Environmental Conciousness in German Classrooms

Long-time Villages staff members Edwin and Laura Dehler-Seter wanted to know how to make environmentalism appealing to Grüne Welle villagers, as well as how to show villagers the rich and long-standing tradition of appreciation for the natural world that stands at the core of German-speaking culture.  After eight years of hard work and research, they have published Natur! Bringing Nature and the Environment into German Language Classrooms.

 “German-speaking Europe has been at the forefront of the conservation movement, in part because natural resources are more limited in central Europe,” says Laura. The authors decided to structure the book on the cycles of nature, much like the second grade textbooks their daughter used when they were living in Germany. 

Eddie concludes, “Teaching villagers how to live a sustainable life in another language provides the opportunity to learn from other cultures through exploring new viewpoints and solutions to our common environmental and social problems.”

Edwin and Laura presented on Umwelt (the environment) in conjunction with their book at a Goethe Institut German Immersion Weekend in Washington, D.C.

clv@cord.edu
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