Sustainable Environmental Education for a Sustainable Environment: Lessons from Thailand for Other Nations

The Thailand Ministry of Education and Michigan State University collaborated to plan, design, implement, and evaluate this project in which school children and adults in 11 communities worked together to prevent forest degradation and improve forest quality. School children in grades 5 though 8 studied the causes and consequences of deforestation and forest degradation and brought the results of their investigations to local community members. This resulted in identification of local environmental problems that were forest-related and joint efforts in which adults and children worked together to resolve these problems. The results of this intergenerational work were very promising as children, adults, schools, communities, and the environment benefited from collaboration. Important lessons for others embarking this work are reported.