Neuroscience and Sustainability: An Online Module on "Environmental Neuroscience"

Neuroscience has extensive and vital applications to environmental sustainability that have yet to be fully integrated into undergraduate education: The neurotoxicity of common chemicals and the health dangers of anthropogenic sensory noise are well known. Research on the neural bases for value-based decision making has implications for pro-environmental efforts. Neural and sensory responses to nature exposure show health benefits of such 'green' experiences. Despite these implications, the term "environmental neuroscience", in sharp contrast to "environmental psychology", is virtually unheard of in undergraduate education. Here we present a model for explicitly integrating environmentally-relevant neuroscience content into an undergraduate class without sacrificing its standard range of materials. Students completed a stand-alone online "Environmental Neuroscience Module" by reading and reflectively writing about popular science articles on environmentally-applied neuroscience issues. Results show that students saw the module as enhancing their understanding of class material and their application of neuroscience to sustainability and their lives. Students showed better performance on a knowledge test of environmental neuroscience relative to a control group. They also showed higher self-ratings of connectedness to nature, a robust predictor of eco-friendly behaviors. The module might thus serve as an efficient model for enriching neuroscience education through environmental applications while also fostering its contribution to sustainability efforts. Our approach might also point to novel ways of integrating neuroscience with disciplines like environmental studies and of reaching a diverse student body by teaching neuroscience in the context of important societal issues.