S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  4561

                       2009-2010 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             April 24, 2009
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  OPPENHEIMER -- read twice and ordered printed, and
  when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conser-
  vation

AN ACT establishing the  New  York  state  environmental  sustainability
  education act

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the  "New  York
State Environmental Sustainability Education Act".
  S 2. Legislative findings. The legislature finds and declares that:
  1.  In  recognition  of  the  United  Nations  Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development (2005-2014), as  declared  at  the  Johannesburg
Summit of 2002, New York state deems it imperative to develop and imple-
ment  an  educational  program  geared towards improving the capacity of
people to address environmental issues in the 21st century.
  2. Our ability to fulfill our responsibility to equip New York's citi-
zens with the required knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to
create a sustainable future and enhance our quality of life  have  never
been more critical.
  3.  More  than  any  other time in recent history, New York's citizens
have the capacity to dramatically affect their natural environment,  and
mitigate  and  possibly  reverse  our  society's  negative impact on our
natural surroundings.
  4. New technologies and research have  availed  unparalleled  opportu-
nities  for us to develop and protect resources in a manner that enables
people to meet current needs, while also providing  that  future  gener-
ations can meet future needs.
  5. To successfully confront these environmental concerns and sensitiv-
ities,  we  must  put  forth a vision of education that seeks to empower
people of all ages to assume responsibility for creating  a  sustainable
future.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD03525-01-9
              

S. 4561                             2

  S  3.  Definitions.  For the purposes of this act, the following words
shall have the following meanings:
  1. "Sustainability" shall mean development that meets the needs of the
present  without  compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs. Development that occurs  in  such  a  way  ensures  the
capacity of the natural environment to meet present and future needs.
  2.    "Education  for sustainability" (EFS) means to promote an under-
standing of the interconnectedness of environment, economy and  society.
EFS  links  this  understanding with inquiry and action to help students
build a healthy future for their communities and  for  the  planet.  EFS
fosters  the  ability to integrate scientific, economic and social know-
ledge and makes education more pertinent to the changing world by moving
beyond institutional boundaries of the  disciplines  and  their  content
bias.  EFS  helps  students identify their role in local communities and
suggests ways to get involved. EFS shall consist of  educational  activ-
ities   and  training  activities  involving  elementary  and  secondary
students (K-12), as such terms are defined in the education law  and  by
environmental education personnel.
  S 4. Legislative directives and programs.
  1. The department of education is hereby required to establish a model
program  to  guide  the  development, implementation and evaluation of a
comprehensive environmental sustainability education program to be  made
available to public schools, and assist them in developing curricula and
training  staff  to adequately prepare students to participate as active
and involved citizens in building a sustainable future.
  2. The program shall be developed by the department of  education,  in
conjunction  with  the  department  of  environmental  conservation, and
modeled to promote and enhance  an  understanding  of  the  concepts  of
sustainability  and improve understanding of the natural and built envi-
ronment, and the  relationships  between  humans  and  the  environment,
including local and global aspects of environmental problems.
  3.  The  education  for sustainability program shall be constructed in
line with the following principles:
  a. A program that fosters clear awareness of, and concern for, econom-
ic, social, political and ecological interdependence in all  regions  of
New York, the United States and the world.
  b.  One  that endorses an approach to teaching and learning that inte-
grates the goals and benefits of conservation, social justice, renewable
energy, cultural diversity and sustainable development into a vision for
social improvement.
  c. One that ensures that students appreciate and respect the intrinsic
value of the whole environment, and develop an ethic of personal respon-
sibility and stewardship towards all aspects of the environment.
  d. One that encourages students to participate as active and  involved
citizens in building a sustainable future.
  e.  One  that fosters appropriate applications of technology that help
solve, not create, problems.
  4. The sustainability education program  shall  include,  but  not  be
limited to, the following specific features:
  a.  The  program  shall be designed and tailored appropriately to suit
all age groups covered by the K-12 state curriculum and  the  department
shall design lesson plans and teaching strategies that are age appropri-
ate.   The department of education shall reserve the right to include or
omit certain specified program requirements (listed below in this subdi-
vision) when tailoring the principles of sustainability to be taught  at

S. 4561                             3

each  grade level, depending on the suitability of the lesson's instruc-
tion at each grade interval.
  b.  The program shall specifically enumerate the key topic/issue areas
to be studied, and shall integrate environmental education for sustaina-
bility issues and  topics  into  specific  key  learning  areas/subjects
located  within  the broader curriculum framework such as creative arts,
English, health  and  physical  education,  languages,  mathematics  and
economics,  science and geography, history and studies of society, envi-
ronment and  technology.  The  principles  of  sustainability  shall  be
presented and integrated wherever appropriate.
  c.  The  program  shall  promote education for sustainable development
'perspectives' across learning areas to include cross-curricular  units,
complementary   teaching  across  several  subjects,  special  projects,
performances, excursions, and visiting experts.  The  program  may  also
provide  for  collaborative  projects  with  other  schools (locally and
globally) to promote equity, inclusivity, and respect for all people.
  d. The program shall raise awareness of the  nature  and  function  of
ecological,  social,  economic  and  political  systems and how they are
interrelated in addressing environmental and sustainability issues.
  e. The program shall underscore  the  impact  that  people,  business,
industry  and  government  have  on environments and how the environment
shapes  human  activities,  with  particular  reference  to  unique  and
distinctive  New York heritage traditions and settings, connecting past,
present, and future perspectives and/or impacts.
  f. The program shall emphasize the role of cultural, socioeconomic and
political systems in environmental decision-making.
  g. The program shall reinforce the value  of  innovative  technologies
with  the  aim  to  produce  places, products and services in a way that
reduces use of non-renewable resources, minimizes environmental  impact,
relates  people with the natural environment, and conveys the importance
of creating and maintaining a sustainable lifestyle.
  h. The program shall  include  assessment  strategies  that  emphasize
problem-solving,  teamwork, decision-making, holistic thinking, clarify-
ing and analyzing values and opportunities for action, in order to gauge
and improve the effectiveness and relevance of the program.
  S 5. This act shall take effect immediately.