Browsing by Author "Laine, Emma-Lotta"

During the last few years the concern of the condition of our surroundings has risen. Climate change is no more a problem of the future, but a real concern for people living in the present day. The goal of this study is to find out how the school institution can help grow environmentally conscious adults. The study pays extra focus on how one’s human-nature relationship can affect how they act and feel in relation to nature, and what could be the concrete possibilities environmental education could have in school life. This study is a literature review based on past studies, educational literature, and the 2016 Finnish curriculum for basic education. During the research process, it became clear that further research on the subject is necessary, especially from the point of view of the school. Based on the findings of the study it’s evident that human-nature relationship has a crucial role in driving for improved environmentally conscious behavior. Especially if that relationship is founded on past experiences and acts, then an individual’s emphatic bond with nature and its inhabitants is strengthened. This in turn promotes environmentally conscious behavior. School’s role as environmental educator was also emphasized by the results of the study. In school the students get to create experiences about nature and acting in it. This idea is also backed by the curriculum for basic education where school education is described to be responsible for nurturing behavior which promotes a more sustainable lifestyle.