Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 June 2015
In the first part of the paper some features of the international 0ECD/CERI Project “Environment and School Initiatives” are described. The central idea of the project is to support teachers in educational activities that connect the promotion of dynamic qualities (such as initiative and self-confidence) with the promotion of environmental awareness. In the second part the project's philosophy and its educational implications are discussed: The main idea is that the increase in human-produced complexity has created a qualitatively new situation, in which local initiatives, long-term value-orientations and the wide-spread ability to reflect on one's own actions become a matter of survival. For the educational system this means a redefinition of its tasks to include reflective action on their environment by students and teachers and an appreciation of the value complexity of environmental problems.