Towards better education: Environmental education's pivotal role in the transformation of education

Environmental education as an agent for environmental problem solving has not produced the anticipated results. It is suggested that this is due to the implementation of environmental education in our present education system which espouses a reductionist and mechanistic epistemology. This epistemology is the underlying cause of environmental problems. What is needed, is a new non-exploitative epistemology; one on which better education is based. This new epistemology will resolve the present environmental crisis. Environmental education, using an action research approach, is presented as a transformation agent to enable epistemological change. Environmental education should act as a pivot in the transformation to better education rather than a band-aid trying to solve environmental problems.