Necessity of Education for Environmental Literacy in the Architecture

Environmental literacy is the main field of activities which its knowledge is necessary for consumers, producers as well as observers. The objective of environmental education is improving applied literacy of stakeholders. The concept of environmental literacy consists of science (facts, concepts and skill) and practice (vision and awareness) which makes personal behavior. In this framework, awareness has two sciencebased (knowing) and emotional-based understanding. In general, scientific education and environmental science have two-way relationship in which scientific education is a prerequisite of environmental literacy and environmental literacy functions as a base for scientific education. Furthermore, scientific literacy and environmental literacy are overlapping in many cases and it is difficult to differentiate them because of their internal linkages. Studies have shown that environmental education can improve environmental literacy as high as three folds which will be ended in responsible action with the environment. Academic education of architecture in Iran exceeds six decades; however, there is no any satisfactory paradigm for environmental literacy and education in this discipline. In the present essay, we evaluated the relationship between architecture education and environmental literacy and the necessity of environmental literacy as a neglected element in architecture faculties.