Some people say that children don't think about the future of the world or the environment because they lack perspective or they are too occupied with technology and self-gratification.

While this may be true to some extent, many children, including my own, regularly ask "Why are they cutting down all those trees?" A difficult question to answer at the best of times, especially when adults view progress and the economy as more important than the environment, when they are all really one in the same.

In a story published in New Renaissance magazine, Frank Hutchinson, a lecturer in the faculty of health, humanities and social ecology at the University of Western Sydney, Australia, interviewed teenaged children and asked them about their views on the future of the environment. Michelle, a Grade 11 student living in an affluent area who believes her future will be better than the rest of world, said there were "no trees, all grey smog, pollution, unhappiness, false love. Discontent between families. Very rich people, famine takes hold of unlucky poor people. Robotics. Polluted water and air. Pure water and oxygen for sale and War." Sonia, a 15-year-old at a rural area high school had positive dreams for the future despite her negative fears about the current world. She saw the world as a non-polluted planet and wrote, "The seas and skies were clear, the forests were healthy and bright with numerous birds caroling. I walked near a small spring and waterfall. The waterfall was crystal clear." Hutchinson proposes that adults need to focus on actively listening to the voices of young people, and their concerns about the future. He believes that much more is needed than the traditional focus on the 3Rs of education. I agree with him, and based on my personal experiences of teaching students to learn horticulture in the field and the classroom, hands-on learning integrated with theoretical understandings is favoured by the majority of horticulture students.

In a story published by Medical News Today, written by Catharine Paddock, the results of a new study by Britain's National Foundation for Educational Research which surveyed 1,300 school teachers and investigated 10 schools, found that involving children in school gardening boosted learning and development in many areas, such as:

- scientific knowledge and understanding, from botany to food production;

- literacy and numeracy, including widening vocabulary;

- listening and spoken interaction ("oracy" skills);

- awareness of the seasons and care for the environment;

- physical motor skills;

- confidence, self-esteem, emotional well-being, positive behaviour and sense of responsibility;

- positive attitude toward healthy food choices, and

- children's ability to work, communicate with people from all ages and backgrounds.

An interesting finding in the report was that when gardening was made a mandatory part of the curriculum, not as an extra-curricular activity, children were encouraged to live healthier lifestyles and it boosted their resiliency and confidence.

As further proof of a need to change our education system to encourage creativity, innovation and problem solving I was struck by a lecture given by Sir Ken Robinson at one of the Technology Entertainment and Design conferences -- a lecture that all educators should watch and listen to. During his talk, Robinson made a case for "creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity." Robinson commented that, "We have a huge vested interest in education because it's meant to take us into a future that we can't grasp." Nobody has a clue what the world will look like in five or 50 years' time. And yet we're meant to be educating children for it."

Robinson highlights the reality that: "All children have tremendous talents. And we squander them, pretty ruthlessly." A fact that adults may not clearly appreciate. Robinson said that "creativity is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status." I think he has much support for that belief. And his call for a learning revolution is right on the mark, and in my view, school-based gardens, student-led food production activities and an understanding of respect for the environment should be made a mandatory part of all K to12 education. The patriarchs and matriarchs of the education system will undoubtedly decree that such statements are a threat to the proper education of our children. I have previously written in this column that many educators and academics do not believe or support the notion of teaching gardening as a part of K to 12 education. Perhaps the NFER report and Sir Robinson's insightful comments may change their entrenched mindset. If not, I leave you with this quote by Confucius in 450 BC: "Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand."

Todd Major is a journeyman horticulturist, garden designer, and consultant. For advice contact him at stmajor@haw.ca.