Environmental thinking is ... Definition, basic principles of formation and development

Society is accustomed to the fact that a person is a social unit, which is a concept of a person who is able to function, develop, communicate with their own kind. A person is positioned as a public link, often paying attention only to his place in society. And much less often, people consider the biological culture of a person, forgetting that he is an integral part of nature. In addition to social adaptation processes, from birth he needs to learn about his belonging to the biosphere and ecological culture of the present time, to develop and improve the correct ecological thinking and ecological worldview.

The relationship of man with nature

People and nature are inseparable. Breathing air, quenching thirst with spring water, eating, among other things, vegetation, a person cannot exist without the natural location in which he feels familiar and comfortable. Today, the influence of nature on the human environment is simply global, just as man has learned to influence various natural elements. Many factors indicate a direct human impact on the environment, and it does not always work in a positive way. This is manifested in many aspects of human contact with nature:

• The active functioning of sawmills and woodworking production - deforestation is the root cause of global vegetation reduction.
• Changing the landscape - excavation, mining of coal, oil and other items necessary for humanity to be processed, as well as the formation of embankments from the same exhaust coal in the form of heaps, directly affect the change in the landscape design of any locality subject to this activity.
• Consumption of water resources - mankind consumes a tremendous amount of natural water, using it both for the purposes necessary for the survival of drinking and consumption in the diet, and for the operation of industries and the implementation of cleaning processes at various levels. Regrettable is the fact that water is not always used for its intended purpose and is consumed in a much larger volume than necessary.
• Oxygen consumption - one can hardly imagine life on the planet without air, which conditions the functioning of all life in this world. The only pity is that it is not always protected from harmful elements and contamination with human waste products.

There are many other things that determine the interaction of society with natural bioresources. And given the large number of situations that reflect the detrimental effect of people on nature, it would be necessary to pay closer attention to the formation and development of environmental thinking in today's society.

The concept of environmental thinking

What is ecological culture based on? This science in combination with social civilization forms the common traditional culture of mankind, and one cannot exist without the other. A man is one with nature and with his own similar units of life, that is, people. Therefore, it is important to understand that, along with the social social principles of being, he should be equally serious about the principles of behavior in relation to his environment - nature. In other words, he should be responsible for the formation of environmental thinking in his mind. It is not in vain that humanity is endowed with the ability to influence the natural environment around itself.

What is environmental thinking? This is the concept of the form of human consciousness in the context of the entire earthly population regarding its contact with the environment. This phenomenon forms the worldview of each individual human unit and society as a whole regarding the function that it should perform in relation to nature. In other words, environmental thinking is a combination of human views, opinions, behavioral elements and principles that are aimed at creating, rationally managing and using natural resources in the right direction.

What is the meaning of environmental thinking? The need for the right attitude of society to its environment is truly enormous. Indeed, today, like a hundred and a thousand years ago, a person is inextricably linked with everything that surrounds him. In response to their negligence with respect to the ecological state of their location, people receive the wrath of nature, which is expressed in the form of tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, volcanic eruptions, global warming and outflow of water from melted glaciers, as well as other world cataclysms and natural disasters. No wonder that nature gives a reaction in response to human ignorance in relation to it. Therefore, the formation of environmental thinking as such should be laid down in every person since childhood as a vital necessity. Indeed, a person cannot be so indifferent to what, in fact, gives him daily life - to mother nature.

The principles of environmental thinking

The definition of ecological thinking is inextricably linked with the principles of its formation. To build a mechanism for investing human efforts in environmental protection and the bestowal of nature in the form of providing vital resources for the continued existence and functioning of mankind, the development of the correct behavioral methodology is necessary. Indeed, ecological thinking is not a separate substance, but a complex of interconnected processes of human consciousness aimed at cultivating a grateful attitude to nature for all its gifts to society. In other words, in order to think environmentally, a person needs to understand a number of principles on which a correct ecological worldview is based:

• The principle of constancy implies a continuous process of stage-by-stage education in a person of the right attitude to the environment, starting with the family instilling moral values ​​by parents in childhood and ending with fate lessons in adulthood.
• The principle of validity - each social unit in the person of a person as a person must understand the expediency of its activities aimed at the rationality of the consumption of natural resources, and not act thoughtlessly, on a hunch. Indeed, the point is to develop environmental thinking and upbringing in oneself that will be aimed at the positive dynamics of human interaction with nature.
• The principle of interconnection - everyone should understand that without functional contact with the environment in the right direction, humanity will not be able to achieve a long and carefree existence. No wonder they say: "What you sow, you will reap." Society collects the fruits of its activities, and the relationship of nature to it will depend on how it will relate to nature.
• The principle of personality - the task of each person is the awareness of belonging to the place of his stay. The contribution of each individual human unit is important in general for the ecological state of the environment.

You can still talk a lot about the important aspects of the development of environmental thinking and environmental awareness of modern society. But it is very important to understand and know the primary fundamental principles on which the formation in a person of the necessary beliefs and views regarding the surrounding biosphere is based on.

The problem of the development of environmental culture

Today, the development of environmental thinking is one of the primary tasks of modern society. Since the young generation is considered the personification of the near future, it is necessary to arouse its interest in the well-being and well-being of this future. But how to do that? Indeed, in order to instill in today's youth a conscious attitude to what surrounds them, they need to be stimulated, encouraged to understand and realize that it is important to be responsible for their activities and to respect what life has come from, to nature. From here spirituality is brought up, the psychological and physiological experience of familiarizing oneself with nature and its gifts is acquired.

However, unfortunately, today we have to face the pronounced problems of the development of ecological culture and modern ecological thinking. The lack of an informative base, which should be provided to society and instilled from early childhood, prevents people from understanding the significance of their contribution to environmental improvement and environmental activities. Today, the unity of three problems that contribute to the inhibition of the development of ecological culture is clearly emerging:

• the availability of information about the harmful effects of humans and their pollution - too few methodological manuals have been written on proper behavior with nature, too little attention is paid to the legislative framework in the field of environmental processes;
• non-ecological approach to the functioning of the economic sphere and the work of production facilities, factories, enterprises with large-scale waste products of their activities - not a single owner of a large factory today properly thinks about optimizing the work of his enterprise in such a way as to minimize environmental damage;
• insufficient attention to the development of an ecological style of thinking in society - few people today are interested in what will happen to humanity in the end of its ignorant treatment of nature.

School program for an ecological worldview

The root of all the problems described must be sought in the absence of an approved unified program of preschool, school and university education in the context of environmental science. If today in school institutions due attention was paid to the problems of the environmental crisis in the world, it would undoubtedly have been possible to instill in the society a much more conscious attitude to the environment than it is now. How can we help attract schoolchildren 's attention to the global environmental problems of our time? It is necessary to draw up a rational program from the lessons of environmental thinking, aimed at instilling in students the skills not only of outside observation of environmental processes, but also of direct participation in them.

Before talking about the result, you need to set specific goals. Logical thinking and environmental tasks for schoolchildren, included in the curriculum in the context of environmental activities, can radically change the current education system and, as a result, educate a more conscious generation. To achieve the desired result in this regard, the following goals are set:

• work on the education of ecological culture and thinking of schoolchildren;
• the introduction of environmental workshops, because not only theory is important, but also the ability to put knowledge into practice;
• systematic contact of students with the environment in the form of natural history and nature conservation excursions of the autumn-spring season;
• instilling in schoolchildren an adequate idea of ​​a healthy lifestyle and active leisure;
• moral, aesthetic and labor education of students;
• disciplinary liability for misuse of the environment;
• organization of additional environmental education with possible research activities;
• involving schoolchildren in activities aimed at eliminating the environmental problems of society at the local level.

Parenting of ecological thinking in children

But not only the school curriculum should be pinned on the development of a correct worldview. Environmental education and thinking, instilled in children by their parents, also plays an important role. Here are the parental lessons given to the child for cognition and the formation of the right attitude to the environment:

• observation - meeting with nature in daily walks in the fresh air gives children the opportunity to get acquainted with the environment and enjoy its beauty;
• planting - planting together with the child his first tree or flower will not be difficult for any parent, and the result of this event will be noticeably effective;
• preschool environmental education - registration of a child in a nature study circle will serve as an impetus for the development of his interest in the environmental problems of today in the future;
• organization of excursions - a family picnic on the river or a mushroom trip into the forest will be a combination of business and pleasure;
• the implementation of cognitive activities - various kinds of experiments, competitions, scenarios about the importance of environmental protection will help the child quickly adapt to the educational process and lay the foundation for his determination of environmental thinking.

The development of environmental culture in the minds of adults

Young children and schoolchildren are not the only group in society that needs to pay attention to environmental issues. Adults also need regular nourishment and development of socio-ecological thinking. After all, who, if not the parent, is the most powerful authority for his child? And if dad and mom themselves think environmentally soundly, then they will be able to instill in their child those rules of activity in relation to the protection of nature that will work for the benefit of the biosphere.

The development of environmental culture in the minds of adults is often carried out jointly with children. Modeling all kinds of crafts from natural materials for a variety of exhibition or ostentatious compositions, as well as organizing holidays with a bias in nature studies or contests with riddles, have a positive effect not only on children, but also on adults themselves, reminding them of their duty to the gifts of nature.

In addition to working with children, thought processes aimed at developing the ecological thinking of adults should be supported by the media. Literature of a journalistic nature, broadcasts of relevant television programs promoting environmental protection and respect for nature, as well as coverage of the negative consequences of the destructive activities of human indifference to environmental problems of our time, contribute to the development of ecological culture in the minds of adults.

Environmental thinking in different social strata

The level of environmental thinking of different social groups is different. If we talk about the suburbs, urban-type villages, villages and rural areas, here the attitude to the environment is sparing. Livestock chews meadow grass, water is consumed from wells, the main production is farming or handicraft. In short, the minimum detrimental effect on the biosphere.

But if we talk about megacities and large cities where incessantly working machine-building factories, metallurgical production, coal mining and oil refining are smoked, where waste from urban water networks and all the dirt merge through pipes into natural water bodies, everything is much worse here. It is in this case that we need to talk about the lack of environmental thinking in people. This is the root of the problem that is specific to the urban social group of the population.

Ecological culture on the example of behavioral models

And yet, the delineation of people's attitudes toward environmental protection at the place of residence is not the only separator of society into conscious and indifferent. In addition to conscious and indifferent people, there are also ignoramuses. This can be proved by the example of several models of behavior of the current society:

• Outing company of young people in the woods on a picnic. It is clear that in the process of outdoor activities a certain amount of garbage is formed, which requires disposal.Conscious youth will collect the remnants of their everyday life and throw them into the nearest garbage can on the way back to the city. But unique personalities in the face of ill-bred tourists can completely scatter garbage throughout the meadow, thereby polluting the environment.
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• The work of small and large industries. Owners of factories and factories practically do not comply with the rules of environmental protection. Trying to save on the ventilation system for air purification or on filters of used water, they thereby provoke air and water pollution and cause significant damage to the biosphere by soot from processing processes.

Stimulating environmental thinking

It is necessary to work actively in order to form a new ecological thinking in society. People should constantly be reminded that with their actions they directly affect the environment in which they will continue to conduct their life activities. But how to help society pay closer attention to the seriousness of the environmental problem? More often to speak in the news rotation and to promote the observance of cleanliness and order - these are the main two points that should provoke human consciousness. In the world of modern influence on the people of the World Wide Web, special attention should be paid to the dissemination of this information exactly where people will immediately notice it - in social networks. Social advertising on environmental protection can also help people notice the glaring problem of their non-compliance with the simplest norms of proper environmental behavior.