An elder, and one of the foremost theologians of our time, Father Thomas Berry tells us that we must radically alter the ethical foundation and social functioning of our educational, political, economic and religious establishments if we are to show any serious concern for the integral well-being of the Earth community. Furthermore, since the educational establishment nurtures leadership qualities in individuals who will create the future of all four of these social establishments, it is our responsibility, that is to say, it is in our ability to respond, to a rapidly growing ecological crisis.

As students dedicated to lifelong learning in this effort, through the founding of the National Alliance for Green Education we echo this call for action. Not only to respond to the wisdom of an elder, as people have done for centuries, but also to respond to the communities all over the Earth which struggle to find healthy and safe food, air and water.

It appears as an unfortunate sign of the times that the United Nations, a diverse gathering of global citizens, has initiated the creation of a document entitled The Earth Charter. Nonetheless, it is an explicit tenet of that document that compels us to “promote the participation of youth as accountable agents of change for local, bioregional and global sustainability.” Yet this is only one piece of the puzzle.

There are, at the very least, three parts to the empowerment of today’s youth in their struggle to become tomorrow’s leaders in solving the dynamic riddles of balancing natural and social ecologies -- vision, agency, and communion. Thus, in responding to the call of elders and nations, the educational establishment must support students as they develop the vision to identify issues of concern and opportunities for pro-active change, the agency to begin projects which address these, and the communion necessary for joining with others to do the necessary “heart work.”

I use the phrase “heart work” because it is most often a deep love and respect for our Earth community which compels students to take action. This is what inspires students to teach children about the environment, initiate watershed restoration, build community gardens, construct energy efficient buildings, collect garbage from mountain peaks, advocate environmental justice, reintroduce species to remote regions, as well as engage in a variety of conservation efforts. The list goes on, but the intention remains the same: students show remarkable leadership in doing “heart work” for the greater Earth community. Yet many of these remarkable individuals are not getting the support which they so desperately need.

In light of this fact, I ask the following questions of institutions with environmental programs. How can you more effectively support these students in their endeavors? How will you ensure that each student is not recreating a wheel which was already made by their peers? How will you help to catalyze a movement of ecologically inspired action that can be heard and felt in the halls of all of our social establishments? How will you help students who respect, examine, sustain and serve the interconnected web of life comprising our Earth community?

We invite you to do so by creating a National Alliance for Green Education.

In creating such an organization, institutional complementarity is essential. That is why we have invited institutions that present a contemplative, spiritual approach to education as well as institutions that present a scientific, analytical approach; institutions with classes in wilderness settings, institutions with classes on farms and those with classes in urban settings; colleges with a focus on experiential learning and colleges with a focus on service learning; colleges that teach about human ecology and natural ecology; colleges that are more alternative, colleges that are more traditional and colleges that combine the two.

Perhaps most prominently, our colleges exhibit complementarity through the diversity of bioregions we represent. From our institutional homes we can join together to share the inspiration of the rivers, deserts, mountains, lakes, meadows, forests and oceans. Through our complementarity we can create unity in diversity.

Yet we have more in common than simply the fact that we are colleges: we are all liberal arts colleges. We are each committed to help students to develop abilities for critical thinking, creative problem solving, and team building. Perhaps more effectively than any other collegiate institutions, we can inspire and support students who demonstrate vision, agency and communion in doing the “heart work” for the Earth.

Thus, in cooperation and towards a future of collaboration and in response to a call from elders, nations and all creatures alike, we join together in action. Let us now form a National Alliance for Green Education so that we might become more effective in educating the leaders of tomorrow, today.

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This document is based on a presentation by James R. Pittman. You may also want to view excerpts from the inspirational speech "Educating for the Twenty-first Century" which was given by Father Thomas Berry in Prescott, Arizona, on the evening of May 10, 1996 during the conference, “Sacred Earth, Sacred Self ™.”