Long-term influences of participation in an earth education program in middle school

This is a retrospective study of the long-term influences of participation in the Sunship Earth program. Participants were 288 adults who had participated in the residential Sunship Earth program as 6th graders and 103 adults from the same community who had not. Comparisons between the groups were made concerning attitudes and worldviews, views on environmental issues, involvement in environmental efforts, and environmentally related actions. Former program participants had more pro-environmental attitudes and worldviews, were more likely to oppose fracking for natural gas, and had higher rates of participation in environmental organizations and spending time in nature. There was no difference in beliefs about global climate change or the frequency of spending time in state or national parks. An overwhelming majority of former program participants stated that their participation has influenced them as adults. Their environmental actions, appreciation and care, and continued learning about the environment were frequently described.