Empowering Without Preaching: The Tensions and Challenges of Conservation and Sustainability Education

Date
Wednesday, 02 July 2025
Time
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location
Exton Park, Chester/Online
Book your Place
A Student wearing a blue
OnlineOn CampusPostgraduateSustainabilityResearchFaculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
This event is a hybrid event, and you can join us either in-person or online via Teams (for a Livestream).
Empowering Without Preaching: The Tensions and Challenges of Conservation and Sustainability Education
Join Uná Meehan and Charlotte Smith (Director of Conservation Education at Chester Zoo), along with Rosalind Mist (Director of Education and Youth Engagement at WWF-UK), and colleagues from our wider partnership, as we explore the ethical, professional, and pedagogical challenges facing educators in the environmental sector.
This webinar will explore the complex challenges faced by those working within conservation and sustainability education. Are educators simply informing – or are they campaigning, or even attempting to influence learner behaviour? And why do these distinctions matter?
As the climate and biodiversity crises become increasingly urgent societal issues, the boundaries between education and activism are becoming blurred. This discussion will examine the ethical, professional, and pedagogical tensions that arise when teaching about environmental issues – and consider how we can empower both learners and educators, across disciplines and levels of study, without compromising the integrity and purpose of education.
Whether you're working in formal education, a charity, higher education, or an informal learning environment – or are responsible for upskilling your colleagues – this session offers space for reflection, challenge, and connection.
If you have any questions ahead of the event, please feel free to get in touch with Uná.

Get in Touch With Uná

Una Meehan

Senior Lecturer
Uná Meehan

How to get here

Exton Park is centrally located in Chester, and accessible via the M53, A483, A41, A56, and public transport from the city centre.

Find your way around Exton Park

Address

University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester, CH1 4BJ

The Greenway Gate, accessible between 7am – 9pm with your University pass, is located at the back of the overflow car park and is the nearest point of access to the Millennium Greenway cycle path that connects to routes throughout the city.

Bache train station is a 15-minute walk from Exton Park and Chester railway station is a 20-minute walk. Arriva 1A and Arriva 1 run frequent services that stop with a short walk to Exton Park. All three Park and Ride routes, PR1, PR2 and PR3 have connections within walking distance to Exton Park.

Parking on campus is limited, so we recommend using public transport and/or walking if possible.