Community Environmental Education as a Model for Effective Environmental Programmes

The benefits of community environmental education outlined in environmental education literature are supported by the findings and implications of a research study undertaken in New Zealand. Evidence from a two-case case study suggests that environmental programmes guided by the key principles and practices of community environmental education, that is, public participation, environmental adult education and environmental communication, can produce effective environmental outcomes. Indeed, these cases indicate that the principles and practices of public participation provide a catalyst for genuine collaborative efforts between different organisations and local communities. Results also indicated that environmental adult education strategies can empower community members to critically evaluate local environmental issues, which in turn resulted in a commitment to improving the local environment. I thus argue in this paper that the principles and practices of community environmental education can provide benchmarks for cross-sectoral collaboration and assist communities in reaching environmental solutions.