What is political about a tree? Grappling with partisan divides in environmental education

Abstract

Although popular discourse around environmental issues – including environmental education (EE) – is often dominated by the idea that politically progressive places are pro-environment and politically conservative places resist environmental protection, the reality is more complex. This research, which is grounded in interviews with 31 environmental educators in Kentucky, investigates: 1) how environmental educators in a state whose politics is often at odds with environmental protection navigate their work; and 2) how the ways these educators navigate their work illuminates the potential for EE to thrive in diverse places. By taking a stance toward EE that is ‘apolitical’ and oriented toward finding common ground with all participants regardless of their personal politics, Kentucky’s environmental educators offer an alternative to the seemingly intractable acrimony that can characterize discussions of many educational and environmental issues – including EE. Since our ability to develop and implement solutions to environmental problems hinges in part on political factors, it is imperative to develop a fuller understanding of how EE and politics intersect and how EE can help develop a citizenry capable of both making sound environmental decisions and bridging partisan divides.