This section is for individuals and organizations that
support, deliver, or provide environmental and sustainability
education to individuals and groups who work for or
with government (at all levels) and its agencies.
Outcomes
Governments and public agencies will:
1. Educate politicians, public servants, and staff
on safeguarding ecosystem functions, integrity, biodiversity,
as well as natural heritage in the course of their work
Sample indicators:
Government training programs offer civil servants
and politicians a framework for defining ecological
priorities and sustainability as the basis on which
economic and social priorities rest, and provide the
knowledge necessary to apply this framework.
They establish environmental criteria by which
personnel exercise their responsibility in safeguarding
biodiversity and the integrity of healthy ecosystems,
as an essential part of the preservation of ecological
integrity and natural heritage for current and future
generations.
They set expectations in decision-making processes
that reflect an understanding of government responsibility
in maintaining natural capital.
They factor human health issues into government
environmental reporting, and ensure that both ecosystem
and human health are factors considered in government
legislation, policies, and programs.
Public employees are environmentally literate and
responsible in their day-to-day actions in the workplace.
2. Create an expectation of factoring environmental
health criteria into decision-making
Sample Indicators:
Government shows leadership in the area of environmental
protection.
They use a systems approach to developing legislation,
policies, and programs to ensure that all decisions
factor in ecological sustainability.
Environmental impacts are given equal weight with
social and economic considerations in decision-making.
Governments/public agencies use sustainability
frameworks such as the Bellagio Principles to assess
the degree to which their decisions move government
towards sustainability.
Governments/public agencies use the ecological
footprint to measure the impact of their decisions.
Governments/public agencies pass and enforce legislation
and policies that reflect green economics, ecosystem
approaches, and bioregional responsibilities.
3. “Walk the talk” of environmental legislation
and policy
Sample Indicators:
Governments establish implementation measures to
reflect the environmental mandate of each agency and
department, at all levels of operation.
They set long-term (fifty year) environmental quality
and planning objectives in which to detail medium
(twenty year) and short-term (five year) plans for
environmental health and sustainability.
They develop sustainability indicators, such as
those defined in Agenda 21 and the Bellagio Principles,
against which to measure the effectiveness of government
legislation, policies, and programs. This mechanism
provides measures that track progress towards sustainability,
and includes targets and timetables against which
the progress of the policy, program, agency, or department
is assessed. Evaluation invites opportunities to change
and better the approach to ensure environmental protection
and sustainability.
There is buy-in at all government levels to advance
ecological literacy across society, including education
of the public, and institutional and policy greening.
Efficient, green programs operate across government
offices, facilities, and operations (e.g., environment
policies for government ministries, offices, and agencies;
sustainable practices, green purchasing criteria,
energy-saving retrofits, green workplace programs,
green fleets, and waste reduction).
Governments/public agencies are accountable for
decisions about environmental quality.
They recognize that science is not definitive in
its knowledge: policies and programs incorporate the
precautionary principle, ecosystem approaches, and
traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to strengthen
governance structures and decisions.
They provide transparent reporting on environmental
hazards.
They report to the public on the effects of urban
sprawl on long-term ecological sustainability (loss
of quality farm land, increase in carbon dioxide emissions).
They establish urban planning and development guidelines
on ecosystem protection and sustainable building practices
(e.g., minimum standards for energy efficiency).
There is an increase in the percentage of protected
lands (including environmentally sensitive areas).
4. Provide for a participatory approach to decision-making
and policy-making on environmental issues
Sample Indicators:
Governments/public agencies design open decision-making
processes that ensure all stakeholders have equal
opportunity to participate in resolving environmental
problems, approving projects, and developing policy;
there is regular public involvement in environmental
health and safety issues.
Governments/public agencies provide public campaigns
to increase awareness of environmental issues and
enable informed public participation in solving environmental
problems.
Needs
Government and public agency representatives and staff
need:
An understanding of environmental issues and ecological
concepts and how they relate to their responsibilities
as politicians and civil servants
An understanding of the meaning and value of natural
capital
Practical knowledge of how environmental literacy
can guide legislation, policy, and programs
A funding formula that recognizes environmental
protection as necessary to quality of life
An understanding of the interactions of economic,
social, and environmental capital, and the dynamic
of these interactions within decision-making, policy,
and legislation
Education and training that highlights the need
to consider long-term impacts of environment related
decisions made to fulfill short-term goals
Incentives to adopt and promote sound environmental
behaviour
Familiarity with and understanding of the principles
of Agenda 21, the Earth Charter, the Bellagio Principles,
the ecological footprint, the Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation (Rio+10), and Canada’s environmental
commitments
A government culture that encourages open discussion
of the ecological, environmental, and sustainability
implications of legislation, policies, programs, and
decisions
Infrastructure which includes resources and funding
to link all departments to a program of environmental
literacy
Resources to understand, support and enhance healthy
sustainable ecosystems, economies, and communities
based on natural boundaries such as watersheds or
bioregions
Systemic regulations and policies that increase
environmental protection and sustainability
Planning models that set out a holistic vision
for achieving ecological sustainability (rather than
a piecemeal approach by issue, by department) using
common language, approaches, and goals that value—but
also recognize the limits of—scientific data
Regulatory frameworks for setting and enforcing
ecologically protective standards, with support and
incentives to take them beyond minimum requirements
Transparency in environmental accounting
Current, accurate environmental information that
is readily accessible and understandable
Mechanisms to increase participation and exchanges
among a broader public sector, reflecting the diverse
views of civil society
Support in public media for information on full
environmental costs and long-term impacts of products
Public recognition for environmental leadership,
vision, creativity, and risk-taking that fosters positive
change
Strategies
Programs, Projects, and Policies
Provide governments with a mandate to create a
sustainability program or act that commits each level
of government to increase their level of environmental
responsibility to their constituency.
Use legislation and policy tools to create the
conditions needed to move forward on an environmentally
sustainable path (e.g., net metering legislation to
allow green power renewables to compete on a level
playing field).
Call upon opposition parties to include environmental
and sustainability education as part of their election
platforms.
Create an environmental literacy report card to
hold government accountable for public environmental
literacy.
Introduce environmental management systems (EMS)
into government operations (e.g., ISO 14001); educate
staff to participate in sustainable practices and
auditing for continuous improvement.
Articulate long term environmental plans so that
parties can govern in a consistent direction with
respect to achieving ecological health and sustainability,
and conduct public campaigns on how to achieve a coherent
vision.
Create an ongoing program for politicians and public
servants in environmental and sustainability literacy
to, among other things,
emphasize the importance of the maintenance of
ecological integrity to human quality of life;
increase each individual’s understanding
of our connection to and dependence on a healthy
natural world;
improve ecological “big picture”
thinking for politicians and public servants;
create the conditions necessary to move environmental
legislation, policies, and implementation tools
away from crisis response towards ecological security
and crisis prevention;
create a long-term (fifty year) environmental
planning framework within which to draft mediumterm
(twenty year) and short-term (five year) environmental
sustainability plans;
develop a program to accurately represent the
short, medium, and long-term financial, social,
and ecological costs of decisions, legislation,
policies, and methods of implementation, in comparison
to alternatives; and
educate civil servants in the use of full-cost
accounting to include environmental damage and loss
of biodiversity.
Provide environmental seminars for municipal planners
and developers; train planners in the time scales
that are occurring within the socio-political systems
and the ecosystems within which they work.
Develop and implement green plans for all department
or agency catchment areas; include clearly defined
goals, requirements for enforcement, accountability
processes, and recognition for surpassing regulatory
requirements.
Develop a coordinated template for “state
of the environment” reporting based on an ecosystems
approach, with targets and timeframes, as well as
opportunities for feedback and environmental learning
for general and specialized audiences.
Resources
Establish a meta-database for environmental policies,
projects, resources, contacts, experts, training programs,
government initiatives, campaigns, and successes.
Provide resources to municipal and regional governments
to adequately record the ecological footprint of their
area of jurisdiction; establish plans to reduce their
ecological footprints.
Create an environmental communications network
to facilitate dialogue among public servants, politicians,
and the general public.
Provide environmental education to the general
public through the media, the school system, and through
experiential education, to bring about a value shift
in civil society toward ecological sustainability.
Implement indicators that measure losses (costs)
of ecosystem function/biodiversity along with profits
from natural resource use and conservation (benefits).
Raise funds through a fuel tax on vehicles that
consume high levels of non-renewable resources.
Prepare materials to promote an understanding and
application of an ecosystems approach, applying operational
principles to specific areas (e.g., engineering and
operations).
Create networks to share the knowledge, resources,
and training needed to develop environmental and sustainability
literacy.
Conduct speakers’ series that highlight human–nature
connections, human impacts on the natural world, and
sustainable choices.
Create a Web based catalogue to itemize and recommend
best environmental practices by category.
Allocate time for government employees to participate
in volunteer activities in sustainability projects;
ecological education retreats in natural areas; and
research field trips to areas that have been negatively
impacted by human activities.
Create an Agenda 21 Club to foster environmental
engagement with a common direction for members of
civil society.
Organize professional development seminars on the
environmental implications of professions in broad
terms (e.g., engineers, lawyers, planners, developers,
resource experts, pharmacological researchers, and
biotechnologists), and explore how practitioners can
contribute to an ecologically sustainable future.
Make environmental regulations available in plain
language and communicate them to the public.
Provide the media with information on the sustainability
activities of government ministers, politicians, and
departments.
Support
Dedicate a consistent percentage of budgets to
the development of environmental and sustainability
literacy in all government departments and agencies.
Make specific environmental elements part of government
job responsibilities, with those responsible held
accountable.
Infuse adequate resources (time, expertise, and
tax dollars) to implement sustainability regulations
and policies.
Gather public support for persuading the government
to adhere to the precautionary principle in environmental
decision-making, and to assign responsibility accordingly.
Build significant public support for environmental
literacy to persuade the government to move on this
issue.
Establish an official “people’s choice”
award for exemplary environmental achievement by politicians
who are recognized for shifts in policies.
Establish a politicians’ charter of sustainability
rights and responsibilities.
Create a virtual “ who’s doing what”
sign-on web page of successful environmental and sustainability
learning and action; use a social marketing approach
(similar to that taken for climate change) to invite
more public involvement.
Provide funding and tax support and incentives
to institutions, businesses, volunteer organizations,
and individuals to expand environmental literacy and
promote environmental sustainability.
Develop government policy on environmental health
education and practice, and political buy-in to implement
it.
Provide tax breaks for individuals involved in
volunteer work that advances sustainability and environmental
quality.
Develop an environmental mentorship program for
children and adults (the children mentor the adults!).
Recognize environmental champions in civil society;
acknowledge not-for-profit sector participation and
voice.
Please see Appendix
1 for a list of useful websites.
