The Ethical and Civic Dimensions of Environmental Education

Abstract

The author proves that the efficacy of the environmental education could be much higher if it is included within the broader sphere of moral and civic education and if it is driven by a more extensive ideal sprung from the fundamental human right to a clean and well preserved environment, by the contemporary moral and civil values. Based on empirical research, the author pleads and motivates for an increased capitalization of the humanities and social sciences, of art, of environmental ethics and aesthetics in shaping “the ecological personality” of the tomorrow people. Seen as a result of the environmental education, the ecological personality materializes in volunteering in order to find the answers for the environmental issues in the contemporary societies. When shaping these personality traits through environmental education activities, one must emphasize the importance of practice and applied actions aimed to protect the environment, and in general, the practice of civic-moral education methods.