World Environmental Education Day

26.01.2025 4 min read

Reflections on World Environmental Education Day

January 26th (yesterday) marks The World Environmental Education, a day dedicated to raising awareness on education and sustainability. It is a perfect moment to reflect on the state of environmental education whether it is in our close circle of friends or education starting from our young years. A couple of team colleagues from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) infrastructure division have shared their thoughts and reflections on it. 

Joseph’s Reflection: 

Already in 2025, we have witnessed the horrendous scenes and devastation caused by the wildfires in Los Angeles as the world continues to face ongoing environmental adversity. Like global temperatures, climate anxiety has risen, especially amongst the younger generation. Research shows that approximately 70% of young people in the UK are concerned about the future state of the world that they will inherit1. This anxiety can stem from the enormity of the issue of climate change along with the perceived slowness of government action, especially with recent Conference of the Parties (COP) climate summits being branded by some as uninspiring and not fit for purpose, leading to feelings of powerless and frustration.  

World Environmental Education Day reminds us of the power of knowledge and action that is required now more than ever. Through greater environmental education, we can continue to promote environmental awareness and hope to alleviate some of the anxiety around climate change whilst working collectively on our mission of creating a healthier and more sustainable future for all. 

I am grateful to be working as an environmental consultant alongside industry experts in a purpose-driven business committed to sustainable development that offers the opportunity to make a tangible impact on both the environment and society. I get a great sense of fulfilment knowing that the work we do is contributing to a lasting positive change and towards the ultimate shared vision of ‘Creating Sustainable Futures’. 

Marianna’s Reflection: 

By working within both built and natural environments, we are already set up to have a strong understanding of core topics related to environmental education. However, not everyone has easy access to this type of knowledge.  

Our core education usually begins in schools, but environmental awareness is often missing from the schools’ curriculums. Even though, there is plenty of resources that schools can use to raise awareness of environmental issues – there are no specific intentions, or vision for including mandatory environmental education in the UK’s schools’ policies. If not schools, our education is usually shaped by the environment we live in. Whether it’s our family and friends, or social media we use; they all play a crucial role in communicating information to us. Sometimes these sources can be highly subjective, and people who don’t know of, let’s say, climate change, are reliant on the source of the information. Therefore, there are plenty of myths and miscommunications whether it comes to environmental issues such as climate change, global warming, pollution etc.   

I am glad to be working in environmental consultancy as I have gained my knowledge from reliable and science-based sources. However, as overall environmental education is missing in the curriculums, some people are not fully able to make informed decisions or make significant actions on environmental challenges. To address this gap, changes in the education system are necessary – especially collaboration between policymakers, educators, activists and society, to widespread environmental awareness. By doing so, we can foster the growth of global sustainability development and ensure that we are prepared to face crucial environmental challenges. 

Venus’ Reflection 

Our experiences in school have the potential to shape us as individuals in many ways- including our worldview. Education plays an important role in fostering environmental values and pro-environmental behaviour. Furthermore, the approach used for environmental education could determine the degree of influence on our internal values and understanding of the natural world.  

Nature-based and outdoor environmental education improves our ‘connectedness to nature’ and impacts our environmental values more intrinsically. Additionally, as children may be highly influenced by peers, implementing group environmental education programmes that encourage interaction between students can prove to be valuable. This in turn could lead to the important changes in our ecological behaviour, needed to address growing environmental concerns. 

My experiences in nature have shaped my relationship with the natural world and my environmental values. Not only did these experiences benefit my well-being, but they also led me to adopt sustainable practices in my day-to-day life and pursue higher education in the environmental field. Now, I am very fortunate to be able to apply the knowledge I have gained to my work at Temple and continue to learn about all the different ways in which we can mitigate environmental and social impacts from the different teams in the company.  

Key Contacts

Marianna Rostkowska Graduate EIA Consultant
Venus Langley Graduate Consultant
Temple