PRINTER'S NO. 1561
No. 93 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY HASAY AND GEORGE, APRIL 26, 1989
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, APRIL 26, 1989
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the State Board of Education to mandate environmental
2 conservation education into the curriculum of elementary and
3 secondary schools of this Commonwealth.
4 WHEREAS, The United States of America has, throughout its
5 great history, prospered with an abundant wealth of natural
6 resources; and
7 WHEREAS, In utilizing these resources to develop into a
8 technologically advanced society and foremost world power, we
9 have often, for the sake of that which seemed expedient, wasted,
10 misused or polluted these resources; and
11 WHEREAS, As a Nation, partially for lack of awareness,
12 through education and commitment, we have developed an apathy
13 toward conservation and a false security in the seemingly
14 endless supply of our natural resources; and
15 WHEREAS, With a distinct urbanization of our population over
16 the past 50 years, many citizens fail to develop a strong land
17 ethic so prevalent in our forefathers; and
18 WHEREAS, Section 27 of Article I of the Constitution of
1 Pennsylvania provides: "The people have a right to clean air,
2 pure water and to the preservation of the natural, scenic,
3 historic and esthetic values of our environment. Pennsylvania's
4 public natural resources are the common property of all the
5 people including generations yet to come. As trustee of these
6 resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for
7 the benefit of all the people"; and
8 WHEREAS, One of the "Goals of Quality Education" established
9 by the Department of Education in 1979 provides: "Quality
10 education should help every student acquire the knowledge and
11 attributes necessary to maintain the quality of life in a
12 balanced environment"; and
13 WHEREAS, The youth of our Nation and our Commonwealth need to
14 be educated about the problems involving natural resource
15 conservation, including the effects of acid rain and the
16 creation and disposal of toxic and hazardous wastes; and
17 WHEREAS, The Department of Education should reconfirm its
18 commitment to insuring that our students are exposed to the body
19 of knowledge known as modern conservation education theory;
20 therefore be it
21 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the State
22 Board of Education to develop, initiate and require, as part of
23 the curriculum in the elementary and secondary schools of this
24 Commonwealth, programs and courses on environmental issues and
25 natural resource conservation which will help bring about a
26 citizenry with the knowledge, attitude, motivations, commitment
27 and skills to work toward solutions of current problems and the
28 prevention of new ones; and be it further
29 RESOLVED, That the school superintendent of each local school
30 district within this Commonwealth be urged to assume the
19890H0093R1561 - 2 -
1 responsibility for assuring that these programs and courses of
2 environmental conservation education are made a part of the
3 curriculum of each school district; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
5 the Governor, the Secretary of Education and each member of the
6 State Board of Education.
C22L82JS/19890H0093R1561 - 3 -