- November 21st, 2018

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Last summer, I had the opportunity to intern at the Marine and Coastal Branch of the National Biodiversity Center as part of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.   During my internship experience, I volunteered at a citizen science program called Intertidal Watch for local community members to learn about marine biodiversity in Singapore's intertidal habitats.  Volunteers were given the opportunity to partake in field work experience by taking both quantitative and qualitative data on animal and plant biodiversity in monitored intertidal sites.  Together with the volunteers, we laid out transects from the low-tide line and assessed for species richness by recording the abundances of different species of marine invertebrates via quadrat sampling.  Every session would end with a Bioblitz show-and-tell, where each cohort of volunteers would collect a few interesting species and learn some facts about each to then present to the group.  Students were encouraged to ask questions and to use the National Biodiversity Center's Bioblitz app to submit photographs of the species along with a proposed common name and scientific name.

 

Growing up in a household that very much valued formal education and then going to Cornell to pursuit a scientific career based similarly in the realms of formal academia, I never fully recognized the value of non-formal education and the extent of the impact that it can have across generations.  As I watched families come and volunteer together, many with young children, I realized the power and impact that this unique experience could potentially have on all, but especially the young generation.  Building a strong conservation ethic requires compassion for both the biotic and abiotic components of natural environmental systems, but a conservation ethic is undeniably strongest when supported by a deeply rooted foundation of beliefs and values.  When we learn a concept at school, we may find it interesting, we may not, and in the latter case, we are likely to distant ourselves entirely from the subject once the exam has been taken.  In fact, when we are expected by convention of the flawed formal education system to learn a concept without asking why and therefore, without knowing the real-life applications of such knowledge, we are less likely to feel the need to explore further.  However, when learning is supported by values that are instilled upon us, especially from a younger age, we are more likely to retain and build upon those core values together with the beliefs and ideologies that shape the way we view the world.  In many ways, effective non-formal environmental education can help to break the boundaries of traditional learning and allow individuals to explore with intent and curiosity as opposed to with a pre-determined set of expectations and learning objectives that are limited to a standard that may inhibit out-of-the-box thinking.

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- December 13th, 2018

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In my opinion, one of the beauties and unique elements of non-formal and informal environmental education is its ability to transcend barriers, including both language and age barriers, and to reach out to wider audiences.  When I visited Lucerne, Switzerland with my family back in 2016, we had a great opportunity to explore Mount Pilatus, a beautiful massif overlooking the bustling city of Lucerne in Central Switzerland.  During our trip, we realized, before boarding the gondola to view the mountains from a higher altitude, that the tourist center, in promotion of eco-tourism, offered educational tours to learn more about the environmental and geological context of the now world-renowned mountain massif.  Despite being slightly dismayed by the degree of tourism and urbanization in the area, I was to some extent reassured by the idea that eco-tourism in certain cases has been effective beyond its commercial purposes. 

 

Although the tour was very interactive and allowed us to learn about the environmental and evolutionary history of the natural formations extending across the vast mountainous landscapes of Lucerne, the form of informal environmental education, in this case, was still very much coming from a place of privilege and limited to the select few who are able to travel abroad.  The most effective forms of environmental education are accessible to as many people as possible and require very few barriers, whether economic, social, or cultural obstacles.  Although eco-tourism is often marketed as an opportunity to truly learn about the natural history of a place through non-formal environmental education, such means in many scenarios may only truly benefit those with the economic ability to travel and participate in outdoor education activities when abroad.  Hence, opportunities to participate locally in outdoor, non-formal education activities, often times through communal volunteer work, may still currently be the most accessible and sustainable way of engaging with environmental learning.