It's with sadness that I note the death of Philip Neal last Tuesday night; November 15th. Anyone who knows anything about the development of environmental education in the UK will understand the contribution that Philip made over many years, and in so many ways. This is not the place for an obituary – but a small appreciation of a great contribution is justly due.
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Philip Neal was a leading light of the National Association for Environmental Education (NAEE) which consisted of associations of teachers, heads and advisers from most of the local education authority areas in England. He chaired NAEE, edited its journal for many years, and published the Handbook of Environmental Education with Joy Palmer in 1994.
NAEE had evolved from the National Rural Studies Association (hence the logo of a wooden gate) but Philip’s vision was far wider. He wanted environmental education to embrace all environments, and once suggested that the National Association for Urban Studies, of which I was chair, and NAEE should merge. NAEE was one of the founder member organisations of the Council for Environmental Education. Philip represented NAEE on the Council, chaired CEE’s Schools and Tertiary Education, and later became one of its Vice-Presidents. When I joined CEE in 1997 I was secretary to the schools group, and Philip treated me to a long lunch at the Feathers Hotel in Ludlow where he briefed me on all things EE, including the main players, and the games being played. In my naivety I didn’t believe everything he told me at the time!
Whilst he was passionate about the role of environmental education in helping young people to address local and global issues, Philip maintained a healthy scepticism of ESD when many around him were being swept along on a wave of sustainable development terminology. “How can you educate for something when nobody knows what it is?” he asked over coffee at a meeting in Birmingham.
Philip was a liberal educator - first and foremost - and believed that the reputation of environmental education had been damaged by campaigning NGOs. He sat, for me at least, alongside people like Keith Wheeler, Colin Ward, Rex Beddis and Gordon Boon.