An Intervention Method for Environmental Literacy: A Trainers Workshop of Lifelong Learning

Abstract

Environmental literacy is needed by any society in order to achieve environmental awareness. It is also an important component of environmental responsiveness and the creation of a sustainable and smart environment and urbanization. There is of a lack precise definition of or implementation for environmental literacy. Since the concept of environmental literacy has not been properly understood, the relevant actors are unable to develop necessary actions and activities for achieving social awareness. For a sustainable and smart environment, societies, and urbanization, there is a need for social intervention by means of lifelong learning education—a widespread and effective form of education that is capable of reaching large numbers of individuals in the short term. This article, starting point of which is the critical consideration of the environmental literacy concept and its conceptual transformation, aims to contribute to environmental literacy by developing a method of implementation through training of trainers. The objective is to present a practical, pragmatic and workable concluding recommendation to decision makers responsible for ensuring public order, shaping the development of society, urbanization and protecting the environment, to researchers involved in academic production in this area, and to the administrators of relevant civil society organizations. Using a descriptive methodology and multidisciplinary perspective, the article explains the environmental literacy concept, in the context of the disciplines of environment and urban planning, with the aid of the findings obtained through a review of the literature and an internet search. An environmental literacy literature mapping is presented with an emphasis on the related Turkish academic studies. Following this conceptual analysis, the article describes the workshop developed by the author for the training of trainers in life-long learning education, which is seen as a mean of intervention with regard to literacy. The workshop has been designed in such a way to reconfigure the matter of how the environment is taught, represented and protected. After making an activity content proposal, the article concludes with a general evaluation of the possible contributions, which the proposed educational method could make when implemented.