S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5945
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 17, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. KAVANAGH, COLTON, JAFFEE, BICHOTTE -- Multi-Spon-
   sored by -- M.  of A. GUNTHER, THIELE -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Education
 
 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".
   § 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.
              

                                                            LBD02840-01-7

 A. 5945                             2
 
   § 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.
   §  4. Legislative directives and programs. 1. The department of educa-
 tion is hereby required to establish a model program to guide the devel-
 opment, 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

 A. 5945                             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.
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.