Engaging with Environmental Education Through the Language Arts

Book excerpt: This creative volume demonstrates the urgent importance of engaging students cognitively and affectively with the climate crisis and environmental education, underpinning the vital role the language arts play in expanding this engagement for a better future. Moving beyond the basic modalities of English, chapters written by an internationally diverse group of contributors advocate for the integration of language arts with environmental education through broad representation of creative subdisciplines: drama, visual literacy, philosophy, poetry, student voice and more. These subdisciplines are explored to suggest the context in which environmental degradation, forest ecologies, carbon literacy and indigenous knowledges are taught, further helping students to develop a comprehensive view of how they can effect change. Ultimately, the book makes a compelling argument by emphasising the significance of interdisciplinary learning in fostering a holistic understanding of environmental issues. This volume will appeal to scholars, researchers and postgraduate students in the field of environmental and sustainability education, English and literacy/language arts and teacher education more broadly. Undergraduate students, policy makers, environmental educators, and curriculum designers may also benefit from this volume.