EDM 404

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Unit-I (a)
MEANING AND CONCEPT OF
ENVIRONMENT
MEANING & CONCEPT OF ENVIRONMENT

Environment is everything around a living being. It comprises of the natural, social and cultural
phenomenon and values existing at a particular place and time, which influence the lives of the
human beings. Environment is a sum total of conditions which surrounds an individual at a given
point of time and space. It consists of the interaction among various systems of physical,
biological and cultural elements which are interlinked both individually and collectively. It is the
sum total of conditions in which a living being has to survive and maintain its life process. The
growth and development of living forms is also affected by environment. It is a set of physical,
chemical, biological and social components that cause direct or indirect effects on living beings
and their activities.

Environment is formed by natural and artificial elements, the environment is not what is around
the human being, that concept is wrong, and has been modified to such point that placed man as
the Centre of the environment when it is not. The environment is the combination of all those
present on the planet, the environment is a space of interaction, relationship and communication
between agencies with or without life among those who develop constant changes brought about
by external agents that disrupt and modify internal environment and agents that react to the
exerted changes in the.

In the general theory of systems, an environment is a complex of external factors that act on a
system and determine their course and their way of existence. An environment could be
considered a superset in which the given system is a subset. It can consist of one or more
parameters, physical or other nature. The atmosphere of a given system must necessarily interact
with living beings.

The environment is a system consisting of natural and artificial elements that are interrelated and
which are modified by human action. It's the environment that affects the way of life of the
society, including natural, social and cultural values that exist in a place and time.
Living beings, soil, water, air, physical objects made by man and the symbolic elements (as
traditions, for example) make up the environment. The conservation of this is essential to the
sustainable life of current generations and generations.

It could be said that environment includes factors physical (such as climate and geology),
biological (human population, flora, fauna, water) and socioeconomic (employment,
urbanization, social conflicts).
Ecology is another notion linked to the environment, since it is the discipline that studies the
relationship between human beings and their environment. Ecological behavior protects
environmental resources to ensure the present and future livelihood of human beings.
For example: If in the Middle a mountain builds a huge hotel, the environment will be
damaged. Ecology activists, should therefore oppose such projects to preserve the ecosystem.

Etymologically the term environment is of French origin. It has been derived from a French word
“Environia” means to surround. It refers to both physical or non-living and living environment.
The word environment means surroundings of the organisms where it lives. Environment and the
organisms are two components of nature. Environment controls the life of the organisms and
human beings. Human being interacts with the environment more dynamically than other living
beings. Environment refers to all the materials, forces and that surrounds the living organism.

It consists of many layers viz. atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. Components
of Environment are soil, water, air, organisms and solar energy. Environment provides us all the
resources and means to live a comfortable life.

DIFNITIONS OF ENVIRONMENT

We can define environment as that space in which some kind of natural Exchange that makes the
life possible takes place. The environment is not only the space but also different forms of life
that take place in it. The concept of environment expands to the maximum extent that it includes
everything that has to do with life in that space. To better understand what the environment is
composed, should speak of three levels: the physical, biological and, if necessary, the socio-
economic. In the first, we are referring to everything that has to do with geography, climate,
geology. These elements form the basis upon which all life forms will be established. Biological
drawing is thus composed of the human population as well as the flora and fauna that occupy this
space. Finally, the socio-economic environment is which refers to the activity of the human
being and its effect on the environment.
P. Gisbert defines environment as, "anything immediately surrounding an object and exerting a
direct influence on it.”

E. J. Ross opines, “Environment is an external force which influences us.”

Thus, environment refers to anything that is immediately surrounding an object and exerting a
direct influence on it. Our environment refers to those thing or agencies which though distinct
from us, affect our life or activity. The environment by which man is surrounded and affected by
factors which may be natural, artificial, social, biological and psychological.

TYPES OF ENVIRONMENT

Environment can be divided into two categories:

(a) Micro environment and

(b) Macro environment.

Or other types such as

(c) Physical (abiotic) and

(d) living (biotic) environment.

Or

(e) Natural environment and

(f) Man-made environment

(a) Micro environment refers to the neighboring local surrounding of the organism.

(b) Macro environment consists of all the physical and biotic conditions which surround the
organism externally.
 (c) Physical environment comprises of all abiotic factors or conditions such as temperature,
light, rainfall, soil, minerals etc. It includes layers of environment ; atmosphere, lithosphere and
hydrosphere.

(d) Biotic environment includes all biotic factors or living forms like plants, animals, Micro-
organisms.

Each of these, are complementary and interrelated, while plants perform photosynthesis and the
entire process to develop, the animal feeds on their properties to exist and the man with his
capacity of reasoning manages first two organisms to survive and keep their environment
sustainable.
(E) Natural Environment: - The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living
things occurring naturally. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some part of Earth.
This environment encompasses the interaction of all living species, climate, weather, and
natural resources that affect human survival and economic activity. The word natural
environment is also used as the synonym of habitat. However habitat refers usually to the
prevailing surroundings of a particular species, which may include the surroundings altered by
human activity, intentionally or unintentionally. Wilderness is also considered to mean the same.
Wilderness is defined as 'the intact, undisturbed wild areas left on Earth.' National Parks, national
Forests, conservation preserves, wilderness areas and natural reserves are governmental efforts to
protect, restore, conserve and keep intact the original conditions of the the whole fauna and flora
of a particular place.

Definition by biology-online.org: "All living and non-living things that occur naturally on a
particular region."

"A natural environment is one in which human impact is kept under a certain limited level."

The natural environment is God’s gift and provision for the care of his people. It provides
healthy food, shelter, clothing, medicines, beauty, clean water, clean air and many other benefits
for people to use and enjoy. The natural environment is also the world’s largest employer. More
people all over the world make their living from environmental resources than by any other
means.

World Vision works with communities to restore environments that have been harmed, protect
healthy environments, and systematically build good environments to make them progressively
stronger and healthier.

(F). Man made Environment:- Man Made Environment comprises of the environment, which
has been created by man himself for the purpose of fulfilling his needs and in order to make his
life more convenient and easy. Man has made many contributions to environment. These are
earlier results of our scientific and development strategies.
In other words man made environment refers to the man-made surroundings that provide the
setting for human activity, ranging in scale from buildings and parks or green
space to neighborhoods and cities that can often include their supporting infrastructure, such
as water supply or energy networks. The built environment is a material, spatial and cultural
product of human labor that combines physical elements and energy in forms for living, working
and playing.

The "built environment encompasses places and spaces created or modified by people including
buildings, parks, and transportation systems." In such areas where man has fundamentally
transformed landscapes such as urban settings and agricultural land conversion, the natural
environment is greatly modified into a simplified human environment. Even acts which seem
less extreme, such as building a mud hut or a photovoltaic system in the desert, modify the
natural environment into an artificial one.

.Two Factors: - Human Activities and Natural Phenomena that can change the Formation of
Natural Environment are :-
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

To spread awareness about the environmental deterioration and its conservation and protection,
the UN Assembly in 1972 established June 5 as world environment day. UNEP (United Nations
Environment Program) was also created.

Education for a healthy environment, must begin early in the family, teaching children to avoid
wasting energy, e.g. using lamps, low consumption, or do not leave taps open unnecessarily; No
fouling the planet with non-biodegradable elements that pollute (throw waste in the bins and not
on public roads) and so on. This education must continue and the school, but the adults must
realize first, to be able to educate by example, since this company is at stake the very existence
of the planet, threatened by environmental problems, which can be reversed: hole in the ozone
layer, greenhouse effect, acid rain, loss of biodiversity, among others.
ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES

The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1995 and
sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (DEFRA), with responsibilities relating to the protection and enhancement of
the environment in England (and until 2013 also Wales).

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is an Indian

The ministry is responsible for planning, promoting, coordinating, and overseeing the
implementation of environmental and forestry programmes in the country. The main activities
undertaken by the ministry include conservation and survey of the flora of India and fauna of
India, forests and other wilderness areas; prevention and control of pollution; afforestation,
and land degradation mitigation. It is responsible for the administration of the national parks of
India.

One of the three All India Services, the Indian Forest Service (IFoS) is under the administration
and supervision of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

 http://www.slideshare.net/VikrantPatankar/save-environment-ppt
 http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/environment/meaning-definition-and-components-of-
environment/6157/
 https://edukalife.blogspot.in/2013/01/definition-of-environment.html

 http://www.thedynamicnature.com/environment/natural-environment-definition.html

 http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/environment/meaning-definition-and-components-of-
environment/6157/

 https://edukalife.blogspot.in/2013/01/definition-of-environment.html
 http://www.bukisa.com/articles/255515_types-of-environment

 http://www.publishyourarticles.net/knowledge-hub/education/what-are-the-important-
components-of-environment/5628/