Cultivating Environmental Protectors: A Free-Access Collection on Environmental Stewardship

Group of children growing their own garden to mitigate climate change effects through environmental stewardship.

“Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries.”

—Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter

Childhood Education International and Taylor & Francis Online have partnered to offer a free collection of articles from our publications as a response to current events. As a result, we have created Cultivating Environmental Protectors: Global Examples of Education in an Era of Climate Change. This collection of 15 articles will inspire educators seeking to include environmental stewardship in their learning spaces.

The articles are pulled from the Childhood Education: Innovations magazine and the Journal of Research in Childhood Education. They cover a variety of approaches to increasing a love of nature and a desire to work together among young learners. Topics range from solar-powered solutions in energy-poor regions to promoting service learning as a gateway to global citizenship. The collection should motivate educators and education leaders to mold a new generation of children who want to protect our planet.

View Collection

Environmental Stewardship Worldwide

From 31 October to 12 November 2021, all eyes were on COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. There world leaders discussed climate change and decided how to proceed with mitigation measures. Widespread agreement on ambitious objectives in some areas proved elusive. This led to many advocates to point to the need for increased Climate Change Education (CCE). As it currently stands, most countries simply are not “making the grade” on the Education International (EI) Climate Change Education Ambition Report Card.

The EI CCE Ambition Report Card grade is mainly influenced by national level policy decisions. However, the Cultivating Environmental Protectors collection contains examples of education leaders taking matters into their own hands and working to create a love for nature. It also places a strong emphasis on Global Citizenship Education, which, among other things, teaches children to be aware of the larger impact of their actions.

We hope that this collection inspires educators and education leaders to consider innovative ways to embed innovative, environmental stewardship initiatives in their learning contexts. A love of nature, as mentioned in the quote from former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, might be the missing ingredient from our current generation of leaders.