Group 1

LESSON 1: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION
Environmental Education and the Green Philippines Programs have been introduced in the Philippine Educational
System many years ago, but they have never been properly and strongly implemented to ensure functional environmental
application and significance.

THE GOAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

The goal of environmental education is to mold an environmentally literate and responsible citizenry who will
ensure the protection and the improvement of the environment and bring about sustainability, social equity, and economic
efficiency in the use of the country’s natural resources. People must develop a sympathetic attitude towards the diversity
and sustainability of resources on earth for the survival and stability of life.

DEFINITION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Environmental Education is contextualizing environmental issues within the physical, biological, social
economic, historical, and cultural imperatives of the Philippines. It is a process of teaching, learning, and helping people
to acquire understanding, skills and values that make them active and informed citizens for the development and
maintenance of an ecological, sustainable, and socially just society.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION OBJECTIVES

The specific objectives of environmental education can be attained in terms of the learner’s awareness,
knowledge, attitudes, skills, and participation in the resolution of environmental problems, issues, and concerns. The
learners must consider the environment in its totality – natural and built, technological, social economic, political, cultural,
historical, moral, aesthetic.

Environmental education must be:

1. Action-oriented – it should involve finding solutions to real environmental problems and issues.
2. Experiential – it should use a variety of approaches and environments.
3. Future-oriented – it must be concerned with the present and future generations.
4. Globally-oriented – it must consider the whole earth as one ecosystem.
5. Holistic – it must deal with the natural and man-made aspects of the environment.
6. Interdisciplinary – It must relate to all disciplines.
7. Issue-oriented – it must deal with local, regional, national, and global perspectives.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS, ISSUES, AND CONCERNS IN THE COMMUNITY

Environmental problems in developed and developing countries worldwide are among the most important
concerns facing people and their governments. These problems include population growth; poverty; deforestation;
pollution of water, air, and soil; waste disposal; and loss of species.
There are risks associated with all of these problems that affect almost every activity in life. There are risks of
environmental degradation and over-exploitation of natural resources brought about by the ever-increasing human and
animal populations. The risk that “Mother Earth” is facing is not only a local problem but also a global one.
These environmental problems have become issues for all of us to solve and be concerned about.

CLASSIFICATION AND SOURCES OF POLLUTION

Pollution is defined as the alteration of our surroundings, wholly or largely as a product of man’s actions, through
direct or indirect effects that change every pattern of chemical and physical constituents of organisms.

AIR POLLUTION
Air Pollution is the physical and chemical alteration of the properties of air which renders the air harmful to
human health, vegetation, and animals. The problem of air pollution has become a worldwide phenomenon. If left
unabated, it can be a major health problem and even cause death. In Metro Manila, air pollution has reached an alarming
level with total suspended particles (tsp) five times greater than the 10 microns of particulate matter (PM-10) and more
than twice the lead levels prescribed in the standards and guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO)

MAJOR TYPES OF AIR POLLUTION

1. Outdoor Pollution is a type of pollution derived from the mixture or collection of additional loads of chemicals
produced by natural events and human activities which react with the natural components of the atmosphere thereby
producing harmful effects on living systems.

The following are the major sources of outdoor pollution:

Burning of fossil fuels for power consumption
Photochemical and industrial smog
 Volcanic eruption that emits sulfur dioxide and suspended particulates
Forest fire, “kaingin”, the St. Elmo’s fire, and lightning
Evaporation of volatile organic compounds from decaying organic matters
Natural Radioactive 222-gas from uranium deposits

Chemical substances from varieties of sources contribute to air pollution. These are nitrogen oxides, carbon
monoxide and organic compounds that can evaporate and enter the atmosphere. Table 2.1 shows the different classes of
pollutants with their corresponding common members.

TABLE 1.1 CLASSES OF AIR POLLUTANTS

POLLUTANT COMMON MEMBERS

Carbon oxides Carbon monoxide (CO)

Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Sulfur oxides Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
Sulfur trioxide (SO3)
Nitrogen oxides Nitric oxide (NO)
Nitrogen oxide (NO2)
Nitrous oxide (N2O)
VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) Methane (CH4)
Butane (C4H10)

SPM (Suspended Particulates Matter) Dust, Shoot (Carbon)

Asbestos, Lead (Pb)
Chromium (Cr)
Arsenic (As)
Liquid Droplets Sulfuric acid (H2SO4)
Nitric acid (HNO3)

Photochemical oxidants DDT, Malathion, etc.

Ozone (O3)

2. Indoor Air Pollution is a type of pollution derived from the accumulation or build-up of chemicals, SPM, and VOCs
inside offices, buildings, houses, schools, and commercial establishments. This chemical build-up is harmful to health.
Table 1.2 shows the sources, types of indoor pollutants, and the threat these pollutants pose to health.

Table 1.2 SOURCES AND CLASSES OF INDOOR POLLUTANTS AND THE

HEALTH THREATS THEY POSE

POLLUTANTS CLASS TYPE HEALTH THREAT

Aerosol sprays Trichloroethane Breathing difficulty
Chlorine treated water Chloroform Cancer

Air freshener crystal and mothballs Paradichlorobenzene Cancer

Tobacco and cigarettes Nicotine Heart Disease

Carpet and Plastic products Styrene Liver and Kidney damage

Floor tiles, pipe insulation and vinyl Asbestos Lung Cancer and Other disease
ceiling
Paint Stripper and Thinner Methylene chloride Diabetes and Nerve Disorders
Radioactive soil and water supply Radon-222 Lung Cancer

Unvented gas stove, Kerosene, Heater, Nitrogen oxide Respiratory disorders

Wood, Stone
Dry-cleaning fluids Tetrachloroethylene Nerve, Liver, and Kidney Damage
 Plywood Formaldehyde Lung Cancer

EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution is responsible for major health problems. It has ruined or endangered the health of countless people.

Damage to human includes

 Over loading and degrading of body’s defense mechanisms
 Chronic bronchitis;
 Emphysema (rupture of lung air sacs); and
 Lung cancer
Damage to plants includes dehydration and inhibition of photosynthesis
Damage to materials includes discoloration of clothing items, cars and objects.
Depletion of ozone layer leads to increase global warming caused by the “greenhouse effect”