Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education pp 1–7Cite as

Ecocentric Education

  • 119 Accesses

Introduction: What Is Ecocentric Education?

Ecocentrism has roots in environmental philosophy, which questions the conceptual dichotomy between humans and environment, acknowledging nonhuman species’ right to flourish independent of human interest (Naess 1973). Generally, ecocentrism refers to a planet- and nature-centered, as opposed to human-centered (anthropocentric), system of values. Inspired by this philosophy, ecocentric education focuses on intrinsic values of ecosystem, environment, and individual living beings and habitats in environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD).

Originally, ecocentrism has played a large part in how environmental education was conceived. In part inspired by The Limits to Growth publication (Meadows et al. 1972), EE attempted to develop the necessary skills to address the challenges and foster knowledge, attitudes, motivations, and commitments for the protection of environment, as expressed in the Belgrade Charter...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  • Bailey I, Wilson GA (2009) Theorising transitional pathways in response to climate change: technocentrism, ecocentrism, and the carbon economy. Environ Plan A 41(10):2324–2341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonnett M (2013) Sustainable development, environmental education, and the significance of being in place. Curric J 24:250–271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burdon PD (2014) Earth jurisprudence: private property and the environment. Routledge, London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cafaro P, Primack R (2014) Species extinction is a great moral wrong. Biol Conserv 170:1–2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cotton DR (2006) Teaching controversial environmental issues: neutrality and balance in the reality of the classroom. Educ Res 48(2):223–241

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erlanger ACE, Tsytsarev SV (2012) The relationship between empathy and personality in undergraduate students’ attitudes toward nonhuman animals. Soc Anim 20(1):21–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glasser H (2004) Learning our way to a sustainable and desirable world: ideas inspired by Arne Naess and deep ecology. In: Corcoran PB, Wals AEJ (eds) Higher education and the challenge of sustainability: problematics, promisei, and practice. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 131–148

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Goodall J (2015) Caring for People and Valuing Forests in Africa. In G. Wuerthner, E. Crist and T. Butler (eds), Protecting the Wild: Parks and Wilderness, The Foundation forConservation, Washington, London: The Island Press, pp. 21–26

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gorski PC (2009) Critical ties: the animal rights awakening of a social justice educator. Available online: http://www.edchange.org/publications/animal-rights-social-justice.pdf

  • Grant J, Jungkunz VG (eds) (2016) Political theory and the animal/human relationship. SUNY Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Greening LA, Greene DL, Difiglio C (2000) Energy efficiency and consumption – the rebound effect – a survey. Energy Policy 28:389–401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins P (2010) Eradicating ecocide: laws and governance to prevent the destruction of our planet. Shepheard Walwyn Publishers Ltd, London, pp 62–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Jickling B (1996) Wolves, ethics and education: looking at ethics through The Yukon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. In: Jickling B (ed) A colloquium on environment, ethics and education. Yukon College, Whitehorse, pp 158–163

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahn R (2008) From education for sustainable development to ecopedagogy: sustaining capitalism or sustaining life. Green Theory Prax: J Ecopedagogy 4(1):1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahn R (2010) Critical Pedagogy, Ecoliteracy, & Planetary Crisis: The Ecopedagogy Movement. New York, Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kapembwa J (2018) Predation Catch-22: disentangling the rights of prey, predators, and rescuers. J Agric Environ Ethics:1–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Kopnina H (2011) Qualitative revision of the new ecological paradigm (NEP) scale for children. Int J Environ Res. Bingley, 5:1025–1034

    Google Scholar 

  • Kopnina H (2012) Education for sustainable development (ESD): the way from ‘environment’ in environmental education? Environ Educ Res 18:699–717

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kopnina H (2014a) Future scenarios and environmental education. J Environ Educ 45:217–231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kopnina H (2014b) Revisiting education for sustainable development (ESD): examining anthropocentric bias through the transition of environmental education to ESD. Sustain Dev 22:73–83

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kopnina H (2014c) If a tree falls: business students’ reflections on environmentalism. Int J Environ Sustain Dev 8(3):311–329

    Google Scholar 

  • Kopnina H (2015) If a tree falls and everybody hears the sound: teaching deep ecology to business students. J Educ Sustain Dev 9(1):101–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kopnina H (2016) Of big hegemonies and little tigers: ecocentrism and environmental justice. Special issue “On the politics of policy-making for education for sustainable development”. J Environ Educ 47:132–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kopnina H (2017) Discussing practical and educational challenges in teaching circular economy. In: Sindakis S, Theodorou P (eds) Global opportunities for entrepreneurial growth: coopetition and knowledge dynamics within and across firms. Emerald Publishing, pp 507–522

    Google Scholar 

  • Kopnina H (2018) Circular economy and cradle to cradle in educational practice. J Integr Environ Sci 15(1):123–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kopnina H, Cherniak B (2016) Neoliberalism and justice in education for sustainable development: a call for inclusive pluralism. Environ Educ Res 22:827–841

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kopnina H, Gjerris M (2015) Are some animals more equal than others? Animal rights and deep ecology in environmental education. Can J Environ Educ 20:109–123

    Google Scholar 

  • Kopnina H, Meijers F (2014) Education for sustainable development (ESD): exploring theoretical and practical challenges. Int J Sustain High Educ 15:188–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaChapelle D (1991) Educating for deep ecology. J Exp Educ 14:18–22

    Google Scholar 

  • Martusewicz RA, Edmundson J, Lupinacci J (2014) Ecojustice education: toward diverse, democratic, and sustainable communities. Routledge, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • McDonough W, Braungart M (2010) Cradle to cradle: remaking the way we make things. North Point Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Meadows DH, Meadows DL, Randers J, Behrens IIIWW (1972) The limits to growth. Universe Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Naess A (1973) The shallow and the deep: Long-range ecology movement. A summary. Inquiry 16:95–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norris KS, Jacobson SK (1998) Content analysis of tropical conservation education programs: elements of success. J Environ Educ 30:38–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ortiz A (2015) Humane liberation: incorporating animal rights into critical pedagogy. Vt Connect 32:8–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Piccolo J, Washington H, Kopnina H, Taylor B (2018) Back to the future: why conservation biologists should re-embrace their ecocentric roots. Conserv Biol 32(4):959–961

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rammelt C, Crisp P (2014) A systems and thermodynamics perspective on technology in the circular economy. Real-World Econ Rev 68:25–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlosberg D (2004) Reconceiving environmental justice: global movements and politicaltheories. Environmental politics 13(3):517–540

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shoreman-Ouimet E, Kopnina H (2015) Reconciling ecological and social justice to promote biodiversity conservation. Biol Conserv 184:320–326

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spannring R (2015) I and animal thou: perspectives for educational theory. Soc Anim 23:613–629

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun Y (2018) The edge of “animal rights”. J Agric Environ Ethics 31(5):543–557

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO-UNEP (1976) The Belgrade Charter: a global framework for environmental education. Connect: UNESCO-UNEP Environ Educ Newsl 1(1):1–2

    Google Scholar 

  • Waldau P (2013) Venturing beyond the tyranny of small differences: the animal protection movement, conservation, and environmental education. In: Bekoff M (ed) Ignoring nature no more. The case for compassionate conservation. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 27–43

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Washington H (2018) Education for wonder. Educ Sci 8:125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Washington H, Twomey P (2016) A future beyond growth: towards a steady state economy. Routledge, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Webster K (2007) Hidden sources: understanding natural systems is the key to an evolving and aspirational ESD. J Educ Sustain Dev 1(1):37–43

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson EO (1984) Biophilia: the human bond with other species. Harvard University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Hague University of Applied Sciences, The Hague, Netherlands

    Helen Kopnina

Authors
  1. Helen Kopnina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Helen Kopnina .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

Section Editor information

  1. School of Architecture and Design,Program Manager, Master of Disaster Design and Development, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

    Judy Rogers

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Kopnina, H. (2019). Ecocentric Education. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63951-2_533-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63951-2_533-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-63951-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-63951-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Ecocentric Education
    Published:
    19 March 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63951-2_533-2

  2. Original

    Ecocentric Education
    Published:
    31 January 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63951-2_533-1

Search

Navigation