Goals and Strategies

Common goals

Ecologically literate citizens

• understand ecological concepts and environmental issues
• make changes in behaviours and practices that will positively affect the environment
• act as environmentally knowledgeable role models
• participate in public discussions and decision-making that advance ecological literacy

Common strategies

In order of priority, supporters of E&SE

• collaborate to share successes and information
• increase access to information and resources
• create a base of resources and funding
• conduct action-oriented, field-based experiences
• communicate with decision-makers to enlist their support
• provide mentoring and positive role models
• offer incentives and recognition for environmental initiatives and achievement

Participant Voices

The audience sections of this plan are the product of working groups that participated in the two planning sessions hosted by EEON, and are also based on written input, which was provided to EEON by individuals with an interest in the particular sectors. A volunteer writer then helped to compile each of the audience sections, while maintaining the particular flavour of the working groups’ contributions.

In the editing of the overall document, we have not tried to homogenize the language, but rather reflect the different voices of contributors. Readers will therefore notice differences in language, style, and terminologies used across the different sectors. It has been our wish to treat each audience, and its supporters and educators as a community of interest and maintain their individual voices. As well, group participants were asked to define terms they felt would be useful to the particular audiences.

These can all be found in the glossary, and they are marked throughout the text in bold.

Common Goals and Strategies

Despite different needs and approaches to environmental learning across the seventeen audiences, the EEON process paid attention to emerging, universal goals and strategies for E&SE. At the October 2002 EEON event, participants deemed the following broad goals and common strategies as important for all sectors.