Introduction

In parallel with the formulation of the term ecoliteracy in ecology, another concept about ecoliteracy have emerged, with a definition that unquestionably differs from the traditional one. The idea of ecoliteracy as an approach that effects the formation of sustainable human communities and requires an essential reconstruction of the educational system, was introduced by Orr (1992). This idea is fundamental for his understandings for environmental/ecological literacy, and become quite popular during the mid-80s, along with the establishment of the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). This institution is formed in 1983 to make known the increasing concerns about the growing deterioration of the human and natural environment and its impact on economic and social development.

WCED (renamed the Brundtland Commission) issued a report, ”Our Common Future”, which was the first comprehensive survey on the Earth’s health, that described in details the responsibility for air pollution, desertification, and poverty. This report discussed as well the concept of sustainable development, formulating it as “…development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED, 1987). ”Our Common Future” report was used as a basis for Agenda 21,Chapter 36 that declared the responsibility to reorganize education within the vision for sustainable development (UNESCO, 1992). Consequently of these developments, UNESCO changed its International Environmental Education Program (1975-1995) to Educating for a Sustainable Future (UNESCO, 1997). Since the concept of sustainable development influenced and rearranged the environmental education process, the sustainable development itself was shaped as an educational field (i.e., education for sustainable development, ESD) (Bonnett, 2002; Gonzalez-Gaudiano, 2005; Stevenson, 2006).

Five years after Orr’s work on ecoliteracy, Capra (1997) imposed a new sense in the term ecoliteracy; defining it as an understanding of the principles of ecosystems organization and the application of those principles to create sustainable human communities and societies. (Cutter-Mackenzie & Smith, 2003). Namely the idea to use resources for the purpose of creation of sustainable human communities, demands and called for an essential reconstruction of the educational systems.

5.1. What is Ecoliteracy?

The term ecoliteracy represents understanding and internalization of sustainable ecological relationships in the nature and transfer of this sustainable lifestyle to daily life. This meaning is valid, although eco literacy does not have just one and unique definition.

The core subject of ecoliteracy is based on sustainability, which especially emphasizes that work and studies on sustainable development should design indicators and metrics in order to evaluate that ecoliteracy.

According to the literature review, there has not been found yet any ecoliteracy scale or alternative model. Therefore, there is a need for development of an ecoliteracy scale intended for use by adults, and to use this scale to test the alternative ecoliteracy model.

The basic elements in the alternative ecoliteracy model concept are focused on the common points of ecoliteracy: to have sustainable, affective, cognitive, behavioural roots. These roots refer to several subcomponents such as ecological intelligence, social intelligence, emotional intelligence, economy and green consumer behavior.

Тhе designed ecoliteracy model that encompass these subcomponents according to the literature is shown in Figure 1. Following this model, economy, emotional and social intelligences are subcategories of ecological intelligence (1st stage of the model). Ecological intelligence on its turn is directly link to green consumer behaviors, at the 2nd stage of the model.

5.1.1.Ecological intelligence

Ecological intelligence is one of the main subsets of ecoliteracy. It is due to the fact that ecoliteracy concept is related to either holistic perspective or sustainability. The key mission of ecological intelligence is:

• To cultivate social and environmental responsibility and awareness
• To encourage critical thinking
• To follow cooperative learning
• To generate behavioral change in the long-term perspective.
• Ecological intelligence is associated with those brain areas that are responsible for cognitive and affective reactions. Anatomically and physiologically, the both parts of learners’ brains should be promoted.

Figure 1. Alternative model of eco literacy

Legend: 1st stage: economy, emotional and social intelligences subcategories of ecological intelligence; 2nd stage - ecological intelligence link to green consumer behaviors.

Ecological intelligence respects the individual peculiarities. It does not overlook them, since individual experience influences the social community.

Another key feature of ecological intelligence is its holistic outlook, as there are many biotic and abiotic factors in the world to be minded. Therefore, each activity linked to consumption or not, can influence directly or indirectly the environment.

It is important people to be in charge for their concrete treatment of their environments and social communities. As the Individualism is characteristic for human capitalist society, humans (being social creatures) cannot isolate themselves from the social area because ecological intelligence is a social and collective process. In fact, the environmental asset is achieved through language communication and therefore environmentally responsible behavior also needs to involve responsible social and economic play.

5.1.2. Social intelligence

Social intelligence is the second key subset of ecoliteracy. Social intelligence pertains to social responsibilities of people regarding sustainability. For example, people have to suppose how a matter is produced or whether there is any environmental or social/human use in this production process.

To make better the social intelligence is a difficult task because of the process of migration. This process has two parts: migrants and hosts (cities/countries). The migrants are cheap labour sources for hosts. That is why they are named ‘brown revolution’. If a migrants’ population is placed in an urban area, it causes massive stresses on urban life. This is valid, especially to Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America (FAO, 2015).

Another problem is the adaptation of the rural population to urban social life. This is not an easy process, there is a gap between anticipation and reality in terms of social and economic lives.

Despite these considerations, the brown revolution cannot be ceased (Economist, 2002) because of economic reasons. A compromised decision is it to be slowed down on the one hand, and the governments to support the rural population life with internal and external policies, as recommended by FAO 2015 Report.

The Economist (2002) proposes to rename the reinforcement of the rural population as ‘green revolution’ because the ecologic development of the rural area is related to the economy (FAO Report, 2003).

5.1.3. Economy

The last but not least subpart of ecoliteracy is economy. McCallum (2005) and Orr (2002) stated that the Western science in historical plan has adverse effect in understanding the natural environment: ecology and economy are viewed as two different and independent themes. At the same time, they are complementing to each other due to the fact that economy needs environmental and human resources in order to continue its development. Therefore, the economy should be based on sustainable development rather than on the exploitation of environmental and human resources (as the brown revolution is).

Thus, people should be able to understand that all their needs that are satisfied by buying foods, clothes, shelters are dependable on natural resources. That is why, people have to think about and sense their own effects on the environment and the need for its prevention. Therefore, the sense of environment is envisaged as emotional intelligence.

5.1.4. Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is also an important subpart of ecoliteracy. In fact, Goleman, Bennett and Barlow (2012) amalgamate ecological, social and emotional intelligences under the term ecoliteracy. In respect to the emotional intelligence, one should be able to sense the putative negative impacts of ones’ actions on society, natural environment and the other living organisms.

McBride et al. (2013) have also accepted this kind of relationship among the ecologic, affective and cognitive elements, under the ecoliteracy hat, calling these elements “head, heart, hands and spirit” connections.

Emotional intelligence is linked to human feelings. It is the emotive part of ecoliteracy. People have sense and emotions but sometimes they cannot be able to understand or express them. Regarding the environment, if people feel this environment (pain, hurt, anxiety, fear, empathy, etc.), they are linked with it. The main questions are whether human activities perturb lives of other living things; what are their feelings and whether they have empathy.

It is pointed out that special attention has to be paid to adult people, who are not very open to change, explore and express their feelings like children; For this reason a specific measures for adults should be developed to deal with their social and consumption problems.

5.1.5. Green consumer behaviour

In general, adult people use to spend and consume more products then they really need to do. This tendency is directly related to the growing consumerism, (Aracıoglu & Tatlıdil, 2009; Esposito, 2009). It is necessary to minimize the overuse the natural resources linked with consumerism effect. Here, the concept for ecologically friendly production appeared which stresses on ecological items. Nevertheless, that ecologically based products are more expensive, the producers will market them if the consumers tend to buy products that are harmonized with Nature. In this way, the industrial production will not act harmfully to the nature. The needs to be considered here are collective action and public awareness on the use of ecological products. These needs will be of great importance. Thus, the collective action of green consumers makes reference to ecoliteracy due to the environmentally responsible or green consumer behavior that is the visible/observable side of ecoliteracy (Kapogianni, 2015; McBride et al., 2013).

Ecoliteracy summarizes the following four components:

• To get the idea of how the Earth functions in the viewpoint of the basic ecological concepts (i.e. ecosystems, energetics, population ecology, community ecology, material cycles).
• To understand how humans fit the planet ecology, including awareness with the human threats to ecological integrity (i.e. global warming, ozone depletion, habitat destruction).
• To find possible solutions for these human threats of the Earth’s ecological systems.

The basis, on which these first three components of ecoliteracy are constructed, is outlined in the following fourth component.

• To express empathy and connection with the nature. Empathy is defined by different authors in a different way, as a “sense of wonder” (Rachel Carson), “biophilia” (Harvard’s E.O. Wilson), and “love, respect, and admiration for the land” (Aldo Leopold). The scientists and the thinkers share almost undoubtedly the opinion that the nowadays life of the human species on the planet is, in the big picture, not sustainable. Since the humankind lives on a planet with physical and resource limits, sustainable human activities must be practiced as an awareness and response to the said limits.

The pathway for creation of a sustainable human enterprise, both locally and globally, demands taking smart solutions about a wide range of environmental issues. Intelligent, informed decisions about land-use, growth, energy-use, open space, pollution, and many other issues require ecologically literate citizens.

5.2.Need of ecoliteracy

The need of ecoliteracy is grounded on our understanding of the ecosystems of our planet and the ways, in which humans can more efficiently and sustainably live within those systems. The decisions and choices that individuals, communities and policy makers are taking often involve quite complex scientific, economic, and social factors. Unfortunately, the dialogue and literacy level among citizens (at all levels of the society) are characterized by misinformation and a lack of critical questioning. An example for this reality that is advancing at high pace, is the book reading. The book reading among all youth and adults is progressively declining. At the same time, research has shown that reading ability at children age declines as well. Declining literacy among youth has been attributed to “alienation and disempowerment due to traditional curricula, pedagogical practices and culturally irrelevant texts” (Okur-Berberoglu, 2018).

Thus ecoliteracy can be taught as an integrated environmental discipline that is both age-appropriate and standards-based, designed to make people’s environmental culture fitting the 21st Century social, economic and environmental requirements. Ecoliteracy fosters a perspective essential to sustainable living: that the natural world supports and limits human needs and achievements (Fig. 2).

Ecoliteracy is not only awareness towards shifting to systems thinking. It goes beyond and applies this principle to all interrelated subject matters in a smart interdisciplinary format. Systems thinking is essential to develop attitude that can help tutors guide trainees towards healthy and active environmental awareness. In particular, this is regarded to the development of ‘Earthfulness’ - an orientation of people towards interconnectedness with all Earth processes and systems, that will enhance the movement of the entire society towards healthy relationships with our environment.

Modern research approaches and facilities allow scientists to collect comprehensive information about the health of our planet. Information pool of nowadays is enormous. To improve people’s ability to filter this information and understand the complex natural systems that are being affected by human activities, there has been a growing importance of improving ecoliteracy. Ecoliteracy alone is insufficient to facilitate the desired change in our attitude towards the environment. It is not an easy task, since climate change continues to accelerate and biodiversity crises continues to get worse. However, it offers valuable knowledge that might contribute to people’s efforts towards sustainable life and society. It main pillars are as follows:

• Through ecoliteracy, youths and adults mature to understand nature and their place in nature.
• The ecoliteracy background fosters links between humans and nature, and encourages them to move beyond the fear to explore, learn, and act on the knowledge, adopted from ecoliteracy.
• The life is joint and cooperative and the samples and species web, communities, and systems hold each other.
• The life demands to be multifarious. Diversity means that we can change.
• All living and non-living things are linked and the life is about interrelation. Communities represent ecosystems. Species have intrinsic links with each other in a network, although sometimes this means that they eat each other. That is a relationship too.
• All thinks begin with the sun, which feeds the plants that keep life on Earth.
• The life matter cycles. Every piece of sand and drop of water has been here forever, and it will always be here, although in a different form.
• Ecosystems do not have waste, because they are always food for another organism. The rest matter from one kind has to be utilize from another!
• People need nature to live. They need clean air, water, and soil. They need plants and other animals to work with people.

Figure 2. Essential Ecoliteracy concept.

5.2.1. The way to build ecoliteracy

As it was already mentioned, the recent understanding of ecoliteracy is based on an innovate amalgamation of emotional, social, and ecological intelligence. These elements are treated in perspective of care and concern, for understanding of natural systems and put up cognitive skills with empathy for all of life.

By linking these elements of intelligence together, ecoliteracy sets up the successes due to diminishing behavioral problems in order to rise academic achievement to foster social and emotional learning. In this way, it introduces the knowledge, empathy, and action in order to practice a sustainable living.

Therefore, to achieve and foster socially and emotionally engaged ecoliteracy, the following practices were introduced which, of course are not the only way to do so. However, when such practices are involved, a strong way to become ecoliterate is succeeded and healthier relationships with other people and communities appeared.

These practices can be summarized as follows:

1. Development of empathy for all forms of life

Generally, all living organisms, including humans possess common needs for their life and survival - food, water, space, and conditions that support the dynamic of living equilibrium.

Assuming these basic and common needs, which are shared between all organisms, a shift from the admitted central role of humans as superior creatures to a more authentic one – (the view of humans as members of the natural world) is taking place. Thus, an expansion of the empathy towards the quality of life of other life forms is accepted.

Most people exhibit care and compassion toward other living beings and it is one of the important indicators: human brain is able to feel. This capacity has to be cared by creating lessons that emphasize the important roles that plants and animals play in sustaining the web of life.

Empathy also can be cultivated using contacts with other living things, by maintaining live plants and animals at home, performing field trips to nature areas, zoos, botanical gardens, and animal rescue centers; as well as participation infield projects such as habitat restoration.

Another way to evolve empathy for other forms of life is by understanding indigenous cultures. The traditional societies are intimately connected to plants, animals, the land, and the cycles of life. This manner of daily living has helped these societies to survive throughout the years. Understanding the relationship with their surroundings could be helpful to learn how a society lives when it values other forms of life.

2. Adopt sustainability like a community practice

The living organisms cannot survive in isolation. In fact, the web of relations within any living community defines its collective ability to survive and thrive. Learning about the remarkable modes, by which plants, animals, and other living things are interlinked, inspire people to understand the role of intrinsic links within living communities. This gives idea about the value in amplifying those relationships by thinking and acting cooperatively.

The development of sustainability is a community practice, but contains some features that are outside of the common statements for community activity. In fact, community practices are essential to building ecoliteracy because they examine how the community supports itself - the daily praxis value the common favor.

Another approach is based on projects that gathered data about the sources of energy and the used amount and then formulate the asking, “How might we change the way we use energy so that we are more resilient and reduce the negative impacts on people, other living beings, and the planet?” Such projects can give users the option to start building a community that values the common good and versatility.

3. Make the invisible visible

From historical point of view, as well as for some cultures still in existence today, the pathway from the decision and its realization was short and clear. For example, a family possessing and working on land, can have soon experience with flooding, soil erosion, a lack of shade, and a vast reduction of biodiversity.

However, the strong development of the global economy makes people sightless and they cannot have experience for the damages of our actions. Due to the economical fast growth for instance, the use of fossil fuels was strongly increased, and, it has been difficult (and is still difficult for many people) to understand that they are damaging with their activity the magnitude of the Earth’s climate. Nevertheless, some places on the planet are starting to show different indications of climate change, but daily weather is not the same as climate collapse over time. Therefore, it is important to arrange the ways of living expressing real climate situation and making invisible changes visible.

There are a number of different strategies to achieve this effect. The excellent approach is web based tools, such as Google Earth, making possible a virtual walks and view the landscape in other regions and countries. In this way, special technological applications can be used such as Good Guide and Fooducate, which are selected from a great amount of research “packages”. In this way, the easy-to-follow formats show the impact of certain household products on our health, the environment, and social justice.

That is why, using social networking websites, trainees can share with those of distant areas and learn directly what the others are testing and what is invisible to most trainees.

4. Expecting of possible consequences

A lot of the environmental crises, which happened today are with unexpected effect on human behavior. For instance, some death consequences were attempted and different technological ability to access, produce, and use fossil fuels were experienced. All these new technological abilities were considered as advance for our society. Today the public has understood the dependency of society on fossil fuels, and caused from their use pollution, suburban sprawl, international conflicts, and climate change. Of course, there are a couple of remarkable strategies for expecting unintended consequences. One strategy is based on the precaution principle, which can be applied to this basic concept: In case of an activity, which dangers to have a harmful effect on the environment or human health, safeguard actions should be taken in respect to the cause-and-effect links that has been scientifically validated.

Historically, to put barrier on new products, technologies, or practices, the people taking care about potential negative effects were anticipated to evidence scientifically that damage would result from them. Besides, the precaution principle, which is now in action in many countries, it requires the pressure of proof on the producers to show harmlessness and accept responsibility in case harm exists. Another strategy is to switch on from problem solving to the analysis of its isolated components in order to adapt systems thinking to evaluate the links and relations between contained components.

The use of the systems thinking seemingly is better as to predict possible consequences for a little change of one part of the system that can potentially affect the entire system.

One easy method for looking at the problem systemically is by mapping it and all of its components and interconnections. It is then easier to grasp the complexity of the decisions and foresee possible implications.

Therefore, there is no matter how often the precautionary principle and systems thinking are applied, because in both strategies unanticipated consequences of the actions will be encountered.

Building flexibility for instance, by escaping from mono-crop agriculture or by setting up local, less centralized food systems or energy networks represents other important strategy for survival in these circumstances. Thus, turn to nature and find that the capacity of natural communities to rebound from unintended consequences is vital to survival.

5. Realize how nature sustains life

• 1. The ecoliterate people admit that nature has sustained life everlasting; as a result, they have turned to nature as their tutor taught several crucial principles. Three of those principles are especially jussive to ecoliterate living. The ecoliterate people have studied from the nature that all living organisms are elements of a convoluted, associated web of life and that those elements occupation a particular place depend upon their interaction for survival. Tutors can foster an understanding of the diverse web of relationships within a location by having trainees study that location as a system.
• 2. The ecoliterate people are aware that all systems in nature exist and are structured at different levels of scale. Organisms are members of systems, and these systems are positioned within another ones progressing from the micro to the macro-level. Each level is important since it supports the rest to sustain life. When trainees begin to understand the complex net of relationships that sustain an ecosystem, they can better understand that for survival, and help a system to respond to disturbances are needed strengthen relationships.
• 3. Ecoliterate people practice together a way of life that satisfies the needs of the present generation. Meanwhile, that life style supports nature’s essential ability to sustain life into the future. They have learned from nature that as members of a healthy ecosystem, they have not to mishandle the resources they need in order to survive. They have learned as well from nature to take only what they need at a time they need it and to tune their behavior in both times of prosperity and difficulties. This requires that trainees learn to think in perspective making decisions about how to live.

5.2.2. Guidelines to ecoliteracy education

The above mentioned 5 practices build on social and emotional learning skills. To understand ecosystems’ principles of organization, which have evolved over billions of years, one needs to learn the basic principles of ecology—the language of nature. The most useful framework for understanding ecology today is the theory of living systems, which is still emerging and whose roots include organismic biology, Gestalt psychology, general system theory, and complexity theory (or nonlinear dynamics).

What is a living system? Living systems are what we see when are walking out into nature. All living creatures – from bacteria to big mammals comprise a living system. Each living system is composed by parts - the parts of the living systems are themselves living systems. Under the definition of living systems, the communities of organisms, including both ecosystems and human social systems such as families, schools, and other, are living systems.

How to educate in Ecoliteracy

From historical point of view, environmental education definition and development reflect the changes in the environment and the associated with this change’ problems.

The UN General Assembly recognized the importance of environment education and subsequently ecological literacy, and in 1987 endorsed the development of educational programmes that consider to fit the local economic, environmental, and societal realities (UNESCO, 2005).

In the view point of these realities, the following goals the environmental education were specified (Gevorgyan & Adanalian, 2009):

• 1. To promote of knowledge about the environment and its conditions;
• 2. To deliver criteria, standards and recommendations necessary for adequate decision-making in respect to natural environment preservation and inclusive solutions to economic, social and ecological issues;
• 3. To establish possibilities for environment preservation along economic progress;
• 4. To intensify the importance of ecological traditions and eco-friendly means of economy management in order to foster environmental management.
• 5. To authorise and prepare current and future generations to use a balanced and cohesive approach to the main dimensions of sustainable development (economic, social, environmental).

Environmental education is based on the premise that both the natural and human built environments, locally and globally, are interdependent and include interactions between biological, economic, social, and cultural forces (UNESCO, 1980). Environmental sustainability depends on the natural environment and how it endures and remains diverse and productive, also the state of air, water, and the climate.

Ecoliteracy focuses on the various interactions between different elements in the environment and human activity. It is essential to the achievement of a self-sustaining community with preserving the resources for future generations. Ecoliteracy is the most important part of education at all levels. Ecoliteracy is an essential element of pro-environmental behavior, since it is defined as capability to distinguish and interpret the environmental systems health and to implement appropriate initiatives to keep, restore, or expand their health, (Disinger & Roth, 1992). This is true on both individual and community levels (Esposito, 2009).

Ecologically literate people have knowledge of ecological principles, concerns for a healthy natural environment and skills to engage in environmentally responsible behaviours. They are responsible and lifelong learners. In other to accomplish these characteristics, they try to become inquirers, reflective learners, intelligently self-directed, morally responsible and ecologically responsible people (Puk, 2002). With these characteristics, an ecologically literate individual understands environmental realities by specifically identifying their cause and effect relationship and provides for the shift to an ecological paradigm by affecting other people. This shift to an ecological paradigm is a part of the transition to sustainability. This means that not only meeting basic needs but also creating a vibrant society becomes very important (Ecological Literacy, 2011).

The basic principles of the formation of an environmentally literate person are as follows:

• ✓ Mandatory and prioritized environmental knowledge in the education system;
• ✓ Consistency and continuity of education in the field of ecology;
• ✓ Education focus on solving practical problems in preserving and restoring the natural environment, resource-saving nature management;
• ✓ Generality and complexity;
• ✓ Focus on the development of people with respect to the environment, understanding of personal responsibility for its conservation, restoration and augmentation;
• ✓ Publicity of the development and implementation of environmental education and awareness programmes;
• ✓ Continuity of domestic and world experience in the formation of environmental education of the population;
• ✓ Interregional and international cooperation for formation of an environmentally educated person.

The education of ecologically literate youth in school settings is strongly influences by their surroundings - ecologically literate families, teachers, friends. Therefore, it is also necessary to give education to families and teachers on ecoliteracy (Yıldırım & Hablemitoğlu, 2013). The main recommendations for achieving ecoliteracy, as specified by McBride (2011) are realized through different channels - from traditional education to scientific communication, to financial motivation. These recommendations are discussed in Table 1:

Table 1. Eight recommendations for achieving ecoliteracy

Channels	Recommendation	Recommendation
Formal / Traditional	1.To update ecology standards and assessments	Standards should: -Reflect the now-a-days vision of ecoliteracy -Be useful for instruction -Be grounded in educational theory and research -Be linked to assessment tools
	2.To update ecology curricula and instructional materials	-New or complementary standardized textbooks and curricula based on the above standards and equipped with appropriate assessments -Their content should focus on the connections between learners and their local ecosystems
Participatory / Interactive	3.To involve students in real scientific engagement	-Teaching for ecoliteracy must promote learning ecology by doing ecology
	4.To include informal learning options	-Nature centers -Museums -Other non-school educational settings (including the interne
Through Mass Media	5.To implement mass media campaigns	-Need for coordinated and prolonged campaigns of electronic and print media
Communication by Scientists	6.To offer training and support for engaged ecologists	-Training of ecologists as skilled communicators (both as teachers and collaborators) to become effective promoters of ecoliteracy,
	7.To recognize and remunerate ecologists for participating	-Ecologists’ efforts to promote ecoliteracy must be recognized and rewarded along their ecological science contributions.
Motivation Financial	8.To provide monetary incentive to motivate or prevent certain actions	-Government remuneration for "green" activities and/or penalty for "non-green" activities as a tool for promoting ecoliteracy

David Orr in his book “Ecological Literacy” (2005) wrote: “Our efforts to build a sustainable world cannot succeed unless future generations learn how to partner with natural systems to our mutual benefit. In other words, children must become “ecologically literate.” It aims, says David Orr in his foreword, “toward a deeper transformation of the substance, process, and scope of education at all levels—familial, geographic, ecological and political.”

An exemplary approach to effective ecoliteracy teaching and learning is described by McBride (2011), and comprises the following milestones:

Use ecological inquiries and investigations (original and/or adapted):

• ✓ Teachers use inquiries to assist you in the development of educational activities that correspond to the educational requirements of a curriculum.
• ✓ Examples:
  • - A trainer, graduated in soil ecology inquires trainees about the effects of soil drought on plant growth.
  • - A trainer, graduated in wildlife biology educates trainees about predation avoidance strategies through inquiries about adaptation through camouflage and warning coloration
  • - A trainer, graduated in plant ecology inquires trainees about seed type and dispersal mechanisms of plants, thus teaching them in plant adaptation strategies.

Apply ecological research:

• ✓ teachers determine the framework of different research activities, such as practicaltasks, case studies, observation studies, and the trainees, on their turn, design and perform them.
• ✓ Examples:
  • - A graduate trainee whose research activities are related to fire ecology work with worked students from high school biology classes and collaborate as well with the local municipal authorities to design and conduct experiments on the putative negative effects of a burn in the said local area.
  • - A graduate trainee in forestry worked with elementary school classes to follow the leafing and flowering of species in their schoolyards to predict and monitor the processes.

Demonstrate outdoor ecological research:

• ✓ Graduate fellows worked with teachers and students to create physical structures on school grounds, in collaboration with other experts from the university and community, including non-profit environmental organizations, artists, landscape architects, and carpenters. These serve as continuing resources for teaching and learning about ecology.
• ✓ Examples:
  • - One school developed a native plant garden
  • - Another school built an interpretive nature trail.

Basic competency of the ecoliterate

Understanding the relationship between living things and their environment means to understand how nature works. These relationships may be cleared through the following basic competencies:

• ✓ Evaluate the impacts of human actions and technologies
• ✓ Learn in the community
• ✓ Explore traditional ecological knowledge
• ✓ Mind the reduction of energy and resources uses
• ✓ Increase and maintain biodiversity
• ✓ Explore, observe and investigate local communities culture
• ✓ Explore how people are nature dependent
• ✓ Focus on environmental issues that are personally appropriate.
• ✓ Express concern, empathy, and respect to other living things
• ✓ When learning about the environment, followed different points of view
• ✓ Mentor, teach, inspire others about environmental issues
• ✓ Rank the significance about a particular area through multiple visits to it
• ✓ Plan events to engage others for active participation in environmental such
• ✓ Participate in community events and actions that promote sustainability
• ✓ Explore interactions within the community and the wider society
• ✓ Work on environmental solutions that contribute to equity, justice, inclusiveness, and respect for all people
• ✓ Further citizen science by contributing local data

Ecoliteracy in action

If you have a premises with trainees that foster a sense of wonder for the natural world and encourage children to explore that world, on personal or institutional projects. This place would support joy in the relationship with the rest of Nature. In addition, trainees are encouraged to have an ongoing relationship with natural places.

Together, all trainees (adults and children) would learn that they rely on nature and also, that they are an active part of it. This would provide a foundation so that children could inquire, learn and grow as life-long citizens of the planet. Ecoliteracy must be taught in a way that trainees yearn to ask questions and find answers and learn about their place in the world.

The training system concept

The efficient training in ecoliteracy requires exploitation of variety of teaching strategies grounded on the principles to fit students’ level of development and based on brain-based research. The aim of these teaching strategies is to provide that knowledge, skills and attitudes that are vital for sustainable living. It is approved practice that students learn better if the teaching strategies applied by teachers unify indoor and outdoor environments, i.e. include both indoor studies and outdoor activities. This combination allows students to practice hands-out activities, to have time for reflection and decision making, to develop interdisciplinary projects, etc.

These training strategies are implemented through different training approaches that fit students diversity. These are the following.

Place-based Learning

The principle of this training mode (invented a century ago and named experiential learning) is to engage students in their own environments. The main advantages of this strategy are that it encourages students' imaginations and stimulates environmental management and civic responsibilities.

The key feature of place-based learning is to start with simple questions: "What is my place? Where do I belong to? What is the history of my place? Where is the position of my place within the rest of the world?"

To be successful, a place-based programme must consider students as participants in the social life of their communities. Consequently, this programme has to envisage activities such as:

• ✓ Perform outdoor learning: take the students into the community and natural environment; integrate what they have learned back in the classroom lessons.
• ✓ Make students map their surrounding community to create visual representation of their place within the larger systems to which they belong., and to to learn key ecological and cultural principles.
• ✓ Emphasize on students’ contributions to environmental quality and to community well-being; stimulate them to solving real problems on the basis what they have learned.
• ✓ Stimulate students’ active role in shaping their own social, physical, and economic environments while collaborating with local citizens and institutions (organizations, agencies, governmental authorities, businesses).
• ✓ Encourage students to regard their community as an ecosystem and to understand the relationships and processes necessary to support the ecosystem health.

There are lots of benefits of place-based learning proved by thorough research activities. Some of the most promising are related to: higher test results, better grades, improved indoor behavior, better problem-solving skills, improved thinking skills.

Project-based Learning

Project-based learning approach is a valuable strategy, since it is based on challenging questions which answers demand complex thinking and skills. Project-based learning is by rule interdisciplinary and quite complex. Projects may be of different durations but require students to explore different resources and tools, among which the the Web, each other collaboration, the community, external experts, written resources, etc.

In project-based learning, the teacher’s role is to be a facilitator rather than an expert to learning. The main benefits of project-based learning are focused on:

• ✓ Increased critical thinking skills and problem-solving capabilities
• ✓ Fostered positive attitudes toward different study subjects and better performance with applied problems.
• ✓ Better attitudes toward learning and better work habits

To promote ecoliteracy, project-based learning experiences such as habitat restoration and modeling the evolution of agriculture are very appropriate

Socratic Inquiry

Based on Socrats philosophy that questions, not answers stimulate learning, this strategy exploits the idea of encouraging students to question their assumptions, values, and preconceptions. This process help students not only to clarify their misconceptions but to clarify their thoughts related to this matter.

Engaging students in Socratic discussions helps them to enter deeply in the discussed topic and to apply to it critical thinking,while improving their listening skills, articulating capabilities and ideas presentation. Socratic discussions contribute as well to develop in students sense of tolerance to diverse opinions.

In this strategy the role of the teacher shifts from instructor to facilitator of discussion.

In respect to ecoliteracy, applying Socratic inquiry students discuss and debate issues such as animal welfare, workers' rights, the right to know what is in genetically modified plants, etc.

Experiential Learning

Experiential learning regards learning as an active process. Experiential learning encourages involvement in the real world and defines the teacher's role as a facilitator of learning to the students as active recipients. The philosophy of this learning strategy is that the process of learning is a continuous one, in which center is the experience of the learners.

The students participating in experiential learning, follow what is known as "the learning cycle", a process that comprises exploration, concept formation and concept application. This cycle repeats each time students test an idea.

Experiential learning is crucial for sustainability. Only through direct contact with nature students develop in-depth understanding of fundamental ecological principles.

Interdisciplinary Learning

Interdisciplinary learning is focused on making relation among traditional disciplines such as math, science, history, languages. Here, the teaching and learning are dedicated to problems, which solving demands knowledge and skills from various subjects. In this way, an expanded and more complex understanding of the studied topics is realized.

Interdisciplinary learning avoids gaining isolated skills. On the contrary, it allows students to face a problem from different entry points as they use various sources of information and stand points. It also allows teachers to invent adequate methods of assessment.

The benefits of interdisciplinary teaching are that it:

• ✓ Promotes students' motivation for learning
• ✓ Stimulates students’ active engagement
• ✓ Help students to recognize the value of what they are learning
• ✓ Encourages students’ interaction with each other, with teachers and community members.

Interdisciplinary teaching and learning is the best approach for adopting the principles of sustainable living.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes reflect the cognitive and practical abilities of trainees. These are statements that describe the knowledge, skills, autonomy and responsibility trainees should acquire by the end of a training course, particular assignment, or programme. They also help trainees to understand why it is worth to gain those knowledge, skills and attitudes and how they can use them for personal development.

Learning Outcomes are focused on the specific subjects’ context and potential applications of the knowledge and skills acquired. In this way, Learning Outcomes assist trainees to relate learning from various contexts to practice and to the assessment and evaluation of this knowledge.

Learning Outcomes emphasize the knowledge application in real life situations, and its integration in abroad sense.

Based on the Learning Outcomes as an important qualification descriptor, the overall objective of a course of study of ecoliteracy is to provide the trainees a solid foundation for environmental literacy (EQF, 2018). This means capability for detailed understanding of environmental problems with the purpose to enable their analysis, synthesis, assessment, and decision making at a citizen's level.

Ecoliteracy in the curricula

Nowadays, ecoliteracy is a central platform of education at all levels. The principles of ecoliteracy might be used to rethink and restructure not only the learning process but as well the learning content and the way it is organized. The ecoliteracy curriculum has to respect the following considerations:

• ✓ To impose transformations in the society in terms of assumptions and worldviews through education.
• ✓ To help students to understand the way in whicfunctioning of the ecosystems and the role of humans as their essential element to support their health as an inseparable part of humans one.
• ✓ To be interconnected and use holistic approach in studying life’s basic pattern of organisation, thus making students pro-active and creative about their future.
• ✓ To support environmental responsibility to be implemented and practiced everywhere.
• ✓ To encourage students to observe and ‘read’ nature to experience the sense of wonder that knowing nature can bring.
• ✓ To stimulate students to develop a sense of place and build knowledge of the local environment, as well as to develop a sense of responsibility to others.
• ✓ To cultivate the feeling of involvement in students, a sense of being able to make a difference.
• ✓ To teach students to think for the future, to develop foresight and think long-term.

Summarizing the ecoliteracy main features and the needs of it as a multifaceted approach for establishment of sustainable ecological relationships in the nature and arrangement of their transfer to everyday life, the following related components of ecoliteracy can be summarized (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Essential ecoliteracy related elements

Source: Nickols, 2010

5.3. Ecological literacy and the transition to sustainability

5.3.1. Environmental Sustainability

Sustainability provides the conservation, protection, and regeneration of resources affecting the future of human health. Sustainability means to protect our planet and natural environment, reducing carbon emissions, renewable fuel sources, human and ecological health, while not compromising our way of life.

In Ecology, sustainability means how ecosystems remain diverse and productive. Healthy forests and oceans are example of sustainable ecosystems. In more general terms, sustainability is the stability of all the systems and processes.

The term Sustainable Development was invented by the Bruntland Commission established by the United Nations in 1983 with the purpose to reflect about the ways to protect the human environment and natural resources and avoid deterioration of economic and social development (Gro Harlem Brundtland was the former Prime Minister of Norway and was chosen due to her strong background in the sciences and public health) (UN, 1987). According to Bruntland Commission, Sustainable development is defined as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

Ecological sustainability is a part of the relationship between humans and their natural and social environments. Also termed human ecology, the sustainable development domain is broadened with the of human health one. Fundamental human needs such as quality of air, water and food are also the ecological foundations for sustainable development. In accordance with IISD Annual Report, 2011, addressing public health risk through investments in ecosystem services can be a powerful and transformative force for sustainable development, which, in this sense, extends to all species.

Adopted by the 189 United Nations member states, the goals of sustainability were advanced to help achieve the following sustainable development standards by 2015 (UN, 2005):

• 1. To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• 2. To achieve universal primary education
• 3. To promote gender equality and empower women
• 4. To reduce child mortality
• 5. To improve maternal health
• 6. To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
• 7. To ensure environmental sustainability (one of the targets in this goal focuses on increasing sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation)
• 8. To develop a global partnership for development

People need to have the knowledge of ecological principles, concerns for a healthy natural environment and skills to engage in environmentally responsible behaviours. In this context, Ecoliteracy is the ability to use ecological understanding, thinking and habits for health living. In the 21st century, Sustainable Development is considered as the capacity of the biosphere and human civilization to coexist, as well as the ways to maintain a homeostasis balanced environment. For many scientists, sustainability includes three interconnected domains or pillars: environment, economic and social. These pillars and their interrelations according to Fritjof Capra, are based on the principles of Systems Thinking (Capra, 2015) (Fig.4).

Figure 4. The three pillars of sustainability

source: en.wikipedia.org

Figure 5. Major criteria related to the three pillars of sustainability.

source: en.wikipedia.org

Pillar: ENVIRONMENT

Broad topic	Activities	Examples
Ecosystem Services	Ecosystem Services	✓ Innovative nutrient management techniques (Green Infrastructure)
Green Engineering & Chemistry	✓ To design chemical products and processes to eliminate toxics, reuse / recycle chemicals, reduce total lifecycle costs	✓ Lifecycle Assessments in products design
Quality of Air	✓ To Manage and maintain air-quality standards and decrease the risk from toxic air pollutants	✓ Investigate potential strategies for greenhouse gas emissions reduction
Quality of Water	✓ To reduce exposure to contaminants in water systems and infrastructure ✓ To optimize aging systems ✓ To explore next generation treatment approaches & technologies	✓ Investigate potential strategies for greenhouse gas emissions reduction
Stress factors	✓ To reduce the effects of pollutants, greenhouse gas emissions, GMOs on the ecosystem and vulnerable populations	✓ Fate of GMOs in soil
Resource Integrity	✓ To reduce adverse effects by minimizing waste generation ✓ To prevent accidental release and future clean-up	✓ Fate of GMOs in soil

Pillar: ECONOMY

Broad topic	Activities	Examples
Jobs	✓ To reinforce and maintain current and future jobs	✓ Introduction of innovative technologies and practices that provide multiple benefits to society and the environment
Motivations	✓ To promote human motivation ✓ To encourage sustainable practices	✓ Collaborative approaches for management of urban stormwater
Supply and Demand	✓ To promote fully informed market practices to endorse environmental health and social prosperity	✓ Full lifecycle cost and benefit accounting techniques
Natural Resource Accounting	✓ To positively impact costs of processes, services, and products throughout the full lifecycle	✓ Encouragement for development of waste-free processes
Costs	✓ To improve understanding and quantitative evaluation of ecosystem services in cost benefit analysis	✓ Sustainability Assessments
Prices	✓ To promote prices that reduce risk for new technologies	✓ Fast launch of innovative technologies and approaches to the market

Pillar: SOCIETY

Broad topic	Activities	Examples
Environmental Justice	✓ To protect communities health over-loaded by pollution by empowering them to improve their health and environment	✓ Established partnerships with local and state organisations to achieve healthy and sustainable communities
Human Health	✓ To protect, sustain, and improve human health	✓ Established model that predicts developmental toxicology
Participation	✓ To use transparent processes that engage relevant stakeholders	✓ Developed database of reduced-risk pesticides for commonly used products; ✓ Greater public understanding about sustainability
Education	✓ To enhance the education about sustainability of the general public, stakeholders, and potentially affected groups	✓ Provided opportunities for students and communities to learn about sustainability
Resource Security	✓ To protect, maintain, and restore access to water, food, land, and energy for current and future generations	✓ Study impact of pollutants on natural waterways
Sustainable Communities	✓ To encourage the development, of communities that promote sustainable living	✓ Landscape with native plant species ✓ Green buildings

adapted from: www2.epa.gov

The main characteristics of the three main pillars of Sustainable Development can be outlined as follows:

✓ Environmental Sustainability:

Environmental sustainability means to make eco-friendly products, to fight pollutions and climate change, to explore practices that ensure the natural resources to remain intact, so the components of the environment not to be degraded. The definitions of sustainable manufacture, products, and practices are outline in Fig. 6.

According to Pettinger (2018), environmental sustainability is concerned as well with the protection and maintenance of environmental resources for the future generations. Environmental Sustainability tackles issues such as:

• - Long-term health of the ecosystem: to protect food supplies, farmland stock.
• - Renewable resources: to diversify the energy sources.
• - Protection of biodiversity and ecological structure: specific plant species are required for the production of some medicines; this limits future technological innovations.
• - Prevent the global warning due to human activities: to implement policies that ensure the environment is not destroyed.
• - Intergenerational decision making: to make decisions, considering the consequences for the future generations. For instance, burning coal provides a short-term benefit because of the cheaper energy; meanwhile, the extra pollution inflicts cost on future generations.

Figure 6. Environment Sustainability Practices

Source: https: //www.pngitem.com/pimgs/m/56-569962_environmental-sustainability-practices-hd-png-download.png

Thus, the environmental sustainability targets are focused on (Fig. 7):

• - Shift to renewable resources through restricting the consumption of non-renewable resources;
• - Protect ecosystems health through avoiding the irreparable damages of the ecosystems;
• - Avoid excess pollution through controlling the earth’s atmosphere pollution
• - Make intergenerational decisions through taking economic decisions on the basis of future consequences in long-term vision;
• - Aim welfare not sole economic benefits through implementing economic measures that value social wellbeing.

Figure 7. Environmental sustainability targets

✓ Social Sustainability:

Social sustainability means the ability of society to work towards common goals through satisfaction of individual needs, for instance demands for health and well-being, nutrition, shelter, education, culture, etc. Social impact may encompass a variety of activities to be reached: from making safe working environment to development and implementation of ecology-awareness programmes.

The social sustainability targets combining planet, people and profit for common benefits, are focused on (Fig. 8):

• - Facilities and infrastructure: accessible transportation and street layout, provision of enough physical and community space, formation of places of distinct character;
• - Social and cultural activities: community facilities, well-being; feeling of safety;
• - Expression and influence: confidence to influence and improve the surrounding environment.

Figure 8. Main targets of social sustainability

✓ Economic Sustainability:

Economic sustainability means that development towards social and environmental sustainability is financially attainable. Hence, economic sustainability refers to the way an economy functions in a sustainable manner, shielding social and environmental elements. Economic sustainability is grounded on important economic outcomes. For instance, reducing the carbon emission results in cost saving.

Economic sustainability is realized through smart economic growth, Research and development spending, cost savings, long range planning, leading to social and environmental benefits like fare taxation, business ethics, employment, trade, energy efficiency, carbon credits, etc

Sustainable vs. unsustainable

Sustainability requires that human activities use nature's resources at a rate at which they can be replenished naturally. An unsustainable situation occurs when natural capital (the total nature's resources) is used up faster than it can be replenished. Theoretically, the long-term result of this unsustainable situation is the inability to sustain human life (Russell & Fran, 2019). Sustainable vs. unsustainable situations in respect to the state of the environment as a result of resources consumption is presented in Table 2.

Education for sustainable development systems

A promising direction towards sustainable environmental development is to design systems that are flexible and reversible (Zhang & Babovic, 2012; Fawcett et al., 2012). Education for sustainable development is such a flexible and reversible system that integrates key sustainable development issues into teaching and learning. Among the key development issues, instruction about climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity and sustainable consumption may be listed. This system requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behaviours and take action for sustainable development. Therefore, education for sustainable development promotes competencies like critical thinking, imagining future scenarios and making decisions in a collaborative way (UNESCO, 1997; Marope, Chakroun, & Holmes, 2015).

Table 2. Sustainable/unsustainable situations

Consumption of natural resources	State of environment	Sustainability
More than nature's ability to replenish	Environmental degradation	Environmentally unustainable
Equal to nature's ability to replenish	Environmental equilibrium	Steady state economy
Less than nature's ability to replenish	Environmental renewal	Environmentally sustainable

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/

To be realized efficiently, the education for sustainable development process needed relevant environmental curricula and programmes, which development was guided by the Tbilisi Declaration (Tbilisi Declaration,1978). This is a document that outlined a number of objectives and principles to be followed for the development of environmental curricula and programmes. The goals and principles specified in the Tbilisi Declaration illustrated that environmental education had to promote the notion that students be given an understanding of the natural world and to become critical thinkers, active participants and balance and acknowledge how economic and social needs influence ecological relationships in their own communities. It also focussed on environmental issues from regional and global perspectives so that students received insights into environmental issues in other regions of the world, which in turn would work to foster empathy, responsibility, and cooperation in addressing restoration and improvements in the environment (Locke, Russo, & Montoya, 2013).

Klien and Merritt (1994) linked the goals and principles of environmental education to constructivists learning theories and found many similarities, suggesting that students and teachers have to be actively engaged in creating knowledge of the environment through real-life situation/experiences instead of passively learning pre-determined facts. To achieve local significance, lessons need to discuss and resolve real-life problems; the lessons must be learner-centred and the learning process interactively organized within a group of learners. Additionally, the assessment has to be performed in a way that really measures student progress (Locke et al., 2013).

Dillon and Scoullos (2003) emphasised on the fact that involvement of learners in the learning process is essential when study the environment and that environmental education is most effective when it is based on the pragmatic social constructivist approach. They suggest that environmental programs are more effective when students actively participate in activities perceived to be useful and culturally acceptable.

Each environmental issue is associated to a certain historical context and geographic location. This requires the teachers and students to examine it not only in the context of the forces and lifestyles that have contributed to the issue but the human and physical geography of the zone that have shaped it as an environmental problem (Montoya & Russo, 2006). That is why, lessons focus must be redirected from content to experiential learning, this will allow students to learn not only the subject theory but to launch personal and group conclusions through practical activities. Thus, both teachers and students through focusing on real-life situations in a local environment (UNESCO, 2005) will meet the guiding principles of ecological education for sustainable development. UNESCO in its 2005 document on reorienting teacher education to address sustainability stated that even though sustainable education needed to be based on local needs and conditions it recognized that a focus on the problematic of local communities often had global consequences (Locke et al., 2013).

One of the main steps to be taken in solving environmental problems and creating a sustainable future is the understanding of ecoliteracy. Roth (1991) defines three levels of ecoliteracy:

• ✓ The first level - to recognize basic environmental terms and provide definitions of their meanings;/li>
• ✓ The second level - the ability to use environmental knowledge and concepts to formulate positions on particular environmental questions;
• ✓ The third level - the ability to gather and evaluate information, select alternatives and take action on different environmental issues.

Defined in this way, ecoliteracy means not only the ability to identify, classify, and name different aspects of the environment but it includes as well the ability to take action and participate in the decision-making process of environmental problems and issues (Locke et al., 2013). Ecoliteracy requires a degree of awareness of the physical environment. However, it has gone beyond the simple identification of plant and animal species to gain understandings and knowledge of the ecological relationships and interactions, and the long-term impact of human activity on the environment (Capra, 1999; Orr, 1994; Smith-Sebasto, 1997).

Starting from pre-school, individuals must be educated in development of ecoliteracy at each stage of the education system. One of the most important topics that contribute to the development of ecoliteracy is environmental education (Watling & Zachary, 2013). Yıldırım and Hablemitoğlu (2013) focus on explaining how ecoliteracy affects creating a sustainable environment, and propose the “Eco-sociological model” of U. Bronfenbrenner (1986), adapted by Stanger (2011) as an education model for ecoliteracy at schools. Discussing ecological systems is important for the youth to understand easily positive and negative effects of the changes occurring at each level of the ecosystem on environment and human life and to be ecologically literate by making correct ecological connections.

5.3.2. Improving sustainability through education management

The environmental education has a significant importance in creation of beliefs, understanding, and human ecological behavior. Environmental education is dedicated to keep sustainability through definite impact of education on the environment. It is important to understand the effectiveness of Learning Management System (LMS) to ecoliteracy. Applying analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation criteria the student in ecoliteracy is evaluated in respect to ther Learning Outcome descriptors: knowledge, skills and autonomy & responsibility. The observation indicated that the Learning Management System by using Lewinshon criteria can improve the ecoliteracy capability, especially in the attitude of preserving for the environment.

Following the LMS framework, the ecological concept is adapted to the above mentioned descriptors in a lesson plan, then indicators that are appropriate are applied in learning. The obtained results indicated that learning by using ecoliteracy can increase awareness in protecting the environment. Also, the learning environment can be worked out as a ground for sustainable learning, thus enhancing the learning pedagogies. The ecoliteracy learning rises a programme character through knowledge and skills in learning environments.

Thus, an environmental education-based learning encourages a spirit of environmental awareness by preserving culture.

Addressing environmental damages through ecoliteracy education, a perception of environmental care increases and opportunity for ecoliteracy is created Using the LMS for management ecoliteracy education can give the following results:

• ✓Ecoliteracy learning can facilitate awareness to protect the environment
• ✓Eco-literacy learning maintains environmental awareness in the pedagogy of continuing education in daily life
• ✓Eco-literacy learning can be treated as a motivation for learning environments
• ✓Learning using eco-literacy proposes information about students knowledge in respond to environmental problems: they are invited to analyze the problem; after that to give answers, and as a result - they know to present. Finally, the students are trained to think logically in reply to a problem.

Eco literacy in learning includes two important aspects:

i) the aspect for the modern worldview;
ii) the aspect of complex ecological integration.

Their decision give sustainability of environmental problems.

• ✓Development of eco-literacy for improvement of environmental education. Ecoliteracy learning builds environmental education based on aspects of knowledge and skills;
• ✓Learning ecoliteracy by promoting biodiversity resilience for protection of ecosystems and measures for better agility to environmental damage caused by global warming and including such themes in ecological learning material;
• ✓Ecoliteracy learning in merging with traditional learning can facilitate enthusiasm in environment protection;
• ✓Learning with ecoliteracy leased with National Environmental Programmes (NEP) enhances knowledge and worries in environmental matters, but in respect to the common environmental problems is not enough;
• ✓Ecoliteracy learning operates a medium value category. The assessment of the aspects of addressing environmental problems gets high marks;
• ✓Learning including ecoliteracy issues can facilitate ecoliteracy.
• ✓Learning eco-literacy with ethnographical aspects rises awareness in preventing the environment by promoting culture;
• ✓Ecoliteracy learning using illustrations presenting differencing pictures can enhance student cognitively.

Based on the results of use of Lewinshon's criteria-based Learning Management System to train in ecoliteracy of students in senior high schools on Biology are as follows:

• ✓The students' ability to understand ecology in life to study the environment significantly rises, and students are trained to maintain the environment.
• ✓Biology learning using the development of a Learning Management System can improve the learning outcome based knowledge and skills of students in ecoliteracy.
• ✓The learning process - the teacher should always try to choose and use methods and media that can improve the ability of students' ecoliteracy so that biology subjects can provide meaning and are not considered merely rote learning.

5.3.3. Strategies of sustainable ecoliteracy development

Countries around the world continue to advance economically, and they put a strain on the ability of the natural environment to absorb the high level of pollutants that are created as a part of this economic growth. Therefore, it is necessary to search and find solutions so that the world economies and the public well-being are growing in paralel. In the world of economics, the amount of environmental quality must be considered as limited in supply and therefore must be treated as a scarce resource. This resource has to be protected. A common way to analyse possible outcomes of policy decisions on the scarce resource is to do a cost-benefit analysis. This type of analysis contrasts different options of resource allocation and, based on an evaluation of the expected courses of action and the consequences of these actions, elicits the optimal way to do so in the light of different policy goals(Barbier, Markandya, & Pearce,1990).

The World Conservation Strategy

The World Conservation Strategy is published almost 30 years ago. Since the last decade of XX century, it has become one of the most inspiring developments that apply a goal-oriented programme for political change concerning ecological sustainability. It promotes among the wide audience the principles of sustainable development and treats the environmental concerns introduced by economic development decisions in a wide-public friendly way. The World Conservation Strategy marked a fundamental shift in the policy for global conservation movement. The focus was shift from prevention to cure, in support to the expanding trend for inclusion of preservation and maintenance in the development aims, key to an ecologically sustainable society. In particular, the wildlife conservation efforts to protect more strains degrading the natural environment are a subject of concern (McCormick, 1986). According to Smith (1995), there are three chief conservation objectives:

• 1. To maintain essential biogeochemical cycles and life-support systems;
• 2. To preserve genetic diversity
• 3. To launch a sustainable use of species and ecosystems.

For example, sustainable agriculture comprises methods of farming that are environment harmless and that guarantee the agricultural production does not impose damage to Nature and humans. It involves preventing adverse effects to water, soil, biodiversity, available or processed resources, as well as to people working or living in those and neighbouring areas. The main elements of sustainable agriculture include permaculture, agroforestry, mixed farming, multiple cropping, and crop rotation (Falk, 2013). It comprises agricultural methods that do not undermine the environment, and smart farming technologies that enhance environmental quality. The concept of sustainable agriculture is further extended, covering rather the conservation or improvement of natural resources, than those that have been depleted or polluted (Networld - Project, 1998).

Integration of ecoliteracy in education initiatives strategy

The general scope of this strategy is to make ecoliteracy a bridge across different subject areas in science, art, and humanities. For its realization, a joint approach for building ecoliteracy is proposed that combine indoor (class rooms) instructions with outdoor experiences. The later to be gained through observations and interactions in both natural and urban environments, supported by informal learning settings. It means that both groups of players – trainees and tutors need access to learning environments outside the traditional training premises. In addition, formal and informal educators need knowledge, skills and the training to teach trainees outdoors and to interrelate the inside and outside experiences gained to academic standards. Thus, educators need support to match trainees’ indoor learning with the experiential comprehension of the environment.

Because of these reasons, the strategy foresees concentration of the efforts to build ecoliteracy in the following directions:

• ✓Consideration of the pleura of backgrounds, languages, and life experiences of trainees;
• ✓Provision of learning experiences that are culturally relevant and presented via culturally competent instruction;
• ✓Requirements for diversity in workforce and its leadership qualities;
• ✓Provision of subject content and training approaches that meet the needs of, and are relevant to, variety of students’ populations;
• ✓Establishment of effective communication between educators and traineess who come from different backgrounds.

Following the main concept of this strategy, ecoliteracy must be a hallmark of all the domains where the trainees learn, and must be supported by professional learning for all educators in these domains. The variety of learning settings covers the spectrum from classical classrooms, to informal learning environments, and environment-focused institutions within the communities where trainees live. This broad set of training institutions will allow the trainees to study the actual environment in various forms, and hence, to build better understanding of the environment as a specific subject matter. This approach stimulates the gathering together of all educational settings experience to assist all trainees to become environmentally literate.

The successful integration of ecoliteracy into curricula and guiding materials requires the implementation of the following main steps:

• ✓Assurance of enhanced access of educators to relevant instruction materials that concern environmental topics and in the same time meet academic standards.
• ✓Development of key performance indicators and criteria to assist educators in determination of the quality of environmental curricula and guiding materials applying the common for all studied subjects’ standards.
• ✓Stimulation the exchange of information and materials between formal and informal educational representatives.
• ✓Incorporation of the environmental principles into future curriculum frameworks to increase awareness and understanding of these principles among educators through professional communication.
• ✓Assurance that guiding materials developers produce materials that contain environment-focused content.
• ✓Use of different tools (formative assessments, model lessons, etc.) that support environmental literacy in the digital resource repositories that provide resources for educators of unified standards.
• ✓Emphasis on the importance of the outdoor environment as a teaching resource.
• ✓Provision of guidance for and promotion of the outdoor teaching of multiple subjects.

Another important element of this strategy is to make professional learning more accessible to educators through:

• ✓Improved access to professional learning opportunities that enhance formal and informal educators’ abilities to teach environmental literacy.
• ✓Incorporate ecoliteracy into all phases of professional learning for formal educators.
• ✓Provide training to nonteaching administrators to effectively bring and educate students outdoors.
• ✓Work with colleges and universities that offer teacher preparation programmes to implement changes and incorporate ecoliteracy into the standards for the teaching profession, so that educators are better prepared to provide to their students ecoliteracy.
• ✓Leverage the use of different resource directories, social media, etc. to increase educators’ awareness of the ecoliteracy resources that are available to them.
• ✓Leverage existing professional learning infrastructure to improve professional learning opportunities that bring together educators from various learning domains to collaborate and share lessons learned.
• ✓Establishment of ecoliteracy learning outcomes: knowledge of environmental processes and systems; skills for comprehending and facing environmental issues; positive attitudes toward the environment; individual and social responsibility, etc.
• ✓Integrate the assessment of learning in ecoliteracy with the officially recognized national assessments systems.
• ✓Develop evaluation tools for assessing ecoliteracy that are integrated with the national assessment systems. The portfolio approach is a god choice to begin with.
• ✓Perform survey with a module of questions among future trainees to understand their environmental attitudes, motivations, and actions.

Promotion of partnership and cooperation amongst key stakeholders of environmental education strategy

Realizing the vision of environmental literacy for all students requires collaboration between Informal and formal educators should work as critical partners, with each contributing important skills and expertise.

Building partnership and collaboration will also help educators access high-quality professional learning opportunities and instructional resources, share best practices, and determine the best ways to integrate environmental concepts with current and future standards. A collaborative approach will better engage, and facilitate the sharing of expertise among these different partners to create high-quality and culturally relevant experiences for students in all domains.

To build successful collaboration and partnerships, it is necessary to:

• ✓Enlarge the collaborative work in support of ecoiteracy;
• ✓Strengthen the capacity of organizations that support outdoor
• ✓Strengthen the partnerships with other key organizations, to support the greening of education premises.
• ✓Improve the effectiveness of collaboration among state institutions involved in supporting ecoliteracy.
• ✓Support internal Collaboration among nonteaching staff to embed ecoliteracy within the educational standards, curriculum frameworks, and assessments:

Mobilize the public influence strategy

The essence of this strategy is to prioritize environmental literacy as a fundamental element of 21st century education. To create awareness of strategies for advancing environmental literacy foresee:

• ✓Disseminate and promote ecoliteracy principles and advantages;
• ✓Communicate the importance of ecoliteracy;
• ✓Encourage and support education committees to integrate environmental literacy programmes and education experiences outdoor.
• ✓Develop and undertake an awareness campaign for teachers and administrators that promotes ecoliteracy guiding materials.
• ✓Communicate to curriculum developers that ecoliteracy is a priority for inclusion in textbooks and instructional materials.

Regulation frameworks of ecoliteracy

To expand the reach to ecoliteracy of all trainees and training settings requires new approaches in terms of changes in the existing national statutes and related to them policies that can complement and support the efforts for ecoliteracy promotion. Among the possible changes the following can be listed:

• ✓Integrating ecoliteracy into high school graduation requirements, and development of environmental learning outcomes;
• ✓Assurance that ecoliteracy content is included in educator preparation and support resources;
• ✓Demands for implementation of ecoliteracy in all new school construction and modernization projects.

Sustainable Funding Strategy

A comprehensive, coordinated, and cohesive funding strategy is needed that identifies funding streams (existing and new, public and private) and coordinates fundraising to ensure consistent funding for key priorities. This funding strategy will mainstream the funding streams to increase the stability of activities focused on achieving ecoliteracy.

Funding sources, especially for learning experiences outdoor, are a priority trainees to have better access to outdoor learning experiences. The main recommendation in this context are as follows:

• Organization and Planning of Funding Efforts
• Encouragement Funding at Local level
• Organization of a Funding Network and Partnerships
• Develop Funding Sources to Support Development of Green initiatives
• Support Funding for Professional Development for the Science Standards

Summarized, environmental literacy can be presented as a combination of: environmental education - environmental thinking - environmental awareness - environmental culture, multiplied by the psychological and pedagogical features of students and pedagogical technologists. As was mentioned above, David Orr (1992) has created a theory of ecoliteracy, a mode by which we better learn the ecology of the Earth and live in a sustainable manner. Adding biophilia and ecojustice to Orr’s ecoliteracy, and recognizing the value of experience-in-learning, the values of environmental education will be incorporated within the educational reform (Mitchell & Mueller, 2010).