Senior (65+ yrs)

Throughout history, philosophers, scientists, and many others have noted the positive impacts of nature on human experience. Extensive research in EE has been devoted to proving the benefits of exposure to nature, including increases in prosocial behaviors, such as trust, generosity, and empathy. Various theories exist about whether beauty is objective (based on properties of an object) or subjective (based on human perception and interpretation).

School gardens can be used as learning spaces to complement the elementary school curriculum and can have many beneficial impacts on children's development. Previous research shows that garden-based learning (GBL) can benefit children by improving their physical and mental health, social and problem-solving skills, and academic performance. Barriers exist to the use of school gardens as learning spaces, such as lack of funding, inexperience, lack of garden knowledge and inadequate teacher training. A better understanding of how and why teachers use GBL may help increase its use.

Many benefits of environmental education (EE) may exist, including positive impacts on individual participants, as well as society and the environment more broadly. Understanding the outcomes of an EE program is one way to evaluate its impact, which can help design better programs. Many programs are built on the “information deficit model,” which assumes that increasing environmental knowledge results in pro-environmental behaviors and attitudes.

Most of what we learn about the environment occurs outside of the classroom. Nonformal learning centers like aquariums, parks and zoos are especially important to promote free-choice learning about climate change and other environmental issues and inspire visitors to apply this new knowledge into their everyday lives. Some nonformal learning centers follow up with past visitors regarding their experience, with the goal of reinforcing what visitors learned. Post-visit action resources (PVARs) can encourage pro-environmental attitudinal and behavioral shifts.

Across the United States, nature centers connect community members with each other and with their surrounding environment. Previous studies suggest that through both unstructured experiences and nature-based programming, these centers can positively impact their local communities, such as promote pro-environmental behaviors and careers. However, little is known about how community members, both visitors and non-visitors, value their local nature centers.

In today's world, people can learn about science in a variety of informal settings, such as museums, afterschool programs, and outdoor spaces. However, the factors contributing to long-term learning in these informal settings are vast, complicated, and not widely understood. This study's researchers set out to examine some of those factors by considering how memories, conversations, and social interactions among family members influence learning during an informal nature walk.

Over time, the purpose of botanic gardens has evolved such that most botanic gardens are focused on plant conservation and the cultivation of native species. For the past several decades, botanic gardens have also served as venues for environmental education programs. It was only recently that educators recognized the potential for botanic gardens to promote social inclusion. Environmental education researchers have criticized traditional environmental education programs at botanic gardens for catering to specific audiences who tend to be older, middle to upper class, and white.

As the urban populations grow and climate change contributes to periodic droughts, cities increasingly need to examine how to ensure their residents safe, reliable sources of water. Water conservation education is one way cities may choose to encourage residents to conserve water. In this study, the authors examine whether a water conservation education program (WCEP) that educated schoolchildren and homeowners reduced residential water use.

Many believe that educating people about environmental issues is crucial to resolving those problems. Understanding the connections between environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behavior is an essential part of promoting environmental action. Theory suggests that environmental literacy, which includes knowledge and attitudes, is correlated with pro-environmental behaviors, and that environmental behavior may be a result of environmental literacy.

Institutions that teach about environmental topics, such as zoos and aquariums, want to ensure they are achieving the desired learning outcomes. Many nonformal learning environments use interactive, 3-D exhibits to share information with visitors. This type of 3-D learning environment allows people to move in and around the exhibit and encourages them to interact with learning materials through multiple senses (i.e. sound, sight, touch, etc.).