TRADITIONS AND INNOVATIONS IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Abstract: The article discusses the main events leading to Education FOR Sustainable Development (EDS) under the auspices of UNESCO. It is based on theoretical analysis of literature and documents from international conferences and on the achievements of scientists on Environmental Education (EE) in Bulgaria. The road to education for sustainable development started in ancient times, passed through introduction into schools as the subject nature study and continued as organized activities of global institutions and educators. As the interaction of humanity with nature deepened and became more and more complex, humanity reacted with increased emphasis on Environmental Education (EE). The international educational society at each successive stage of EE undertook competent rethinking of achievements and shortcomings and offered new recommendations for improvement. The history of EE, if critically studied and analyzed, is a rich source of accomplishments, suggesting new ideas for further development. The best of our traditional approaches, interwoven in new theories of learning is more fruitful in educational practice. The study was dedicated to the historical roots and main stages of EE leading to a new model of integrated environmental education of students, pre-service and in-service teacher education and training.

Keywords: Education for Sustainable Development, international educational events, advantages and shortcomings, Bulgarian experience, integrated EE model