Ecological literacy consists of three components: systems thinking, knowledge of the principles of ecology, and the understanding and practice of ecological values. It is a process designed to help students and teachers alike to understand the connectedness of things and to live and act in ways which reflect this understanding.
Environmental education takes tangible scientific principles, as diverse as physics, chemistry, biology and math, and constructs a road map to this planet's sustainability. But it also gives insight into the massive abuse of natural resources and the industries that leave a legacy of pillage on national forest land. It exposes the current extinction rate and asks students to utilise their education as knowledgeable citizens. And that rattles the despoilers of nature to the bone.