the Canadian Constitution recognizes three groups:
Indians, Inuit, and Métis
Agenda 21:
a comprehensive blueprint for global environmental
action for the twenty-first century, drafted by the
172 governments present at the 1992 Earth Summit organized
by the United Nations in Rio de Janeiro; often interpreted
and implemented at the local level; Chapter 36 deals
with education and training
anthropocentric:
deriving from the belief that humans hold a special
place in nature; being centered primarily on humans
and human affairs
Bellagio Principles:
guidelines for the practical assessment of progress
towards sustainable development, developed by the
International Institute for Sustainable Development
bias-balanced:
describing materials in which all the facts and
points of view are presented in a way that allows
objective consideration of an issue
bio-mimicry:
a new science that studies nature’s models
and then imitates or takes inspiration from these
designs and processes to solve human problems
community health:
healthy communities actively work to improve the
health and quality of life of all their residents;
the definition of health goes beyond the absence of
disease and the traditional medical concept, and addresses
underlying factors in quality of life, such as the
environment, crime, and literacy
Earth Charter:
A document outlining common goals and shared values
for building a just, sustainable and peaceful global
society; the principles of the Earth Charter reflect
extensive international consultations conducted over
a period of many years; based upon contemporary science,
international law, and the insights of philosophy
and religion
ecocentric:
environment-centred, with aspects or members of
the non-human world considered to be valuable in and
of themselves; based on a philosophy that claims moral
values and rights for both organisms and ecological
systems and processes
ecological footprint:
the calculation of the area of land and water needed
to support an individual, an economy, or a population
at a specified standard of living
ecological literacy:
an understanding of the relationships between human
and natural systems, of the local and global environmental
impacts of economic and social systems, and of the
means to minimize human impacts on natural systems
through design, decision-making, and lifestyle choices
ecological thinking:
Alan Berkowicz of the Institute of Ecosystem Studies
describes a framework for ecological thinking as composed
of seven overlapping kinds of thinking: scientific
thinking (evidence-based and critical thinking); systems
and hierarchy thinking; temporal thinking (short-term,
historical, and evolutionary thinking); spatial thinking
(geographical, place-based, and contextual thinking);
interdisciplinary thinking; ethical thinking; creative
thinking; and empathic thinking
ecosystems thinking:
a holistic approach to learning, behaviour or practice
that considers the ramifications to ecosystem health—and
the consequent effects to human health—of all
topics, choices or processes under consideration embodied
energy: the energy used in producing a product
environmental and sustainability education:
the transmission, growth, and application of environmental
knowledge across all sectors of society
environmental education:
a learning process that increases people’s
knowledge and awareness about the environment and
associated challenges; develops the necessary skills
and expertise to address the challenges; and fosters
attitudes, motivations, and commitments to make informed
decisions and take responsible action
environmental literacy:
the desired outcome of environmental education programs;
environmentally literate individuals understand ecological,
social, and political systems, and have the inclination
to apply that understanding to any decisions that
pose consequences for environmental quality
ESL:
English as a Second Language
genuine progress indicator (GPI):
an economic measure which starts with the same
accounting framework as the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) but then makes some crucial distinctions: it
adds in the economic contributions of household and
volunteer work, but subtracts factors such as crime,
pollution, and family breakdown (see http://www.rprogress.org/projects/gpi/)
holistic:
describes a perspective that considers all parts
of the body, mind, and spirit as a whole, and treats
them as such
industrial ecology:
the shifting of industrial process from open loop
systems, in which resource and capital investments
move through the system to become waste, to a closed
loop system where waste becomes input for new processes
integrated learning communities:
curriculum restructuring efforts that thematically
link or cluster during a given term and enrol a cohort
of students; learning communities aim to provide students
with greater curricular coherence, and to provide
both students and faculty an opportunity for increased
intellectual interaction and shared inquiry
life cycle analysis:
also known as “cradle to grave analysis,”
this approach analyzes the environmental impacts of
the entire life cycle of a product, from procurement
of the raw materials, through its use, to its eventual
disposal, reuse, or recycling of its components
LINC:
Language Instruction for Newcomer Canadians
living machines:
wastewater treatment technologies that use the principles
of ecological design and engineering
new Canadians:
people not born in Canada who have been here for
less than 5 years
participatory democracy:
a democracy in which people may participate directly
in decision making processes rather than indirectly
through the election of representatives
Professional Learning Program:
the Professional Learning Program was established
in Ontario when the Stability and Excellence in Education
Act was enacted in June 2001; it requires all teachers
certified in the province to complete a program of
professional learning in order to maintain their license
to teach in publicly funded schools
precautionary principle:
adopted by the UN Conference on the Environment
and Development (1992) stating that in order to protect
the environment, a precautionary approach should be
widely applied; where there are threats of serious
or irreversible damage to the environment, lack of
full scientific certainty should not be used as a
reason for postponing cost effective measures to prevent
environmental degradation
sense of place:
a feeling of attachment and belonging to a particular
place or environment that has a special character
and familiarity
stewardship:
holding in trust something for another; environmental
stewardship is the concept of responsibly managing
all of the earth’s resources for the benefit
of present and future generations of people, plants,
and animals
sustainability:
meeting the needs of today without reducing the
quality of life for future generations; the synergistic
integration of a healthy economy, environmental integrity,
and human well-being within viable communities; using,
conserving, and enhancing resources so that ecological
processes, on which life depends, are maintained,
and the total quality of life, now and in the future,
can be increased
systems thinking:
a holistic and dynamic approach to analysis that
focuses on how a system’s parts interrelate,
and how systems work over time within the context
of larger systems; thinking in terms of relationships,
connectedness, and context
TESL Ontario:
Teachers of English as a Second Language Association
of Ontario
tradition:
the way of doing things that is built upon past
practices that reflect the history, culture, language,
and spirituality of people
traditional environmental knowledge (TEK):
knowledge that derives from, or is rooted in the
traditional way of life of Aboriginal Peoples; the
accumulated understanding of the human place in relation
to the universe, encompassing spiritual, social, and
environmental relationships
