By fortifying this enchantment we are able to raise a generation that is more sensetive to their impact on the environment. This awareness is important in the light of the destruction we are wreaking on our planet, and how it is up to our generation to begin to preserve and nurture the natural processes we rely on.
So how do we go about reforming our education system in a way which is feesable, the answer is simple.
We must begin to no longer detatch young people from the natural world. For instance, when it comes to food. We don't say we eat pig, but pork. Not cattle, but beef. We are deliberetly tricking ourselves, so that we don't actually see what we're commissioning in order to eat these items.
As environmental activist and writer George Monbiot encourages schools and families to have frank discussions about where their meat comes from. "Because if we're not prepared to see what it is that we're eating, perhaps we should stop eating it."
Furthermore outdoor learning in schools can be hugely beneficial - develop resilience and adaptability in adverse circumstances and forge a love, appreciationfor nature and all that is living. This can be simply achieved across the school spectrum, for the lower end of schools, this can be easily accomodated. But even for stressed GCSE students like myself, a time to study comfortably in the sunshine can alleviate exam anxiety.
Appealing younger students can take many forms, we can start with the sea otter, clearly one of the most adorable animals on earth. But they are also vital to maintaining kelp forests - without their presence this ecosystem would collapse.
And for families to do at home - cultivating a small vegetable patch, digging a small pond, or even a tomato plant on a windowsill can spark fascination. And the novel "The Five Minute Garden" by Laetitia Maklouf provides attainable daily steps to achieve the perfect garden; with activities for the whole family.
I hope these simple steps show how crucial it is to promote a sensetivity to the environment in young people's lives, and how this can do equally as much for their wellbeing and the planet.
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