The State of the Environment—An Overview - Teaching About The Environment In Schools

Many states require schools to incorporate environmental concepts, such as ecology, conservation, and environmental law, into many subjects at all grade levels. Some even require special training in environmentalism for teachers. Since 1992 the EPA, with congressional FIGURE 1.9
Public perception of the U.S. government's role in protecting the environment, 2004 authority to spend a total of $13 million on environmental education, gave grants to about 1,200 such projects.

Although this mandating of environmental education pleases environmentalists, and studies have shown that most Americans support environmental education, some people have protested. Critics claim that most environmental education in the schools is based on flawed information, biased presentations, and questionable objectives. Critics also say it leads to brainwashing and pushing a regulatory mind-set on students. Some critics contend that, at worst, impressionable children are being trained to believe that the environment is in immediate danger of catastrophe because of consumption, economic growth, and free market capitalism.