Using ecological principles to form the basis of a succinct list of general environmental education (EE) standards will bring unity and strength to EE. Environmental education literature supports the importance of understanding general ecological principles, and general ecological concepts are prevalent in both widely used and locally adapted EE programs. In addition, an understanding of general ecological principles is included in both NSES (National Science Education Standards) and NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence. This article presents an analysis of the frequency of ecological references in several EE programs and discusses the implications of general ecological principles as a common thread in EE
