How We Re-Engage: From Theory to Practice
How do we begin to reconnect with nature as a means of directing society towards environmental sustainability? The following section will explore various action steps that can be pursued to re-engage with nature respectfully and collaboratively. These action steps operate on different levels of social organization and are based on leverage points identified through systems thinking. Before discussing these practical measures, it is valuable to acknowledge the role of research in generating evidence to inform interventions, practice, and policy with the ultimate goal of strengthening our relationship with the natural environment.
The Role of Research
Research has played a fundamental role in mapping the relationship between humans and nature, with various studies offering frameworks to conceptualize these types of connections. Ives et al. propose five categories of human connection with nature: material, experiential, cognitive, emotional, and philosophical connections.63 These connections vary from external to internally defined and operate on different social scales across individual, community, societal, and institutional levels.
By conceptualizing the types of human-nature connections and how they interact with one another, research has also helped to identify deep leverage points for reconstructing healthy relationships between people and our natural environment.64 As first proposed by Donella Meadows, leverage points within a complex adaptive system can be targeted to transform broad system behaviour and are most effective when initiating systems change from root causes rather than surface-level remedies.65 Simply put, small shifts at leverage points can lead to large changes in the overall system.66 The following section touches on leverage points that demonstrate significant potential in bringing about collective change amidst the current climate crisis. These practical strategies for sustainability intervention occur on the levels of youth, community, and broader societal engagement to stimulate transformational system change for a sustainable future.
Salina Edwards discusses her ideas on ways research could be conducted to better understand the effects of climate change on rural communities (2:46)
Further research into the health benefits of spending time in and connecting with our natural environment should be supported
Starting With Children and Youth
Advantages of Childhood Environmental Education
Environmental education is defined as the deep learning of our planet’s natural systems and the steps we can take to protect our ecosystems, making it a powerful tool for initiating pro-environmental thinking and corresponding sustainability behaviours.67 For young people, environmental education establishes an understanding of how our ecosystems function and how individual and collective behaviour impacts the environment.
In the context of climate action, introducing environmental education early in life is a deep leverage point that supports youth in developing environmental literacy from childhood through to adulthood. Various studies have demonstrated the benefits of childhood environmental education and outdoor experiences in promoting pro-environmental beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour later in life.64 Thus, engaging youth in environmental education is essential for building a foundational understanding of the natural environment and setting them on a trajectory towards adult environmentalism. Outlined below are several unique advantages of directing environmental education toward children:
- Environmental education can prevent the development of deeply ingrained behaviours that are harmful to the environment. In this way, the need to unlearn environmentally irresponsible behaviours in adulthood is avoided by establishing sustainable practices in early life stages.
- As individuals in the cognitive process of forming their world views, children can be encouraged to challenge the dominant worldview of our environment as a resource to be exploited for our benefit, instead nurturing a deep appreciation for our interdependence with the environment.
- A growing body of literature provides evidence for the influence of children’s beliefs and knowledge on older individuals. In particular, a study by Damerell et al. demonstrated the transfer of wetlands knowledge from child to parent and uncovered a causal link between child-directed environmental education and positive water use behaviour at the household level.68
- Children possess a longer period of influence to act as agents of change.68,69
In these ways, children assume the role of change-makers by taking steps to directly avert the climate crisis and leveraging their influence over previous generations to generate collective action against climate change.
Exposure to nature from a young age to teach its value and importance should be promoted, particularly in childhood education
Nature- and Play-Based Learning
An important approach to effective youth-directed environmental education is to create opportunities for nature- and play-based learning. As used in the literature, nature-based ecological education is a holistic approach integrating environmental knowledge and connectedness to nature as complementary drivers of ecological behaviour.70 Through this learning approach, children can gain valuable understanding about the environment and develop a strong sense of connectedness with nature, that is, the perceived closeness between the individual and nature. Studies have demonstrated that connection with nature appears to be the strongest predictor of pro-environmental behaviour.70 Thus, beyond providing children with knowledge about how natural systems function and ought to be respected, cultivating a meaningful relationship with nature from childhood is suggested to set an individual on a trajectory toward adult environmentalism.70
All communities and schools should organize initiatives to promote connecting with and preserving nature, such as establishing community gardens
Elyse Tsang shares the impact of nature-based play and learning on her relationship with our environment (1:42)
Case Study: Forest/Nature Schools by the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada
The Child and Nature Alliance of Canada (CNAC) supports program development, training, and implementation of Forest/Nature Schools across the country. As defined by the CNAC, Forest/Nature school is “a sustained process of regular and repeated sessions in the same outdoor space, supporting children to develop a reciprocal relationship with the Land, and an understanding of themselves as a part of the natural world.”72 Variations in program delivery consist of spending a half or full day in various outdoor contexts such as green spaces, playgrounds, woodlands, and shorelines.73 The curriculum is intentionally delivered through inquiry-based, emergent, and experiential learning approaches in these natural learning environments. These distinguishing features enable Forest/Nature schools to meet their fundamental objective: giving youth the agency and freedom to continuously direct their learning through explorative play, thereby fostering a deep connection with their natural surroundings.74
Dr. Ilona Hale discusses the importance of getting children out into nature and building an appreciation for our environment (1:10)
