17: Holistic Education and the Earth Charter: An Earth-Centric Model of Transformative Learning for Planetary Citizenship

The Earth Charter’s (EC) transformative vision of interconnectedness and relationship requires a shift in consciousness. It is values-oriented and is best realized through a pedagogy that is holistic and grounded in compassion, understanding, and love. It points toward global and planetary citizenship. This chapter will incorporate many voices, especially from the global south. It will describe how Earth Charter’s holistic pedagogy can be one way to reimagine education for the times in which we live and thus extend the vision of Education 2000 (see in Flake, 1993, pp. 361–371). This chapter will offer a social and ecological pedagogy for our times and weave a holistic vision of compassion, understanding, and love as a basis for inner transformation as well as active engagement in the world.