"People can stem the current tide of ecological destruction by changing their ways of thinking and behaving. And to that end Education is central. Education, in fact, offers the opportunity to build on children's love of nature and, from there, to cultivate a deep capacity for emotional, social and ecological intelligence"
Sarah James, Chairperson of the Gwich'in Alaskan Coastal Plains Steering Committee. ( )

At the core of this book are inspirational stories of educators applying the five practices of ecoliteracy. These practices include:

1. Developing empathy for all forms of life.
2. Embracing sustainability as a community practice.
3. Making the invisible visible.
4. Anticipating unintended consequences.
5. Understanding how nature sustains life.

Interspersed with the stories are enlightening environmental facts. This is a motivational book. Those expecting a detailed map for implementing ecoliteracy programs will be disappointed. The last two chapters are the most practical with professional development strategies for engaging colleagues in ecoliterate learning communities. The last chapter provides designs for using material from the book as part of these learning communities. The designs can easily be adapted to creating lesson plans for classroom use. In addition, the stories throughout the book may be shared with students to move them to care and take action. An extensive resource section organized to coincide with the book’s chapters will lead readers to a wealth of information and useful materials.

Don’t read this book with the expectation of coming away with a detailed plan for furthering the ecoliteracy of students. Do read this book for inspiration and ideas. ( )