Therefore, we
should have to develop this kind of environmental values among our school children.

9. Least uses of Environmental Resources

This kind of environmental values teach us how to use the environmental resources in our
daily life. As the amount of environmental resources are very limited in this world, that’s
why we should use them very consciously with a minimum level as need as.

10. Don’t destroy Environment and its Resources

This kind of environmental values teach us about the importance of the environment and
its natural resources upon human life. We have seen and seeing the consequences of the
destruction of the environment again and again. As for example, we can say flood,
drought, global warming etc. But yet we are not alert at all about this matter and still now
we are doing such an activities which destroy our world environment. So that we should

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 Barman (2014). Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities,
Vol. 4, No.4, pp. 347-357.

be aware about our activities and its consequences to save our environment from any kind
of destruction.

Conceptual Framework on Environmental Values and Sustainable

Development
Sustainable Development

Implementation of
Environmental Values
in Practical Life

Development of Different Aspects

of Environmental Values through
proper Education

Plantation of Trees Avoid the uses of Plastic

etc.

Carefully uses of
Environmental Resources Least uses of Environmental
Resources

Don’t destroy Environment Don’t wastage the

and its Resources Environmental Resources

Protect the Environment Preserve the Environment

and its Resources

Love for Environment Save the Environment

Role of Environmental Values in Promoting Sustainable Development

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 Barman (2014). Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities,
Vol. 4, No.4, pp. 347-357.

Sustainable development and environmental values are closely related with each other. Actually,
sustainable development is not possible without environmental awareness. And in this matter, the
environmental values help to generate environmental awareness by developing different kinds of
environment related values among us and our children. As a result, sustainable development will be
achieved by us. However, how the environmental values can help in promoting sustainable
development, discuss below:

I. Generate love towards Environment

It is very necessary to develop love towards environment and its valuable resources in
promoting sustainable development. In this case, the environmental values provide helping
hand by developing love and affection among us towards environment.

II. Helps to Save the Environment and its Resources

In order to sustain our natural resources, it is very essential to save the environment and its
resources by least using of them. Otherwise, our limited natural resources will be
exhausted in near future. For this reason, our future generation may be fall in a dangerous
problem.

III. Helps to understand the Importance of Environment

If we understand the importance of environment and its natural resources in our daily life,
then we are motivated to sustain these for our future life. As a result, sustainable
development will be possible. In this case, the developments of environmental values are
very necessary among us.

IV. Generate Awareness

In order to sustainable development, it is very necessary to generate awareness among us

towards our environment. Sometimes, due to lack of environmental awareness we are
doing such kind of activities which are very harmful for our environment. The
environmental values help in this matter by generating environmental awareness among us
and sustainable development also.

V. Generate Positive attitude towards Environment

In making a positive attitude towards our environment, the environmental values can play
a vital role. Environment helps us by giving so many useful and necessary things, like
oxygen, water, different kinds of natural resources etc. for our better living. Therefore, we
are very thankful to our environment. That’s why we should develop positive attitude, like
save the environment; protect the environment etc. towards our environment. As a result,
we can ensure the sustainable development.

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 Barman (2014). Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities,
Vol. 4, No.4, pp. 347-357.

VI. Make Individual more Responsible

In order to save and to improve the sustainability of the world environment and its natural
resources, we have to be more responsible towards the environment. The environmental
values make every individual more responsible by developing different kinds of
environmntal values among us and our children.

VII. Inspire to do something better for Environment

The environmental values inspire us to do something better for our environment. Through
learning these environmental values, we are motivated to do ecofriendly behaviour with
our environment which is very necessary for sustainable development.

Role of Schools in inculcating the Environmental Values among the School

Children
The following activities and programmes should be organized in the school to inculcate the
environmental values among the children, so that they can apply these values to their real life to
protect and preserve the world environment and its resources and as well as sustainable
development.

i. All the teachers should act as role models to the students in practicing environmental
values.

ii. The awareness programmes should be organized on health and environment and
population education etc.

iii. Desirable learning environment should be provided in the school.

iv. The community and social issues should be brought to the notice of all the students to
develop awareness among them.

v. The physical and health education should be given due importance.

vi. Proper maintenance of the school environment, keeping the campus clean and green,
proper utilization of the resources, enable the students to feel responsible in their school.

vii. Proper socialization activities should be conducted in the educational institutions to

enhance their social responsibility and positive behaviour towards the society and
environment.

viii. Community singing programmes, National Integration Camps, the NSS and NCC, Scouts
and Guides programmes.

ix. Arrange the Programme of Tree Plantation Day by the school.

x. The work experience and SUPW activities develop a positive value towards the work
culture, dignity of labour and the proper utilization of the leisure time.

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 Barman (2014). Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities,
Vol. 4, No.4, pp. 347-357.

xi. Arrange school sanitation Programme or activities.

xii. Arrange different kinds of Co-curricular Activities, like World Environment Day, World
Health Day etc.

Conclusion
Nature and human being are closely interdependent with each other. In one side, as human beings
are dependent on environment, in the same way environment is also dependent upon human
activities on the other side. Today, we are doing consciously or unconsciously such an activities
which ultimately adversely affects our environment and its natural resources. As a consequence,
our environment and its natural resources are destroying day by day and our prime target
sustainable development which is very necessary for our future generation is going too far away
from its destination. Therefore, it is very important to develop awareness and positive attitude
among us about the different kinds of Environmental Values for achieving our world’s urgent need
Sustainable Development. We should organize and create such an environment and activities in our
school premises so that each and every kid has got a chance to develop and inculcate the different
kinds of environmental values among them. If our kids are habituated with these environmental
values in their daily life, the way of achieving our goal sustainable development will be very easy
and smooth for us. But, in this matter, we should always remember one thing that “Values are
caught, not taught’. That’s why we should change our attitude and develop ecofriendly behaviour
with our surrounding environment and its natural resources for world welfare as well human
welfare.

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