Article 1. Policy of California Education Code >> Division 1. >> Title 1. >> Part 6. >> Chapter 4. >> Article 1.

The Legislature finds and declares that, throughout the state and nation, there is a growing public awareness of the benefits derived from a healthy environment and a healthy economy, and that the citizens of the State of California expect the educational institutions of this state to provide students with educational materials that are balanced and objective in their coverage of the current scientific and economic research on environmental and ecological issues to enable students to better address and assess environmental issues as we enter the 21st century.

The Legislature further finds and declares that an informed public working for the common environmental good through its democratic institutions at all educational and professional levels and among all interested private parties can break the chain of destructive land use, restore land which has been improperly abused, and build balance and beauty into our cities of the future.

The Legislature further finds and declares that an educational program is needed that is designed to build necessary attitudes of stewardship toward the maintenance of the quality of our common environment and to enable all citizens to use wisely, and not destructively, the resources at their disposal. These attitudes are best developed at an early age through programs that encourage personal responsibility and participation in the local community.

The Legislature further finds and declares that without appropriate long-term funding, and without effective programs to encourage efforts and innovations at the school district level, and without needed materials and meaningful outdoor study opportunities, conservation education will remain a stepchild in the crowded family of public education.

The Legislature further finds and declares that man has a moral obligation to understand the world in which he lives and to protect, enhance, and make the highest use of the land and resources he holds in trust for future generations, and that the dignity and worth of the individual requires a quality environment in which he can develop the full potentials of his spirit and intellect.

The Legislature further finds and declares that conservation education should be a means of achieving an educational philosophy that will help each student develop a healthy attitude of personal responsibility toward his environment and its resources and provide him with the concepts, the knowledge, and the skills needed to contribute meaningfully to the decisionmaking process on issues involving the environment and its resources.

The Legislature further finds and declares that in all grade levels, environmental facts should be taught as they relate to each other, rather than as isolated bits of information, and that students should become aware of the interrelated nature of living processes, gain understanding of ecological relationships and of the effect of human activities upon these relationships, and become sensitive to the interdependence of man and natural resources.

It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this chapter to encourage development of educational programs for teachers and students commensurate with the importance of protecting scarce resources and safeguarding the quality of our environment.