Environmental Health Education: From Museum Specimens and Math Word Problems to Virtual and Augmented Reality.

Abstract

Environmental degradation and its severe impact on human health has revealed the necessity for effective educational interventions. Given the importance of “Environment,” “Health,” and “Education,” as key pillars for the achievement of sustainable development, the education for environmental health is evolving into a main component of current strategies against environmental health threats, such as climate change and urban air pollution. Environmental Health Education, which must be considered as a strategical response against environmental degradation, offers vast capacity for innovation alongside every educational stage. For instance, the application of new technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality applications, the adoption of innovative interdisciplinary educational approaches, and the incorporation of Arts are evolving into a new era’s educational perspectives. All the new trends in formal, non-formal and informal Environmental Health Education should be captured and assessed, in favor of protecting both local and global natural environment, human and animal health, and promoting sustainability.