Interview with David W. Orr What is the purpose of education? What exactly are we trying to achieve by sending kids to school for twelve years? Dr. David Orr, Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies at Oberlin College, sees a direct connection between how we teach children and the disastrous impacts of our dependence on fossil fuels. A pioneer in the ecological literacy movement, he believes that all education should be ecologically based, from the design of the campus to the curriculum itself. “All education is environmental education,” says Orr. “Students either learn that they are a part of or apart from the natural world.” He points out that some of…
