"In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we have been taught." —Baba Dioum

Education

The integration of social ecology into our educational and media systems is essential in the shift towards a sustainable, healthy future.

While the field of ecology focuses on the relationships between organisms and their environments, social ecology is concerned with how human societies work in the context of the natural world. For example: because technology has detached us from much involvement in the production of our own food, clothing and other needs, most people do not deeply understand the relationship between personal consumption and its effects on the natural world.

It is important for young people to learn some of the stories of just how it is that our needs and wants get met. By understanding these stories, children and young adults become more deeply aware of the impacts their choices have on themselves, on others, and on the planet.

Click for more information about SSRD's Social Ecology curriculum project (requires login).