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Spheres of Influence
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Standing on Principle: The Global Push for Environmental Justice Luz Claudio Abstract
Many educators believe that the earlier children begin to learn about sound environmental health and stewardship principles, the better it is for them, their families, and society as a whole. However, in many cases a divide still exists between health education and environmental education—a divide that short circuits the learning of students from grade schoolers to doctoral candidates. To that end, programs are being implemented to help people of all ages more fully understand how everyday decisions affect the environment and how people’s surroundings in turn affect their health. Currently, an effort is under way in Congress to strengthen and expand environmental education in U.S. classrooms by providing federal funding to train teachers in environmental education, operate model environmental programs, and create environmental literacy plans. Emergildo Criollo Quenema (left) , Cofán indigenous leader from Ecuador, and resident Rita Maldonado (right) , brought bottles of polluted water to a 2006 ChevronTexaco shareholders' meeting in Houston, Texas. In a class-action lawsuit launched by more than 30,000 Ecuadorians, ChevronTexaco is accused of dumping 18 billion gallons of toxic water into the rainforest where the Cofán live. A groundswell of actions such as this is bringing the voices of disadvantaged populations to the corporate table.
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