Blog Post #5

I don’t really know if there is a strict model that a Green Learning Community must follow but after reading the material assigned for this class and Monday’s class my view of a green learning community is a group of members who share an interest in sustainability and are motivated to come together to learn about the world around the them.  As far as specific characteristics go, I feel that a Green Learning Community would follow most of the Green Values outlined in the reading “Defining Environmentalism” as opposed to Conventional Values.  A Green Learning Community would use a non-hierarchical set-up with the students and the teacher being on the same level.  As Caspary stated in “Students in Charge” students would not simply be told what to do by the authority figure.  There would be no traditional authority and responsibility would be shared among members.  A Green Learning Community would also promote cooperation as opposed to competition among its members.  Following the Grassroots Democracy value outlined in “Ten Key Values”, a Green Learning Community would give every member a say in the decisions made by the community.

            In my opinion, the goal of a Green Learning Community is to incorporate Green Values into the community.  In addition to the incorporation of these values, Orr points out a number of other goals in “Ecological Literacy”.  What I took away from this reading was that a Green Learning Community should promote ecological literacy and encourage a sense of wonder among its members in order to foster ecologically competent students.