On Characteristics of the Environmental Education Based on "Deep Ecology" Thought : From the cases in USA, Canada, and Australia

Abstract

Recently in the West, it has been a matter of great importance to change their consciousness of making personal life-style more ecological in order to put sustainable society into realization. One of the influential environmental educations aiming to change their consciousness is “Deep Ecology Education.” In this research the authors analyzed the program cases from many sides, and clarified the development and characteristics of environmental education based on the thought of Deep Ecology. There have been practiced environmental education programs to be called “self-openness” of environmental education program, “communion with nature” of project, and the type of environmental education programs that cited the concepts of the thoughts of deep ecology. The main characteristics of the paper are as follows: 1) Their educational goal aims at “self-realization.” 2) They introduced activity-type learning to understand the real identification of students themselves with various types of lives and non-life natural objects. 3) Out-door activities have been done mainly in their regional environment. 4) Environmental education programs have been shifted from the workshop at their community environmental education center, to the form worked with their city schools.