In this symposium, we aim to explore and discuss what environmental education ought to be under the notion that the foundation of environmental education is based on sensitivity toward our surrounding environment and love for human beings in terms of how we interact with nature by learning from the current state of environmental education abroad.  Then, we will explore suitable environmental education programs for the Japanese educational system in the light of possible assistance for EE by local authorities, non-government organizations, and academic institutions. In order to nurture such compassion, it is not sufficient to learn only through written documents and photos.  It is essential in environmental education to let people in the real field actually feel and touch their surrounding environment and raise their awareness, in addition to the acquired knowledge, toward the fact that we humans are a part of other living things and are maintained by coexisting with each other.  To achieve it, we should transform the existing “knowledge acquisition-oriented” classes into more “empirical” ones.  We also need teachers who are capable of implementing various fieldwork events. Today, environmental education in Japan has been put into practice as a part of each related school subject such as science and social studies and the “hours for comprehensive studies.”  Yet, what environmental education deals with should be more diverse in a variety of realms.  Thus, a certain system to provide support for schools is needed for this education.  The assistance includes suggestions for teaching curricula, provision of professional expertise and methods for environmental education. In this symposium, we will focus our attention on the “EE utilizing natural fields” so as to have a detailed and animated discussion.  The chief topics for the discussion are as follows.: 1.     What kind of minds can and should be nurtured through environmental education fieldwork activities? 2.     What kind of methods, curricula and practices are there to achieve it? 3.     What kind of issues we would encounter in practicing school education and how should they be solved? Based on 1, 2 & 3, what sort of assistance can universities give and how can they do so?