Ecological Literacy

Introduction

According to Fritjof Capra, “In the coming decades, the survival of humanity will depend on our ecological literacy – our ability to understand the basic principles of ecology and to live accordingly. This means that eco-literacy must become a critical skill for politicians, business leaders, and professionals in all spheres, and should be the most important part of education at all levels – from primary and secondary schools to colleges, universities, and the continuing education and training of professionals.”

David W. Orr has stated that the goal of ecological literacy is “built on the recognition that the disorder of ecosystems reflects a prior disorder of mind, making it a central concern to those institutions that purport to improve minds. In other words, the ecological crisis is in every way a crisis of education”

  • Eco-literacy leads to an understanding of the workings of the natural world around us and the manner in which free eco-system services, which sustain the planet, are available to human communities.
  • Eco-literacy enables citizens to appreciate the sustainability implication of public decisions and the environmental issues involved which are made on their behalf so as to provide informed feedback to decision makers and public representatives
  • Eco-literacy leads to informed decision making at all levels – be it individual, social group or community, public administrators, institutional and business decision makers

Objective

Through this course, INTACH seeks to equip the public, decision makers and administrators with an ecological perspective, understanding of the interconnected working of eco-systems and the resultant eco-system services, with a view:

  • to enable members of the general public understand ecological implications of governmental decision making and actions of large institutional and corporate entities, understand the language of experts, enable intelligent participation in public debates, encourage public stewardship of the commons
  • to enable ecologically informed decisions by public and private entities which enable a balance between development needs with ecological concerns and sustaining free eco-system services from nature.